CHESAPEAKE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY | SOLOMONS, MDFEBRUARY 2023ISSUE 78Lab Lines1IN THIS ISSUE:DIRECTOR’S VIEW23We have gone through lots of changes at CBL and UMCES over the last month. And not just in terms of the weather where we have seen record highs one day followed by snow two days later. This last month has seen the beginnings of the process that will lead to leadership change in UMCES. Many of you had the chance to meet with the Chancellor on February 22 to hear his thoughts. I am convinced there will be more opportunities to have input into the process as we move through this 90-day fact nding process. Do not hesitate to talk to me if you have questions or concerns.This last month also saw the change of our travel system to Concur - which will aect all who travel for research or conferences. The old ELF system through which we have planned and reconciled travel expenses has gone away to be replaced by a new system. Whether you are a student, FRA or faculty, or whether you are an administrator and you travel as a part of your job, this will aect you. Some of you are already using the system - I am already receiving automatic emails to approve travel. But if you do travel and have not registered with the system yet, please make the time to do so. Do not leave it to the last minute as lots of things have changed - most notably, all travel has to be booked through Concur - no one will be reimbursed for airfares booked themselves, and AirBnB cannot be used for accommodations. Please talk to the business oce if you have any questions.Finally, I am also beginning to see activities - social and professional - return to the CBL community. I want to thank the FRAs (and some students) who arranged and attended the game night on Feb 23. All who attended know that Matt is the FAKER.SAFETY CORNER/ PUBLICATIONSIN CASE YOU MISSED IT41
In Case You Missed ItCheck out new details from the Tailwinds team at this link here: https://tailwinds.umces.edu/ 2Jackie Grebmeier, Lee Cooper and Christina Goethel traveled to Vienna, Austria to participate in the annual Arctic Science Summit Week, February 15-25, which includes international research planning in the Arctic, as well as sharing research results. Workshops they participated in includ-ed development of Arctic plans for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Develop-ment, an expansion of the Distributed Biological Observatory concept to Canada, Greenland, and the European Arctic, a meeting of the Pacic Arctic Group to share research plans for the summer and work on development of an Arctic component to the Global Ocean Observing System.A reminder to all UMCES community members that the campus will be closed for spring break March 20, 21 & 22.
In Case You Missed ItCBL has welcomed three new students: Amir Azarnivand, Sadia Ali, and Jessica McGlinsey. Take a look below to learn more about these new CBLers.3
Safety Corner: Pipette Safety4PublicationsRead, D.J., Wainger, L., 2023. Assessing intervention eectiveness at promoting voluntary conservation prac-tice adoption in agrienvironments. Conservation Biology 37, e14009. [UMCES Cont. No. 6249] https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14009Williams, M.R. & Filoso, S., 2023. Changes in Hydrology and Pollutant Loads from Stream Restoration in an Urban Headwater Catchment. Journal of Hydrology, p.129164. [UMCES Cont. No. 6271] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhy-drol.2023.129164Pipetting is a common laboratory task that requires the use of a pipette to measure or transfer a small volume of a liquid. It can have some ergonomic risks associated with it due to its repetitive nature along with some health and safety risks. Here are some guidelines to help you pipette safely and comfortably.1. Make sure your equipment is clean and in good working order. Wear the appropriate personal protective equipment.2. Make sure the pipettor ts comfortably in your hand.3. When draining the pipette, place the tip against inner wall of the receiving container to prevent any splash-ing of liquid. Never forcibly expel any hazardous material from a pipette. Make sure you use only the force necessary to dispense the liquid.4. Carefully eject disposable pipette tips to minimize any aerosol formation. Work in a fume hood, if necessary.5. Maintain an upright posture while working. You should adjust your chair, work surface and/or your work to avoid leaning or hunching over. 6. Keep your work close to your body. Do not stretch to reach your work. 7. Make sure there is knee clearance where you are working if you are seated. If your feet are not able to rest on the oor, there should be a foot rest on your chair.8. If you are standing to pipette, it would be advisable to use an antifatigue mat to reduce stress. If possible, use a foot rail to rest your foot to relieve some lower back strain.9. Take short breaks every 20 minutes and vary or share your tasks throughout the day.10. If possible use a multichannel pipettor, electronic pipette or a bottle top dispenser.11. Properly dispose of disposable pipettes. Properly clean and store reusable pipettes.12. Do not mouth pipette!!!Referenceshttps://www.labmanager.com/lab-health-and-safety/tips-for-ergonomic-pipette-use-and-handling-19905https://www.ehs.pitt.edu/workplace/ergonomics/pipettinghttps://ehs.wsu.edu/ehs-training/factsheets/factsheets-faqpipetting/https://www.artel.co/pipette-use-safety-going-beyond-ergonomics-potential-risks/https://wp.stolaf.edu/chemical-hygiene/laboratory-ergonomics/www.umces.edu/cbl | 410-326-4281P.O. Box 38 | 146 Williams Street | Solomons, MD 20688-0038