Weekly reports are required from everyone in the group and should be emailed to Dr. Foudazi before the start of group meeting each week (Group Meeting Schedule). The template for weekly reports can be found here. Weekly reports should be saved to include the phrase weekly report, your name, and the date as follows:
Weekly Report_Chuck Testa_1-22-2016.docx
As shown in the template, the weekly report should contain 5 sections:
- Accomplished Tasks
- Significant Achievements
- Problems Encountered and Potential Remedies
- Current and Upcoming Activities
- Hour Log
This should take 10-20 minutes to complete and primarily serves as a means of keeping track of what you’ve done for both yourself and Dr. Foudazi.
Accomplished Tasks
You should list what research related tasks you have completed. This can include tasks ranging from carrying out experiments and reading articles to ordering chemicals. For experiments, discuss what experiment was undertaken, what was learned, any interesting or peculiar occurence, and any deviations made from your standard experimental procedure. For journal articles, state the title and author(s) of the paper, discuss how it relates to your work (i.e. any potential applications in your work), and critiques of the article (if you have any). You can simply list general tasks such as ordering supplies unless there’s something of interest to the task. If you meet with Dr. Foudazi or you present, your weekly report is a good place to note ideas discussed as well.
Significant Achievements
Simply list any important accomplishments. This can include winning a competition, submitting a manuscript, or even simply finishing a phase of an experiment.
Problems Encountered and Potential Remedies
Discuss any problems that were encountered during the week (i.e. running out of money or samples not polymerizing). You should then discuss potential solutions for the listed problems.
Current and Upcoming Activities
List your goals for the coming week and beyond as well as the anticipated completion date and priority. This provides a timeline to motivate you towards completing your project, but also ensures that Dr. Foudazi can discuss with you what your plans are, so that time and materials aren’t needlessly wasted.
Hour Log
Provide the number of hours spent working on different activities in the lab. This is important for both paid students and those performing research for credit to ensure that you are carrying out your responsibilities.
