AT THE INTERSECTION OF ECOLOGY AND GENOMICS
Graduate students are often funded from AWRI Graduate Research Assistantships or through grant funding. Graduate students at AWRI are pursuing a Master of Science in Biology with an emphasis in aquatic sciences. Graduate assistantships include a 12-month stipend and a tuition stipend that is eligible for annual renewal. Students interested in working in the lab, please email Dr. Charlyn Partridge at partridc@gvsu.edu
How to Succeed in the Partridge Lab
(Tips from current students/technicians in Dr. Partridge's Lab)
If you feel like you're out of your comfort zone, you are right where you should be.
Install a citation manager on your computer!
Be prepared to ask many questions, even if you think they have simple answers.
When in doubt, ask Charlyn.
Avoid caffeine for as long as possible so that it's more potent. That way you won't need as much to get the kick of energy necessary in a moment of dire circumstance.
Hydrate or Die-drate is not just a quote, it is a lifestyle. Lab safety comes first. Hydrate.
Learning R code is unfortunately not like riding a bike. It can be difficult, is rewarding, and everyone has to re-learn it when you stop using it daily
When planning sampling days, round up for how long it will take, when it will be planned, and how long it will take you to sample.
Molecular work involves troubleshooting. Ecology involves careful planning. Together they involve careful planning that still results in troubleshooting. Not all the lab work, field work, or data you produce will work the first time, and that is completely normal. When something fails, it is not necessarily something you can control and your adaptability to these situations will shape your successes.
Molecular Ecology lives on the edge of scientific research and discovery and that also means that sometimes, there is not a well-written guide on what to do next. This is why collaborating, pausing, and really thinking about the meaning of the your data is absolutely critical.