Facility guidelines

Memberships are flat-fee subscriptions to the laboratory that offer access to:

• Facility spaces: CRG 307, CRG 316, CRG 318 and CRG 319
• Facility equipment
• Technician training and support
• Facility orientation for students, researchers and employees (mandatory to access our resources)
• Space for lease at the facility 

How do I become a member?

Principal investigators or project heads can purchase memberships, which cover researchers working directly on their behalf.  Get started by emailing us at [email protected] or request facility access through the Idea Elan platform.

How are memberships billed?

Membership fees are charged per principal investigator, no matter the number of users covered. Billing is done through Idea Elan at the end of each six-month membership term (winter/spring: January 1 to June 30 and summer/fall: July 1 to December 31).

Facility orientation—who must take it?

Before you can access any membership benefits, you must attend mandatory facility orientation given by the laboratory manager.

Orientation involves a one-on-one guided tour of the facility and its equipment. It includes free training on any “base equipment”  requested and covers your responsibilities as an active member. Anyone found working in the facility without completing orientation must leave immediately and may be subject to action by the laboratory director.

To schedule your facility orientation, email us at [email protected].

Lab safety reminder

Everyone must complete uOttawa WHMIS and Lab Safety Training prior to working in the laboratory. Users must adhere to Faculty of Science Health and Safety office and uOttawa Office of the Chief Risk Officer guidelines.

There is zero tolerance for harassment, discrimination or violence. Everyone must show respect and caution. Anyone engaging in negligent or unsafe behaviour will be asked to leave immediately.

If you see something, say something

Please report any problems or issues in the facility to the lab manager immediately. This includes damage, malfunctions, misuse, misconduct, leaks, spills, injury and near-misses.

For what equipment do you require training?

For all equipment, you must receive training from the laboratory manager.  To request training, email [email protected].
Untrained users can work under the supervision of a trained user under the following conditions: 

• The trained user is present to supervise at all times.
• The trained user assumes full responsibility for any potential damage to the facility or equipment.

Damage to the equipment or the facility caused by untrained users or improper supervision can lead to facility access being revoked. Costs to repair or replace damaged equipment due to improper use are invoiced to the PI. 

Can I move equipment?

Equipment can’t be moved or modified without the lab manager’s explicit prior consent.  Permission is granted on a case-by-case basis, and all equipment must be returned to its normal location and state by the agreed upon return time.

The following equipment is referred to as “base equipment” (see Equipment list and pricing) and can be used by trained users with an active membership at no additional cost:

Small equipment: ultrapure water dispenser, NanoDrop and cuvette spectrophotometers, QuBit fluorometer, ChemiDoc MP gel imager, Transblot Turbo western blot transfer system, gel electrophoresis equipment, handheld sonicators, homogenizers, electroporator, Bunsen burners, orbital shakers, vortexes, scales, stir plates, hot plates, pH meters and plate sealers

Incubators, ovens and cell culture fridges: CO₂ incubators, hybridization incubators, shaking tabletop incubators, water and dry bath incubators, ovens, cell culture fridges.

• Any samples that are unidentified, insufficiently labelled or past their removal date are discarded.

Centrifuges: microcentrifuges and tabletop centrifuges (floor centrifuge and ultracentrifuge NOT included)

• Users must wait for the centrifuge to achieve the maximum programmed speed before leaving it unattended.
• Users must return prior to the completion of their programmed spin. Unattended samples found within an idle centrifuge may be discarded.

The following equipment is referred to as “calendar equipment” and must be reserved through the Idea Elan platform prior to being used: ddPCR readers with manual droplet generator, qPCR machines, thermal cyclers (PCR machines), plate reader, TapeStation, floor and ultracentrifuges, microtome, cryostats, biosafety cabinets, laminar flow hood and floor shaking incubator.

• There may be additional costs and scheduling restrictions for calendar equipment (see Equipment list and pricing).
• Access via Idea Elan is only approved after users complete equipment training with the lab manager. You can request training by emailing [email protected]
• There are no refunds for bookings cancelled less than 24 hours in advance.
• If a user has reserved an instrument and finds it being used by another person at the scheduled reservation time, the  user can stop the run in progress.
• Individuals found using equipment without using the booking system or wrongfully interfering with in-use equipment are subject to action taken at the discretion of the lab director.

Who can lease space?

Principal investigators with an active membership can inquire about leasing bench space at the facility for a six-month term. Minimum rental is 3 ft of continuous bench space, subject to availability and facility approval. Ask us about rental options by emailing [email protected].

What does leasing space mean?

Members who lease facility space receive exclusive access to the designated area (benchtop, shelves, cabinets, etc.) for the six-month term with the following conditions:

• You must still receive facility orientation and abide by facility standards.
• You must fully contain all ongoing experiments within the rented space. You may have to stop experiments or actions that affect the working environment beyond the rented space. Furthermore, facility management reserves the right to intervene without prior notice if a scenario is deemed potentially unsafe or damaging to the facility or the people within it.
• Deliberate modification to the facility structure must be approved by the laboratory director. Any modification or damage to the space must immediately be reported to facility management. The laboratory director will then decide on appropriate action, which could involve financial compensation.
• Misuse of facility space can lead to the lease being cancelled before completion of the six-month rental term. 

Please note that rental renewal is not guaranteed.