• Home
• Message from the Dean
• General Information
• Before You Arrive
  • Initiating Your Faculty Appointment
  • Information for Non-U.S. Residents
  • Dual Career Services
  • PSU Employee Benefits
• When You Arrive
  • Time Management
  • Faculty Activity Report
• Dean's Office Resources
• Research
  • Finding Funding Opportunities
  • Grants and Contracts
  • Starting Research
  • Libraries
  • Export Controls
• Ethics
• Traveling and Hosting a Visitor
• Teaching
• Advising Students
• Outreach
• Climate and Diversity
• Promotion and Tenure Information
• Human Resources
• Community

 

 

 

A few words of advice for those setting up Non-Laboratory Based Research Programs:

Much of the information on this website has focused on the laboratory scientist.  S/he has an expensive lab to equip and maintain, complex experiments to run, a small army of support personnel to manage.  Lab work has high visibility, and new laboratory faculty need advice.

But you're different.  A yellow pad and a pencil, a regular supply of coffee, and regular access to email and top quality computer resources and support are all that you think you need.  Take courage! You are not alone.  Over 40% percent of College of Science faculty are not laboratory workers.  How can you adapt the information on this website to your own style of work? Click here for a few suggestions.

Safety Issues
   
        General Reference Sites

• Office of Environmental Health & Safety

These links provide specific information on procedures and resources when working in a laboratory. Questions concerning laboratory safety, and other safety issues, should
be directed to Environmental Health and Safety at 6 Eisenhower Parking Deck, 814-865-6391.


Radiation Safety
Biological Safety
Chemical Safety
General Laboratory Safety
Waste Disposal


We also provide training courses covering a variety of topics. We have two links that can be viewed from our training page. The first is a training matrix which provides a listing of all training courses and some broad job classifications of University employees to assist you in determining required training. The second is an on-line course registration button where you can complete your registration.

Reporting Accidents and Injuries

If you have an accident in the course of working at Penn State, expenses associated with it may be covered by the Workers Compensation program.  The keys to exploring the possibility are (1) prompt reporting and (2) utilization of a designated "panel physician" in pursuing treatment.

Each administrative unit in the College has one or more individuals who are responsible for the submission of accident reports:

Dean's Office - the Facilities Office, 510 Thomas Building    
Astronomy & Astrophysics - Cathy Lutz in 525 Davey Laboratory
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology - Jim McDonel in 202 South Frear Laboratory
Biology - Bronnie McLaughlin in 208 Mueller Laboratory
Chemistry - Shari Miller in 101 Chemistry Building
Mathematics - Mary Anne Raymond, 228 McAllister Building or Amy Stover in 226 McAllister Building
Physics - Anne Stover in 104 Davey Laboratory
Statistics - Laurie Roan in 326 Thomas Building

In an emergency, seek emergency treatment immediately, then follow up with someone in the Panel Physician's network.  For those of you who are supervisors, note that part-time employees may also be covered, and it is your responsibility to make sure that their accidents are reported.

Accidents need to be reported as quickly as possible following the event, preferably within 24 hours, even if information is sketchy.  If there are any questions, please feel free to ask me (Beth Trimble, 3-6216, eit1@psu.edu ) or Ron Kessinger (3-4502, rbk1@psu.edu ).

New Investigator Discounts        
Click here for a spreadsheet with names of Sales Representatives and Companies that offer "New Investigator" discounts. Althought this spreadsheet is likely to be out of date immmediately, know that discounts are often available for academics and particularly for new faculty. Always ask.

Talk to a faculty member or research associate who works in a field or discipline similar to yours. They can easily suggest what basics you'll need.

Go throught the VWR catalog page by page. This will help prompt you to think broadly about your needs. Remember to buy safety glasses, a first aid kit, a broom and dust pan, some cleaning supplies, etc, etc.

Don't spend your start-up money too quickly. Save some for a rainy day. It is also a good idea to try to hire an experienced lab technician or post-doc to help you get up and running and to help train your first cohort of graduate students.

Hiring Laboratory Personnel    
           Hiring Post Docs

"Making The Right Moves" - Howard Hughes Medical Institute  "A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty"  from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Chapter 4 reviews issues to consider when determining your staffing needs and suggests strategies to help you manage the process for recruiting, interviewing, and evaluating applicants.The chapter also offers guidance on what to do if you have to ask someone to leave your lab.

            Hiring Other Lab Personnel

Advice from Beth Trimble; Human Resource Representative for the Eberly College of Science

Laboratory Positions

 One faculty member's Protocol For Hiring

Recruiting Grad Students

Graduate Assistants are individuals who currently hold a formal graduate assistantship. Graduate students who do not hold an assistantship but are working in the laboratory might be appointed as a Wage Employee or as a Fixed Term Research Assistant.

Usually you will recruit students from the pool of first-year students in your department. Depending on your discipline, it may be possible for you to recruit students from other sources. You may be able to recruit students from the Integrated Bio Sciences Program, IBIOS link , from the Materials Research Institute, MRI link ,  or from the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, MRSEC link.

Sometimes no student at all is better than a bad student. Cut your losses on a bad student sooner rather than later.

 

Mentoring Graduate Students      
A manual with some very good tips from the University of Michigan's Rackham Graduate School. Includes tips on mentoring within a diverse community, mentoring non-traditional grad students, and an extensive bibliography of mentoring resources.

Maintaining a Positive Laboratory Atmosphere
Here is a humorous but useful technique for keeping your lab running smoothly.

Record Keeping      
"Making The Right Moves" - Howard Hughes Medical Institute  "A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty"  from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Chapter 8 covers day-to-day record keeping in a lab notebook, tracking and storing information, and finding the right data management system.