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At this time in my project, there are not many ethical issues as I am mainly working with cell lines and DNA samples, but I anticipate as our project shifts from in vitro to in vivo studies involving mice models, I will have to grapple with the ethics of animal testing. However, from what I've read and experienced in previous labs I've worked in, animal testing is a very rigorous process that always seeks to minimize the suffering and distress of the animal subjects.
As we are trying to discern the exact effects that kinase inhibitors have on cancer cell physiology and viability, we are reading through a lot of the current literature on the subject to understand how different researchers have approached quantifying their observations. We are incorporating multiple procedures and methods as such in order to ensure that our results are thorough and informative.
There is a stereotypical image of a leader that the word is traditionally associated with – a person who always takes charge and visibly directs the direction of the group. However, I think this week's workshops and discussions emphasized how leaderships comes in all forms, such as supporting alongside and with others. The assessments we took on Tuesday to identify our communication styles reminded me that leadership also consists of considering other people's wants and adjusting our methods to match that.
My research this summer will require group work with both other peers and my faculty mentor. Thus, I will apply what I learned in class about communication styles, from drivers to analyticals, to see how to most affectively communicate with them. Many of the projects in the lab I am working on are two-person jobs, so I will also practice methods of leadership to support the group as a whole, working alongside and with others.
I am most excited in mastering the use of the radiation detector in the lab, which will allow me to make measurements of the existence of Cs-137 isotopes in food. I will be able to use this detector to measure radiation levels in produce in the New York area this summer, and transition to making in-situ measurements on Kiribati island next summer.
I agree with your perspectives on leadership, Kate! I think this week definitely challenged our conventional stereotypes of what a leader looks like, and showed us that even you're not placed on this pedestal of "leader", you can still find ways to lead and effect change in groups and communities. I'm also super excited to continue hearing about the things you find in your research!
This week has really shown me that there is no one form, or one set of strategies to being a leader, and there are many ways that any member of a group can display leadership and advocate for the group's needs. Even within each of type of leader (from the front, behind, and beside), there are a variety of communication strategies and styles a leader can employ and embrace. Our exercise exploring the four different styles of communication was especially enlightening to me, as I believe that leaders should able to inhabit and understand all these different styles to be able to communicate and lead empathetically and effectively.
As a student researcher in a lab with other undergraduates, medical students, PhDs, and postdocs, I am eager to learn to lead beside my peers and supervisors. When evaluating certain lab protocols or setting directions and next steps in our projects, I look forward to embracing opportunities to communicate new ideas and collaborate alongside my peers.
I'm very excited to get more involved in wet-lab work, as well as work on a project from end-to-end.