1.3: Meetings and Deadlines

Meeting Etiquette (Work well with your team of instructors)

There is a team of instructors to help you, including the course director (a Ph.D. chemist) and several Teaching Assistants (TA's) who are graduate students earning their PhD's in chemistry. One or more TA's will be in the lab with you each day, and one of them will be dedicated to helping you and at least one of your lab-mates to run a given experiment. That dedicated TA will be present during the laboratory to assist you, offer tips, and advice.

Use lab time to work on Notebooks and writing assignments: The TAs are available during the scheduled meeting time, and they are trained to help you in a way that supports your learning.  Use the scheduled meeting time to work on your data analysis and consult with your TAs so they can help you during your time with them.  Consultation and discussion with TA's should happen during scheduled lab time - do not leave lab early just because you have finished the experiment and cleaned up. 

Sign in and out of lab: You should always check in on the sign-in log with the time of your arrival.  When you leave the lab meeting for the day, you must sign out and get an instructor to sign your sign-out sheet.  The TA will check that you have completed your work, shared your data with the class, and cleaned up your workspace before signing you out.

Email policy: We want you to do well, and we want to help you. So please ask for help well before your assignment is due. Questions about chemistry are often difficult and time-consuming to answer in an email, thus in-person conversations are required. Take advantage of lab time, office hours, and open labs hours for content-related questions.  Email should be reserved for sharing information related to absence, assignment deadlines, errors found in the course materials, or other administrative business.  

If you you send an email, the expected response time is 2 business days.  Your instructors will not respond to you over the weekend, and may not be available.

"Open Lab" Hours: Open Lab hours are times when you may drop by - these are like office hours, but we'll be in the lab or classroom. Open lab hours are posted on the course syllabus.

Office Hours:  We expect you to take full advantage of scheduled lab times and the open lab hours to get the help you need. However, if you have done so and still need additional support, you can access your instructors through office hours. The office hours schedule with your team of instructors is posted in the course syllabus. Some instructors hold office hours only upon request, while others prefer a regularly scheduled meeting time.

A list of TAs with their experiment assignments and office hours is posted on the course syllabus.

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LABORATORY SAFETY

This course requires you to understand the potential hazards associated with materials, equipment, and procedures within the chemical laboratory. This knowledge is crucial as it directly impacts the level of risk that you and fellow students may face due to your actions and those of others in the laboratory. You can help to minimize the risks posed by chemical hazards to both yourself and others by taking precautions. We strongly encourage you to consistently prioritize safety in your laboratory work. The following requirements have been established with your safety as the primary consideration:

1. A copy of the Duke Chemistry Department Safety Manual is available on the Chemistry web site. All students will read this manual prior to beginning laboratory work.
2. Safety eyewear is always required in the laboratory space. 
   1. You will provide your own pair of safety eyewear to use during every lab period. Safety eye wear can be purchased from the Graduate Chemistry Council (GCC). 
   2. If you wear prescription glasses, you should also wear safety eyewear that fits over your prescription glasses.
   3. Contact lenses may be worn in the laboratory in addition to wearing safety glasses.
3. No unauthorized work or experimentation will be allowed in the laboratory. Students must always be supervised by an instructor while in the laboratory spaces.
4. Protective shoes are required in the laboratory - no bare feet, sandals or open-toe footwear.
5. Consumable items should be kept out of the laboratory at all times. Never eat (including chewing gum), drink, or smoke in the laboratory.
6. Per the chemistry department safety policy, skin must be covered in labs. Long pants or skirts must be worn, as well as clothing that covers your entire torso, shoulders, and arms. We know it can get hot in Durham, so bring extra clothes with you to lab on hot days. Clothing that is not appropriate for lab include shorts, skirts, crop tops, low cut shirts, tank tops, and anything that leaves your skin to be exposed to chemical hazards (see Figure below).
7. Long hair must always be tied back while in the laboratory.
8. Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for every chemical to be used in this laboratory course are available online by googling the name of the chemical and "sds". You will read the SDS for each chemical to be used prior to arriving in lab.
9. Failure to observe safety regulations will result in substantial deduction in the lab grade and may result in ejection from the lab session. Persistent violation of safety regulations will result in permanent expulsion from the lab course.
10. Solvents and Chemicals will be disposed of properly: Departmental waste disposal procedures are described in the safety manual. However, you should always consult with an instructor before attempting to dispose of any material.
11. Precautions for individual experiments will be discussed with you by the instructional team and are described in the lab manual.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Figure : Appropriate attire for lab is pictured and described briefly on the left. Inappropriate attire is shown and described on the right. (CC-BY-NC-SA; Kathryn Haas). 

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Deadlines

Submit your assignments and arrive to meetings on time to receive the maximum points for your work.  See the schedule (syllabus) for a detailed schedule of all deadlines.

General Assignment Deadlines

• Pre-Lab assignments: Due electronically at 1:00 PM before the lab meeting. 
• Arrival to Lab: Be ready to begin lab on time at 1:25 pm.
• ELN (Notebook): Due electronically at 6 pm at the end of your scheduled meeting. 
• Post-Experiment assignments: Due according to the syllabus schedule.
• Late work: Final deadline for all work to be graded is 11:59 pm on the last day of classes (LDOC). 

Late assignments policy:

• You have one "no-questions asked" Late Token that allows you to hand in any post-lab assignment two weeks past the original deadline. (see below for details)
• Otherwise, the following point deductions will apply:
  • Late pre-lab assignments receive zero points, and you may not conduct the experiment if lack of preparation will cause a safety risk or will disrupt the course
  • Late reports are deducted 10% for each day (see next page for details), with a maximum penalty of 50%.

Extensions and Late Assignments

This course is designed to keep you on track while also recognizing that real life happens. The policies below aim to balance accountability with flexibility, providing you reasonable options when things don’t go as planned.

Policy on Extensions and Late Assignments

General Policy

• Deadlines are essential to ensure that you are prepared for lab work, receive timely feedback, and stay aligned with your team and the instructional schedule.
• Accommodations are always available for students facing serious or ongoing extenuating circumstances. If this applies to you, contact your academic dean to request a formal Dean’s Excuse; your Dean will then reach out to your instructors so we can support you appropriately.
• The policies below apply to all students in the absence of a Dean’s Excuse.

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Late Assignments:  If an assignment is not turned in by the deadline, the following point deductions will apply.

• For Pre-Lab assignments: Pre-labs are required preparation for all Lab sessions. The policy for pre-labs is the most strict to protect your safety, the safety of expensive equipment, your team’s success, and your ability to contribute meaningfully to lab meetings.
  • Pre-labs must be submitted before the lab session begins; they are due at 1:00 PM on the day of your lab meeting.
  • Late pre-labs will receive zero points.
  • If the pre-lab is insufficient or incomplete at the start of lab time, you will not be allowed to participate in the experiment.
• For All other assignments: All other assignments can be submitted late but incur a deduction.
  • 10% deduction per 24-hour period, up to a maximum of 50% off.
    Examples:  
    • 5 minutes late → 10% off  
    • 26 hours late → 20% off  
    • More than 5 days late → 50% off  
• Deadline for All Late work: Late work is only accepted up to 11:59 pm on LDOC (Last Day of Classes).

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Extension Token:  Each student may use one Extension Token during the semester — no explanation required.

• The token allows you to submit:
  • A post-experiment assignment or report up to two weeks late with no penalty, OR
  • Any other assignment up to two weeks late, as long as it doesn’t impact safety, team grading, or lab scheduling. (Does not apply to pre-lab assignments)
• ⚠️ Use It Wisely:
  • This token is not a substitute for a Dean’s Excuse. If you're dealing with a serious situation, ask your Dean or your instructional team for a different level of support.
  • Using the token may delay feedback or grading, which can impact your ability to perform on subsequent assignments.  Do not use this as a license to procrastinate!

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Final Deadline for Late Work

No late work will be accepted after 11:59 PM on the Last Day of Classes (LDOC).