Is there some time we can meet to discuss the arabidopsis research?

Over the summer I emailed Dr. Weller to set up a time to meet about my job. He said he wouldn't be in the country for the first week of classes, but he gave me the name of another person I could talk to who would also be working on the project. Once I got back to campus, I emailed this person known as Brian Dilkes. After a few days, he replied and we set up a meeting time for Thursday. I must admit that I was nervous. I didn't know exactly what we would be meeting about. Was I supposed to come with questions? Was I supposed to have read anything? I was expecting some middle-aged man absorbed in his work and irritated about a student coming with no clear expectations and wasting his time. And so it was with great trepidation that I made my way across campus to room 136 of the Whistler Agricultural Research Building for my 2:30 Thursday afternoon meeting with Dr. Dilkes.

Upon meeting Dr. Dilkes, I was pleasantly surprised. He is a lively, enthusiastic person with no shortage of things to say. He seemed to know exactly what I would have asked to know had I had any idea what it was that I needed to know. In other words, he had a far better idea than I did of what I needed out of the meeting I had scheduled. As soon as he was done on the phone, he greeted me warmly and made sure that he had remembered correctly who I was, and from that point on he spouted all sorts of useful and comforting information. We stopped to meet a girl named Elizabeth (at least I'm pretty sure that's her name) in the lab across the hall and then headed over to the horticulture greenhouses. On the way he gave me an overview of the recent shift in approaching the problem of herbicide resistance. I can't promise I remember everything he said, but I got the gist of it, and that's what matters. We had to wear gloves and these silly robe things to go into the growth chamber where I would work since they had sprayed something earlier. In there, he gave a description of the experiment at hand and showed me what arabidopsis plants look like in various stages of life. From there we took a quick trip around the block to the spray booth I would be using to apply herbicides, and then it was time for me to head back to class.

The meeting has put to rest most of my worries about this job. First off, I won't be doing my own research. Dr. Weller and Dr. Dilkes already have the procedure worked out, and, while I have no doubt that I'm welcome to give input, I really just have to follow instructions for now. No, it's not grand and glamorous, but it pays handsomely and is low-stress. Eventually I do have to do my own research or design project, but not yet. This will help me build connections and experience to increase my options when that time comes. Second, I will not be out on my own. I can have as much or as little guidance from Weller and Dilkes as I want. In the beginning I'm sure I'll want them to check what I do more carefully, but once I get the hang of it I'll be glad to operate with greater independence. This extends to point three, which is that I am free to ask as many questions as I like, whether I'm confused about a procedure, curious about what is happening in the plant, or wondering about any side topic that may catch my interest based on my work. Fourth, I know that I will get along with everyone involved. I already know I get along with Dr. Weller. I can see that I will get along even better with Dr. Dilkes. I'm not sure how often I will be around Elizabeth (if that really is her name), but I sensed nothing unpleasant about her in the few moments I was in the lab with her. It's also nice to know that Dr. Dilkes and Dr. Weller get along nicely. They were motivated to pursue this project not only because of the benefits it promises, but also because it gave them a legitimate reason to enjoy working together again. In summary, thanks to me getting up the nerve to arrange a meeting with this Dilkes fellow, I have virtually no worries about my upcoming job.