CURRENT ISSUE | VOLUME 7 - ISSUE 8 | September 2012
COVER STORY
Social Media Gone Viral
Once considered superfluous, social media has now become a vital tool for scientific information sharing, knowledge building, and networking
Editor's Buzz
While the need for trans-global collaboration was obvious in 1991, the reluctance of the scientific community to embrace the social media aspects of the Internet for that same purpose seems curious
Lab Health and Safety Tips
Some service laboratories operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These include chemical plant laboratories, laboratories in other types of production plants, some hospital laboratories, and forensic laboratories.
Employers are responsible for making sure personal protective equipment (PPE) is available and that employees are using it.
Products in Action
One centrifuge. So many possibilities. The Avanti J-26S series is the only high performance centrifuge system you’ll ever need. Built upon benchmark performance, including high speed, low heat output, imbalance tolerance, and low noise the
Business Management
Large companies and government agencies often have laboratories dispersed over a wide geographic area— sometimes around the world.
Being connected with colleagues all over the world with regard to your lab work or any other project your organization is working on isn’t just about taking an innovative approach when it comes to the scientific workplace.
Communication problems are all around us–two people talking about two completely different things and thinking they are communicating. People not paying attention to what the other person is saying–simply buying time to say what they want to say. Here are some tips on how to communicate effectively.
Once considered superfluous, social media has now become a vital tool for scientific information sharing, knowledge building, and networking.
Lab Product
Evaporators and evaporation systems are a key part of the sample prep process in many laboratories and industries. In particular, rotary evaporators have been crucial in materials, forensics, life science, environmental, and chemical industries for decades.
Laboratory water purification systems are a common fixture in a variety of different types of facilities. In order of decreasing purity, the different classifications of pure water are as follows: Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3.
The latest equipment, instruments and system introductions to the laboratory market.
Surveys
In the mid-1930s, Arnold Beckman created one of the first commercial pH meters— made originally to measure the acidity of lemons.
Best practices dictate that pipettes undergo preventive maintenance and calibration at least once per year. Calibration involves dispensing set volumes of a liquid, usually water, into the weighing pan of a calibrated balance.
Product Focus
Thermal analysis is the broad category of at least 20 techniques that measure some fundamental property of matter as a result of adding heat.
Microplate technology has thrived thanks to the desire to avoid radioactive assays and the need to measure more samples faster, at lower volumes, and in parallel.
Lab ovens appear in many settings, from basic research to industrial work. Moreover, scientists can choose from a wide range of options.
In science laboratories, researchers know the value of keeping samples frozen for long periods of time. Nonetheless, many scientists don’t give much thought to the features of a lab freezer.
Ask the Expert
George Weinstock, Ph.D., professor of Genetics and Molecular Microbiology at Washington University, discusses what a lab manager can do to stay abreast of changes in the rapidly evolving field of next-generation sequencing.
How it Works
Problem: Preparing samples for analysis can be a tedious, time-consuming process that is often seen as too small to automate.
Problem: With the vast majority of drug discovery research facilities and a growing number of academic laboratories now utilizing automated workflows, the ability to safely move plates from one instrument to the next is vital to ensure the efficient progression of the protocol.
Problem: The bioprocessing industry is advancing the capability to monitor and control its manufacturing systems.
Did somebody order more dNTPs? Where is the p53 antibody? Every day, simple questions like these disrupt workflow and distract researchers from their experiments
Research-Specific Labs
Jason Todd is in the business of solving puzzles—in the laboratory. As a manager of the liquid chromatography lab and co manager of the gas chromatography lab at Polymer Solutions Incorporated (PSI) in Blacksburg, Virginia, he’s continually solving chemical and material mysteries.
Laboratory Technology
Designing the most cost-effective and efficient instrument service program requires careful consideration.
How strategically integrating informatics tools across a drug discovery workflow can improve transparency, trust and productivity.
Leadership and Staffing
While the term “bullying” is often associated with children, it is very common to see the same type of behavior in a work setting. Here are some startling facts about workplace bullying that you may not know.
Lab Health and Safety
Recently we had the unpleasant experience of investigating a gruesome and almost deadly accident. A maintenance worker was removing a cable tie from a package on the loading dock when his pocketknife slipped and punctured his thigh, slicing his femoral artery.