The Alcohol Lab utilizes a ranking system to identify a research assistant’s status within the lab. As each research assistant gains additional experience and achievement, he or she may be able to move up the S.T.A.R. hierarchy. An explanation of each level and ranking is explained below.
(S) Student – A new research assistant who is learning the basic protocols of the Alcohol Lab.
(T) Trainer – Lab members have completed at least one semester in the lab. These students are responsible for training new members and learning more complex lab skills.
(A) Associate – Select research assistants exhibit excellent devotion to the lab through responsibilities, assignments, and projects. These members display a mastery in troubleshooting equipment or procedural obstacles and possess great organizational skills with lab administration.
(R) Researcher – Select lab members who demonstrate exceptional achievements, leadership qualities, and full commitment to the lab, including extensive time and effort to ensure success in the experiment being performed. Researchers may complete a Senior Honors Thesis project of their own, but “Researcher” status can be achieved without this criterion. Researchers function with the same independence and intellectual involvement as a beginning graduate student.