One of the best ways to get the most out of your work is to set up your research laboratory as efficiently as possible. If you’re about to have your own laboratory for the first time, or perhaps are wondering how to set up your latest lab more efficiently than your previous ones, these suggestions just might put you on the right track.
Make Sure You Have Everything
Create an inventory of your equipment, chemicals and so forth and update it regularly so you never find yourself missing anything. If you find yourself short low on stock, you’ll likely be able to replenish missing things easily with your institute’s help and even rent out things you won’t need long-term. Alternately, you could buy your missing product(s) yourself, e.g. by typing in buy sarms online (or whatever you need) into a search engine to find a reputable store carrying the item.
Everything Has A Home
The key to not misplacing anything is to designate a specific place to put it in. Find the best ordering system for you and group things based on what sections of the lab they’ll be used the most. If you don’t have them already, invest in cupboards, containers and shelves. Labeling your products, as well as where they are stored, can diminish confusion drastically.
Give Areas of the Lab Specific Designations
Doing everything in the same spot can get messy, not to mention dangerous. First, determine all the activities that will take place in your lab and then choose specific areas where they’ll be carried out. If you’re working with multiple lab technicians, as will often be the case, don’t just give them specific tasks, but also defined areas where they will carry their tasks out.
Get All Your Training and Authorizations in Order
Do you plan to work with radiation? Then you may need a Radiation Use Authorization. Working with chemicals instead (or also)? You’ll likely need HWP and spill response training. Virtually every kind of scientific pursuit in a laboratory will require permits, instruction and paperwork, so once you’ve decided how to use your lab (a list always helps), look up the requirements for each activity. Remember, they can vary by state!
Try a Lab Management Course
If you really want to learn the ins and outs of perfect laboratory management (or close to it, anyway), there are a plethora of courses you can take. It’s fairly common for lab-management courses to be offered on university campuses: though often short (some can last a single day, some closer to a week), they are often completely hands-on, allowing you to discover the minutiae of lab management firsthand. There are also many online courses available, if that’s your preference, e.g. from reputable organizations like the AACC.
Try using this article as a checklist of sorts while preparing your laboratory. It can help you stay focused during the process and may even help you set things up in a more efficient way than you might have otherwise.