OIST Teaching Labs Facility & Resource Use Policy

The teaching labs are intended for use related to teaching and learning within the OIST community. Facilities and equipment areavailable for use by students in developing skills and experience relevant to their educational and research needs.

In order to ensure uninterrupted availability of teaching resources it is important that the following policies be followed by all users:

I. Access to Facilities/ Resources:

A. Access to teaching labs and to specific equipment & resources within the teaching labs must be requested in advance. Please consult with the Teaching Resources Coordinator. Any unauthorized access or use of the facilities and/ or equipment is prohibited.

Permission will be granted or denied based on the details of the request, including but not limited to the following factors:

  1. Potential for conflict with needs of other user(s) with a prior claim to the equipment in question.
  2. Individual qualifications. (Students without the necessary skills/ experience to operate equipment may only use it with direct supervision from a qualified operator).
  3. Individual history of use.
  4. Condition of relevant equipment.

B. Access will be granted for a specific time period, based on stated needs. As with everything, please allow time for the processing of your request for access. Access may be granted by one of the following means:

1. Teaching Resources Coordinator will meet you at a pre-determined time(s) to let you in to the labs.

2. Key-card access to the teaching labs may be arranged.

a. Requests for key card access will be approved when there is a demonstrated need that is otherwise not easily met.

b. Typically access timing is related to the duration of a course, workshop or lab rotation. Access is granted only for the intended purposes as stated in the request.

c. Key card access must be requested by the Teaching Resources Coordinator to the appropriate authorities. Immediate key card access is not possible to obtain, so please consult in advance to allow for the processing of the request. Use the request form.

3. Even with key card access, students/ users with insufficient experience for independent operation of equipment must be accompanied by a qualified operator.

4. If a user is found to violate the teaching lab facility use policies, key card access may be revoked.

C. Access to Teaching Labs facilities and resources is prioritized as follows (assuming access is sought through appropriate channels):

1. Faculty using the facilities/ equipment for graduate school courses & relevant preparation.

2. Faculty using the facilities/ equipment for OIST workshops/ short training modules & prep.

3. Researchers/ post-docs using facilities/ equipment for training purposes & prep.

4. OIST faculty/ researchers/ students using facilities/ equipment for other academic purposes.

D. Equipment is to remain in the Teaching Labs, and may not be removed without express permission.

1. In rare circumstances, permissionto borrow/ remove equipment may be granted by the Teaching Resources Coordinator.

a. Requests must be made in advance, to ensure time for properly consulting with other personnel/ faculty who may potentially be impacted by the loan.

  1. The Teaching Labs Equipment/ Resource Loan Form must be completed, signed and submitted. It requires the following information (and more):
  1. Name of individual requesting the loan of equipment.
  2. Research unit in which equipment is to be used.
  3. Names of all other proposed users.
  4. Date of check-out and return of the equipment.
  5. Name/ Model # of the equipment.
  6. Purpose of proposed use.

2. When borrowing is permitted, items are loaned to the research unit where they are to be used, and responsibility for the equipment falls to the borrowing research unit. All rules for use remain in effect.

3. All borrowed equipment must be recorded and returned promptly, according to the terms discussed with the Teaching Resources Coordinator.

4. Damage to borrowed equipment must be reported immediately to the Teaching Resources Coordinator.

E. Responsibility for ensuring proper oversight will rest with the individual requesting access and/ or the faculty member assigning work in the teaching labs. Proper oversight consists of any of the following:

1. Ensuring appropriate training for independent work and/or equipment operation has been successfully completed and assessed positively by a supervising expert.

2. Ensuring the presence and supervision of qualified personnel (faculty, post-doctoral researchers, etc.) as appropriate to ensure safety of all lab users and of university resources.

3. The presence in the Teaching Labs of Graduate School personnel, including the Teaching Resources Coordinator, does not by defaultconstitute proper oversight. Plans for proper oversight to ensure appropriate training and safety must also involve other personnel.

II. Use & Acquisition of Laboratory Resources:

In order to support experiments,specific equipment as well as consumable materials arerequired. In the teaching labs,the Graduate School maintains an array of equipment and a stock of many consumable materials that have been specifically requested by faculty for use in lab courses and/ or workshops. Many other materials commonly used for OIST research are not stocked. It is the user’s responsibility to confirm the availability of required equipment, consumables and other supplies ahead of lab use, with plenty of leeway. Please follow these procedures for use of teaching labs resources:

  1. Please check with the Teaching Resources Coordinator well in advance if you will need to use specific equipment and/ or consumable materials. Many items are available in the teaching labs, but many items are not. To ensure smooth use of Teaching Labs facilities:
  2. Please check availability of required items in advance and make plans to bring with you everything that you need which is not readily available in the labs.
  3. When you bring items from outside the teaching labs, please label them with the name of the unit from which they are borrowed to ensure the resources are not confused with Teaching Labs resources.
  4. In some cases, if you have provided consumable materials from your research unit they will later be replaced by equivalent items. Please keep in mind
  1. In certain cases there is a possibility that new resources may be ordered by the graduate school to be kept in the teaching labs, when there is a high likelihood of repeated use by multiple users. If an item is not stocked in the labs you may request the purchase/ stocking of the item. Purchasing/ stocking decisions will be based on the following factors:
  2. Price & budget considerations.
  3. Space availability for storage.
  4. Likelihood of future use by multiple users.
  5. Specific details of the item. In principle, chemicals and hazardous items will not be stocked, but should be supplied by the user. CMS rules must always be adhered to.
  6. Appropriateness of request to academic use.
  1. In case you need items that are not currently available in the lab, and you don’t have access to any other supply, you must ensure that you consult with the Teaching Resources Coordinator in a timely manner, and make a detailed request with sufficient time to obtain required items. Although many items are readily available, others require weeks or months (or over a year) to obtain. Remember:
  2. Submit all requests in writing. Use the Order Request form.
  3. Make your requests specific. Include the following information:
  4. Item name.
  5. Detailed specs (size, materials, fittings, etc.)
  6. Amount/ number required.
  7. Date of expected use.
  8. Purpose for use.
  9. Specific supplier/ item number (or for basic items, “no preference”).*
  10. If any accessories are required, please include their details in the request as well.
  1. Make your requests in a timely manner.
  2. For items available in the supply center/ TOMY store, please allow at least two business days.
  3. For all items that require ordering, please allow at leasttwo weeks. There will be cases when two weeks is insufficient.
  4. For less common items there is a good chance that a substantial lead time is required, so please place requests at least one month in advance. There will be cases when one month is insufficient.
  5. For major purchases (faculty only), please make requests in time to include the cost in the following year’s budget, and with plenty of lead time to complete all procedures including a potential tendering process, and to allow for delivery & installation.
  1. Only use what you need for the lab work conducted in the Teaching Labs, and do not take any items out of the room without explicit permission:
  2. Permission may be granted on consultation with the Teaching Resources Coordinator.
  3. Any items brought from a research unit are expected to return to the unit, and thus of course no consultation is necessary.
  4. If you notice that supplies of a certain item are running low, please let the Teaching Resources Coordinator know as soon as possible to facilitate timely restocking.

*For items/ components that require great specificity, please provide full specs and item number or a link to the exact product desired.For basics, detailed specs are sufficient. Purchasing decisions will be based on current budgetary constraints, time constraints and other factors. Best efforts will be made to ensure the provision of the requested item or a close equivalent. Timing of delivery is highly dependent on outside factors, and it may prove impossible to fulfill a specific request. Please understand this up front.

III. Standard Expectations for Lab Use

In order to ensure that the Teaching Labs remain a pleasant, safe workspace for all users, it is important that the facilities and resources be used in a respectful and professional manner. Please treat everything with the same care as if it belonged to your own research unit. Remember that the teaching labs are intended as a place of learning, so be sure to be a good role-model to the learners around you. Please follow best practices at all times, including but not limited to the following:

  1. Leave things in the same condition in which you found them, or in better condition.
  1. Clean off counter/ bench tops where you worked.
  2. Put everything away in its proper place.
  3. Take with you all of your personal belongings, and anything brought from a research unit.
  4. Wash out glassware and place it on hooks to dry (above sink areas).*
  5. Leave equipment properly shut down/ stowed/ covered.
  6. Push in chairs.
  7. Close cabinets.
  8. Pick up any debris that fell on the floor or bench and dispose of it properly.
  9. Turn off lights if you are the last person to leave.
  1. No consumption of food or beverages is to take place in the Teaching Labs. Please use the nearby lounge areas or the café.
  2. Use proper protective wear as required by the specific experiment, following the safety guidelines provided by the responsible faculty member. Examples of suggested protective gear:
  1. Lab coats
  2. Goggles
  3. Gloves
  4. Closed-toed shoes
  1. Wash hands regularly as needed to properly conduct your experiments and avoid contamination.
  2. Use proper waste-disposal practices, and be sure to put all waste in the appropriate containers. When in doubt, consult a responsible person or look at the posted information.
  1. Consult in advance with Teaching Resources Coordinator, and carefully follow OIST policies for use & disposal of chemicals. Disposal procedures must be confirmed before starting any such work.
  2. Place waste in appropriately labeled containers ONLY, and be sure to put any sharps ONLY in the sharps bins located throughout the labs.
  3. Sharps include the following: needles, blades, glass coverslips & slides, glass micropipettes, etc.
  4. Sharps DO NOT include plastic pipette tips or vials. Pipette tips and vials (Eppendorf, PCR, etc.) go into “burnable” or “biohazard” bags, based on how they were used.
  5. Please fill sharps bins ONLY to 2/3 full. Then close and dispose.
  6. Disposal of sharps is expensive. Thank you for helping to minimize waste and unnecessary costs by using the sharps bins appropriately.
  1. Experiments that require ethics approval (animal, GMO, etc.) are not permitted except with prior arrangement. Consult with Teaching Resources Coordinator AND Biological Resources Section if you plan to use animals/ recombinant DNA experiments.
  2. As the Teaching Labs are a P1 facility, no experiments requiring P2/ P3 laboratory facilities are possible.
  3. No Radioisotope experiments are permitted.
  4. Autoclave materials as needed for safe disposal.
  5. Materials left unattended may be “cleaned up” if it is unclear that they are still in use, or who is using them. If you need to leave the room in the middle of an experiment, be sure to leave a note on the bench indicating your name, and when you expect to return.
  6. Be sure to sign in/ out and log your time as required for specific instruments & equipment.
  7. If there is an issue, notify the appropriate authorities immediately.
  1. In case of equipment failure, or damage notify the Teaching Resources Coordinator. Please document the circumstances, in writing, with as much detail as possible, to expedite repairs and/ or optimize the potential for a successful insurance claim.
  2. In case of emergency, please contact emergency personnel.

*Be sure that you properly handle & dispose of any toxic/ hazardous substances and chemicals. Also, be sure to record their use in line with the CMS policies. If you have any questions, concerns or uncertainty regarding the proper use/ handling of any substance, please consult with the Research Safety Section.