January 2010 Contents

The Online Lab Manager

With increased demand to do more with less, lab managers now have a host of online tools at their disposal to help with everything from hiring staff, benchmarking efficiencies, purchasing equipment and collaborating with off-site colleagues. While not the solution to all issues, these new tools can provide a bit of relief from management overload.

John K. Borchardt

Perspective On: A Pharmaceutical Research Lab

Precision Anitibody, part of A&G Pharmaceutical, Inc., is a contract company that creates custom antibodies for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and federal and academic research labs. Lab manager Joe Corvera shares how he and his staff of nine successfully manage hundreds of projects each year in their 8,000-square-foot lab.

Sara Goudarzi

I Told You!

"There's nothing particularly special about 360-degree feedback. It's just a tool and, like any tool, is only useful if you know how to use it and if it's the right tool for the job." 360-degree feedback done right requires that people are given the information they need to change and provided with a rationale for that change.

Stephen Balzac

Conflict Management

As unpleasant as it seems, conflict can be one of a lab manager's best ways of discovering where problems exist among his or her staff and where values, goals, roles, statuses and perceptions are causing problems that need to be dealt with. Resolving such conflict can only happen when managers are first willing to confront it.

Ron Pickett

The Paperless Lab

Two different laboratory software projects illustrate the tasks and issues involved in "going paperless." Key to success is mapping processes and deciding how to proceed. In both projects, the labs went paperless because the paper pieces of the process were standing in the way of their productivity or operational goals.

Gloria Metrick

Scanning the Scene

Three-dimensional laser scanning allow designers and builders to get the full perspective of the lab site, including electrical outlets, casework, wall devices and equipment in the room. This kind of information is invaluable especially during the planning and design phases of a renovation project.

Thomas Walsh, PE, and Chris Zmijewski

The Economic Realities of Lab Automation

Imagine a lab without any automated equipment. How would your productivity be affected? Automated equipment provides a significant economic benefit to lab operations. However, the real benefits, both economic and functional, come when people change their thinking about how to plan for, choose, and apply the technologies.

Joe Liscouski

Designing An Eco-Friendly Lab

Dr. Michael Hopkins talks about his experiences and involvement in designing the Searle Chemistry Building, located in the University of Chicago campus, which has received a LEED Gold certification for its "green" features.

Tanuja Koppal

Science Matters

Free Agency

Rich Pennock

Product Focus

Ultra-High-Throughput Screening

Automated Liquid Handling

Biological Shakers

Microplate Handlers

Lab Safety

Burn Notice Tips and guidelines for safe storage of flammables in the lab

Vince McLeod

Evolution Of

Microplate Readers

Technology News

The latest equipment, instrument and system introductions to the laboratory market.

How It Works

Transfecting B-cell lymphomas with siRNA

Nucleic Acid Contamination Solved with ExitusPlus™ Technology

Using Cryogenic Liquid Argon Dewars Cost-Effectively

Benchtop Flow Cytometry