facebook pixel Skip to Main Content
Idaho State University home

General Lab Maintenance

All lab courses

Students

  1. Wipe down benches, microscopes, and any other lab equipment on the student benches
  2. Organize equipment and supplies at their station
  3. Tuck in their chairs

Instructors

  1.  Supplies:
    • Check the supply of lab materials (262/263 share lab materials), prepare, and refill low materials before the next lab
    • Email the coordinator when quantity is critically low
  2. Microscopes:
    • No slides or specimens on stages and objective lens is set at 4X
    • Turn off and cover all compound microscopes (student and instructor)
    • Turn off instructor microscope camera
    • Turn off all stereoscopes
  3. Instructor and sink benches:
      • Organized/tidy/clean
      • Refill the paper towel dispensers
      • Prepare dirty glassware for the stockroom
      • Place waste materials in the appropriate waste container
  4. Student Stations:
    • Trays are organized/tidy/clean
    • Correct equipment and supplies are at each station
  5. Turn off projector and lab lights
  6. Lock all entryway doors to the laboratory

BIOL 1102L

C-FERN Terrariums:

  1. Put all plates back in the terrarium
  2. Place lids and light on the terrariums
  3. Cover with bubble wrap, foil side down

Station trays are organized/tidy, sitting at the correct student station on the metal bench riser:

  1. Prepared slide specimens in slide sleeves.
  2. Colored pencils in green container.
  3. Slides, cover-slips, lens paper, lens cleaner, forceps, organized in weigh-boat.
  4. Wash bottle are on the tray and accounted for.

Dissections

Students must:

  1. Wash & DRY the dissecting trays, pins, probes, scissors, scalpels, etc. 
  2. Clean & organize the benches.

Instructors must:

  1. Check that all student station trays and dissection supplies are organized and clean. If the stations are not clean you are required to clean up.
  2. Prepare dissection animals for disposal (see below).
  3. Turn off AVer Document camera and the portable fume extractor.

Preserved Animal Disposal Preparation:

  1. Line a 5 gallon screw top lid bucket with the black bags available.
  2. Have the students place their dissected animals in the lined bucket.
  3. Once all the animals are in the lined bucket, weigh the bag. If it is more than 20 lbs, split the contents into the second lined bucket.
  4. Seal the bag(s) shut by tying or taping.
  5. Now place the bag of animals in a second/third bag to reduce the chances of leaks and tie or tape that bag shut.
  6. Remove the bags from the bucket and label:
    • Date
    • Course and Lab section #
    • Your last name
    • Weight in pounds, not to exceed 20 lbs
    • Animal type (invertebrate or vertebrate)
  7. Place the bag(s) in the chest freezer (in the black tote to limit leakage).