Reflections on Being a Lab Technician
Since graduating, it has been so beneficial for me to be connected in a lab community. Not only does it keep me engaged in a research setting, but I get to be immersed in a thought provoking environment sharing ideas about ecological applications. Specifically, I help on a variety of projects in a marine conservation ecology lab, researching in both eelgrass and rocky reef/kelp forest habitats. This focus has allowed me to work on a variety of projects that include monitoring eelgrass wasting disease, surveying the kelp forest, and estimating lobster fecundity, among many others. Through partaking in these projects, I have learned and refined many new skills, such as: categorizing marine invertebrates, measuring and counting lobster eggs, preparing samples for isotope analysis, conducting benthic underwater surveys using self contained breathing apparatus (SCUBA), monitoring eelgrass wasting disease, operating small watercraft/research vessels, and collaborating with local fishermen while operating lobster trapping off commercial vessels.
When I started this position, I had no foresight into the exact specifics of my role to play in these projects. These are all skills I learned and picked up along the way! That is why I have found it so beneficial to be a lab technician–I get experience in areas where I’m not as versed while being in a great space to ask questions, learn new skills, and learn from those around me. For example, I have gleaned so much about being a graduate student from watching two of my lab members research through literature and troubleshoot design ideas while developing their projects. I would never know the details involved in experimenting with sampling techniques or navigating logistics without having been the extra pair of hands assisting as they refined their projects; witnessing the process helps me feel more confident in my own ability to deliver as a graduate student one day.
I have also had the opportunity to practice the balance between fieldwork and lab work, and the benefits to both. Fieldwork is so fun and exciting (when your lab members aren’t being stung by a stingray), but can also be exhausting (imagine getting seasick off the side of a small research vessel). I’ve found the time in lab processing and analyzing samples to be equally as interesting as the fieldwork that precedes it since they both highlight different parts of the scientific process, specifically data collection and data analysis. Actually, that is another great part about being a lab technician: partaking in every part of the research process on a variety of projects. This includes designing and trouble-shooting upcoming projects, actively sampling, surveying, and collecting the specimens and/or data, and processing the samples back at the lab. I contribute all the way up to analyzing the data where the graduate student can finally respond to the questions guiding their projects! It is rewarding to witness the scientific process come to fruition.
Finally, the community I work with is irreplaceable. It is so much fun getting to work and brainstorm alongside bright individuals who have returned to school to expand their knowledge, practice critical thinking, and learn something entirely new! I am so grateful for the collaborative and friendly lab environment fostered by my lab members along with their guidance and mentorship. They recommend great papers and ask great questions, so I love learning alongside them. I am experiencing the value of networking (in fact, life is all networking) and the tips and connections they have graciously extended to me are invaluable.
