MIT: CMSE: For MIT Users

Rules of Usage

General Access

The SEFs are normally opened on Institute workdays at 9:00 a.m. and closed at 5:00 p.m. There may be exceptions to this schedule, particularly during the vacation period in the summer. Notice of such exceptions will be given as far in advance as is practical.

After-hours Access

Night/weekend use privileges are granted to experienced MIT users at the graduate level or higher with a significant "track record" of competent and productive use of the instruments. The appropriate staff member will advise a user, on request, whether the user's experience on the instrument qualifies them for night/weekend privileges.

Users of the EM Lab must also receive a full safety orientation; please contact a member of the EM staff to arrange. Users of the SQUID in the Crystal facility should contact Patrick Boisvert about after-hours use.

All self-use privileges are granted for particular instruments only. In no case may a user operate any piece of equipment for which he/she has not received specific self-user approval from the appropriate staff member.

The electronic lock system is operated by the MIT ID card. The system will be set up to recognize a user's card by Ed Kruzel (13-2070, x3-6814).

The application form, which must be signed by the applicant's project advisor, is available on-line at http://web.mit.edu/cmse/www/Prox_Card_Form.pdf.

Working alone

Users may enter the facility and work alone in the EM facility only , provided:

Somebody knows they have come into the facility

The user keeps in touch with that person, and lets them know that they have left the facility safely.

In the case of extended work (more than 1 hour), the user keeps in touch with the other person by some means (telephone is acceptable). The other person must be in a position to summon help if they do not hear from the user, and they cannot make contact by telephone.

Prohibited work

Any work using chemicals, except for use of the photographic solutions in the darkrooms.

Any work involving the moving, installation or removal of any instruments or accessories (e.g. hot or cold stages in the microscopes) or the setting-up of any special equipment.

Any transfer of liquid nitrogen, unless a second person is present in the lab at the time.

Any maintenance, of even the slightest nature, of any piece of equipment, which is not part of the routine operation of the instrument as taught by the staff in the training sessions.

Any work taking longer than 6 hours without a 1 hour break, or more than 16 hours in any 24 hour period.

Responsibilities

Users working in the facility out of normal working hours are responsible for recognizing the limits of their own skills. If they reach a point where they are unsure how to proceed they must stop work at once and close the instrument down. All use of the SEFs out of normal hours, regardless of the amount of data obtained, will be billable unless some circumstance unrelated to the operator intervenes. Additionally, any time spent by the staff correcting situations left by users working out of normal hours will be billable. Naturally, the cost of making good any damage caused by a user (at any time) will be billed back to the user.

Users holding an access card will be responsible for anybody who gains access to the Facility by use of that card.

Training

The goal of the facility is that the vast majority of users will use the equipment themselves to perform their own work. Of course, users must learn to operate the equipment. For the background knowledge required, there can be no substitute for individual study, perhaps complemented by a formal class. For the mechanics of operation, the SEF staff offers instruction.

All users must receive instruction from the SEF Staff. Users new to MIT who have used even identical equipment elsewhere are not exempt from this requirement.
While there is no objection to a novice user sitting with an experienced user from the same group, in order to observe the use of the instruments, this will not count as "training," nor will it shorten the time spent with SEF staff.

Users who are unable or unwilling to operate the instruments themselves after a reasonable period of instruction will be charged the (higher) consulting rate for time spent with SEF staff, in addition to the instrument time, and will receive the lowest priority in booking of staff time.

Reports and Publications:

If use of the CMSE shared facilities and/or the assistance of a specific CMSE technical staff member has made a significant contribution to your research, please acknowledge this contribution in any publications or research reports. Please use the following statement: "This work made use of the MRSEC Shared Experimental Facilities at MIT, supported by the National Science Foundation under award number DMR-08-19762." We would appreciate receiving a copy of publications which cite research conducted through the use of Center's facilities.