The reasons for using group work in this laboratory are two-fold. First, the project you will be undertaking is ambitious and will be very challenging. It will be particularly challenging because most or all of the techniques you will be performing will be new to you, and because you have a limited time frame in which to work. Given these constraints, it would be close to impossible for any one person to succeed in isolation. Second, professional science is a collaborative exercise.
Scientists routinely design experiments, analyze data, and write papers in groups.
In his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize for the structure of DNA, Francis Crick commented that the reason he and Watson had arrived at the solution, and Rosalind Franklin had not, is that he and Watson were each other's constant critic, challenging the other's ideas and thinking, while she was working alone. For students and for professionals, working collaboratively presents special challenges. Some collaborations work very well and are maintained for years or decades. Others last for the duration of a single project, and still others are not productive at all. Talk with your group about this.