Since defending and getting back in to our lab duties full time, Katie and I realized today there are a lot of tasks to tackle for the lab before the summer break! Basically it’s all about getting the lab’s ducks in a row and putting in place some procedures for both research and equipment that will help the lab move forward in the future and ease transitions with new students and new scholars working with the lab.

Firstly, we’ve come to a space crunch with the visitor center tech storage. So the first task is to clear out unused or unwanted pieces we have been holding on to in order to minimize our space needs and make room for tech development and new equipment in the future. Secondly, we need to inventory everything we have so far. There are so many pieces of cameras, mics, etc that we have experimented with and tested that need to be accounted for and documented. This is an essential step because it will help us decide what we are still missing from our suite of tools, and put some equipment loan procedures in place to protect the quality and security of the equipment. Thirdly, there are research agendas that need developing. These will determine the next stages for getting research and data collection moving in the visitor center within the overarching lab agenda, and help drive technology development for the lab for the future. They will also help us plan next steps for ongoing IRB applications. Research tools aren’t much good if you’re not sure how you will be using them for research. Lastly, there are the next steps. We will be making data collection and technology development plans for the upcoming months to help build research “game plans” and tasks lists for the future.

All in all, it’s quite an exciting time for the lab, and for me personally I love all this organizing and “cleaning house”. Knowing where you  are in a project and where you are going in my opinion makes for great future products.