Notebook sharing

Scientific notebooks should be the property of the lab in which the research is done. In my last year or so of grad school, I became even MORE thorough in my note taking in the event that anything would be repeated or revisited after I left. Now, I am writing lots of details down because I have realized how valuable it is when you go back to check something you did, and down the road it will help people figure out what you did. Your notebook is a resource for your research group on results and techniques.

The grad student in the lab did A LOT of work to collect samples that I am now using. She has already published a wonderful paper using these samples, and we are following up on different aspects of the work. I am certainly not removed from the bench (yet), so I have been checking with her on a lot of aspects of the techniques I am using to ensure that I am doing it the same way she did in her publication, even though I am looking at different genes, because I would not want to waste these samples.

I have looked in her notebooks a couple of times when she has not been in lab, to some success. One morning, I was waiting for her to get in, but it was already 10:00, so I just started flipping through her notebook. Then she came in. I did not feel awkward because there is nothing truly personal about a lab notebook. She quickly found what I needed (sorta - she was sorta sure that what she told me was the case, but clearly had not written down enough information to be absolutely sure).

She has since provided the samples for me to start working with after I had done the preliminary checking to make sure the technique would work in my hands. She also broached the subject of authorship on any papers that come out of my work with her samples. I give her a lot of credit for bringing it up, as issues of authorship can be tricky. I assured her that I assumed she would be an author on the paper. It literally took her months to plan, optimize, and collect these samples. I MORE than respect that!

So I thought I had all the information I needed before she would be out this week. This morning I realized I need information on some of her results before I decide to keep going though. Unfortunately, her notebooks are no longer on her desk and her desk is locked. Ummmm...

I can figure out the information from the common computer that we use, except I was asked NOT to access previous experiments while it is running new experiments because "the program is not that robust." The computer has been in use allllll day since I used it this morning. I will need to get in early tomorrow morning to get the information before it is used so that I can plan my experiment for the afternoon when I am signed up on the computer again. Make sense to non-lab people?

Basically what it comes down to is that I think she locked her notebooks in her desk. The notebooks with the information I need in order to make a decision about what to do next with the samples she worked months to get. I wanted to do these experiments this week because I am presenting my research to a group on Tuesday. I can get this information from a common computer in the department, but not for 24 hours after I realized I need this information. I was protective of my research in grad school, but recognize that there is nothing in a lab notebook that other lab members in particular should not be privy to.

I am torn about whether or not to bring it up with her. This is not the type of lab you hear about where people are out to get each other. I hope she does not feel like I am going to take advantage or use her. Maybe that is what I should make sure she knows. And maybe it was not something she even thought about when she locked her notebooks in her desk. Who knows.

Back to wasting time instead of getting the information I need to plan an experiment.