If you are an external customer, please contact professors Scott Lokey and Vicki Auerbuch Stone (and CC me on these emails). You may also find the information you are looking for by browsing this website e.g. for a list of equipment, compounds, or prices. Please reach out to me again on or after September 8, 2025. I look forward to hearing from you then!

If you are a UCSC professor or support staff, such as facilities, accounting, or leadership, please speak to Scott Lokey or Vicki Auerbuch Stone about time-sensitive topics (please put URGENT in the subject line and CC me on these emails).

Or for non-urgent matters, please reach out to me on or after September 8, 2025.

You may also find the information you are looking for by browsing this website, including a list of equipment, compounds, prices, or a blurb for your grant application.

If you are a new trainee, please note that we will not be onboarding new trainees until I return.

You may view my calendar on Google and send an invite for a time I am available, on or after September 8, 2025 – that way it will show up on my calendar regardless of when I get to your email in the inbox! We can meet to discuss your needs and get you started. Feel free to begin your training by making use of our YouTube training videos and by browsing this website.

If your experiment is urgent, then your only other option is to ask an existing, trained user to do it for you. Ask around your lab to see if anyone is already trained and willing to help you out. Other good labs to try are the Lokey, Rubin, Partch, and Yeh labs.

If you are an existing trainee, and your matter can wait until September 8, such as new ideas, looking at results, or other long-term needs, then you may view my calendar on Google and send an invite for a time I am available on or after September 8, 2025 – that way it will show up on my calendar regardless of when I get to your email in the inbox! We can meet to discuss and go from there.

In the meantime, consider whether it’s information other users would benefit from – in which case, post it on the CSC Space chat on Gmail.

If you lost your key/ID badge, or locked them inside the facility:

please message the CSC Space on Google and another user can let you in.

Also, all PSB faculty have a master key.

You can contact PBSci Facilities at 831-459-1992 or pbscikeys@ucsc.edu.

For equipment/resource/software issues/help/troubleshooting:

• For equipment/resource/software issues/help: Follow this sequence of troubleshooting steps.
  1. Look for notices/signs/stickers on or around the instrumentation. Look closely through the reminder sheet I have hanging in a sleeve with each main piece of equipment (Echo, Phenix, BioTek, EnVision). Have you followed all of those instructions? These should give you info that covers 90% of issues!
  2. Try turning everything off and on again (software, computer shut down, and device powered down). I know it’s annoying. That should reset 90% of the remaining troubles!
  3. Check the instrument’s entry on my status sheet to see if there are relevant notes.
  4. Rewatch the training video on our YouTube to see if you missed something.
  5. Post your issue in the CSC Space on Google to access the user community. It’s very likely another user I’ve trained is currently in the building and can come over to help you out. Sometimes it takes fresh eyes to notice something. Also it helps other users to be aware of issues they might also encounter, so more is always better on this chat stream. Remember to message again once the issue is resolved.
  6. If you aren’t getting a response, then please directly contact the point person for the technology in question. Their full names and lab locations were sent out in my newsletter on July 15. Please CC me on emails.
     —–
     • Echo acoustic dispenser – Nadia, Deena, Aswad
     • Phenix imager – Lizette, Jin, Hope
     • BioTek washer/dispenser – Nadia (for all modules) or Deena (for peri only)
     • EnVision older plate reader for luminescence – Chenggang, Diksha, Gerd
     • EnVision newer plate reader for fluorescence/absorbance – Nadia and Deena
     • Old Janus pinning or pipetting robots – Aswad
     • Harmony and Signals bioinformatics systems – Doug Niven in Research IT.
       —–
  7. If that person isn’t sure of the answer, then you may email Matylda Zietek, who is a frequent user of all our devices.
  8. Look at the PDF manual for the instrument, perhaps together with the point person. They are available on the CSC website page for each instrument. A lot of these manuals are very thorough. If something is especially useful, you can share the page number to other users via the CSC Space on Gmail.
  9. Contact the manufacturer’s tech support, perhaps together with the point person. Note that I have accumulated these cell phone numbers by fostering a trusting relationship with these contacts that I hope to maintain. Please CC me on emails.
     —–
     • Echo acoustic dispenser – Note that we are not paying for the subscription normally required for support, so it is out of generosity that these employees help us. You can email Raghu (RJAYARAMAN@beckman.com) or if it is urgent and he doesn’t respond, call his cell (408) 368- 9324. You can also try Jefferson (JLAI@beckman.com, cell 510-725-0655). In an emergency, where the instrument is failing, one can contact a third party that specializes in servicing/repairing Echo instruments, called Lab Machines. The person in charge there is Howard (howard.lee@lab-machines.com, cell 916-296-5297) and the tech support guy is Jimmy (jimmy.tran@lab-machines.com).
       —–
     • Phenix imager – Robert is the all-knowing, very friendly helper. Email him with any question whatsoever and he is delighted to help (Robert.Graves@revvity.com). If he is not available, you can try Alex, but please be mindful of east coast working hours (Alexandra.Paul@revvity.com, 512-500-6080). For the robot attached to the Phenix, or hardware problems, call the general number (800-762-4000). If they don’t answer, email Masse (Masse.Wali@revvity.com, or if very urgent, can try cell 408-768-2596).
       —–
     • BioTek washer/dispenser – Call 1800-227-9770 option 3 then 8 then 2. Call the number before 2pm (5pm east coast). They are usually very helpful. After 2pm you can email bio.tac@agilent.com. They are equally helpful but take longer to respond. Sometimes, the sales rep, Sean is able to answer a question (sean.dixon@agilent.com, 978-675-6062).
       —–
     • EnVision – Bill is very friendly and knowledgeable. You can email Bill.Ortiz@revvity.com or call his cell 408-828-4494 (please be mindful of east coast working hours). You can also contact Melissa (Melissa.Martin@revvity.com), Erica (Erica.Belkin@revvity.com, 650-720-2340), Chananat (Chananat.Klomsiri@revvity.com), and Doug (Douglas.Sapp@revvity.com).
       —–
     • Janus robots – For software questions, ask Ronnel (Ronnel.Cabuslay@revvity.com, cell 650-793-4738). For all/hardware issues, email the tech support (USCAN.Service@revvity.com) and CC Andrew (Andrew.Mossman@revvity.com) and Mackenzie (Mackenzie.Brown@revvity.com). You can also call the general tech support number, 800-762-4000.
       —–
  10. You can talk with your own PI to see if they can help you with a workaround or alternate solution, or if they are able to confirm that it’s important/urgent enough to try me or Scott or Vicki. You could show them these instructions I gave you.
  11. Nadia and Deena in the Lokey lab have my cell number. Texts are preferred, especially if from an unknown number. Sending a photo of what’s going on will help. I will be completely unresponsive for the first few days of my leave (July), and more responsive towards the end (September). If you resolve the issue on your own, please text to say never mind.
  12. If all the above have not helped, contact Scott Lokey and/or Vicki Auerbuch Stone if it is a serious and urgent concern, a decision needs to be made, might need a site visit by the manufacturer, or something is costly. Scott can also try my cellphone (I will recognize his number!). Please CC me on emails.

If it’s something that the CSC user community should know, then please make use of the CSC Space chat stream in Gmail. That’s the quickest way to reach everyone, and I will be checking it periodically, if able.

You can talk with your own PI to see if they can help you with a workaround or alternate solution, or if they are able to confirm that it’s important/urgent enough to try me or Scott or Vicki.

Nadia and Deena in the Lokey lab have my cell number. Texts are preferred, especially if from an unknown number. I will be completely unresponsive for the first few days of my leave (July), and more responsive towards the end (September). If you resolve the issue on your own, please text to say never mind.

Contact Scott Lokey and/or Vicki Auerbuch Stone if it is a serious and urgent concern, a decision needs to be made, or something is costly. Scott can also try my cellphone (I will recognize his number!). Please CC me on emails.