First ever PI-Parent conferences
Carnegie Mellon University held the world’s first ever PI – Parent conference this week, allowing principal investigators to meet one-on-one with parents of graduate students to discuss research progress, work habits, lab space conduct, social development, as well as home environment.
University officials said the initiative was introduced in response to strong demands from both PIs and parents. Several PIs requested the conferences after observing patterns of procrastination, lab misconduct, and interpersonal conflicts that they describe as “developmentally consistent with middle schoolers.” “You would expect them to behave like adults,” said a professor supportive of the initiative, “But a lot of the behaviors we observe in the lab space aren’t that different from what you’d expect at a much earlier developmental stage. I have this particular student who likes to draw stick figures on other students’ lab coats.” Multiple parents also expressed their demands by contacting departments asking whether their children were “on track,” “still passionate,” and “able to make friends in the lab.”
The initiative was announced last week, at which point graduate students were asked to provide their parents’ contact information to their respective PIs. Conferences were then held throughout the week, with PIs meeting privately with the parents in their offices while the students were ordered to wait quietly outside. Parents reportedly welcomed the opportunity to receive direct feedback on their children’s behavior and work habits, while PIs expressed optimism that the conversations would help reinforce motivations and accountability in the lab, despite spending much of the meeting explaining the nature of the students’ research.
Several students, however, expressed concern about returning home or contacting their parents following the meetings. “I’m probably not going to talk to my parents for a while,” said one student, who was waiting outside the PI’s office during the conference, “Not after they have learned that I’ve been drawing stick figures all over other students’ lab coats.”
University officials said the pilot program showed promising results and will be expanded next semester, with plans to introduce meetings between deans and professors’ parents to discuss faculty progress and development.