Early Semester Research Leader Responsibilities

Below in each heading are specific tasks with a description of what each task entails.

Schedule a Weekly Meeting Time with Each Student Group

Ensure that every person on every subteam has the opportunity to meet with you at least 30 minutes each week. The meetings will be structured so that the student group can update you on the progress of their research and you can give your input about the direction of their research. It is a great opportunity for student groups to ask you questions about experimental design and data analysis.

The information you gather from each student group should be relayed to Monroe in the form of a document, or weekly/twice a month meeting.

Early Semester Teach-In Using Process Control Software

The early semester teach-in is designed to provide the students with an opportunity to learn how to utilize peristaltic pumps, measure flow rates, learn process control software, learn basic pump and valve control with process control software, and create a process file that will create a simple process for students.

A more detailed explanation of the teach-in can be found in the link here with a suggested lesson plan for two 75 minute lab periods.

Review Challenges

Each subteam should have a set of challenges for the semester. In the first meeting with each subteam, you should give an overview of these challenges and provide guidance about the initial steps teams should take to accomplish these objectives. Ensure that the team has sufficient guidance to complete their google calendar up to three weeks into the semester.

Identify Publishable Research

Every team on AguaClara does high quality research. At some point, we think that all research teams could publish their research in some avenue. There are inevitably some teams that have been conducting research for semesters that may be ready for a conference presentation or publication to a journal. Identify these research groups early and work with them to publish their results.