The CM3L (aka Hewson Lab) at Cornell hosts graduate students who wish to pursue study in marine science and oceanography. They may enroll through several graduate fields on campus, depending on disciplinary interests. Students must complete all requirements (coursework, seminars, trainings, etc) of whichever graduate program they enroll.

Regardless of graduate program, students will gain fundamental understanding of the oceans and processes therein, not limited to the focus of their dissertation work or graduate program. This can come by attending diverse scientific workshops, reading widely in marine science and oceanography, or through available coursework on campus.

The learning goals of graduate study in the Hewson Lab are:

1. Be able to design, execute, analyze and report the findings of marine research
2. Be able to communicate marine scientific findings to the peer-reviewed literature and public
3. Demonstrate proficiency in synergizing diverse sources of data to interpret complex natural phenomena in the oceans
4. Demonstrate proficiency in marine scientific proposal preparation and presentation

Marine science is multi-faceted and interdisciplinary. Students should be prepared to read widely across the ocean sciences. By the end of training in the Hewson Lab, graduate students must be able to:

1. Use observational studies (e.g. biodiversity, time series analyses, etc) to examine scientific hypotheses;
2. Be able to independently design and execute experimental studies to test hypotheses
3. Be able to design and execute field research away from the Ithaca campus in the ocean environment
4. Demonstrate proficiency with ‘wet lab bench’ approaches, as they relate to ocean sciences (e.g. nutrient analyses, chlorophyll, microbial and molecular approaches)
5. Be able to present their data in peer-reviewed scientific publications, at scientific conferences/workshops, as well as to the wider public.
6. Have experience building an international network by interfacing with and/or potentially working in academic or non-academic international research settings

For scientific communication, training involves a three-tiered approach; all tiers are necessary for successful completion.

Phase 1: Students may participate in wider, consortium-style research papers where they contribute primarily to data analysis, literature review, and writing/revising papers led by another investigator (including the PI). These papers may contribute to a student’s CV, but are not appropriate for a dissertation chapter.

Phase 2: Students will co-write a scientific paper draft based on research performed collaboratively with the PI or others in the lab, including presentation of research results in a publishable fashion, literature review and citation. For this phase, co-authorship with the lab PI will be the outcome. These papers may become part of a dissertation where the student contributes the greatest proportion to generating data, analyzing it, and writing the initial draft.

Phase 3: Students will prepare at least 2 scientific papers, written from scratch to draft, on their research results. This includes the presentation of data in publishable format, submission of materials to publicly available repositories, etc. The PI and other co-authors (if they exist) will aide in revising he manuscript, providing critical feedback, but it is the responsibility of the student to address these concerns. These papers will form the basis of the students thesis and be based on original data generated.

Advising style in the Hewson Lab

The PI will check in with the student frequently, often outside of formal sit-down meetings (which occur at least every 2 – 3 weeks). Most feedback will likely come from these ‘hallway’ meetings, since they provide an opportunity to review results as they are gained. For this reason, it is vital that there is significant overlap in schedule between the student and the PI. The PI is currently mostly available in the afternoons (2pm – 5pm) to drop by and chat, and especially on Mondays and Fridays (based on current availability). It is best advised that students consider having a base in the lab during the normal lab hours (9am – 5pm), using time not performing wet lab bench work to analyze data, review the scientific literature, and interact with others in the lab.

We hold formal lab meetings to discuss important updates, direction, trainings, and events, every week, or as needed.

The PI often can access research materials/specimens from the ocean environment outside of formal graduate student projects. Graduate students are expected to embrace these opportunities by harnessing the materials (cultures, specimens, etc), thinking about ways to use them effectively. While some of these may fall into the scope of their dissertation research projects, others might provide useful sidebars, complementing their research interests.

Computational Analyses

Computational biology, bioinformatics/statistics, etc is one of many tools that the lab uses to address scientific questions. Often, these take time to process; hence, can be run in the background of wet lab bench work or evenings. Student projects cannot be totally computationally based, and must include facets of experimental marine science, wet lab bench work, and observational studies.

Graduate student mentoring of undergraduates

Graduate students in their 3^rd – 5^th year are encouraged to mentor an undergraduate student of their choosing. Mentoring provides opportunities to develop mentoring skills, provide an opportunity to communicate important findings, and learn how to work with tutees.

Scientific Careers and Focus of Training

Training in the Hewson Lab focuses on research careers in marine science, which can be achieved through any number of paths (including academia, government scientific agencies, private foundations/organizations, the armed forces, etc). This focus does not preclude future career trajectories in private/scientific industry, since skills gained may be marketable for these types of positions.

Collaborative/Consortium Graduate Training

Collaborative Training of Graduate Students Marine science, with its interdisciplinary nature, often engages scientists at other institutions. It is, for example, expected that graduate students in the Hewson Lab will include on their committees faculty from outside of Cornell University. Often, it makes logical sense for students to relocate to other institutions for some part of their semesters to learn approaches and interact with other faculty. Equally, graduate students at other institutions are welcome to relocate to Ithaca for some of their studies. Because marine faculty are relatively small, networking with ocean/marine faculty outside of Cornell is vital.