Policies

General Guidelines:

• Do not use any instrument without training and authorization.

• All instrument usage should be appropriately recorded.

• Report instrument problems online or by contacting CBIC staff.

• Ask questions if you are unsure or need help.

 

Violations of CBIC policies can lead to loss of instrument use privileges.

User Conduct:

Problems - If you encounter a problem, report it online or contact any CBIC staff member. Users are not punished for reporting problems. Review your data promptly and report any data quality problems as soon as possible. We routinely test the instruments, but you can help us keep them working optimally.

Respect - Be respectful of CBIC equipment, other users, and CBIC staff. The CBIC is a shared resource and your own personal needs do not supersede those of all the others who are also using the instruments.

Dangerous Experiments​ - Consult CBIC staff BEFORE conducting any experiment or procedure in the CBIC that poses a risk to personnel or equipment. The CBIC is not configured to accept explosive samples, radioactive materials or biological hazards. Safety training is required before using some equipment, such as those that produce x-rays. Check with CBIC staff and/or Yale EHS if you are unsure about any safety-related issues in the CBIC.

Working Alone - CBIC is open for use 24 hours/day and 7 days/week. Users performing new or unfamiliar procedures should do so only when staff or others are available to assist.

Proper Use/Function​ - Only use an instrument for its intended purpose. If you would like to attempt a new method, consult with CBIC staff prior to your experiment. You must not try to modify or repair an instrument without CBIC staff knowledge and authorization. Variable Temperature NMR experiments require direct training by CBIC staff.

Passwords / Access - Use only instruments for which you are trained and authorized. Do not use another person’s login credentials to operate instruments, whether or not you have been trained to use them. 

Gloves / Lab Coats​ - Wear gloves, lab coats, eyewear and other appropriate protective equipment in your lab when handling hazardous substances. Do not wear gloves or contaminated lab coats when traveling from your lab to the CBIC. Do not wear gloves while typing on keyboards or handling common items (computer mice, printers, doorknobs, etc.). Do not allow contaminated lab coats or other hazardous items to come into contact with equipment and chairs in common areas.

Samples - All samples should be recovered or disposed of by users in their own lab. Samples that are left in the CBIC for more than one week will be considered abandoned and may be disposed of by CBIC staff. Users who repeatedly abandon samples may lose CBIC privileges.

 
 

Instrument Reservation Policies:

Instrument time should be reserved online prior to usage. CBIC instruments can be reserved via these booking websites:

Walk-up NMR Reservations

Biophysical (High-field) NMR Reservations

Optical/Mass Spec Reservations

Solution Biophysics Reservations

X-ray Reservations

Online reservation rules are automatically enforced by the booking website. Multiple blocks of instrument time can be used throughout the day, but only one short (2 hour or less) and one long (> 2 hours) instrument reservation can be pending at any time by each user. Future instrument time can be removed by the user, however any unused time that is not removed in advance will be charged as though the instrument were in use.

NMR spectrometers with automatic sample changers do not need to be reserved online; this usage will be logged automatically. Usage of the GC-MS, LCT, Polarimeter, UV-Vis and DLS should be logged on the clipboard next to the instrument, if instrument time was not reserved online. Usage for other instruments, including NMR instruments without automatic sample changers, is recorded via the online reservation system. Do not use these instruments without an online reservation.

Instrument rates are available online.

 

 

Acknowledgement of the Chemical and Biophysical Instrumentation Center

If you use CBIC instruments in your research, we request that you acknowledge our facility in your written publications or grant applications as follows:

Acknowledgement: This research made use of the Chemical and Biophysical Instrumentation Center at Yale University. 

A citation or a copy of the publication should be sent to the CBIC Director for record-keeping purposes. This information is important to help support our mission and to demonstrate the need for the equipment and staff expertise within the CBIC. CBIC Staff recogniton on projects requiring a large investment of time, or a significant intellectual contribution by the CBIC will be discussed on an individual basis.