Research resources
Personnel
Our research labs are made up of a wide variety of people: faculty, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, research technicians and various undergraduate students and volunteers.
We provide one staff position that supports the activities of the research laboratories:
- Research Operations Coordinator—provides the following services to the research groups: coordinating CORE equipment maintenance and repair, human resource management, tracking expenses and lab supplies purchasing.
Safety
Campus Security can be reached at 250-721-7599. In the event of an evacuation, please exit the building using the stairwells and gather at the northwest corner of the lawn in front of the Medical Sciences Building (MSB).
Training sessions
Occupational Health & Safety (OHSE) provides many in-class and online training sessions related to both laboratory safety and general workplace safety. Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) and Biosafety Awareness training are the minimum training required for all personnel working in MSB laboratories.
Reporting concerns, hazards, and injuries
All injuries and health and safety concerns or hazards must be reported to the supervisor. The supervisor and reporting personnel must fill out the departmental incident and hazard report form and submit to the Research Operations Coordinator.
The supervisor is responsible for investigating the issue in a timely manner and taking appropriate corrective actions. For more information on reporting hazards, please see the OHSE website.
Environment
We aim to be environmentally responsible in the way our laboratories are run. We try to recycle as much as possible and use the UVic hazardous waste management system. This ensures that no hazardous materials are introduced into the sewers or regular garbage streams.
Labs must submit a Hazardous Waste Disposal Form on Wednesdays by 4pm for waste pick-up Thursdays. Empty waste containers are provided free of charge except for sharps containers which can be purchased from (Petch 168).
Chemical safety
Please learn the Chemical Spill Response procedure. Spill kits are distributed throughout the laboratories and can be obtained free from Science Stores (Petch 168). Replacement spill pads are available in Petch 035. Campus Security (local 7599) is trained to deal with chemical spills so do not hesitate to contact them (7599) if one is beyond your ability to handle. Search Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for information including hazards, firefighting measures and accidental release measures for all chemicals in our laboratories.
Core equipment
The Division provides and maintains several pieces of basic laboratory equipment which are available for use by all of our researchers. Routine preventative maintenance and repair of this equipment is coordinated by the DMSC Research Operations Coordinator
Equipment name | Location | User manual |
AUTOCLAVE, Market Forge, STM-EL | MSB336b | users manual |
BALANCE, Radwag, PS 110/C/2, 20mg - 110g | MSB250 | users manual |
BIOLOGICAL SAFETY CABINET, Esco, Class II Type A2, LA2-5A2 | MSB336a | |
BIOLOGICAL SAFETY CABINET, Microzone, Class II Type A2, BK-2-4 | MSB336a | users manual |
BIOLOGICAL SAFETY CABINET, Esco, Class II Type A2, LR2-4S2 | MSB250g | |
CENTRIFUGE, Eppendorf, 5810R | MSB336a | users manual |
CRYOBIOLOGICAL STORAGE VESSEL, Barnstead, Locator Jr. | MSB250g | users manual |
CRYOBIOLOGICAL STORAGE VESSEL, Barnstead, Locator Jr. | MSB336a | users manual |
CRYOSTAT, Leica, CE | MSB250 | |
FREEZER, -20C, Isotemp, model 13-986-145G | MSB336 | users manual |
FREEZER, ultra-low temperature, Forma, model 916 (back-up freezer) |
MSB336b | users manual |
FREEZER, ultra-low temperature, Forma, model 907 |
MSB336b | users manual |
FREEZER, ultra-low temperature, chest, Labnics |
MSB336 | |
GLASSWARE WASHER, Labconco, 44203 series | MSB336b | users manual |
ICE MACHINE, Hoshizaki, F-330BAH | MSB250 | users manual |
IMAGER, BioRad, Gel Doc XR | MSB250 |
Gel Doc users manual |
IMAGER, VWR G:BOX Chemi XR5 | MSB336 |
(manual is on computer) |
LIQUID NITROGEN, Airgas, 200L tank | MSB336b | |
MICROPLATE READER, Molecular Devices, Versa Max | MSB250 | |
MICROSCOPE, fluorescent, Olympus, BX51 | MSB250h | |
REFRIGERATOR "Brain", chromatography, Isotemp, model 13-986-145G | MSB250 | users manual |
REFRIGERATOR "Pinky", chromatography, Isotemp, model 13-986-145G | MSB250 | users manual |
REFRIGERATOR, chromatography, Isotemp, model 13-986-145G | MSB336 | users manual |
THERMOCYCLER, Perkin Elmer 2400 | MSB250 | |
ULTRA-SONIC DISMEMBRATOR, Fisher, model XL2000-350R | MSB250 | users manual |
VIBRATING SLICER, Leica, model VT1000S | MSB250 | users manual |
WATER SYSTEM, Millipore, Elix5 / Milli-Q | MSB250 | |
WATER SYSTEM, Millipore, Integral3 / Q-Pod | MSB336b |
Other equipment
Equipment name | Location | Primary user |
Jeol Transmission Electron Microscope | High resolution/high contrast imaging | |
Olympus SZ61 Dissecting Microscope | Microdissection and microsurgery | |
Reichert UltraCut E Ultramicrotome | Preparing ultra-thin tissue sections for electron microscopy, or semi-thin sections for light microscopy | |
Harrick Plasma Cleaner, PDC-32G | Removal of contamination on specimens and specimen holders for TEM | |
Pelco BioWave Pro Microwave Processor | Preparation of difficult-to-penetrate specimens for antibody labelling | |
IncuCyte ZOOM Live Content Imaging System | Acquisition, analysis and quantification of images from living cells | |
Guava EasyCyte HT Flow Cytometer |
Cell counting, cell sorting, biomarker detection | |
ABI StepOne Real-Time PCR System | Gene expression |
Supplies
We have an agreement with the Faculty of Science that allows our faculty to use the services of (Petch 168).
These services include:
- access to items from the Science Stores in-house inventory of and (you will need to login with your NetLink ID)
- items that are not part of the Science Stores in-house inventory
Ordering items
There is a centralized list of "items to be ordered" in the Research shared folder (Netdrive.uvic.ca/meds/Research/Shared/Purchasing/Master Order List.xlsx).
The DMSC Research Operations Coordinator will submit requisitions for these items to Science Stores at minimum every Wednesday. This enables bundling of items from the same vendor to reduce shipping costs.
If you have rush items, please email the details (Vendor, Cat#, Item Description, Quantity) to the DMSC Research Operations Coordinator (dmslab@uvic.ca) and a requisition will be submitted immediately to Science Stores.
Compressed gas cylinders
Compressed gas cylinders can be obtained from the cylinder storage area at the back of the MSB building. Please refer to the . The department provides all the necessary personal protective equipment. OHSE offers a Compressed Gas training session that covers transport and handling of cylinders which is required for anyone who will be working with cylinders. If the training session is not offered when you need it, please ask your fellow students; anyone who has taken the course can train others.
Buying computers
Computer hardware, software and accessories can be purchased through the .
Chemical inventory
The central chemical inventory has a list of chemicals in all labs across campus. The database is searchable, making it a great resource for borrowing chemicals if you only need a small amount for one-time use. Please contact the DMSC Research Operations Coordinator for the generic user ID and password to view the database.
Contact
Please contact the DMSC Research Operations Coordinator (dmslab@uvic.ca) if you have questions about or require assistance with any of these purchasing procedures.
Tech services
The Faculty of Science offers many technical services on a fee-for-service basis for the Division of Medical Sciences. They can help with services like equipment repair, fabrication, electronics repair and glass blowing. Please follow the link for a full list of research services available.
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