Laboratory Education Resource Assistant
LABS (Learning Alliance for Bench Science Instruction) is a network for UMass Amherst instructors who teach or coordinate multi-section science laboratory courses in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS). We work together to develop and share practical approaches to challenges associated with laboratory teaching. The goal of our organization is to encourage communication between instructors and departments to support more consistent, equitable, and effective laboratory learning experiences for UMass students.
We seek a student worker who will serve as the project’s documentation and resource-organization assistant. The student will attend twice-monthly mentoring meetings during Fall 2026 and Spring 2027; document major themes, useful practices, decisions, and follow-up items; collect materials shared by participants; and turn each discussion into a clear one-page takeaway. The student will also upload and organize these materials in a Canvas course that serves as the group’s resource hub.
This is a collaborative, communication-focused role rather than a laboratory research position. The work includes meeting participation, information synthesis, professional writing and editing, content management, and regular communication with faculty from multiple science departments.
This position offers a behind-the-scenes view of how faculty design and coordinate undergraduate laboratory courses. The student will collaborate with instructors from multiple departments and contribute tangible materials to a CNS-wide teaching project. The role builds transferable skills in professional communication, meeting documentation, resource development, content organization, and Canvas management that are relevant to teaching, science communication, curriculum development, project coordination, academic support, and educational technology.
This is a paid position with an anticipated compensation of $18/hour for ~5 hours of work per week for the full academic year (FA26 and SP27).