Please note that the information below is now being delivered to new users as a training curriculum delivered via a Google form. It can also be printed here. The page will be updated accordingly soon. Please also check out the new training video page. If you are new to science lab research in general, you might find these tips helpful, and here is a handbook for if you are new to cell culture and need it for your work in the CSC.

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6 tasks are required to get started as a CSC user:

1. Complete the required safety training from EH&S, including “Biological Agents for Shared Facilities”, a new training module for users of BSL2 cores. EH&S will supply you with lab coat(s) and a pair of safety glasses.
2. Training is scheduled one-on-one with CSC staff (Beverley Rabbitts). Training by an experienced user is not sufficient for unsupervised access to equipment. We take training seriously – other than the data you collect, the training we provide is the facility’s main deliverable, our reason for existing. Here is a syllabus for the training. If you’ve been trained, please make sure your name is on our training record of all users (only visible to approved staff).
3. Trained users can order a key to room 465 from PBSci ADC keys (which triggers us to give approval – current approver is Beverley).
4. We use the FACES system for reserving equipment on calendars – have CSC personnel create an account for you.
   • You should receive an email with instructions (it might go to your spam/junk folder).
   • Please give it a try during the onboarding time period, rather than waiting until you need the equipment!
   • When you log in, enter UCSCCSC for the group.
   • FACES has a separate calendar for each resource, so users can schedule around each other.
   • Reservations are not editable after the fact, or within 1h before the start time.
   • Recharges are based on the reserved time, which should at a minimum cover the time used.
5. Users must subscribe to our Google space for updates (see me for an invite) and are encouraged to subscribe to our Google calendar for events like group trainings.
6. Users must be familiar with our rules. When you use the facility, you are agreeing to abide by the following…

About the first rule for using the CSC:

The CSC is a safe, inclusive space for all. We uphold the UCSC principles of community and will not tolerate hate speech, discrimination, bullying, harassment, or violence under any circumstances.

This a space where learning occurs, so we recognize that trial-and-error is part of the process, and will not reprimand you for honest mistakes!

Please contact us if you experience anything inappropriate, have requests for accommodations, or have any ideas for how to make the space an optimal working environment for you (come to room 456, email brabbitt@ucsc.edu, or use our anonymous form).

Here are some of the tangible ways we make this space inclusive:

• W recognize that respecting people means respecting pronouns. For Scott Lokey, please use he/him pronouns. For Beverley Rabbitts, please use she/her or they/them pronouns.
• The first floor of our building, PSB, has a gender neutral bathroom.
• The first floor gender-neutral bathroom, as well as the 3 women’s bathrooms on other floors, have menstrual products free of charge. These are provided by Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) in collaboration with August, a provider of sustainable period care.

Rules for using the CSC:

• Please be respectful of your fellow users.
• Please follow signage and lab safety regulations as you would in your lab, including:
  • Wear PPE (gloves, eye protection, lab coat) and appropriate clothing (closed shoes, long pants). Note that neoprene gloves (not nitrile gloves) should be used when handling significant volumes of DMSO.
  • You might be working with non-hazardous materials but others working near you might be e.g. users studying live cholera!
  • Please do not prop any doors open for fire safety and security reasons, and use the main hallway rather than fire doors between lab sections.
• Please clean up after yourself and leave the instruments and spaces ready for the next user.
• Please notify other users of relevant shared equipment malfunctions encountered using our Google Space – this way users can plan experiments taking into account the most up-to-date information possible. Please report any concerns ASAP to CSC staff (come to room 456, email brabbitt@ucsc.edu, or use our anonymous form).
• While we have a lot of high tech equipment, we do not stock all of the basic equipment you might need. You will need to use your own lab’s pipetmen, pipet aid, tube centrifuge, freezer, incubator, etc. Arrangements can be made to temporarily place your equipment in our space for ease of your workflow, as needed (or in some cases, put our equipment in your lab temporarily). Please contact brabbitt@ucsc.edu if there are any questions.
• In general, users must bring their own disposable supplies (gloves, tips, serological pipets, tubes, microplates, reservoirs) and chemicals (reagents, buffers, solvents). In some cases, CSC materials can be given to users but only in conjunction with paid CSC instrument use (in PSB465) and we must be informed and reimbursed via Recharge. Otherwise we won’t be able to restock these items for our own internal needs (like calibrating equipment) – which is what our own supplies are strictly meant for. Please contact brabbitt@ucsc.edu if there are any questions.
• Please bring your own USB drive for taking your data with you; you are responsible for backing it up (we recommend keeping important data in two separate locations, for example, one hard drive and one cloud storage; keep raw data for 5-10 years following its publication if possible). Here is a site from Stanford University with best practices in science research data management and here is a funny cartoon about this issue!
• If you need to schedule time with the manager (e.g. assistance, training, assay development, presentation, tour), please send a calendar invite. I typically have multiple parallel pending requests on any given day (especially last minute requests) but I constantly check my Google calendar to make sure I know who to focus on. Me accepting the calendar invite serves as confirmation that the time works for me and is yours. If you are logged in with a UCSC Google account, then you will be able to view my calendar when making bookings, to avoid times that are already taken. Of course, there tend to be a dozen little emergencies every day, so I may get called away during your appointment if it is urgent enough, but hopefully only briefly. It’s not uncommon for me to have two, three, or even four things going on at once that all require some attention from me, so please be patient.