Confocal Facility Rules and Regulations

Rules and Regulations

Systems: LSM 800, LSM 880. 

I.  Authorized Users:

1. There are two (2) conditions that must be satisfied before using our microscopy facility.
   - The user must be approved by facility director/manager.
   - The user must be properly trained.
   You should contact facility director/manager to check if you qualify to use our facility.Training is conducted on individual bases. Groups (up to 4 people) can also be accommodated upon request. Your first registered session will be your first training session.

II.  Registration, Billing, Facility Usage rules:

1. "Facility usage" encompasses the usage of microscope stands and all supporting equipment including computers, environmental boxes, etc.
2. Users are required to record facility usage utilizing CCNY CoreLABS scheduling system available at http://corelabs.sci.ccny.cuny.edu.
3. Users booking time during off-peak hours must be able to run the system WITHOUT any assistance. Please contact lab management to check if you qualify.
4. Preferably no memory sticks should be used in any of the computers, use CD-R or DVD-R to copy your files. Periodically the facility management may institute walk-in hours in order to ensure that every user has a chance to access the instrument.
5. Authorized users can register for sessions up to 2 months ahead. Walk-in-hours sign up sheet will be provided if needed.
6. All users are responsible to record time used as accurately as possible.
7. Users found using the microscope without registering their session in the CoreLABS system or without notifying the facility manager within 24 hour after the session ended, are considered non-compliant and subject to penalties as described in IV.
8. Only the user who signs up for the instrument is allowed to use the instrument during that time.  If you are swapping time, inform the manager.
9. Each user can only register for up to 3 hours a day during regular hours (M-F, 9am-6pm). In the event of increased demand, lab administrators reserve the right to modify the maximum number of hours to give all authorized researchers a chance to utilize the system for their needs.
10. Users that do not report to the lab manager at least 20 minutes after the session had started are considered late.  Lab administrators reserve the right to cancel late sessions and reassign the time to another user.
11. "No-show" sessions will be billed at the full rate unless facility manager is notified within 12 hours after session ends.
12. Training sessions are billed at standard hourly rate.
13. Users are responsible to  turn off the instrument late at night and during weekend (M-F, 6pm–9am & Saturday
    and Sundays
14. Bills for using the instrument are sent monthly to the PI assigned to the user during CoreLABS registration. We reserve the right to deny access to users with long overdue usage charges. Please notify facility management of any changes to your PI.
15. Users exhibiting behavior that disrupts fair and balanced usage of the facility will be subject to penalties as indicated below (IV).

III.  User safety and conduct:

1. User’s safety comes first.  Do not look into the laser light. Do not open the microscope or laser module. Do not perform any actions that may result in direct exposure to any harmful chemicals or radiation.
2. LSM 800, 880 are very delicate devices. Misuse can lead to damage, loss of data, and/or personal injury.  Do not attempt to use the system in a way that was not approved during training. If you are not certain about something, ask. We are here to help.
3. Under no circumstances users will repair or modify the configuration of the system without notifying lab administrators.
4. Only authorized and trained users are allowed to start and shutdown the system. Operating lasers and  UV illuminators is considered a part of the start up/shutdown procedure.
5. You must report any system failures or unexpected systems states (such as error messages, distorted images) IMMEDIATELY via text or email to the manager at (347) 398-1846.
6. No food or drinks are allowed anywhere near the system.
7. Users are solely responsible for backing up their data.
8. You must report any hazardous materials/samples to the lab administrator before bringing your samples to the lab. Do not operate the system with contaminated gloves.
9. Only lab administrators are allowed to train users.

IV.  Penalties for non-compliance

1. Any violation of the aforementioned rules will be reported to the lab director and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken. Depending on the severity of the infraction penalties may very from verbal warnings, temporary suspension, to complete removal of access privileges.

V.  Compliance Notice and Administrator Rights

1. By using our laboratory you agree to comply with ALL the rules and regulations presented in this document. In addition, laboratory administrators reserve the right to amend or modify this document when deemed necessary.

Addendum I: Live cell/long imaging rates

Users performing longer scans can qualify for lower (50%) usage rates provided that:

• Usage time falls during off-peak hours
• Usage time spans at least 4 consecutive hours in the off-peak time window.

Addendum II: Peak and Off-Peak hours

Peak time: M - F  8 am - 6 pm

Off-peak time: Hours outside peak time.