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Center for NMR Spectroscopy Washington State University

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Procedure for Using the WSU NMR Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic

UPDATED 09-08-21: PROCEDURES FOR USING THE WSU NMR CENTER WILL FOLLOW UPDATED WSU policy for the 2021-2022 Academic YREAR, REGARDING THE ONGING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

To combat the spread of COVID-19, the WSU NMR Center instituted new guidelines for instrument usage, effective June 8th, 2020-newly revised September 8, 2021. The WSU NMR Center Covid-19 prevention guidelines have been updated to reflect the current campus-wide policies and procedures for WSU, which are detailed on the WSU Covid-19 website, https://wsu.edu/covid-19/

  • Access to the WSU NMR lab will be for trained users only, through key card access at the main entrance to the NMR Center. No tag-along students allowed.
  • If you do not currently have key card access to the WSU NMR center, please contact Zachariah Heiden (zachariah.heiden@wsu.edu) or Bill Hiscox (hiscox@wsu.edu).
  • A cloth mask or N95-mask will now be required for all individuals regardless of vaccination status, to enter the WSU NMR Center.  See the below comments section for the text of the newest available WSU guidance on Covid-19 vaccination and indoor masking mandates. For full details, see the WSU Covid-19 Info page, https://wsu.edu/covid-19/
  • People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their last shot in a vaccine series. To find a nearby location where vaccines are available, visit the state’s Vaccine Locator website.
  • No person shall enter the WSU NMR Center facilities if they are feeling ill, have a fever, or are experiencing other symptoms of infection of any kind. If you are feeling ill, Stay Home! Please call your health care provider, WSU Student Health Services, or any Urgent Care provider for further information.
  • No back-to-back reservations are allowed. There must be a 15 minute gap between reservations. This doesn’t mean that you have an extra 15 minutes to run your sample. The instrument must be vacant for at least 15 minutes for the disinfectant to work prior to the next user.
  • Hand sanitizing stations will be available inside/outside the main entrance to the NMR center. Please sanitize your hands before entering/exiting the center. Surface disinfectant, wipes and hand sanitizer will be available at each workstation.
  • Surface disinfectants will continue to be available, but cleaning after use is not required-you may spray lightly (3-5 squirts from squirt bottle) the desktop, keyboard and mouse with disinfectant. NMR Staff will periodically sanitize working surfaces around the computers and workstations.
  • No gloves from outside of the WSU NMR Center are allowed. Nitrile gloves are available at the table inside the door to the NMR center for usage while in the NMR Center. Please dispose of them in the trash located at each workstation, or by the main entrance door.
  • If you feel uncomfortable using the NMR Center, samples can be submitted and run by the NMR Center staff at the service rate of $35 per hour [instrument time ($10/hour) plus staff time ($25/hour)]. Please submit any service samples at the sample submission table inside the NMR Center entrance, along with a sample submission form (https://nmr.wsu.edu/submit-a-sample-for-analysis/). Samples must be labeled with sample ID, your name (or initials) and your lab PI’s name. Samples will be run within a reasonable time (1-5 days) of receiving the electronic sample submission form. Completed samples will be placed in the completed sample rack inside the entrance to the NMR center. Completed samples lying in the sample rack for more than two business days will be discarded.

Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in loss of access to the NMR center for one week for the first offense, one month for the second month, and indefinitely for the third offense.

 

NMR Center Renovations

Starting January 13th, the WSU NMR Center will be undergoing renovations to upgrade the instrument space over the next 4-6 weeks.

The scope of the work will consist of removing the degrading sound absorbing panels, replacing them with new ones. The flooring in room B3E (the instrument bay that hosted the 400 WB) will be replaced with new carpet. Access to the NMR Center will also change to swipe card access using your Cougar Card.

The removal of the degrading sound absorbing panels will start on Monday, January 13th around the 600.  The removal of these panels will cause for the 600 to be unavailable on the 13th, and possibly the 14th. We will try to have the 300, 400, and 500 available when the 600 is unavailable. On the 14th and 15th, the panels will be removed around the 300, 400, and 500. During this time, these instruments will be unavailable, and the 600 will be available for use. During the renovations, we will do our best to have at least one instrument available for data collection.

We anticipate that the transition to swipe card access to the WSU NMR lab will be completed by the end of January. To prepare for this transition, if you do not currently have a duo prox system Cougar Card, please visit the Cougar Card center in the CUB to receive an updated Cougar Card for free. It will take five minutes, if they are not busy. If you are unsure if you have a duo prox Cougar Card, then it is very likely that you do not. WSU is beginning the transition to duo prox cards, and starting in the summer of 2020, all future Cougar Cards will be duo prox cards.

For updates on the renovations and instrument availability, please look at the instrument schedules on iLab or our new website (https://nmr.wsu.edu/) for details. We will do our best to keep the instrument schedules up to date to minimize any inconvenience.

How to request training on an instrument at the WSU NMR Center

Thank you for your interest in NMR Spectroscopy at WSU!

To become a user of the NMR Center’s instruments, you will need to sign up for training here. Training and account setup are usually completed in two sessions. The first session is an introduction and lecture on the operation of one of our spectrometers, sample handling, safety, data collection and storage, and some data processing. We also set up your account so that you can reserve instrument time, and log into the instruments. You are also assigned a door code for 24/7 access to the facility. During the second session you will bring your own sample to run, and practice your skills. You can ask questions or seek further training at that point. NMR users at WSU are mostly self-sufficient-users run their own samples and experiments, collect and file data, and do data processing independently. Two Ph.D. Scientists are available for assistance during the week and by e-mail. To sign up, use the New User Training Form.

……UPDATES AND NEWS…….NMR_CENTER_UPDATES……URGENT_MESSAGES……….

Dear WSU NMR Community,

From time to time, stuff happens, there are updates, even emergencies can happen. This page will include updates and helpful information on outages, dangerous conditions, or just simple malfunctions.

You may comment on this blog, contribute, and ask questions. All WSU NMR Users are welcome to participate here. This is where to notify others of existing adverse or hazardous conditions, instrument problems, etc.

Thanks,

The Management