Skip to content Skip to navigation

Connexions

You are here: Home » Content » Building Your Lab

Navigation

Recently Viewed

This feature requires Javascript to be enabled.

Building Your Lab

Module by: Rice ADVANCE. E-mail the author

User rating (How does the rating system work?)
Ratings

Ratings allow you to judge the quality of modules. If other users have ranked the module then its average rating is displayed below. Ratings are calculated on a scale from one star (Poor) to five stars (Excellent).

How to rate a module

Hover over the star that corresponds to the rating you wish to assign. Click on the star to add your rating. Your rating should be based on the quality of the content. You must have an account and be logged in to rate content.

:
(0 ratings)

Summary: This is a conversion of a presentation given at the Negotiating the Ideal Faculty Position Workshop given on October 14-16, 2007.

Building Your Lab

  • Space
  • Equipment
  • Personnel

Physical Space

  • Moving into existing space
  • Lab remodels
  • New building space

Existing space

  • Is the space adequate for your needs?
    • Proximity to colleagues
    • Access to Dept/University equipment
    • Proper Air/Vacuum/Water for equipment
    • Hoods (chemical and tissue culture)
    • Air handling and vibration
  • Does it have desk space for students and postdocs?
  • Is office space separate?

Build or Remodel

  • Start early
  • Do the research
  • Set a bottom line
  • Be actively involved in the process

Start Early

  • It usually takes 6-12 months to build or remodel a lab
  • Specify a desired date of completion during the negotiation
  • Contact equipment vendors (for specs)
  • Consider options for teaching or grant writing efforts until the space is complete
  • Identify temporary space for lab work

Do the Research (I)

  • Visit state-of-the-art labs
  • Site visit
    • Meet your project manager
    • Location: avoid location-specific problems that affect your research, e.g., vibration, freight elevator availability, etc.
    • Infrastructure: air conditioning, ventilation, DI water system, gas lines, etc.
    • Ask people who know the lab

Do the Research (II)

  • Collect information on equipment
    • power requirement
    • heat generation
    • waste generation
    • Other needs for equipment: gases, water, etc.
  • Leave space for future expansion
    • Predict future equipment needs

Set a Bottom Line

  • Make a list of “must” and “must not” and be firm
  • Do not expect future improvement
  • Take into consideration future research needs

Be Actively Involved

  • Why
    • You know your needs the best.
    • Good communication avoids mistakes.
  • What
    • Project schedule and progress
    • Specific information on equipment
    • Special needs
  • How
    • Follow the progress
    • Communicate with the contractors

Equipment and Supplies

Equipment purchase

  • Be aware of available discount, e.g., “New lab set up” programs at large vendors like Fisher and VWR
  • Negotiate with many vendors
  • Usually 1-3 months of lead time for major equipment

Populating your lab

  • Technical Staff
  • Graduate students vs. postdocs
    • How available are students?
    • How difficult is it to recruit postdocs?
    • Are technicians the best use of limited resources?
    • What Dept/University funding mechanism are available for students or postdocs?

Lab Personnel

  • Personnel management
  • Establishing a “lab culture” is very important
  • Be proactive in addressing potential personnel conflicts
    • No one wants to work in a caustic or poisonous lab environment
  • Lead by example

Content actions

Give Feedback:

E-mail the module author | Rate module ( How does the rating system work?)

Rating system

Ratings

Ratings allow you to judge the quality of modules. If other users have ranked the module then its average rating is displayed below. Ratings are calculated on a scale from one star (Poor) to five stars (Excellent).

How to rate a module

Hover over the star that corresponds to the rating you wish to assign. Click on the star to add your rating. Your rating should be based on the quality of the content. You must have an account and be logged in to rate content.

(0 ratings)

Download:

Module PDF

Add module to:

My Favorites (?)

'My Favorites' is a special kind of lens which you can use to bookmark modules and collections directly in Connexions. 'My Favorites' can only be seen by you, and collections saved in 'My Favorites' can remember the last module you were on. You need a Connexions account to use 'My Favorites'.

| A lens (?)

Definition of a lens

Lenses

A lens is a custom view of Connexions content. You can think of it as a fancy kind of list that will let you see Connexions through the eyes of organizations and people you trust.

What is in a lens?

Lens makers point to Connexions materials (modules and collections), creating a guide that includes their own comments and descriptive tags about the content.

Who can create a lens?

Any individual Connexions member, a community, or a respected organization.

What are tags? tag icon

Tags are descriptors added by lens makers to help label content, attaching a vocabulary that is meaningful in the context of the lens.

| External bookmarks