NSCC Microplastics

Hello Team Microplastics!

I've been wrestling with how to better coordinate our group. I think an open blog like this might be very useful for scheduling, posting progress reports/status reports on lab and field days, and compiling relevant papers/other media (like pictures). We can also use this as an informal lab/field notebook to keep one another informed.

In the vein of organization I'm also in favor of creating specific positions within our group. A group and project this large is going to require some specialization if we're to get anything done in a timely manner. I suggest that we designate someone to be in charge of;

- scheduling and running the lab end of sample processing (this includes ensuring there are at least two people to run a sample)

- someone responsible for maintaining lab standards(double checking lab notebook, addressing issues etc)and compiling data points (this one is a "numbers person" job, for someone who enjoys diligence :P)

- someone responsible for scheduling and running sample collections (this job could be split into open water vs. streams),

- someone responsible for compiling written documents (proposals, abstracts etc) and ensuring they're submitted on time.

The purpose of these positions would not be to pigeon-hole any one person into a single role, but rather to ensure all this shit gets done...so if you're scheduling and running sample processing its your job to badger people into showing up and doing it, if your job is making sure the proposals/abstracts/posters/whatever are written up and ready to go then its your job to badger people into contributing what you need to make sure they're on time, if its your job to maintain lab standards and compile data points (into graphs etc) its your job to badger people about sloppy notebook entries and ensure that graphs and figures in posters/papers are accurate and represent the data clearly...etc etc etc.

Anyway, thats my vision for the rest of our year - let me know what ya'll think.