Becoming a member (how to engage with the lab actively?)

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As we wish that people join the lab, we have come to think about how new people become a member. We have come to think of the process of becoming a member and the concept of a member itself to be quite fluid and organic. 

 

How one person becomes a new member, or when and how they feel part of the lab, is something that is going to be eventually fluid. There are many different ways into the RUSTlab. New employees of the Chair, for example, will almost automatically become members whose active participation is expected. Students might also join anytime during the semester.

 

Other enrolments unfold more organically. Crossing the border between non-membership and membership of a social group is always tricky. To acknowledge this, we decided to describe one imagined enrolment process, based on our experience and wishes. Most often, it will probably happen differently. Still, we hope that making these thoughts explicit helps guiding the journey across the border to the lab. We don't want to be overtly ritualistic, but we do consider that as a small group, a new member will pass through some sort of steps or stages to become a full member:

 

  • What deploys the process is an interest in working on STS related topics, working with the RUSTlab team, and the willingness to join lab sessions such as Lectures, Machine Room sessions and other semester activities.
  • The lab exists within a university, and therefore academics of all backgrounds are welcome. But as a part of a public university, we also welcome people outside academia to join the lab as members.
  • One step in becoming a member can be to join Lectures regularly and to express interest in being more closely related to the lab.
  • The person to which interest is expressed is expected to tell the other members and suggest inviting the interested person also to non-public meetings and our Slack-Channel. This will allow the prospective member to get to know the lab better. Slack is where our real-time interaction happens. Therefore, to be there is to be in the "virtual" side of the lab.
  • If continued interest persists, the new – or coming – member will increase his or her activity and be invited to further meetings and events. It is also possible that this person decides not to continue his or her engagement with the lab, which is also entirely acceptable.
  • When engaging more regularly with the lab, new members are asked to read the lab Coding (this book) carefully, write down his or her thoughts, comments and questions. We are interested in newcomers’ perspectives, as newcomers often see issues that old-timers don’t. If you discover sections of the lab coding that do not correspond to the reality of the RUSTlab, please share this with other lab members, as these sections may need revision. Newcomers will become a part of the process of “coding”, which is both shaping and being shaped by how we want the lab to be.
  • At some point, new members will be invited to be listed with (or without) their picture on the lab webpage. When this happens, the process of becoming a member can be considered complete.

 

Leaving / Exiting the lab

At what instance a member stops being considered so is something that within the lab, we have not fully experienced yet. That someone gets a new job somewhere else, or simply finishes his or her engagement with the Ruhr University does not necessarily mean that he or she stops being a member. We mark the level of engagement through the position of our photos/images on the website. Anyone can exit anytime upon request. Yet, we understand that being less present will initiate a new phase of kinship with the lab, where you stop being an active member and become a lab Friend or part of our academic network.

 

When you are about to leave:

 

  • We will have a farewell party with food and beverages (whether in person or virtually).
  • Tears are allowed.
  • Take all your materials and objects if you need them. Sort out any flip charts and posters that you have created during your lab time.
  • Leave things in the lab if the members can use them or if you want to leave them as presents or evidence of your time in the lab.
  • Give back the keys if you have any.

 

The choice to leave or to be an e-member:

 

  • Tell the coordinator if you want to stay for a while on the webpage or if you want to be removed right away. It is your choice, and neither option is considered more appropriate than the other.
  • Sign out from email lists and Slack if you want to stop participating or collaborating virtually. Inform the coordinator.
  • If you decide to join our sessions virtually, you are most welcome to. It is also valid to leave slowly: that is finishing pending activities or start attending only some meetings.

License

All rights reserved.

Created date

September 1, 2022

Cite as

. 1 September 2022, "Becoming a member (how to engage with the lab actively?)", STS Infrastructures, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 1 September 2022, accessed 29 March 2024. https://stsinfrastructures.org/content/becoming-member-how-engage-lab-actively