Policies and Procedures

Operators:

• Assisted Operators:  Those who want to utilize Core instrumentation, but need operator assistance.  This category is recommended for most users who will utilize the instrument less than four times per month.

• Independent Operators:  Those who will use the instrument with continued frequency and demonstrate a strong desire to receive formal instruction.  In order to be qualified as an independent operator, a checklist of training modules must be completed and verified by the Staff Scientist (Pam Shaw) or the Facility Director (Kevan Roberts, Ph.D.) They vary in length depending on the complexity of the instrument chosen.

Biohazards:

• Facility personnel must be notified of potential biohazards prior to scheduling and prior to running samples.
• Facility personnel must be notified of any human samples.
• Human samples or potential biohazard samples should be fixed, if possible.
• The facility accepts only biohazard levels 1 and 2.

Sterility:

• Sterilization is required after any potential biohazard run.  Sterilization time is billable.
• Sterilization is required for sorts in which cells will be used for cell culture.  Prior notice must be given and 1 hour will be allotted and billed for sterilization.  We recommend adding antibiotics to your media.

Scheduling:

• Signups are on a first-come, first-served basis, scheduled on an on-line calendar.  Please consult with Core Staff before your first visit.
• Operator-assisted runs are scheduled Monday – Friday 9 am to 5 pm.
• Signup times are charged if not cancelled 24 hours in advance.
• Acquisition runtime takes priority over analysis only time.
• If user will be more than 15 minutes different than allotted time, it is his/her responsibility to coordinate with other scheduled users.

Billing:

• Usage will be billed monthly.  A purchase order is required for each signup time for accounts outside The University of Montana.
• A User Form must be filled out prior to first use and a consultation scheduled.
• Rate charges can be found on the Services page

Acknowledgements:

• The Flow Core receives grant support from NIH/NIGMS, which should be acknowledged in any publications.
• The following statement is suggested when publishing data from the FACSAriaII or the Attune NxT: “Research reported in this (publication, release) was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P30GM103338. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIGMS or NIH.”
• When displaying data or images from the iCys Laser Scanning Cytometer the following is suggested:  “Research reported in this (publication, release) was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P30GM103338 and an S10 Shared Instrument Grant (S10), grant number S10RR026325-01. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIGMS or NIH.”
• We would appreciate a reprint of your publications.  We appreciate your acknowledgment of the Flow Core services in your publications.