Laboratories

Labs and basic rules

Summary of all labs and basic rules and regulations.

Following labs are available for classic botanical work. Labs are ordered from the dirtiest jobs to the cleanest. More detailed info can be found on pages of individual labs.

Name	What is it used for	Manager
Sediment lab	Working with soil	Blanka Kuklíková, blanka.kuklikova@natur.cuni.cz
Geobotanical lab (17) and scale room	Chemical analyses, weighing	Blanka Kuklíková
Flow cytometry lab	Flow cytometry	Hana Šípková
DNA laboratory	Molecular analysis	Simona Žerebná
Lab of paleoecology and karyology	Paleoecological and karyological analyses	Blanka Kuklíková

If you are interested in working in any of these labs, contact manager of this lab directly.

General rules

It is not possible to work in the labs unless you follow these rules:

It is possible to work in the lab only after initial training by the manager.
You must contact the manager at least 48 hours (in cytolab 14 days) prior to your work. The manager will book your slot in the lab calendar. Report the manager all equipment you will need (e.g. analytical scales, mill, oven).
Only after agreement with the manager, you will be lent a key.
Upon arrival, write down your name and planned work in the lab log book.
After finishing, bring the lab into its original condition. Clean used glassware, put all equipment where it belongs, turn off computers.
Before leaving, close the windows and mark the time of your departure in the log book.

Work in the lab without prior agreement from the manager is not possible! In case you will not follow rules for work in the lab, we stipulate the possibility to block you access to the lab.

Safety measures

Whoever working in the labs must study and know the basic rules and measures for lab safety. This knowledge must be confirmed by a signature. The rules and measures as well as the signature list are available from the laboratory manager.

Calendars

All work must be booked in the geobotanical calendar. Ask manager to book you a time slot. If you work in the lab often, ask the managers to give you editor role.

The cytolab has its own FCM calendar. Only the lab manager can book you a slot in the calendar.

Sediment Lab

Sediment lab (aka "dirty" lab) is meant for work with soil, floating, sieving, core cutting, starting cultivation experiments etc. It is equipped with basic lab equipment, e.g. Petri dishes and beakers. Demineralized water is available. Soil floating is possible thanks to a sediment tank under the sink.

Where	ground floor, end of the hallway, room no. 27a
Managers	Blanka Kuklíková, blanka.kuklikova@natur.cuni.cz
What for	all kinds of dirty work, e.g. work with soil samples, sand and other sediments, filling flower pots, sieving soil, floating sediments
Instruments	demi water, drying oven, planetary and rotor mill
Other equipment	Petri dishes, beakers, trays, plastic sample bottles, packaging material, preweights etc.
Rules	See basic rules for work in the labs above. Sign in the lab Log book. After you finish work, clean up the desk. If you need to store samples, contact the manager! Clean the dishes, put them back when dry. Take the waste substrates outside to the bio-waste bin.
Reservation	Contact manager min. 2 days in advance. Work without prior booking is not possible! See if the lab is available in the geobotanical calendar.

Lab of geobotany no. 17 & Scale room

Lab 17 (S17) is meant for classical geobotanical-chemical analyses. It is equipped with drying ovens and classical chemical equipment. Inside the lab, there is a scale room with accurate (1 pc) and super-accurate (1 pc) analytical scales. All scales are plugged into a computer and can save values automatically.

Where	basement on the right, room no. 17
Manager	Blanka Kuklíková, blanka.kuklikova@natur.cuni.cz
What for	Intermediate chemical analyses, e.g. measuring nutrient content, pH, titration, preparation of fertilizing solutions, drying samples, weighing samples
Instruments	drying oven 2x, shaking machine, analytical scales 2x, spectrophotometer SPEKOL, nitrogen analysis still Buchi
Other equippment	lab glassware, digital burettes, heat nests, suction arm
Rules	See Basic rules above.
Reservation	Contact manager min. 2 days in advance. Work without prior booking is not possible! See if the lab is available in the geobotanical calendar.

Flow Cytometry Lab

The lab is specialized in DNA analyses of ploidy levels and measurements of the absolute size of plant and animal genome.

Where	ground floor, end of the hallway, room no. 27b
Manager	Hana Šípková (in the lab)
What for	DNA analyses of ploidy levels and measurements of the absolute size of plant and animal genome.
Instruments	Partec CyFlow ML - UV led dioda, fluorochrom - DAPI Partec CyFlow SL - zelený laser, fluorochrom - PI Partec Space Space - zelený laser, fluorochrom - PI B&C CytoFlex - DAPI
Other equipment	lab glassware and selected chemicals, fume hood for work with chemical instances
Rules	Before you start any work in the lab, contact the lab manager or other team member to be trained. Read manuals and other methodical instructions on the lab web page. Keep the lab clean, clean after yourself, fill the supplies of tips and filters, wash Petri dishes. Do not leave your samples in the fridge for longer periods of time! The lab does not have its own employees. It is, therefore, necessary to learn all tasks connected to the cytometer and to be absolutely independent. Preferably use buffers Otto I. and II. Other buffers are accepted only after consulting the personnel.
Reservation	Contact the manager min. 14 days in advance. Work in the lab is not possible without prior reservation! See available time slots in the Calendar.

See basic lab rules above.

Lab for paleoecology and karyology

Lab for paleoecology and karyology is equipped with a high-quality fume hood and is used for various analyses, e.g. chemical preparation of microfossils.

Where	basement on the left, room n. 3a
Manager	Blanka Kuklíková, blanka.kuklikova@natur.cuni.cz (inžovna, room no. 28a)
What for	palynological and karyological super-clean analyses
Instruments	water ans sand bath, centrifuge, ovens, vortex, ultrasound cleaner, fume hood
Other equipment	see detailed info about the equipment and available chemicals here
Rules	See general rules for work in the labs above Lab shall not be contaminated (especially by pollen)! It is not allowed to use living organic material here. It is not allowed to take any instruments or other equipment out of the labs. Follow the protocol approved by the manager.
Reservation	Please, contact the manager min. 2 days in advance. Work without prior booking is not possible! See if the lab is available in the geobotanical calendar.