[Preplabstudents] Addressing Items from the Prep Lab Survey

[Weaver, Tyler]

Hi Everyone,

The Prep Lab team discussed the feedback we got from the survey everyone completed in the fall. We identified the most impactful things that could be addressed in the time we had between fall and spring semester. Here’s a summary of what we have planned:

Lab Attire
There is room for improvement with prep lab student compliance on lab attire policies. The text below is from the guidebook.

“Clothing worn in the lab should provide skin protection from chemical spills and splashes. Appropriate clothing includes long pants or skirts that go to the ankle. Ankles should not be exposed. If a vessel containing chemicals falls to the floor, it is vital to make sure no exposure to the lower leg/ ankle occurs. At a minimum, all the red areas shown in the figure to the right should be completely covered before entering the lab.

Pants made of spandex, or other thin and/or skin-tight materials, and clothing with holes are not acceptable, even if your lab coat covers the holes. Shoes should cover the entire foot (closed-toe and closed-back). Ankles should be completely covered. Extremely loose or bulky clothing is also not appropriate for the lab. Baggy sleeves are a fire hazard or may knock over lab supplies.

The best materials to wear in the lab are natural fibers, such as cotton. It is acceptable to wear scrub pants or sweatpants over leggings or shorts. Chem stores, room 180 Celeste, typically has scrub tops and pants available for purchase. Proper PPE only needs to be worn when in lab spaces, it is not required in the prep lab office.

Long hair must be tied back, as it can catch fire if it gets too close to an open flame or get pulled into a rotating object.”

GroupMe
Toward the end of the semester, we struggled with responding to GroupMe requests in a timely manner. If you are on the clock, you should be monitoring the GroupMe.

Lost and Found Items
Moving forward, all items found in the labs should be turned over to the undergrad office, 110 CE. Students looking for items that may have been left in lab should be directed to this location. Please do not leave random items on the benches in the lab support windows. They take up valuable space needed for equipment.

Waste Runs
Waste runs will now be scheduled 30 minutes after the start of lab. This will allow us to collect anything that was generated at the very end of the previous session and may have been missed under the previous plan. Waste runs will begin by completing the waste recon form. The items needed are then collected from the prep lab, the waste containers are swapped, brought back down to the prep lab, and dumped. Emptied waste containers are stored in their designated locations until needed again.

Waste will still be collected on Friday evenings so that it’s not left upstairs over the weekend. If time permits, it should be dumped. If not, collect it, and we will dump it on Monday. A note should be left on the Daily Sheet board if waste needs to be dumped on Monday.

Lab Readiness Checks
We’ve streamlined the checklist used for this task. At the top of the sheet, you should record the experiment that is being completed in each room. You should also grab a gather sheet for each experiment so that you know what is needed. Waste will no longer be checked since it will be swapped out after the lab session starts. Refilling consumable items will become a scheduled task for the window people.

Daily Sheet Items
Tasks that must be completed with a buddy will be more clearly indicated on the Daily Sheet.

“REMOVE ALL CHEMICALS” task will be changed to “REMOVE MATERIALS FROM REAGENT CART & HOODS”. Students assigned to this task should take a gather sheet for the experiments being removed so they can determine what should be taken. All items listed as “on the cart” should be removed. Emma and Sarah will take care of equipment that is provided on the bench beside Hood A.

Window Tasks
We have shifted some tasks onto the people staffing the window. As these items are completed, you should initial the mini daily sheet on the clipboard. Completion of these tasks will be more thoroughly monitored.

Window Notes
Sarah and Emma have been updating the window notes to make them more user friendly. They will also be adding shelf positions for commonly requested items. This should help make it easier to find items when students request them.

On a side note, they are also preparing an alphabetical index of all items in the window and their location. This is another resource to help you locate items more easily.

Head TA Schedule
The Head TA schedule in the window will no longer have cell phone numbers on it. If a Head TA or ALS needed to be contacted during the lab session, please use the walkie-talkie.

Student Questions about assignments, make-ups, etc.
If a student comes to the window seeking help with reaching the lab supervisors or a Head TA for things related to assignments, make-ups, etc., please give them one of our new “Lab Supervisor Business Cards”. These will be available in both lab support windows and include information on how to get help with Gen Chem lab related items.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,
Tyler

[The Ohio State University]

Tyler Weaver
Instructional Lab Supervisor
General Chemistry Prep Lab Manager

The Ohio State University
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
280E Celeste Lab
120 W. 18th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210
(614) 688-3929 Office
weaver.646 at osu.edu<mailto:weaver.646 at osu.edu>

Pronouns: he/him/his

Please do not feel obliged to read or reply to my messages outside of your normal working hours.
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