The Hayne Lab

Below is a brief outline of lab values by Dr. Hayne. These values will be discussed, developed, and expanded annually as a lab, while maintaining this core set of values.

1. Safety – Research should always be conducted in a manner that prioritizes the safety of the researcher, others, and our environment. Proper lab PPE, engineering controls and chemical disposal should be followed always. Do not use chemicals or equipment you haven’t been trained to use without fully consulting safety manuals (including chemical MSDS sheets). If you see someone doing something unsafe, please say something.
2. Scientific Integrity – All research must be conducted in accordance with the highest standards of research integrity, this includes how we conduct, analyze, record, share, and manage our research, data, and research databases. Research and academic misconduct will not be tolerated.
3. Respect – Everyone has unique life experiences and scientific backgrounds and brings something special to our lab community. Everyone should be treated with respect, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, disabilities/abilities, socioeconomic background, educational background, sexual orientation, position within in the lab or department (this list is not exhaustive).
4. Lab Citizenship – Be a good lab citizen and be accountable to yourself and others. This includes, but is not limited to: respecting your colleagues, engaging in respectful scientific discussions and debates, keeping the lab tidy and stocked, helping with extra chores when you have time, and generally making the lab a great place to be and do excellent science.
5. Communication – Conflict within teams and communities happens. Frequently, conflicts arise because of gaps in communication and little things can build up over time. Strive to resolve conflicts as they happen by respectfully discussing issues as they arise, being careful to listen to each other. A great free confidential resource for discussing particularly sensitive or tricky conflicts is talk to the/an Ombudsperson.
6. Growth – As an academic lab, we have the privilege of pursuing exciting basic research to understand human biology and disease. We should all strive to learn more about our research area(s), the techniques we use, the experiences and expertise of others, and grow towards our individual and collective goals. Mistakes happen. Do your best to recognize that “we do not know what we do not know” and educate ourselves accordingly and apologize and learn from mistakes.
7. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility – We strive to have an inclusive lab that promotes equity and accessibility and values diversity. Every lab member should treat others with respect and collegiality. In acknowledging that “we do not know what we do not know”, Cassandra hosts a small lab library of books covering different topics of diversity and equity that can be checked out by lab and department members. Lab members are able to suggest/request/donate books for the lab library.
8. Community – Be there for one another. Science can be challenging and we should support one another on our journeys towards our individual long-term goals. Support your lab-mates, read their drafts, talk about science, advocate for them when you can, and be present. An important part of community is interaction and communication, therefore, it is generally expected that our working hours will overlap from 10am-3pm, regardless of our other chosen working hours. These are also common hours for seminars, meetings, and overlap with other scientists and staff.
9. Work-Life Balance – Burn-out reduces creativity and can lead to less productivity and more mistakes. Work hard, enjoy your work, and learn to set reasonable boundaries and develop the skills to be efficient with your working hours, and take time to recharge.
10. Impact – Give Back. Through science, outreach, and time, when possible. We receive many of our funds from federal sources and as such, our science is for the people, funded by the people. Our goal is to make fundamental discoveries that allow us to better understand basic biology and positively impact human health.
11. Have Fun – In summary, we’re here to have a community to learn, do great science, and grow with. Support each other and let’s succeed together.

1. Individualized mentoring – I will do my best to tailor my mentoring to the goals and needs of each of my trainees. I also acknowledge that it’s unlikely I can fulfill all the mentorship needs for each trainee, so I encourage and support my mentees in connecting with additional mentors and will recommend resources and networks.
2. Advocacy – I am here to be your mentor, coach, cheerleader, and advocate. I selected/invited/accepted you to be a member of the lab because I believe in you and will do my best to support your career development, growth as a scientist, and personhood.
3. Time – I am committed to ensuring we have time to discuss your research and progress towards professional goals. I have an open-door policy, but know things can get busy. Therefore, I will set aside time for weekly meetings with each trainee and commit to returning drafts in a timely manner.
4. I will make mistakes (and so will you). I will do my best to rectify my mistakes and work to ensure I do not make the same mistake again, and expect you will do the same.

1. Accountability – I am here to support you and provide resources, but you ultimately need to be the one to push your projects forward, read the literature, and explore career development opportunities.
2. Time – Please respect everyone’s time. Please provide me ample time to provide you feedback on drafts. I expect you will not submit anything related to our research without me reviewing it.
3. Mistakes happen. When you do make a mistake, please own it and do what’s necessary to rectify it and reduce the chance it happens again. This applies both to interpersonal communication and at the bench.
4. Collaborations – Part of science is sharing and helping others explore exciting ideas, but please do not establish a collaboration or share our unpublished data or lab materials (equipment or reagents) without my prior approval.