You will find that some of the students you teach in lab will be in your other
classes but with different roles; sometimes they will be the lab assistant run- ning
that ...
BIOLOGY LAB ASSISTANT MANUAL From the department chair…..
Dr. Wood
You have been chosen for this task because we recognize certain special qualities in your work. You have demonstrated a good knowledge of biology, you take pride in your work, you are reliable, you try to help your students as much as possible and work closely with your professor. We know that if we ask you to do something it WILL be done and done well. We notice all of this and make sure that you are rewarded for that kind of work ethic when we do recommendations for you later.
Timesheets and FERPA Whether you are working one lab (6.5 hrs) or two (13 hrs) your timesheets should be submitted by Friday noon each week or as arranged with your supervisor. Do not wait until the end of the semester to do the paperwork or you WILL NOT be paid. In addition to being paid for the lab itself, you are paid for any prep, grading, thinking, and meeting with
students and supervisors. If you have two supervisors, get together with them and one will act as lead as far as your timesheets are concerned. When completing timesheets, you CANNOT put down times that conflict with you class times. Additional considerations regarding you responsibilities as a lab assistant: FERPA (Family Educa-
tional Rights & Privacy ACT). You are covered under this act which means that you cannot discuss a student’s grades with any other student and you cannot leave graded papers lying around in the lab where they may be viewed by other students. Grades should only be discussed with your supervisor and submitted in a timely matter.
Dressing for success in the lab You will find that some of the students you teach in lab will be in your other classes but with different roles; sometimes they will be the lab assistant running that lab but more frequently they will simply be taking the course
along side of you. With these changing roles, it is easy to see how some students may be confused in how to relate to you. Dressing for the part as a lab assistant can help to set the tone. You are an authority figure in
the lab, not their buddy. Wear clothes that are a cut or two above what you would wear as a student and avoid wearing anything that might be too revealing. You do not wish to draw any negative attention.
Lab Assistant Guidelines
Inside this issue: Your responsibilities
2
Borrowing from other labs
2
Photocopying
2
Microscopes
3
Using microscopes
3
Safety in the lab
4
In case of fire
4
Fire in your lab
4
In case of tornado
5
In case of chemical spills
5
Sharps & broken glass
5
Fume hood alarms
5
Next semester
6
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BIOLOGY LAB ASSISTANT MANUAL
Your responsibilities in the lab You and your supervisor should meet during the first week of classes to determine your specific responsibilities to them. Be prepared to provide your contact information and to get theirs. You should also write down your supervisor’s schedule. If you have been asked to give a prelab talk, be ready to give an informative 15-20 minute explanation of what the students will be doing and what some of the difficulties might be. Keep the lab clean (no messy benches, equipment/models/ materials put away); work smarter - put the responsibility of cleaning up on your students.
You will also be responsible for keeping the slide inventory straight on a weekly basis. How this is accomplished will vary by lab, so check with your supervisor on how it is to be done in your lab. At the end of the semester, be prepared to do a slide inventory as part of your end of semester duties. Considerable care has been taken by the biology faculty to streamline how each course operates. One issue addressed has been where specimens used in class are stored. We have attempted to design the labs so that there is no need for students to ever go into the storeroom to retrieve specimens or equipment. If there is any-
thing that needs to come from a storeroom, make sure that YOU retrieve it and do so using the appropriate safety equipment (e.g. step ladders). When done with something which has been borrowed from the storeroom, please return it to the proper space. If in doubt, please ask. Grading: you need to find out when your grades are due to your supervisor. DO NOT give them to someone else in the department. Give grades directly to your supervisor(s) in the form in which they’ve asked. At the end of the semester, be prepared to participate in an extensive lab cleanup as directed by your supervisor.
Borrowing materials/equipment from other labs If slides/materials/equipment need to be borrowed from another lab, you MUST return those items IMMEDIATELY after your lab. You also need to notify your supervisor that you have had to borrow something from another lab since this may indicate that we need to purchase it for the lab.
If you do borrow slides from another lab, you MUST leave a Post -It note on the slide cabinet indicating what has been borrowed, who you are and where the slides have been taken to (and return immediately after lab). DO NOT take tape, scissors, etc, from either the biology secretary’s
or student worker’s desks (WSN238/YSC201). If you need something, let the biology faculty know and we will get you supplies. If you need hand soap or paper towels in the lab, let a faculty member know.
Photocopying If you need to copy materials or tests for your lab, you will need to borrow the key from your supervisor. They will also give you the departmental code. Note: this may only be used for departmental copying NOT personal copying (even for class notes you missed because you or a friend missed a biology class).
Don’t leave photocopying until the last minute, the copier could be in use or your supervisor may not be around to give you the key. Asking another faculty member for their key may be possible BUT they may not be willing to loan their key if they have their own classes and lab assistants to manage.
DO NOT give the departmental code to ANYONE!
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Microscopes We have a mixture of ‘new’ and ‘old’ scopes. The newer scopes will be typically used in upper level courses and microbiology; the older scopes in freshman and other ‘service’ courses where rougher handling is expected. Each scope has been labeled to include the room number to which it is assigned as well as a tracking number (to be used for signing up purposes). You should not have to borrow from other labs but, if you need more scopes, they should be returned immediately after and your supervisor notified so that (s)he is aware that there is a potential problem with scope
numbers. Do not assume that your students know how to use microscopes even if they say that they do. Review the proper use of scopes and monitor this continually. Warn your students strongly about misusing the scopes. Do not use the oil immersion objective unless given permission by the course instructor.
lems you’ll encounter include burnt out light bulbs and coarse adjustment knobs becoming stripped. The latter can be avoided by using two hands during focusing. Make sure that this is emphasized during the first lab and monitor constantly!
If a problem develops with one of the scopes, take it to YSC215 and write a full description of the problem. Include your name on the description in case follow-up is necessary. Most common prob-
Use of Microscopes - a refresher DO NOT SKIP OVER THIS SECTION! If we had a dollar for every time that we were assured that a student knew what they were doing and then we saw them doing something they shouldn’t do when using a microscope… 1. To carry the microscope, grasp the microscope’s arm with one hand. Place the other hand under the base. 2. Place the microscope on the table with the arm towards you. 3. Put the slide (side with the writing face up) on the microscope stage, keeping it in place with the spring-loaded slide-holder. 4. Turn on the microscope’s light source. 5. The lowest power objective should already be in place but, if not, move it into position. Generally you can feel it click into position. 6. Using the x-y positioning knobs
under the stage, move the slide so that the specimen is directly under the center of the objective lens and in the column of light.
11.Once the new objective is in place, you should only need to use fine focus to refocus on the specimen.
7. Push the two eyepieces together, or pull them apart, until they match your eyes comfortably. Note which eyepiece is fixed focused and which is adjustable. Use the fixed eyepiece for initial focusing on the specimen.
12.You may also need to readjust light levels hitting your specimen. You can do this by either adjusting the light’s rheostat or the iris diaphragm, or both. Experience will teach you the best combination.
8. The stage should be moved to the highest position to start. Focus, using the coarse adjustment knob, until the specimen comes clearly into focus. Turn the coarse adjustment knob to drop the stage (note which way you are turning the knobs).
13.Do not touch the glass part of the lens with your fingers. Use the lens paper provide to clean the lenses. Note that these will have to be cleaned periodically due to oils from our skin and mascara.
9. Use the fine focus knobs if necessary. 10.If it is necessary to increase magnification, turn the rotating eyepiece to put another objective lens in place. Until you are WELL practiced, look at the microscope from the side while you are doing this so that the lens is not rammed into the stage.
14.When finished with the scope, put the lowest objective lens in position and then the stage dropped to its lowest position. The scope can then be moved (both hands) to its storage unit.
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BIOLOGY LAB ASSISTANT MANUAL
Safety in the lab With events of the past few years, safety in academic settings has become a more talked about issue. In the following sections are the current safety procedures. Learn them, follow them, but be
prepared for changes… Believe it or not, an important safety tool is your attendance sheet. It is very important that you know who is in your class at any
Aug 24 Last name, First name
In
Out
given time in case you have to evacuate and in case emergency services personnel have to rescue someone. Below is an example of an attendance sheet that we would like you to follow:
Aug 31 In
Out
Nov 1 In
Out
Nov 8 In
Out
Berry, Straw Bond, James Fun, Tunno Penny, Henny
In case of fire... If the fire alarm sounds, assume that it is the real deal; do not ignore. Take only essentials (purses, class lists). Do not use the elevator when evacuating! If a student is unable to walk down the stairs they must be carried to safety.
YSC201-214,& WSN230: exit down the east stairwell (library side) until the first floor is reached and then continue out the east door. Proceed to the Luther Memorial (or library if it is raining). YSC215-222 & WSN233: exit down the west stairwell (Mabee side) until the first floor is reached
and then continue out the west doors. Proceed to Luther Memorial. If it is raining, you will proceed instead to the library but go around the building OUTSIDE. DO NOT EXIT OUT THE EAST DOORS! Take attendance again!
#14 = Library #15 = York Science Center #16 = Wells Science & Nursing #17 = Luther Memorial
If the fire is in your lab... When you first go into the lab, on the first day, familiarize yourself with the locations of the fire extinguishers. Do not wait until there is actually a fire to learn this important piece of information. In case of fire, turn off the gas (if
on). The emergency gas valve is the center red button; when depressed, the valve is off. This will cut off gas to the entire room. Usually this is sufficient to stop the fire. If not, use the fire extinguisher.
Meantime, have a student get your supervisor, or another faculty member, should your supervisor be unavailable. If all else fails pull the fire alarm and evacuate with everyone else. Above all else, STAY CALM!
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In case of tornado…. Warnings are issued when a tornado is actually identified in the immediate vicinity and will be signified by a five minute steady blast of the Belton emergency preparedness siren
(there are now two on campus).
Take only essentials and evacuate to Brindley Auditorium (YSC102) using the same staircases as designated above (201-214 down east & 215-222
down west).
Take attendance again. Remain in Brindley until the ‘all clear’ is given.
In case of chemical spills Minor spills can be washed off at the sinks with soap & water. If chemicals are splashed into the eyes, rinse eyes using the eyewash station (you may need to run these periodically to freshen the water in the pipes). Note the hand trigger. Full body contact (& corrosive materials): use the emergency
showers. Become familiar with their use (pull down metal triangle to trigger) when you first go to the lab just don’t turn them on (there aren’t any drains to remove the water and you will flood downstairs if these are turned on).
can instruct you on the proper cleanup method.
Advise your supervisor immediately of any spill so that they
What to do with sharps & broken glass ‘Sharps’ constitute anything with a sharp edge but are not glass (needles, blades). Disposal of these items should be into the container marked ‘sharps’. Broken glass (slides, beakers, pipettes, jars) goes into the broken glass disposal unit.
For most labs, you will not find these containers, but will have to go to YSC214, 217 or 222. As always, inform your supervisor when there have been casualties of either materials or students. Before disposing of slides, it is generally a good idea to show
them to your supervisor anyway because your version of broken might not qualify as broken to us. Sometimes we can do repairs. We do have to know, however, which prepared slides have been broken so that we can either pull out a replacement from our back-up slides or order new ones.
What to do when the fume hood alarm goes off The fume hood alarms are sensitive and may periodically sound.
The easy fix is to lower the sash and this should increase air flow and turn off the alarm.
Usually this results from the sash being left in a raised position for too long, resulting in a drop of air flow to
