The Kamal A. Shair Central Research Science Laboratory (KAS CRSL) is a Faculty of Arts & Sciences facility designed primarily to serve AUB faculty professors, their graduate students, and their collaborators whether from industry or other universities within Lebanon, the MENA region, or internationally. Furthermore, the KAS CRSL contributes to excellence in undergraduate teaching by providing students with hands-on learning experience on advanced instrumentations and a head-start in scientific research.
- General
- The KAS CRSL is a central user-instrumentation facility. Hence, users may not establish a permanent base at the laboratory. Users will generally prepare their samples at their own laboratories and then bring them to the KAS CRSL for further investigation.
- There are very limited sample storage areas at the KAS CRSL. Hence, samples may be kept in the laboratory for ONLY a very limited duration. Accordingly, samples stored in the laboratory must be properly labeled with the user's name, nature of the sample, and date of storage.
- N.B. Samples that are NOT properly labeled will be disposed promptly without prior notice.
- Consumables and supplies that are needed for proper functioning and service of the equipment are to be provided by the KAS CRSL. However, consumables and supplies that are related to the user's application and/or needed for sample preparation and measurement are to be provided by the users.
- Standard operating procedures (SOP's) are posted next to each equipment. All users should adhere to those procedures.
- The use of personal USB sticks on laboratory PC's is strictly forbidden. All KAS CRSL PC's are connected to the internet and users can retrieve their data via email.
- All equipment have a logbook into which the users MUST record the following:
- Date
- Time From-To
- User's Full Name
- Position at AUB
- Supervisor/AUB faculty professor
- Department / Faculty
- AUB account/username used to make the reservation
- AUB extension
- Sample name/type
- Other equipment-specific details (ex. change of accessories, if any)
- Relevant comments and remarks
- Signature
- The Director, who is the ultimate authority of the KAS CRSL, manages its affairs assisted by a Laboratory Manager and supported by a university wide steering committee appointed by the Dean of FAS.
- Any hardware or software problems with any equipment MUST be reported immediately to the Laboratory Manager or the Director. The KAS CRSL staff will then contact the DME-FAS or IT to intervene when needed.
- Any disputes MUST be reported immediately to the Laboratory Manager or the Director. The KAS CRSL staff will then refer those unresolved to the university wide steering committee for arbitration.
- Users should acknowledge the KAS CRSL in their publications and/or thesis. This will be used as a performance metric of the KAS CRSL. After publishing, users should send an email to crsl@aub.edu.lb mentioning the title, authors, and equipment used.
- Wear lab coats (knee-length).
- DO NOT Wear open shoes, such as sandals, in the lab.
- Wear appropriate eye protection (minimum safety goggles) and gloves when working with chemicals, biohazards, radioisotopes, or moving machinery.
- Tie or restrain long hair when working with chemicals, biohazards, radioisotopes, or moving machinery.
- Become familiar with the locations and operation of safety and emergency facilities such as the fire extinguishers, first aid kit, emergency wash facilities, fire alarm pull stations, telephone, and emergency exits.
- Keep clean workplaces free of unwanted chemicals, biological specimens, radios, and idle equipment.
- Perform all procedures involving the liberation of volatile materials or aerosols of a toxic or flammable nature in a fume hood.
- DO NOT Leave chemicals or experiments unattended.
- DO NOT Perform unauthorized experiments.
- DO NOT work alone in the laboratory at any time.
- Pay strict attention to all instructions before undertaking an experiment. If you do not understand, ask.
- Access
Full-time AUB faculty professors automatically have Working-Hours1 access.
FAS full-time AUB faculty professors, additionally, automatically have After-Working-Hours2 access.
Undergrad and graduate students, RA's, and collaborators3 of AUB faculty professors are able to access the KAS CRSL with their own valid smart AUB ID card, after requesting Working-Hours access via the following link (to be submitted by AUB faculty professor): tiny.cc/CRSL-WH
- After-Working-Hours access is limited for research necessity and may be requested via the following link (to be submitted by AUB faculty professor and may only be requested for their graduate students and RA's): tiny.cc/CRSL-AWH
- All AUB faculty professors and active students are expected to have a valid smart AUB ID card. Alumni ID cards are non-active and hence cannot be granted access.
- Obtaining proper access cards for RA's and hosted collaborators is the sole responsibility of the AUB faculty professors.
- Steps to obtain a valid smart AUB ID card:
N.B. Specify in the application that a smart RFID card is requested.
For more info, contact ID center by email at idcenter@aub.edu.lb or by phone at AUB extension 2376/2377.
3. Send a scanned copy of your new smart AUB ID card to it.helpdesk@aub.edu.lb using your newly activated AUB Sponsored Account (to be sent by RA's and hosted collaborators), requesting to link your New Sponsored Account to your new smart AUB ID card.
For more info, contact IT help desk by phone at AUB extension 4000.
1Working-Hours* are defined as 0800 to 1700, Monday to Friday.
*Summer Working-Hours from June to August are defined as 0900 to 1500.
2After-Working-Hours are defined as outside working-hours, including weekends and when AUB is formally closed.
3Collaborators are defined as non-AUB personnel who wish to conduct research with AUB faculty professors, after requesting collaboration via the following link (to be submitted by AUB faculty professor): tiny.cc/FAS-Collaboration
N.B. Non-AUB personnel undertaking research/work at AUB should complete and submit the AUB Liability Release Form via the following link: tiny.cc/AUB-LiabilityReleaseForm as well as the IT Acceptable Use Policy via the following link: tiny.cc/AUB-UAP
N.B. Every user is held responsible for accessing the KAS CRSL premises with his/her own valid smart AUB ID card ONLY. No sharing of ID's is allowed.
- Reservations
- ONLY users, with CRSL access, who have received training on an equipment may reserve and use that equipment. Training services may be requested via the following link: tiny.cc/CRSL-Services-Bookings
- Reservations MUST be done via clustermarket at the following link: app.clustermarket.com
- Formal Discretion:
Please use a password different from the one you use at AUB.
clustermarket will never ask you to share your personal information by email or text messaging. Please do not respond to any communication that asks for information such as your account numbers, passwords, or any other personal identification information.
www.aub.edu.lb/Pages/privacy - Important:
During registration (you need to input your mobile number) !
Helpful Support and Tutorials:
www.clustermarket.com/support - If you need any help or assistance, please contact CRSL via email:
crsl@aub.edu.lb
- N.B. Every user is held responsible for reserving the KAS CRSL equipment with his/her own credentials ONLY. No reserving for other users is allowed.
- ONLY AUB faculty professors may make reservations for themselves or on behalf of their graduate students and their collaborators.
- Reservations are made based on equipment availability. The following reservation time limitations apply to the following equipment listed below, unless otherwise available and/or requested for research necessity.
- Reservation Time Limitations:
- XRD – 2 hrs per user per day
- SEM – 3 hrs per user per day
- HPLC – 24 hrs per user per week
- HPLC-MS – 24 hrs per user per week; teaching is ONLY allowed on this machine
- NMR 300 – limited to the following elements during working-hours: H, C, P, F; teaching is ONLY allowed on this machine
- NMR 500 – limited to the following elements during working-hours: H; 1 overnight per user per week
- N.B. Every user is held responsible for their reservation. Reservations not attended within 30 minutes of its start time will be canceled promptly without prior notice.
For more info, contact the Laboratory Manager by email at
rs64@aub.edu.lb or by phone at AUB extension 4314.
- Disciplinary
- Any violation of the aforementioned regulations, misuse, misconduct, negligence, or abuse will cause the following disciplinary actions to apply:
- Regulations Reminder Pre-Warning: an email, reminding the user of the KAS CRSL regulations, will be sent from crsl@aub.edu.lb to the user and their supervisor.
- First Warning: an email, indicating the violation, will be sent from crsl@aub.edu.lb to the user and their supervisor.
- Second Warning: an email, indicating the violation, will be sent from crsl@aub.edu.lb to the user and their supervisor; the user will be denied access to the laboratory for 1 week, and after-working-hours access, if any, will be reverted.
- Third and Final Warning: an email, indicating the violation, will be sent from crsl@aub.edu.lb to the user and their supervisor; the user will be denied access to the laboratory.
- Individuals who repeatedly violate the KAS CRSL regulations and policies will be denied the privilege of using the laboratory in the future.