Stuff You Should Know

The things you really need to know to work around the lab.

Stuff You Should Know About JRM Operations

Revised: November 2020

Housekeeping

The university janitorial staff, because of safety considerations, does not serve the Macdonald Laboratory. Thus, you must clean up your own area. Keep your work area clean and generally organized. Put cables back on cable racks, tools back in toolboxes, etc.

Smoking Policy

Smoking is prohibited anywhere on the Kansas State University campus.

Supplies

Various supplies are kept in cabinets in the equipment room for daily use. If you notice that inventory of a certain supply is low, please note it on the form on the front of the cabinet. There are also some specialized supplies kept in CW-2. When taking an item from CW-2, please log the item on the sign-out sheet. This helps us keep up with the supplies inventory so that the next time you need an item, it will be on the shelf waiting for you. If you cannot find the supplies that you need in the above two locations, refer to the JRML Supply Sources guide.

See our Inventory Responsiblities page.

Equipment Use

The JRM Lab has a general pool of equipment for use by all lab personnel. Since this equipment is shared by all personnel, it is important that it is returned to its proper place when not in use so that it will be available for use by other personnel.

The research electronics pool is the set of equipment most frequently used by almost all lab personnel. We have a finite number of electronics modules for use in the lab. However, researchers tend to find a near infinite number of ways to use these electronics. Thus, there is always a high demand for the electronics modules. If you are not currently using a piece of electronics at your experiment, it is considered available for use by other lab personnel. If you take a piece of electronics from someone else's experiment, leave a note so that they will know where to find the electronics when they wish to continue their experiment.

Hand tools are another frequently used item around the lab. Each experimental group has its own basic set of hand tools. However, there will be times when a more specialized tool is needed. In those cases, arrangements must be made to borrow the specialized tools from other experimental groups or from the technical staff.

Equipment Repair

When equipment is used (and especially when it is abused), it will ultimately break down. When you have a malfunction, take the equipment out of service so that it may be repaired. With help from the equipment manuals (located in the file cabinets near the switching magnet power supply at the south end of the control room), you can do many repairs. If you are unable to make the needed repairs, take the equipment to the appropriate repair facility.

Broken electronics are to be placed in the Broken Electronics box in the control room along with a note clearly explaining the problem. If for some reason an item cannot be placed in the box, please inform the JRML electronics shop (CW-5) directly. Many other broken items will go to the Physics Dept. machine shop (CW-53A). If you are unsure how to get a broken item repaired, ask for assistance from an experienced laboratory staff member.

Construction of Equipment

Since the JRM Lab is a basic research facility, we use very specialized equipment. As a result, you can't run down to Wal-Mart and buy what you need to do an experiment. In many cases, you must design and build (or have built) your own equipment. To have a specialized piece of electronic equipment built or for assistance in designing a specialized piece of electronics, contact Kevin Carnes. For equipment that requires machine shop facilities, contact Charles Fehrenbach or Chris Aikens for assistance in design of the equipment or scheduling your job in the machine shop. For assistance with other general construction projects (plumbing, electrical wiring, etc.) contact an experienced member of the laboratory technical staff.

If you are able to design the equipment yourself, but need assistance in putting it on paper in a form that the shops can read, we have a PC based design and drafting program, SolidWorks. SolidWorks is available on most of the JRM lab PCs, and Chris Aikens is our local expert in its use.

Computer Facilities

The JRM Lab and the Physics Dept. have computer systems available for use by all personnel. To set up a user account on either system, have your advisor or supervisor contact PCSC. For advice on using general PC-based systems, contact Vince Needham. For help with Linux-based SpecTcL data acquisition, contact Kevin Carnes. In addition to the JRM and Physics systems, the university has systems available for use by all university personnel. To set up an account on the university systems, contact K-State Information & Technology Services.

See our User's Guide to Computing page.

Safety Guidelines

Users are responsible for compliance with the environmental, safety, and health requirements of the JRM Laboratory. These requirements are spelled out in detail in a number of specialized documents which may be obtained from the laboratory safety officer. It is the policy of the JRM Laboratory that all activities within the facility shall be conducted in a manner such that all reasonable precautions are taken. If at any time you are concerned about the safety of yourself or others, it is your responsibility to inform the associate director for operations, Kevin Carnes, or the laboratory safety officer, Charles Fehrenbach.

See our Safety Links page.

Work Related Injuries

All employees of the Macdonald Lab (students, staff, faculty, and certain visiting researchers) are eligible for Workers' Compensation benefits. Should you receive an injury while working in the Macdonald Laboratory, notify your supervisor and our office manager, Kelsey Young, as soon as possible and complete an accident report form at your earliest convenience. You may also contact Human Resources directly at 532-6277. If your injury requires medical care and you qualify for Workers' Compensation benefits, you must be treated at the Workers' Compensation contract hospital in our area. The Workers' Compensation contract hospital in our area is Mercy Health Center at 315 Seth Child Road (outside of working hours, please call 323-6000). If you seek treatment elsewhere, Workers' Compensation benefits may be denied and you would be responsible for the costs of treatment.