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Welcome and thank you for your interest in the Geochemistry and Radioisotope Analytical and Computational Laboratory (GRACkLe) at Trinity University! This document summarizes the overarching goals and philosophy of the laboratory, recommendations on how to get involved, my expectations of lab members, and some reasonable expectations lab members should have of me.
As the Primary Investigator (PI) of the lab, I1 wrote this document, but use the pronoun “we” throughout to reflect the collaborative nature of our work and my intent to support collaborative work toward shared goals.
As the laboratory name implies, we use geochemistry—with some special emphasis on radioisotopes—to reconstruct both time and process in Earth’s history. We use analytical chemistry techniques to measure elemental and isotopic compositions of Earth and planetary material. We also use computational techniques to develop numerical models that help us interpret Earth and planetary processes from chemical data. Researchers in the group use these techniques to answer interdisciplinary questions about (1) the past behavior of water on/near our planet’s surface in response to climate and (2) the earliest stages of planetary accretion and evolution in our solar system.
Members of this lab rely on principles of (geo)chemistry to interpret Earth and planetary histories. In many cases, we use analytical and wet chemistry methods to generate novel geochemical data. In all cases, we write and implement scientific computer code to visualize data and model natural systems. Yet, we also embrace the aphorism2 “All models are wrong, but some are useful.” In other words, we strive to consider the limitations of our models, recognizing not only what they do tell us, but what they do not tell us.
My research interests and goals are broad, and I encourage you to lean into the topics that you find interesting within the Earth and planetary sciences. If you have an idea or a topic you are interested in exploring, let’s talk about it! I cannot guarantee that I will be able or willing to support your research on that topic, but I will fully consider the potential.
The following sections describe what conducting mentored research in GRACkLe typically looks like. Please reach out to me directly if you would like to learn more about anything. Please note that in all cases, we will explicitly discuss your scientific and professional interests prior to your beginning research of any form under my mentorship.
The best way to get to know me and my research interests is by taking one of my courses! I bring at least a little bit of my research interests into all of my courses, where you can glimpse this work while developing foundational geoscience knowledge and skills.
Summer research experiences are arranged during the academic year. The Department of Earth & Environmental Geosciences runs a competitive application process for summer research positions with its faculty. Any Trinity student interested in conducting summer research with me will need to complete this application to be eligible.
A variety of funding pathways from sources within and beyond Trinity University support summer research in GRACkLe. Typically, students get housing through Trinity, receive a stipend (see §3.2), and receive one credit hour of course credit. The summer program culminates in a presentation of research findings at the Trinity Summer Research and Internship Symposium.
Some students conduct research during the academic year, typically for-credit as a Directed Studies (GEOS 3190-5/4190-5) or Thesis Research (GEOS 4395-5). While the research topics and goals are the same as in the summer, semester-based research tends to be more superficial than the more intensive, focused summer research. In rare cases, we may coordinate not-for-credit mentored research experiences.
Student researchers form outside of Trinity University may become involved in GRACkLe through a variety of avenues, including Keck Geology Consortium projects or through direct communication with me. However, my capacity to support researchers from beyond Trinity is limited by a variety of constraints and depend on available resources and my own bandwidth.
If you are interested in learning more about GRACkLe from without Trinity University, I encourage you to reach out to me directly, and we can discuss possible opportunities.
This section covers my general expectations of student researchers and lab users, as well as reasonable lab member expectations of me. Naturally, we will adopt some more detailed expectations of each other over the course of our meetings and discussions. Any written, mutual agreements arising from those meetings will supersede anything in this document.
As a student (researcher) at Trinity University, you are always expected to follow Trinity’s expectations of student conduct3 when on-campus, at University events, or acting as a representative of the University. To be clear, you are a representative of the University whenever you appear as a “student” or “student researcher” in a professional, academic, or research (including field!) setting.
I expect the following conduct from all GRACkLe members.
Again, I request that you please explicitly communicate your expectations/requests of lab conduct norms to me. In other words, please let me know how we can support your feeling recognized, respected, and supported in GRACkLe.
You are never expected to personally fund research expenses and should always expect those to be covered in full by University or laboratory funds. This includes travel, lodging, and meals when we travel for research purposes (field, laboratory, conferences). If you take part in a summer research experience, you will typically be paid a modest stipend ($500/week), which is to fund your own living expenses. Sometimes, I can provide compensation for certain research-related work during the academic year, but this is on a case-by-case basis.
If you have any questions about financial responsibilities or expectations, please ask me!
Scientific understanding rarely (if ever) advances by innate genius or epiphany. Rather, research progresses through repeated experiments characterized by careful labor and thoughtful evaluation. Therefore, our research success stems from focused time and effort.
If you are struggling with any of the following expectations, please reach out to me, so that we can develop solutions together.
Time During summer research, I expect you to commit approximately 40 hours per week, roughly commensurate to five eight-hour workdays. As research responsibilities ebb and flow, you may spend more time some weeks, balanced by weeks where you work less. During Fall/Spring semesters, time commitments scale with the number of credit hours. Table 1 summarizes typical weekly time expectations.
| Commitment | Summer | Thesis/DS(3) | DS(2) | DS(1) |
| Mean hours/week | 40 | 12 | 8 | 4 |
Effort The effort put into research is just as important as the time over which you integrate that effort. When you put time into your research, I expect you to be working substantively toward your research goals. Note the term substantive, by which I mean that you are working efficiently, thinking and reflecting critically on your work, and proactively addressing problems/issues as they arise.
Location In some cases (lab/field work), you will be working on-site in a field or laboratory setting. In other cases (reading, coding, writing), your work location may be flexible, and you are welcome to work in locations that are conducive to advancing your goals. If flexibility becomes detrimental to your productivity, we may revise these expectations.
To promote your growth as a scientist, I strive to ensure that you are making the most of your time and effort. Additionally, the success of your research efforts directly impact the success of my scholarly research program. You should expect that I will take your time spent conducting research very seriously. I will respond in a timely manner to your questions (see §3.7) and work diligently with you to help overcome obstacles, clarify confusion, and discuss interpretations.
During summers, I spend the majority of my time on our research, so I am routinely on-campus and/or available to answer questions and help troubleshoot. During Fall/Spring semesters, I have teaching responsibilities that reduce my bandwidth to support your research activity, but I will make every effort to respond promptly and promote your research success.
Scientific study is highly non-linear. That is, the amount of time or work you put into science does not directly determine how well your data answers your question. Sometimes, small efforts will generate highly informative data, and other times great efforts will generate minimally informative data. Nature is dynamic, complicated, and stochastic;4 and we have to grapple with that. Similarly, science is not a set of fixed experimental methods that provide a predictable outcome. In my experience, it is the persistence and responsiveness of our inquiry that ultimately leads to fruitful scientific knowledge.
I encourage you to be persistent, patient, and thoughtfully critical of our methods. I expect you to be receptive to my feedback, and you should expect me to be receptive to yours.
We will make mistakes and revise, backtrack, or give up on some approaches. This can be frustrating, but it is a necessary component of authentic science, which operates at the edge of knowledge. We may put a lot of effort into a method or hypothesis before realizing that it is not worthwhile, and that is perfectly fine. Beware the fallacy of sunken costs!5
We are not omniscient and we learn by doing, so our scientific and personal growth come from learning what works well and what does not. This philosophy, in part, motivates my strict policy on artificial intelligence (§3.6): we want to struggle (an appropriate amount) because that helps us learn.
High-quality research is reproducible, precise and accurate, relevant, and thoughtfully interpreted. I expect you to pursue all of these as goals in your research efforts, and you should expect my guidance and support toward them. Your research will involve a combination of each of the components listed in the sections below.
Safety of ourselves and others is the single highest priority in our work. I will address relevant safety concerns in all trainings for any methodology (field, lab, computational), and I will train you in the practice of appropriate safety precautions.
Effective safety cultures are grounded in transparency and trust. I expect you to follow all safety protocols, hold your colleagues accountable, and report any safety concerns to me as soon as possible. You should expect that I will earnestly, meaningfully, and respectfully respond to your concerns.
Accidents happen, and I have made many myself. Please notify me of any accidents so we can address them promptly and take steps to prevent them in the future!
Part of your role as a researcher is continuously developing your understanding of the field you are working in. The best way to accomplish this is through routinely engaging with peer-reviewed primary (e.g. journal articles) and secondary (e.g. textbooks) literature from the field.
I expect you to carefully and thoughtfully read all recommended/assigned literature in time for scheduled meetings and discussions.6 In return, you can expect me to help support your access to the literature, answer your questions, teach effective scientific reading techniques, and provide disciplinary context.
While not explicitly required, I strongly recommend that you proactively seek out literature that excites or intrigues you. If you are motivated to take on this challenge but it feels daunting, I will happily nudge you in productive directions.
Fieldwork is a routine (though infrequent) component of GRACkLe research, and you may have opportunities to take part in it. Typically, fieldwork involves observations, exploratory sampling, and focused sampling to collect material for laboratory-based analyses.
My perspective on fieldwork is that the highs are high and the lows are low. The highs: we gain new and deep perspectives of part of the Earth system in the wild, and the samples we collect form the foundation of our geochemical research. The lows: days tend to run long, we may be traveling for days to weeks at a time, and the work can be both physically and emotionally challenging.
Every fieldtrip looks different, so specific expectations vary. You should expect detailed information about what fieldwork will look like, what sort of gear you will need, direct communication and guidance in the field, and responsiveness to your concerns. I expect that you prepare yourself for fieldwork to the best of your ability, follow directions and safety precautions closely, and communicate directly with me about your needs and concerns.
Laboratory methods vary from processing samples after fieldwork (cleaning, cutting, measuring, subsampling) to wet chemistry (lab coats, eye protection, and harsh chemicals) to analytical chemistry (operating instruments to collect elemental/isotopic data), and all the preparation and maintenance that goes into these processes. Labwork will be a significant fraction of the time spent conducting research in GRACkLe. Excellent science comes from meticulous, patient, and well-documented labwork.
I expect you to carefully follow all safety and operational procedures, ask questions, take detailed notes, and troubleshoot carefully. When challenges arise, I expect you to problemsolve, but to ask questions before taking any actions that might jeopardize anyone’s safety or the integrity of our research, in that order. You should expect me to provide comprehensive training, detailed instructions, and safety briefings. I will gladly clarify any methods, offer constructive feedback, and encourage you to explore your interests and develop a sense of confidence in the lab. You should expect laboratory work to be time-consuming, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes exhilarating.
Geochemical data is often laborious and expensive to collect. Therefore, careful data management and effective analysis are imperative to ensuring the quality, reproducibility, and longevity of our results and conclusions. Following community best-practices, we follow FAIR data management principles, ensuring our data is Findable, Accesible, Interoperable, and Reusable. We will use a variety of computational techniques to visualize and numerically analyze our data. If scientific computing is an interest of yours, this is an excellent opportunity to explore it!
You should expect me to provide detailed instructions on how to store, identify, process, analyze, and manage data. I will happily provide clarification and resources to help you better understand both the theory and implementation behind our approaches.
I expect you to carefully follow the lab protocols on naming, storing, and processing data. I expect you to use commonsense and informational resources to solve problems, but I also expect you to use caution, seek clarification as you need it, and avoid relying on assumptions.
Research is an iterative process, where preliminary interpretations of data inform further data collection and analysis. Therefore, interpretations are necessary intermediate and ultimate products of our research efforts. Throughout our research, we will spend time interpreting data (analyses) in the context of prior research and other datasets. I expect you to spend time and effort trying to interpret data, and you may expect me to support that process through discussions and advice.
You will occasionally write summaries of your research. These may take forms that scale from a brief abstract to a multiple-page report to a lengthy thesis.
I expect you to dedicate sufficient time to prepare legible, coherent, and factually accurate texts; I expect you to challenge yourself to become a stronger writer; I expect you to use/develop best practices in terms of version (draft) and citation management; and I expect you to check with me before formally submitting any GRACkLe-related writing.
You should expect me to provide reasonable notice of writing deadlines (rare exceptions when I learn about things at the last minute); you should expect me to provide supportive advice and mentorship during the writing process; and you should expect me to provide constructive feedback on any lab-related writing that you request.
Feedback timelines In general, I will provide feedback on written material within one week for large texts (≫ 1000 words), 1–3 days for smaller texts (≤ 1000 words), or on timelines agreed upon in advance. I will typically expect similar feedback turnaround times from you.
Peer-reviewed publications in academic journals are the professional currency in the natural sciences. Generally, the ultimate goal of our research efforts is to incorporate our data and interpretations into an article manuscript that gets published. While we will routinely generate publishable data and interpretations, it will rarely be independently sufficient for publication. Therefore, you should not necessarily expect authorship, though a supporting authorship role is a possibility with sufficient contribution to the project. If you are interested in contributing to a publication sufficiently to obtain authorship, let’s discuss your goals, interests, and bandwidth.
You are not permitted to use generative artificial intelligence7 (GenAI) for any GRACkLe-related research/writing efforts. As the PI8 of the lab, I do not allow intellectual property or data generated in GRACkLe to be fed to GenAI algorithms, without my explicit permission.
I deliberately avoid GenAI for two reasons: GenAIs (1) have profoundly negative environmental impacts9 and (2) retain the information you feed them. I view scientific inquiry, knowledge, and information as a craft rather than a commodity. Research and data contexts are important, and GenAIs are neither trustworthy curators of the craft nor its context. Different researchers have different opinions on the role of GenAI in scientific research, and of course, you are entitled to your own philosophy independent of mine.
Effective, efficient communication will improve every aspect of our collaborative research efforts. I am always happy to communicate with lab users…
In general, if I am physically on-campus, you should expect prompt asynchronous responses. I also maintain a policy that when my office door is open, I welcome spontaneous (albeit brief) conversations.
We typically meet weekly10 for “regular” research meetings to discuss research progress, troubleshoot challenges, and set short-term goals. We schedule regular meeting times at the beginning of a semester and plan to stick to that schedule throughout. At (roughly) monthly intervals, we will have an “executive” meeting during the scheduled regular meeting time to reflect on research approaches, research progress, and updates to expectations (including grades, if relevant).
During summers, we have an additional weekly “all hands” laboratory meeting, where all active GRACkLe members meet to discuss readings, learn an important skill, or discuss broader lab topics.
If you are enrolled in directed studies or thesis research with me, it is technically a course. Unlike typical courses, you will not have formal evaluations (papers, exams) that provide feedback on your progress. However, I am required to provide a grade for these to count toward credit. Since scientific research is a non-linear process (§3.4), your grade will be based on effort and persistence toward achieving research goals and products, rather than their completion. You will earn an A by consistently spending (on average) the expected weekly time commitment substantively pursuing research goals (see §3.3, Table 1).
GRACkLe is only a couple years old and I am still figuring out what questions are frequently asked. For now, all questions are infrequently asked, so please ask me directly!