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Upcoming PM on Argon & Oxygen Tanks
by Reger, Ronald K 12 Aug '20

12 Aug '20

For your awareness. From: Harlan, Richard D <rharlan(a)purdue.edu> Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 2020 3:17 PM To: bnc-facility-notice(a)ecn.purdue.edu Subject: Upcoming PM on Argon & Oxygen Tanks Dear Birck Research Community, This is a reminder the preventative maintenance on the Praxair Argon and Oxygen microbulk systems will occur tomorrow, 8/13/20, between 8:00am and 5:00pm. We ask that all users limit the use of Argon or Oxygen while this PM work is performed. Thank you for your support, Birck Staff Original message sent Friday, 8/7/20; Our Staff is working to maintain a safe environment while meeting all of our user's needs in the Birck Nanotechnology Center and we wanted to make you aware of an upcoming preventive maintenance activity on two of our process gas tanks. Our Praxair Argon and Oxygen microbulk systems are in need of this preventive maintenance service and the work will be performed by Praxair. It is expected to only take a few hours to complete and we will have external cylinders on-line to provide continuous pressure and flow of Ultra High Purity (UHP) Argon and Oxygen while the work is being done. Planned Work The Praxair service engineer will be replacing the pressure relief safety valve which prevents the gas vessel from exceeding the permissible vessel pressure. During this work he will also add a valve that will allow future work to occur without disrupting our gas supply, or the need to connect external supply cylinders. The back-up UHP gas cylinders will be put on-line by Cryogenic Systems personnel prior to the Praxair work so the Birck facility will have continuous service. However, we ask that no work be performed that will use higher than normal amounts of Argon or Oxygen while this PM work is performed. Date of Work This work is planned for either Thursday, 8/13/20, or Friday, 8/14/20, depending on when the microbulk tanks can be filled. The work will occur between 8:00am and 5:00pm, and once the schedule is finalized we will notify the user community again. Thanks for your support for this important maintenance item. Birck Staff

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Return of BNC E-news: August 10, 2020
by Turner, Jaime J 10 Aug '20

10 Aug '20

[cid:image003.jpg@01D5F5FF.7D67ADF0] Responding to COVID-19: Research Operations at Birck https://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/birck/for-birck-users/covid/index.php Training Equipment training is now available under COVID restrictions. To receive any equipment-specific training which typically requires less than 6' distancing due to the interactive nature of training, the trainer and trainee must follow this protocol: 1. Only 1-on-1 training is being conducted at this time. We can't have more than one person being trained due to the increased risk of exposure with multiple trainees. 2. This applies to all equipment training..... not just cleanroom process equipment, but also Electron Microscopy, Optics, Surface Analysis, Lab equipment, etc. 3. Enhanced PPE must be worn. In the cleanroom this is an additional face shield on the trainer and trainee (trainee at the discretion of the trainer). In labs this enhanced PPE includes face shield, lab coat, gloves and face mask. 4. iLabs is being used to request training for the individual tools. As before the pandemic, we're using iLabs training requests to manage training. Trainees are being taken on a first-come first-serve basis. Planning for Possible COVID Exposure In the unfortunate event of a COVID-19 exposure within Birck we're developing plans to shut down specific areas within the building. A matrix is being developed that lists each lab, how long it would be down, and who is responsible for ensuring the scientific instruments are de-contaminated appropriately. We hope we will never need this, but it is good to have a plan just in case. Birck and Bindley are developing similar plans and are well ahead of the planning curve. As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Ron Reger REMINDER: Staff-Only Time in Cleanroom This is just a reminder that the hours of 6:00 am - 10:00 am, M-F, are reserved for Birck staff only to work in the cleanroom. This allows proper de-densification of the cleanroom for the staff to perform maintenance, preventive maintenance, repair, process checks, and other staff duties. Users/researchers are welcome to enter the cleanroom at 10:00 am M-F, and anytime on the weekends. Thank you for supporting the staff in creating a safe cleanroom working environment. Ron Reger Seminars /Workshops / Events ECE Web-Seminar: Mohit Verma<https://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/birck/events/index.php?view=2894> Thursday, August 13,2020 WEBEX MEETING https://purdue.webex.com/join/bhave | 649 461 992 Birck Events<https://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/birck/events/index.php> and Birck News<https://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/birck/news/index.php> Follow us on Facebook and Twitter [Facebook icon]<https://www.facebook.com/nano.purdue.edu/> [Twitter icon] <https://twitter.com/BNCPurdue> ***If you would like to share a Thank You/Kudos for a Birck staff, student or faculty who went above and beyond in the weekly news and atrium TV's please send to jjturner(a)purdue.edu<mailto:jjturner@purdue.edu> *** ***If you have any news items (published papers, research news, awards, honors) please send to jjturner(a)purdue.edu<mailto:jjturner@purdue.edu> so they may be included on Birck's website, Facebook and Twitter pages*** Jaime Turner Lead Administrative Assistant to the Director | Birck Nanotechnology Center BRK | 1205 W State Street | West Lafayette, IN 47907 o: 765-494-3509<tel:7654943509> | m: 765-491-3064<tel:7654913064> | jjturner(a)purdue.edu<mailto:jjturner@purdue.edu> [83324AA6]<https://www.purdue.edu/>

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REMINDER: BNC and Bindley Joint Virtual Seminar: Dr. Nate Cermak - TODAY, July 31st @ 11:00am via WebEx
by Turner, Jaime J 31 Jul '20

31 Jul '20

BNC and Bindley Joint Virtual Seminar: Dr. Nate Cermak JULY 31, 2020 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM WEBEX<https://purdue.webex.com/purdue/j.php?MTID=md6feecfc0952c8b05271026b0fe633a6> Title: Building new instruments to study biological processes, from single cell growth to whole-organism behavioral coordination Abstract: I will talk about two research projects. In the first, I'll discuss a microfluidic method I developed during my PhD to make precise, high-throughput measurements of single-cell biomass accumulation. This method utilizes an array of suspended microchannel resonators (SMRs), which are silicon microcantilevers with an interior fluidic channel. As cells in suspension flow through the interior fluidic channel, they transiently change the mass of the microcantilever, changing its resonant frequency, which we measure. To measure cell growth, We developed a "serial SMR array", consisting of 10-12 SMRs interspersed along a single long microfluidic channel. Cells are periodically weighed over a span of minutes as they flow through this channel. The change in a cell's mass between when it enters and exits the channel tells us how fast it is growing. Importantly, an entire queue of cells can transit this array nearly simultaneously, yielding growth rate measurements of hundreds of cells per hour. These measurements are significantly more precise than is achievable by microscopy or other existing methods, enabling us to quantify growth rates during a fraction of the cell cycle and see rapid responses to perturbations. In the second part, I'll discuss some of my postdoc work to understand behavioral coordination and its generation by small nervous systems. The hermaphrodite of the nematode C. elegans has only 302 neurons and 143 muscle cells, yet displays a range of motor behaviors including changes in body posture (typically coupled to locomotion), feeding, egg-laying and defecation. Because C. elegans is small and transparent, it is feasible to observe all of its motor behaviors by microscopy, yet long-term behavioral studies have been hampered by an inability to perform long-term tracking and automated behavioral analysis. I'll discuss our development of a new low-cost (scalable) microscopy platform and software suite for analyzing C. elegans behavior. With this platform, we identified a previously unknown role for the neurotransmitter dopamine in regulating egg-laying, that likely had not been previously identified because it is locomotor-state-dependent. Bio: My background is a mixture of biology and hardware and software engineering, and I am especially interested in developing new instruments for biological research. I am currently a neuroscientist/engineer working at Neuralink, a startup developing a high-bandwidth brain machine interface. In my postdocs, I studied neuronal information processing using multiphoton microscopy, as well as neuronal mechanisms of behavioral coordination in C. elegans by building a custom tracking microscope and image processing suite. Prior to that, my PhD work focused on developing microfluidic instruments for ultra-precise measurements of single-cell mass, growth rates, and mechanical properties. WebEx Link: HERE<https://purdue.webex.com/purdue/j.php?MTID=md6feecfc0952c8b05271026b0fe633a6> Meeting number (access code): 120 054 9023 Meeting password: j3G7KvTbp5R Video address: Dial 1200549023(a)purdue.webex.com<mailto:1200549023@purdue.webex.com> You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number. Audio connection: +1-855-282-6330 US TOLL FREE +1-415-655-0003 US TOLL Show toll-free dialing restrictions<https://www.webex.com/pdf/tollfree_restrictions.pdf> Access code: 120 054 9023 Thank you! Jaime Turner Lead Administrative Assistant to the Director | Birck Nanotechnology Center BRK | 1205 W State Street | West Lafayette, IN 47907 o: 765-494-3509<tel:7654943509> | m: 765-491-3064<tel:7654913064> | jjturner(a)purdue.edu<mailto:jjturner@purdue.edu> [83324AA6]<https://www.purdue.edu/>

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BNC and Bindley Joint Virtual Seminar: Dr. Nate Cermak - July 31st @ 11:00am via WebEx
by Turner, Jaime J 28 Jul '20

28 Jul '20

BNC and Bindley Joint Virtual Seminar: Dr. Nate Cermak JULY 31, 2020 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM WEBEX<https://purdue.webex.com/purdue/j.php?MTID=md6feecfc0952c8b05271026b0fe633a6> Title: Building new instruments to study biological processes, from single cell growth to whole-organism behavioral coordination Abstract: I will talk about two research projects. In the first, I'll discuss a microfluidic method I developed during my PhD to make precise, high-throughput measurements of single-cell biomass accumulation. This method utilizes an array of suspended microchannel resonators (SMRs), which are silicon microcantilevers with an interior fluidic channel. As cells in suspension flow through the interior fluidic channel, they transiently change the mass of the microcantilever, changing its resonant frequency, which we measure. To measure cell growth, We developed a "serial SMR array", consisting of 10-12 SMRs interspersed along a single long microfluidic channel. Cells are periodically weighed over a span of minutes as they flow through this channel. The change in a cell's mass between when it enters and exits the channel tells us how fast it is growing. Importantly, an entire queue of cells can transit this array nearly simultaneously, yielding growth rate measurements of hundreds of cells per hour. These measurements are significantly more precise than is achievable by microscopy or other existing methods, enabling us to quantify growth rates during a fraction of the cell cycle and see rapid responses to perturbations. In the second part, I'll discuss some of my postdoc work to understand behavioral coordination and its generation by small nervous systems. The hermaphrodite of the nematode C. elegans has only 302 neurons and 143 muscle cells, yet displays a range of motor behaviors including changes in body posture (typically coupled to locomotion), feeding, egg-laying and defecation. Because C. elegans is small and transparent, it is feasible to observe all of its motor behaviors by microscopy, yet long-term behavioral studies have been hampered by an inability to perform long-term tracking and automated behavioral analysis. I'll discuss our development of a new low-cost (scalable) microscopy platform and software suite for analyzing C. elegans behavior. With this platform, we identified a previously unknown role for the neurotransmitter dopamine in regulating egg-laying, that likely had not been previously identified because it is locomotor-state-dependent. Bio: My background is a mixture of biology and hardware and software engineering, and I am especially interested in developing new instruments for biological research. I am currently a neuroscientist/engineer working at Neuralink, a startup developing a high-bandwidth brain machine interface. In my postdocs, I studied neuronal information processing using multiphoton microscopy, as well as neuronal mechanisms of behavioral coordination in C. elegans by building a custom tracking microscope and image processing suite. Prior to that, my PhD work focused on developing microfluidic instruments for ultra-precise measurements of single-cell mass, growth rates, and mechanical properties. WebEx Link: HERE<https://purdue.webex.com/purdue/j.php?MTID=md6feecfc0952c8b05271026b0fe633a6> Meeting number (access code): 120 054 9023 Meeting password: j3G7KvTbp5R Video address: Dial 1200549023(a)purdue.webex.com You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number. Audio connection: +1-855-282-6330 US TOLL FREE +1-415-655-0003 US TOLL Show toll-free dialing restrictions<https://www.webex.com/pdf/tollfree_restrictions.pdf> Access code: 120 054 9023 Thank you! Jaime Turner Lead Administrative Assistant to the Director | Birck Nanotechnology Center BRK | 1205 W State Street | West Lafayette, IN 47907 o: 765-494-3509<tel:7654943509> | m: 765-491-3064<tel:7654913064> | jjturner(a)purdue.edu<mailto:jjturner@purdue.edu> [83324AA6]<https://www.purdue.edu/>

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BNC FY21 Recharge Rates
by Reger, Ronald K 23 Jul '20

23 Jul '20

Dear Birck Research Community, As you know we have been working for several weeks to study and re-do our recharge rates which hadn't been updated for several years. This effort has been led by Justin Wirth, a member of the Birck engineering staff, and he has done an exceptional job in simplifying the approach and in making it much easier to update rates in the future. Many kudos to Justin, the entire Business office management staff, and Purdue Cost Accounting as this approach will likely become a go-to model going forward. Please see attached for Birck's FY21 recharge rates, effective July 1, 2020. Here are some important changes but please read the attached for more information on all of these topics: - Tools are now grouped into "services". The cost for each service is listed in the attached. Individual tools are now grouped in iLab under their service name. - All equipment is now charged hourly, with the exception of metallization systems (evaporators, sputterers, electroplaters, and pulsed laser deposition systems are charged per use) and much of the recharge equipment in the Bio Labs (BASi, Bio Confocal, Gamry, Laser Capture Microdissection System, Vacuum Oven, Zetasizer Nano, KOH Bath System), which are now covered under the daily Bio Lab rate. - Cleanroom optical microscopes (Nikons, Keyence) are now included in the "General Metrology" service. Previously they were included in the cost of cleanroom access. Interlocks will be added in the near future, along with tablet kiosks for easy enabling via the iLab Kiosk interface. - Cap changes: Caps, which apply to internal users only, have been changed. The Monthly Lab Access Cap has been increased from 8 days/month to 15 days/month. The Scifres Equipment Service Cap is now set at a hard cap of $12,000, and is uncapped after a user receives $12,000 (100% the cap level) through the cap. - Lab Access Fees: Entry into any BRK lab/galley (this includes the cleanroom as well) is now charged the Birck Lab Fee ($10/day for internals), and depending on the lab type, lab surcharges are additionally charged. Each type of fee/surcharge is only charged once per day, and it may be possible to be charged the Birck Lab Fee and all four surcharges for one day of access. All labs/galleys have an associated surcharge on top of the Birck Lab Fee. - Cleanroom Surcharge (BRK 2100A): $27/day for internals - Bio Labs Surcharge (BSL1/2 Labs): $6/day for internals - General Labs Surcharge (any other labs/galleys): $2/day for internals - 3D3C Surcharge (BRK 2087): $18/day for internals, charged in addition to the Bio Labs Surcharge. - Due to some minor technical reasons related to how staff time can be distributed to each service, a few of the service prices have changed slightly from when they were previously shared with faculty. The only ones that have changed more than one or two dollars per hour/use are (internal rates): - Advanced Packaging and Assembly: $37/hr now instead of $40/hr - General Roll to Roll: $112/hr vs. $120/hr - Maxwell Roll to Roll: $175/hr vs. $200/hr - Engineering Staff Time: $66/hr vs. 61 /hr - Prices for external users are rounded up to the nearest dollar, and as before, include F&A costs in the listed price. The teamwork among the engineering staff, Birck management, the Business Office, and Cost Accounting was exceptional! Thanks much for your support of this effort. Please let us know if you have any questions. Ron Reger and the Birck Management Team

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FW: PPE Supplies for Laboratories
by Turner, Jaime J 14 Jul '20

14 Jul '20

Forwarded on behalf of Steve Jurss All, PPE supplies are no longer ordered through the EVPRP weekly ordering system. Birck will supply any needed items at no cost. Please see Lisa Strauser lstrause(a)purdue.edu<mailto:lstrause@purdue.edu> for any PPE needs you may have. Stephen Birck Safety Officer

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EM Core Open for Business
by Rosa Diaz 04 Jul '20

04 Jul '20

Dear all, We sent an email to all EM users via iLab a couple of weeks ago asking for you to read the EM SOP, sign it, and send it back to us for approval. The SOP document has specific instructions on how to send this file back to us. If you send the document in the wrong format, this is telling us you havent read the whole document completely. It is really important that you guys read the instruction of the SOP, not only to send the file properly, but also to learn all the protocols we are implementing for your safety and the safety of our staff. I'm attaching the document here as well for those who need it. In the future, please read, or check your SPAM email, for communications from the EM core sent via iLab. Hope you are having a great weekend and happy 4th of July! Rosa *─────────**─────────**─────────**───────**─* *Rosa E. Diaz, PhD* *Electron Microscopy Research Scientist * *Birck Nanotechnology Center* *Purdue University* *1205 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2057 * *Office: BRK-1272 Tel :**765-496-1075* *─────────**─────────**─────────**───────**─*

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New ticketing system for Birck/Scifres equipment support
by Turner, Jaime J 01 Jul '20

01 Jul '20

Sent on behalf of Rich Hosler Today the engineering staff would like to open up the new equipment support ticketing system to the general community. The goal of this system is to reduce downtime and improve communication regarding tool and equipment availability. In general we envision this tool to be the first point of contact for any support requests regarding equipment or services inside BNC. I would ask that if you have any issues or questions regarding equipment in the Scifres Nanofabrication facility or with equipment residing in the BNC, please use the webpage below to submit a ticket. You do not have to create an account to put a ticket in, but it will help you track your tickets better if you do. https://bircknano.freshdesk.com/support/home All iLabs-tracked equipment should be represented in the list by the iLabs name. If you see a piece of equipment missing either put in a ticket for 'other' or email hosler0(a)purdue.edu<mailto:hosler0@purdue.edu> and I'll get the issue resolved. If you're unsure of which equipment to report under you can either select the general core that best represents the system or 'unknown/other'. Under the 'group' tab please select 'research engineering' if this is regarding equipment operation, otherwise there are categories for administration, iLabs billing, and building/installation issues. If you are a tool/process owner and a ticket comes in for your equipment, I'll work to get you set up with an agent account so that you can respond to the ticket from Freshdesk when your first ticket comes in. Any other questions you may have can be reported to hosler0(a)purdue.edu<mailto:hosler0@purdue.edu> and I'll do my best to get you an answer quickly. Thanks for your assistance, Rich Hosler

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Reminder Regarding Bindley Biosciences Facility
by Reger, Ronald K 19 Jun '20

19 Jun '20

Dear Birck Community, As a reminder please make sure you wear a mask if you're using the Autoclave in Bindley, and do not use Bindley as a general pass-through to and from Birck. Thanks for your cooperation. Birck Management

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Important: Scheduling Lab Space at Birck during COVID-19 restrictions
by Shakouri, Ali 18 Jun '20

18 Jun '20

Dear Birck Research Community, As we are opening our facility in these times of COVID 19, we are implementing several protocols that support safe distancing, sanitization of surfaces, and other practices designed to protect our users and prevent the spread of the virus. As such, each lab within Birck has an associated Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). If you have questions about approved SOPs, open labs or access, please contact Ron Reger. A key part of COVID 19 safe practices deals with safe distancing which dictates that only a certain number of people can occupy the lab space at any given time. This is significantly different than in the past where anyone who was approved to work in a lab could simply swipe-in with their key card at any time. Starting immediately everybody must make a reservation to work in any lab at Birck, and once the maximum number of people is reached then additional users cannot enter until someone vacates the lab. You can schedule your time in the lab through the Purdue PASS system (Purdue Appointment Scheduling System). Here is the link to PASS: https://engineering.purdue.edu/PASS Another useful resource is on the Birck Wiki where the list of labs is shown with their maximum occupancy and there are links to each lab in the PASS system: https://wiki.itap.purdue.edu/display/BNCWiki/COVID+De-densification+Lab+Sch… Additionally this information is contained on all equipment pages: https://wiki.itap.purdue.edu/display/BNCWiki/Facility+Notices The link entitled “COVID De-Densification Lab Scheduling” will take you to the lab list with links to PASS. Each lab has 1-hour scheduling increments and you may reserve consecutive 1-hour blocks if needed. Please be considerate of your fellow researchers and only schedule the time you will need, as others will need to wait their turn and therefore some work will be delayed. Also, if you are unable to use your scheduled time, please remove your reservation in PASS. These are unprecedented times and we do our best to follow best safe practices. Please stay vigilant and ask Stephen Jurss or Ron Reger if you have any questions. It is better to double check if something is not clear. There is no perfect protection and if there are any incidents or local spread of virus, that will impact everybody in the facility. Jaime will send an email about the student, staff and faculty forums next week where we can discuss more about Birck operations. Please let me or others in the leadership know if you have any questions or comments. Best regards, Ali

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