The
YSU-S&CIF
X-Ray Structure Facility's
equipment includes three stereo microscopes, two single crystal point
detector X-ray diffractometers (Siemens P4), one single crystal area
detector X-ray diffractometer (Bruker AXS Smart Apex) and one X-ray
powder diffractometer (Bruker AXS D8). The usage of these instruments
is regulated as follows:
- The facility is overseen by the
User
Group. As of April 2005 the members X-ray Structure User Group
are:
- Adjunct members of the
User
Group without voting rights are other instrumentation scientists of the
facility (as of April 2005: Dr Roland Riesen (Dep. of Chemistry and
Dep. of Biological Sciences), Julio "Ed" Budde (Dep. of Biological
Sciences)).
- The User Group will meet
informally on a monthly basis. Formal meetings will be held at least
annually and can be called for by any full or adjunct member of the
group at any time. Members will be informed by means of e-mail
announcements. Any interested YSU faculty member is welcome to attend
both the informal and formal meetings.
- The user group elects one
member to be
Chair of the
X-ray facility user group. Current Chair (as of April 2005) is
Dr Matthias Zeller.
- The User Guidelines as
outlined
here are subject to change by the User Group by simple majority. In
cases of dispute the final decision on the usage of a specific
instrument lies with the faculty member who made its acquisition
possible (i.e. the grant PI). If no person qualifies or the dispute is
not related to instrument usage the final decision lies with the Chair
of the YSU Department of Chemistry.
- The day to day operation of the facility is organized by the
responsible
Instrumentation Scientist
(as of April 2005:
Dr Matthias Zeller)
in agreement with the User Group.
- General guidelines for the order of the sample measurements:
A) Teaching and classes
have
priority over research samples.
B) Samples from YSU or from people/groups who made the acquisition of a
specific instrument possible (grant coauthors) have priority over all
others.
C) In cases of waiting times the Instrumentation Scientist is
responsible for scheduling the sample measurement in such a way that
a) the instrument down time
is as
short as possible
b) no research group is getting preferred access to instrument time
over others (but taking the different numbers of samples from each
group into account)
- These rules are meant to be flexible and exceptions will occur. Those
may be, among others:
a) sensitive samples with
limited
lifetime,
b) samples needed for urgent publications,
c) demands of publication reviewers,
d) urgent grant applications,
e) upcoming faculty evaluations,
f) deadlines approaching for student MS theses
g) on-line use of the instrument for teaching and classes
- The day to day handling of exceptions is generally left to the
responsible Instrumentation Scientist. In cases of dispute the decision
is made by the User Group as described above.
- A log book will be kept for each of the X-ray instruments. Signing in
with name, start and ending time is mandatory for all users but the
instrumentation scientist responsible. Any unusual occurrences have to
be brought to attention of the responsible instrumentation scientist
immediately. Also all repairs, maintenance or unusual occurrences have
to be noted in the log book. Additionally a log book is kept for the
usage of high and low pressure nitrogen tanks.
- No usage fees are charged for non-commercial organizations such as
schools, colleges, universities and non-profit research institutions.
-
Safety,
chemical
hygiene and
radiation
rules have to be obeyed and may be enforced by the responsible
instrumentation scientist. Users who are not observing these rules may
loose the privilege to use the facility.
