General
Our hours vary, but we are generally open from 9:30a until 6p on weekdays. We do everything possible to ensure that all registered and trained users have after-hours access. While we do monitor instrument and computer usage electronically, we also maintain physical logbooks for each computer. NB: These logbooks are attached to the computer, NOT THE INSTRUMENT. You must sign in if you log on to any machine at the Facility, regardless of instrument use; if you are using a computer for a purpose aside from instrument use, please note this in the logbook (no need to be explicit; “Not Using Instrument” is fine).
Usage
Instruments can be used on an hourly or daily basis. The daily rate assumes an eight-hour day, i.e., you will never be charged for more than eight-hours in any 24-hour period. For instrument usage totaling less than an hour during a day, we charge for a full hour. For usage totaling more than an hour, we charge for the actual usage, to the nearest tenth of an hour. The usage patterns of the Biacore 3000, Bio-Rad ProteOn XPR36, and MicroCal iTC200 preclude hourly rates for these instruments; the unit rates for these instruments are for half a day (i.e. four hours) of use. Rates for users from academic institutions other than the University of Chicago (“external”) are ~56% higher than those for UChicago-affiliated users (“internal”). Though they are not listed on our home page, rates for privately-funded non-academic users are double those for affiliated users.
Scheduling
You may be billed for any time you reserve on any machine if the Facility is not notified or the reservation not canceled. If you have made a reservation and wish to cancel it, please do so as soon as you can. Sending us an email or calling us to inform us of the cancellation is also helpful, particularly if the reservation is for an instrument that is typically used for longer than two hours at a time (Biacore 3000, Bio-Rad ProteOn XPR36, MicroCal iTC200, Seahorse ECF Analyzer). NB: Even if we find someone to use the instrument in your stead, you may be billed if you have not canceled. For now, there is no required minimum length of time between the cancellation and the reservation. But be reasonable. Generally, try to cancel (and warn us) at least 24 hours prior to the reservation. Enforcement of this policy depends on how busy the instrument is at the time. All billing of no-shows and late cancellations will occur at our discretion. We will be as fair as the situation will allow.
Damage
Due to a number of incidents in which instrumentation or other equipment was damaged due to negligent operation by trained operators, the Biophysics Core Facility has laid out an explicit policy regarding damage caused by Facility users: Should an investigator cause physical damage to any object at the Facility, including (though certainly not limited to) instruments, external components necessary for proper instrument operation, laboratory equipment, and computers, the Principal Investigator under whom the user was working at the time the damage occurred is responsible for funding replacement or repair of the object, at the discretion of the Director of the Facility.