Digital Tools
=============

The lab relies on a small set of shared digital systems for communication,
scheduling, code, data, and record keeping. New members should get access to
these tools early in onboarding.

Work Computer
-------------

Per UTSW policy, a personal work computer is not guaranteed in every situation.
The lab often has shared workstations and other lab-managed computers available.
If you plan to use your own computer for lab work, make sure it complies with
UTSW information-resource policies.

Email and Outlook
-----------------

- Formal institutional communication is usually handled through your
  ``@utsouthwestern.edu`` email account.
- Log in through `Microsoft 365 <https://login.microsoftonline.com/>`_.
- Outlook is used for email, shared calendars, room scheduling, and some
  equipment-booking workflows.

Slack
-----

- The lab primarily communicates through Slack at ``dean-lab-workspace.slack.com``.
- Contact Kevin for an invitation if you have not been added yet.
- Shared channels and related workspaces may also be relevant depending on your project.

Calendars
---------

- The Dean Lab uses Microsoft Outlook for lab events and microscope scheduling.
- Ask to be added to the Dean Lab calendar during onboarding.
- If you work across shared efforts, add the relevant shared calendars in Outlook.

GitHub
------

- The Dean Lab uses `GitHub <https://github.com/TheDeanLab>`_ as its primary code repository.
- Ask Kevin for the access level you need in the lab organization.
- If GitHub is new to you, complete GitHub's
  `Hello World tutorial <https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/quickstart/hello-world>`_
  before requesting write access to shared repositories.

Lab Notebook
------------

- Lab members are expected to maintain digital experimental records in
  `LabArchives <https://mynotebook.labarchives.com/login>`_.
- Ask for access to the shared lab notebook space and create your own notebook
  for day-to-day work documentation.
- Records should be clear enough that future lab members can understand and
  reproduce what was done.

BioHPC
------

- BioHPC is the primary storage and compute environment for lab data.
- Register during onboarding and make sure you understand the storage structure
  used by your projects.
- See :doc:`data-management` for storage expectations.

Related Pages
-------------

- :doc:`onboarding`
- :doc:`data-management`
- :doc:`working-at-utsw`