Getting Around

Effective and conscientious communication is essential for the health and productivity of our research community.

1. Equipment status.  Make sure to communicate the status of a piece of equipment using the lab management system, Badger.
    
2. Individuals. Specific fab or equipment questions can be addressed to the appropriate staff person. Any labmember can be contacted by their email/Badger ID.
    
3. User Groups. Problems, questions or comments can be addressed to the subset of labmembers who use a specific tool or tool set, by using the appropriate Mailman list. 
    
4. The Labmember Community.  The entire labmember community (all registered labmembers and affiliates) can be addressed using the labmembers group email. Be sure to keep  communications at a professional level and concern only matters that are of interest to this broad group. Please do not use it for non-SNF-related communications. Email lists are managed through Stanford’s mailman system.
5. Process support.  The labmember community is

Please keep your communications respectful and relevant to the community you are addressing.  Questions about specific process recipes might be best directed to the mail list for that equipment. Announcements for technical and professional seminars and workshops are entirely appropriate for the SNF Labmembers email list.  "Free ice cream on the patio!" would welcome on the Labmembers email list, but one can imagine some topics that would probably not.  Make use of these mail lists with some consideration for the audience.

1. Training and qualification. Training is equipment-specific is arranged by contacting the responsible staffer listed on the equipment pages. Technical Liaisons are available to discuss process flow and materials issues -- this is helpful in determining which pieces of equipment may be most appropriate for your needs. Information about process capabilities and materials compatibilities cab be found in the Labuser Guide.  Equipment and staff availability may limit how quickly your training request can be accommodated. Also, the amount of time it takes to become trained on a piece of equipment varies widely as it depends on the complexity of the operation and your requirements. Staff will work with your technical and scheduling needs.  Once you've demonstrated your knowledge and ability, you will be added to the "qualified users" list, which gives you privileges to enable, disable, and reserve this equipment.
    
2. Enabling and disabling Tools. Each piece of equipment in the lab is interlocked to the lab management system (Badger). In order to use a tool, it must be "enabled". Only qualified users may enable  and use a particular tool. In general, if use of a tool prevents others from accessing this capability, the user must be enable for the duration of use, even if unattended.  There are exceptions, indicated in specific equipment pages for these tools.  When you are done using a tool, it must be "disabled." Make sure to check before leaving the lab for the day that your tools are disabled.  If you forget to disable, this discourages others from using this system and will also continue to incur charges.  And be a good lab citizen by reporting any problems you encounter, or shutting down equipment if it is not usable.
    
3. Equipment Reservations. Labmembers can reserve equipment, subject to some restrictions.  First, you must be qualified user. Second, there are limits on reservation horizon time, with default as one week in advance. Third, there may be limits on reservation length (one example would be two-hours maximum between 8 am-5 pm weekdays). Reservation rules for each tool can be access from the Policy tab on the lab management system. In addition, make sure to observe the following equipment reservation etiquette rules:
   
   - Don't over-reserve. Reserve just the amount of time you realistically need.
   - Release unused reservations on the lab management system as soon as you know you will not be able to use.  This released the time so others may use.
   - Notify others of a reservation cancellation on high-demand tools.  You can use the tool email list. 
   - Do not reserve time for others.
   - 15 minute rule. If someone does not show up after 15 minutes, they lose their reservation.
   - Communicate, communicate, communicate.  Problems happen. Someone may need more time or be late to their reservation. Make every attempt to communicate your needs and respect those of others; work out differences in a professional, courteous manner.
    
4. Equipment Status and Problems All lab and staff members must report process and equipment problems so that anyone can check the status of any equipment. Each tool can have one of the following equipment states:
   - Up: Green "up" arrow means the equipment is fully operational.
   - Problem: Orange "question" mark means the equipment is operational, but must be used with caution. Make sure to check the equipment messages for any special instructions; failure to do so could result in damage to your samples (or even equipment!) And if you observe a problem, however minor, report it; your fellow labmembers will appreciate it!
   - Shutdown: Red "stop" sign with an "X" means the equipment is shut down and cannot be used. If you are using a tool and it experiences problems, you may be required to use the "Shutdown" function -- your training and the operating procedures will cover the circumstances and procedures for when shutdown is required. 
    
5. Equipment repairs. Unless your training covers it, you should not attempt to repair equipment. Your help, however, in observing and noting the symptoms of any equipment problems is much appreciated.

Before entering any lab spaces, make sure to wear appropriate street clothing, which includes long pants (or equivalent) that cover legs, and closed-toe shoes that completely cover the feet.  This table lists the dress code for entering these lab spaces.  Note that additional PPE is required for certain specific operations, especially with chemical handling.