An Overview of Daily Operations at the VINSE Core Laboratories

Vanderbilt University maintains a 1635 sq. ft. class 10,000 cleanroom facility to support the teaching, research and outreach objectives of the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE). Operating since 2004 the facility is a shared, multi-user laboratory space that services the research and training needs of at least 19 independent groups from across the Vanderbilt campus, as well as the middle Tennessee region including Fisk University, Tennessee State University, Middle Tennessee State University, and the University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma, TN. Since we last reported in 2010 the VINSE facilities have undergone an substantial renovation of infrastructure, and the faculty users have been successful in winning funding to install new instrumentation and additional capabilities in support of our mission of service to the Vanderbilt community and beyond. Nevertheless, as the facility matures we face lingering issues of cost recovery and maintenance of the physical infrastructure at a private University. During this presentation I will discuss various strategies we pursue for successful laboratory management of this multi-user facility, including cost recovery mechanisms, tool specific and chemical safety training, facility staffing and after-hours buddy system access, coursework development, and integration of ongoing outreach efforts in our daily operations.