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Common Equipment Core

The Common Equipment Core resource provides support to SKCCC Investigators for the maintenance and operation of equipment that is shared among multiple groups or programs with an emphasis to ensure young investigators access to equipment necessary to their laboratories. The services provided by this resource are repair and/or preventative maintenance contracts for shared equipment, annual inspections of freezers, cryo units and balances, water filters for film processors and ice machines and maintenance and chemicals for the film processors. Shared equipment covered are three film processors, eight ice machines, four autoclaves, two Coulter counters, two real time PCR instruments, two liquid scintillation/luminescence counters, two stills, and A/V equipment in four shared conference rooms. Equipment such as ultra centrifuges, mid-range centrifuges, scintillation counters, and imaging equipment are included to make sure young investigators have access to necessary equipment crucial in developing their laboratory programs.

In April of 2009 a newly installed centralized liquid nitrogen system went on-line to provide liquid nitrogen to multiple cryo units in the Bunting Blaustein freezer morgue (G06). Implementing this system has created additional space thus allowing an increased number of units to be housed in the morgue by eliminating the individual delivery tanks for each unit. This will be a cost savings for each investigator of approximately 50% of what they were spending on liquid nitorgen.

Also, since the system is monitored, there is less likelihood of failure and offers consitent delivery of liquid nitrogen to each unit. There is a chargeback in place for this service. Service monitoring and oversight are provided by the Laboratory Facilities and Services Manager and the Laboratory Services Coordinator. User logs are required and kept for each piece of equipment where appropriate. Exceptions are film processors, ice machines and A/V equipment. There is no charge back system for these services. There is a chargeback for the use of the autoclaves, real time PCR units, the liquid scintillation/luminescence counters and cryo storage.