Space and Equipment 



Objectives. CIMERA has developed a central facility to meet the unique challenges of performing cell and molecular biology research at a teaching institution by pooling limited resources and sharing equipment and space.  The faculty and student members of CIMERA share expertise and equipment to accomplish these objectives with the highest efficiency at the lowest possible cost. Equally important are promoting faculty collaboration across disciplines and peer teaching and learning among research students who use the same experimental techniques.  To accomplish these objectives the various faculty members of Biology and Chemistry that comprise CIMERA have together built a flourishing facility in Science I (Sequoia Hall). This project is part of the ongoing building process that will maximize the performance of the CIMERA student and faculty membership.

Space. The central CIMERA facility encompasses a total area in excess of 2500 square feet in the suite of rooms found in the basement of Sequoia Hall, Sequoia 28 and 30 (please see figures 1 and 2).  At its inception in 1999, CIMERA received rooms A, D, E, F, and G from the Department of Biological Sciences.  The facility shared space with other Department functions, such as animal husbandry and storage.  Over 800 square feet (rooms 28B, 28Cand 30) were donated in 2002 by the Department of Biology which increased the size of the facility nearly thirty percent.  Not all of this space is usable at this time.

   Figure 1. The CIMERA Shared-Use Facility in Sequoia 28/30

Room A: An Applied Biosystems 310 DNA Analyzer, a chemi-luminescent detection and
              gel-documentation system, three thermocyclers, and power supplies and
              accessories for nucleic acid analysis.

Room B: A Sorvall centrifuge, a Beckman ultracentrifuge, –80^oC and –20^oC freezers,
              refrigerators.

Room C: A dedicated virus culture level II biosafety hood.

Room D: A Hewlett-Packard poster printer with a dedicated computer station.  

Room E: A level II biosafety hood, a water-jacketed CO₂ incubator, an inverted
              microscope.  

Room F: A 37^oC shaking and culture incubators.  All of the rooms in the facility were
              rewired, repainted and new tables and desks obtained to bring the facility
              into a usable state.

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