NASHVILLE, TN—Research assistants at the University of Tennessee spiraled into a void of the unknown on Friday, after one of them tested the waters of their relationship with the head of the laboratory. Associate Professor Juan Gutierrez, 43, has been the director of the behavioral neuroscience research laboratory since 2012, and is known for his jovial and engaging personality. His reputation for strong mentorship is partially what led Martin Gunderson, 25, to work with Dr. Gutierrez. "I knew I wanted to learn more about the brain, but I was nervous about graduate school and the pressure," explains Gunderson, a graduate student in the lab since 2016. "So I did a lot of reading online about good professors, and Professor Gutierrez had great ratings from students in the past, and seemed really nice." It is reportedly common for laboratory meetings to erupt in laughter, or to get off track and start talking about television or current events. "He really keeps things generally relaxed and informal," said Gunderson of Gutierrez, who has met with the professor at least weekly since beginning the graduate program. The students have generally felt comfortable around their mentor for some time: each one has had dinner at the professor's home at least once per year. "I guess I just thought maybe our relationship was at this level where things could get a little less formal. I don't know." said Gunderson, who completed a neuroscience concentration as a psychology major in Virginia. A witness to the event in question, Jaqueline Carter, 27, explains that they were at a laboratory meeting in the morning at the university. "It was pretty standard, you know? The five of us [graduate students] were sitting at the table while Dr. Gutierrez was at the white board. We were giving updates on our projects, and [Gutierrez] made some little joke to prod Martin [Gunderson] along before some deadline. We all had a little chuckle, and then Martin just sort of said it." The questionable choice of words came in the form of a jovial jab back at the professor, who has been tenured since 2011. Carter explains, "So after Professor Gutierrez kind of gets on Martin's case, he says back, 'You mean I gotta work in this lab? Man, you're killin' me, doc!' We all just sort of sat there for a second. It wasn't like a big deal, you know, we just had never called him that." Carter explains that "doc" is an abbreviation for the formal title, "doctor," and is sometimes used in less formal situations. Gunderson reasoned, "Students call Professor Hamlin [chair of the department] 'doc' all the time, and it's totally cool. I guess I just figured that maybe we were there with Dr. Gutierrez, too." Once the untested phrase was uttered during the meeting, all present watched for Gutierrez's reaction. "It was weird," says Gunderson. "I feel like we were staring at him for a long time to gauge his facial response. But we all agree that there was just nothing there: no subtle shudder of disapproval; no sigh; no eye squint or grimace; nothing." Witnesses report that the feeling in the room almost became awkward before Gutierrez just moved on to the next item. "I almost feel like it would have been better if he had just said something. Anything, really. Even if he had shot it down, at least we would all know. Now, it's like we can't tell if we've moved into that zone or not." When asked what he expects he will do at their next encounter, Gunderson shared his plan to "just sort of mutter something that sounds like it could be 'doc,' and try to better gauge the response," although he still is not sure what to do. "Seriously," he says, "I half considered just dropping out of the program so that I don't have to figure out what happened."
Professor Gutierrez, when reached for comment on the lab meeting, said, "It was a very productive meeting, and fun as always. This is a really special group of people." He then added, "I'm almost sure one of them called me, 'doc,' though. What the [expletive] was that about? Who am I, Elmer [expletive] Fudd, and they're [expletive] Bugs Bunny? They try that again and I'll burn the [expletive] lab to the ground."