RCR - Lab Management





	General Laboratory Safety Who should I contact if I have a question about laboratory safety? Why must I have approval from the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) for research involving recombinant DNA? Can I begin research involving the use of radioactive materials and then apply for approval from the Radiation Safety Office or Radiation Safety Committee? Why does the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) review only research involving vertebrate animals? Who should I contact regarding research with specific chemicals? Mentor/Trainee Relationships What is mentor? Why enter into a mentor/trainee relationship? Why do mentor/trainee relationships sometimes breakdown? Can a mentor treat all trainees the same? Are there any areas or reasons for mentors to treat all trainees the same? Writing Skills What is one of the most important considerations in technical writing? Technical writing is supposed to be in active voice. What does that mean? What do you define as jargon and why can't I use it? How do I overcome writer's block? I can teach but I can't write. What do I do? Laboratory Data Management Who owns the data generated in my laboratory? Why is a bound, paginated laboratory notebook important? What about electronic data? When should I share data? Are there any additional requirements regarding the collection of data? Administrative and Fiscal Management How do I know what I can charge on my proposal? How should I format my budget? I need equipment for the project I am proposing, can I request the sponsor pay for it? I am preparing a proposal, the sponsor does not require cost share, should I still include it? Why do I need a budget justification? Who should I contact if I have a question about laboratory safety? It is generally best to contact the Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) department with any questions regarding laboratory safety. EH&S may be contacted at any time that questions arise. It is advisable to contact EH&S early in the process (whenever you will be using new procedures, materials, or equipment) as they are available to provide advice and act as consultants for researchers. If EH&S does not have the expertise or the responsibility for the specific concern they will be able to refer you to the office or individual that can provide assistance. Why must I have approval from the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) for research involving recombinant DNA? The NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules (NIH Guidelines) apply to all research that is conducted at or sponsored by an institution that receives any support for recombinant DNA research from NIH. The NIH Guidelines require that such research be reviewed by an IBC. The NIH Guidelines also distinguish research that must be registered and approved prior to initiation, research that requires registration simultaneously with initiation, and research that is exempt from the Guidelines. Can I begin research involving the use of radioactive materials and then apply for approval from the Radiation Safety Office or Radiation Safety Committee? No. Approval must be received prior to the possession and use of radioactive materials. At most institutions individuals will not be able to purchase radioactive materials until such approvals are in place. Likewise researchers with approval to use radioactive materials in specific laboratories may not provide any such materials to colleagues without appropriate approval. Why does the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) review only research involving vertebrate animals? Currently the federal regulations NIH/OLAW and USDA/APHIS only apply to vertebrate animals. Please contact your IACUC or Campus Veterinarian for additional information regarding requirements for working with animals on campus. Who should I contact regarding research with specific chemicals? Contact the Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S department for all questions regarding the use of chemicals in research. EH&S personnel are a valuable resource to provide advice and information regarding the safe use of chemicals in research. There may also be special requirements for using certain chemicals that the researcher may not be aware of. Back to top. What is mentor? There is no specific, rigid definition of a mentor. In general, whenever an experienced researcher (mentor) enters a professional relationship to help and assist a less experienced investigator there is a mentor/trainee relationship. A researcher who has graduate students, postdocs, and or lab technicians reporting to her/him is a mentor to those individuals. In other cases a more senior investigator (generally experience and age) may inter into a more “formalized” mentoring relationship with a less experienced (usually younger) researcher. Implicit in all of these situations is the assumption that the mentor will impart knowledge, experience, advice, and training to help foster and encourage the careers and research of the trainee. Why enter into a mentor/trainee relationship? Mentor/trainee relationships are beneficial to both parties. Trainees gain valuable nurturing and career assistance. The mentor is able to collaborate with younger colleagues and benefit from the energy and fresh ideas the trainee brings as well as derive personnel satisfaction from assisting the careers of less experienced researchers. Why do mentor/trainee relationships sometimes breakdown? As in any interpersonal relations the compatibility of the two individuals is extremely important. Accurate and open communication is key to the continuing success of the arrangement. When there are breakdowns in the situation it is generally because one (or both) parties are not getting what they expected from the arrangement. For this reason it is a good idea to have open and honest discussions regarding what each party is anticipated (expected) to bring to the relationship and what they anticipate (expect) to receive. If the expectations of either party are not met the relationship will suffer. Can a mentor treat all trainees the same? No. Mentors should be well aware (and at least at an unconscious, intuitive level probably are already aware) that different trainees have different needs and levels of experience. Thus, a mentor should take time to objectively think about the level of the trainee’s experience, where is more training needed, what knowledge or experience is needed for the trainee, and what is the appropriate level of the mentoring. The mentor will need to tailor the material to each individual and also to different types of trainees (i.e. graduate students, postdocs, lab technicians, younger/less experienced collaborators/trainees from outside your lab in your institution and from other institutions). Are there any areas or reasons for mentors to treat all trainees the same? Yes. Mentors must treat all trainees equally with respect to level of supervision and effort (by the mentor) so as not to discriminate against any race, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. The research environment must not put anyone at a disadvantage because of who they are. Mentors should also treat all trainees with the same level of professional practice with respect and courtesy. Mentors must lead by example and have an obligation to maintain an appropriate research environment for all trainees. Back to top. What is one of the most important considerations in technical writing? Your first consideration is the audience. Take time to analyze the group for whom you are writing. Their level of expertise, level of education and native language will determine how you write. What kinds of needs and interests does your audience have? Is there more than one audience for your paper? Technical writing is supposed to be in active voice. What does that mean? Active voice simply means that the subject is acting on the object of the sentence. The subject is in the first part of a sentence in active voice. (John carried the bucket.) Passive voice puts the object first, with the subject being acted upon. (The bucket was carried by John.) Active voice is a more powerful construction and leads to shorter sentences. Use passive voice only when the object is a more important part of the sentence. If your topic is buckets then the passive voice in the above example may work. What do you define as jargon and why can’t I use it? The definition of jargon is simply terminology used within a specific discipline or field of study. What actually qualifies as jargon changes with the times. There was a time when “browser” would have been considered jargon. You would have needed to provide a definition or choose a different word. Today it is more common vernacular. If your writing will be read by people outside your field, don’t use jargon. People do not want to read with dictionary in hand. Every field has its own jargon and you may not even realize you are using it. Have a friend from outside your area of expertise read your writing and flag words that are unclear. How do I overcome writer’s block? Realize it happens to the best and be nice to yourself. Robert Boice’s research has shown that negative self talk hinders writing. So try some positive self talk. Write without trying to edit. Get the words flowing, go back and edit later. Experiment with what time of day is best for you to write. Take a break and come back and try again later. Sleep on it. People frequently wake up with a fresh idea. Make yourself write a little every day. It is easier to stay inspired for short blocks of time than to expect to be inspired for a long block later. Set up an environment conducive to writing. Clear your desk, get a cup of coffee, have adequate lighting or whatever makes you want to stay in your seat and write. I can teach but I can’t write. What do I do? Realize that writing is teaching. List what you want your “students” to learn. That can be your outline. Then simply begin to add the details. Back to top. Who owns the data generated in my laboratory? In general research institutions own the data collected with the funds given to the institution. Funds for research are usually awarded to the institution, not individual researchers. As the signatory to receive the funds institutions have contractual and legal obligations regarding the funds awarded to the university. Why is a bound, paginated laboratory notebook important? For written or printed records incorporation into a bound, paginated notebook is a great way to help document the authenticity of data collected. When laboratory personnel are in the habit of using such a notebook they will have an accurate and complete record of activities accomplished in the lab. Such a notebook is only as good as the process used to record the data: entries should be consecutive, signed, and dated; as much detail as possible should be recorded; entries should be in ink and no pages should be removed. What about electronic data? Electronic records can and should be kept. However, it can be more difficult to verify the authenticity of electronic records. It is harder to prove that the records have not been tampered with (additions, deletions, or other changes) after original collection. It is probably best to use electronic records in conjunction with a bound laboratory notebook. Important or significant results would be protected by printing them out, signing, and dating. When should I share data? Research and knowledge progress when data and results are shared and widely disseminated. However, this does not mean that all preliminary data should be shared. In general data and results should be checked and verified prior to any release. It is generally an acceptable practice to keep data confidential until publication. Once published there is an expectation that all data and details about the experiments should be freely available for the experiments to be verified and duplicated. There may be some contractual obligations that preclude the sharing of data of which the researcher must be knowledgeable. Are there any additional requirements regarding the collection of data? There are many examples where the collection of data would require additional review and/or approval. Such as data collected from: humans (IRB review and approval), animals (IACUC review and approval), certain hazardous or biological materials (IBC and/or EH&S review and approval), and copyrighted or patented information (a license or approval may be necessary). Back to top. How do I know what I can charge on my proposal? Read the sponsor request for proposal. If it is federal, it is regulated by OMB circulars. Ask a trained individual at my institution. How should I format my budget? If the sponsor requests a specific format use it, if not use your institutional format. I need equipment for the project I am proposing, can I request the sponsor pay for it? Unless the sponsor indicates within their request that equipment is not allowed, you can request it in your proposal. I am preparing a proposal, the sponsor does not require cost share, should I still include it? No. Incorporating cost share that is not mandated by the sponsor creates additional tracking and reporting that is burdensome to you, as well as to the institution. Increased cost sharing also has a negative impact on your institution in recovering costs associated with the facilities and administration. Why do I need a budget justification? Typically, a sponsor will want to know why you are requesting the costs you have identified. Individuals reviewing the proposals will generally have some knowledge about the tasks you are completing and the associated costs. By providing the justification, you are validating the need identified within the proposal. This is extremely critical if there are unusual costs incorporated within the budget. Back to top.