Goals

I will achieve this goal by understanding how to handle the animals in a lab setting. I will also be in charge of the training of animals on behavioral tasks for different projects going on in the lab. To fully achieve this goal, I need to pay close attention on the animal behavior while it performs the tasks. I can do this by taking notes on the behavior when I notice something out of the ordinary and make sure to mention that during the lab meetings. 

During this past year, I have been placed in charge of the training for the rats for the main project going on in the lab. I take notes on their progress, and make adjustments to the freqeuncy of the impulse based on the rat's performance. During the lab meetings I report their progress through the week, and comment on whether or not they are ready to move on to the next level of the training. 

I will achieve this goal by reading different research papers like ones that have been used in old studies in the lab, or ones that the lab is using as a reference for their current paper. I will also try to be an active participant in the lab discussions during the meetings on Thursday. Finally, to achieve this goal I will also make the most of my training time by asking and discussing questions with the other members of the lab. 

After having been in my lab for a whole year, I have gotten a lot more involved in the lab discussions during the meetings every week and have been able to share my thoughts with the lab on what I have been accomplishing. While I did spend a lot of time training, I feel very comfortable working with the rats and performing the experiments on my own. I have also been reading different papers to spark ideas for future lab projects that I can help others with or perform myself. 

I will achieve this goal by becoming confident around my coworkers. I can do this by asking questions and fully understanding the day-to-day in the lab. I will also showcase my communicativeness by being on time and conversing with other members of the team through Slack. I will also come in to the lab every week even for minute tasks. This way I become more comfortable with the lab setting as well as the people I am working with. 

My relationship with my coworkers has greatly improved throughout the course of the year. I feel comfortable talking to them, and sharing my thoughts on their experiments. I have been able to get involved with different experiments in the lab, and I feel like my ideas are being heard. I have been able to make my own schedule by communicating with my coworkers, and have started to understand the day-to-day in the lab.