Welcome!

Welcome to the UNL Lab techniques workshop page!

This blog is here to provide the basic information for the workshop and to break down what will be covered during each monthly session.

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Hi everyone,

Thank you all for your interest in the Lab techniques workshop!

I have been informed that our first two workshops overlap with Chemistry exams, and so we have added an additional date for those workshops.

Workshop 1: Pipette Basics: February 9th & 23rd

Workshop 2: Lab Glassware and Plasticware: March 9th & 23rd

We hope these additional dates will allow students taking Chemistry classes to also participate in these workshops. Also, if enough students participate in these first two workshops then we may add additional dates to the last two workshops to accommodate everyone.

Thank you,

Erin

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Where: Beadle Center room E121.1 (one of the Micro Labs)

When: Feb. 9th & 23rd, March 9th & 23rd, April 13th, May 11th)

Time: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Come join us to learn how to use basic techniques that are used every day in research labs! 

Also, it's FREE! 

This is being put on by a Postdoctoral researcher in order to bridge the knowledge gap between what is taught in lab classes and what techniques are used in a research lab setting.

Topics per month:

February: Pipette basics

March: Lab plastics and glassware

April: Using small lab machines

May: Making stock solutions of chemicals

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Month 1: Pipette Basics

Time: February 9th & 23rd 5:30 pm- 7:30 pm

Place: Beadle Center E121.1

Please fill-out pre-workshop questionnaire:

https://forms.gle/jUM5XvQgexaMMu4v6

What you will learn:

How to work with a variety of pipettes and syringes used in lab spaces: serological pipettes, Pasteur pipettes, micropipettes, multi-channel pipettes, and syringes.

Details of what we will go over:

Serological pipettes:

                              For larger volumes

                              Come in plastic single-use or reusable glass options

·        Hands-on work: use “manual” bulb to suck up volume of water and put into beaker. Use “automatic” serological pipettor to suck up volume of water and dispense into beaker.

Pasteur pipettes:

               Glass

               Used in specific circumstances that don’t require precise measurements

Example: when performing lipid extractions or any organic solvent extraction (chloroform, methanol, hexane, etc.)

·        Hands-on work: use bulb to suck up volume of water and put in beaker.

Pipettes/Micropipettes:

Volumes: 2 μL- 5000 μL

o   Hands-on work: How to adjust volume of pipette, how to suck up and dispense liquid from pipette.

Multi-channel pipettes:

o   Hands-on work: How to use a multi-channel pipettes.      

How to tell if a pipette is broken?

·        Hands-on work: Calibrate pipettes, or at least checking accuracy (weighing water)

o   Water’s density is 1 mL = 1 g so you can determine the accuracy of your pipettes by weighing water at various volumes

·        Hands-on work: Taking apart and cleaning pipettes.

o   Being able to take apart a pipette and clean/lubricate it will help keep your pipettes accurate and long lasting.

Syringes (if there is time):

Used primarily in anaerobic work, or when injecting a liquid into something with a stopper

·        Hands-on work: suck up liquid into syringe and dispense into Balch tube