Operations and Policies

General Policies

The Flow Cytometry Facility instruments are shared equipment and must be treated with respect. Users that do not follow the rules will be identified and warned. If after warning this behaviour continues, Facility privileges can be revoked. The users must comply with U of A, provincial, and federal regulations. All laboratory research conducted at U of A must be registered with the Biosafety Division and follow the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Biosafety Guidelines. All users must have an HSE form on file. This form must also be filled out prior to training or starting a new project.

Visit the links below for specific policies and billing information:

No-show Policy Training Policy Data Storage Grants & Purchasing Equipment

No-show Policy

We ask that users cancel their booked time as soon as they are aware that they will not be using it. If you are not able to cancel your reservation please email the Facility and we will be happy to cancel it for you.

  • All bookings must be canceled at least 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time.
  • Bookings that are not canceled and unused will be charged at full price ($25/ hour).
  • Bookings that are canceled less than 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time will be charged at $10/ hour.
  • These charges will also apply to labs on reduced rates, at the prices indicated above.

Training Policy

The FoMD Flow Cytometry Facility's new online Intro to Flow program consists of 9 videos, each no more than 20 minutes long. After watching all the videos and reviewing the attached content, trainees can then contact Aja Rieger for a link to the quiz. Once a grade of 80% has been achieved on the quiz, the trainee can then move forward to hands-on training (hands-on training will only be scheduled once the quiz has been passed).

All users must be trained by Facility staff prior to operating the instruments and before booking privileges will be granted. Hands-on training is charged at $50/ hour.

Data Storage

It is the responsibility of the User to ensure that all data is properly backed up at the end of the run. The Facility will provide temporary backups of data on the instrument computers or on the fomdflow@ualberta.ca Google Drive. The Facility is not responsible for any loss of data. Data will be routinely archived and deleted from all instrument computers to ensure smooth operation of the software. These will occur approximately monthly. The faculty cores provide access to shared network drive accessible from within MedIT's network:

Connecting to the server

To access the storage space from a computer in your lab, your computer must be connected via an ethernet connection, not wifi. Follow these steps to access your data:

Macintosh

  1. Choose "Connect to server" from the "Go" menu (⌘ -K).
  2. In the window that pops up, enter the following in the server address field:
    - smb://na01.med.ualberta.ca/FlowCytometry
    - The first part of that address are the letters "na" and then the number "01"
  3. Optional :click on the "+" icon to add this server to your list of favourites so you don't have to remember this address every time you wish to connect.
  4. Click "connect" and enter you domain credentials in the window that pop up
  5. Click "connect" again after entering your username and password.
  6. This will mount the disk, then you can navigate to your personal folder via this path:
    "Personal Data->YourFirstName YourLastName"

Windows:XP & Vista

  1. Open a "Windows Explorer" window (NOT an internet explorer window). For example, from the "Start" menu, select "computer".
  2. Choose "Map Network Drive…" from the "Tools" menu (Tools->Map Network Drive…).
  3. In the "Map Network Drive" window that appears, enter any drive letter into the "Drive:" Field. Just make sure the letter is not in use by another device on your computer already (e.g. don't use "C:").
  4. In the "Folder:" field, enter the following address: \\na01.med.ualberta.ca\FlowCytometry
  5. Click on the link that says "Connect using a different username".
  6. In the "Connect As…" window that pops up, enter your credentials. You must enter your username in the following format: MED\yourusername
  7. Enter your password and click on the "OK" button.
  8. Click "Finish" on the "Map Network Drive…" window.

Windows 7

As in XP, but the "Map Network Drive" command is available directly after opening your "computer" via the "start menu"

Linux

Open a window, in the navigation bar type "smb://na01.med.ualberta.ca/FlowCytometry" and then authenticate with your domain credentials as above. That is use "MED\username" as your username and your domain password as the password.

Grants & Purchasing Equipment

Descriptions of the Facility and letters of support can be provided for grant applications. If needed, please contact the Flow Cytometry Facility Manager.

Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry investigators who wish to purchase their own cytometer (traditional or otherwise) should contact the Flow Cytometry Facility Manager (Dr. Aja Rieger).