The Lab & Equipment
We have capabilities to handle most molecular biology and microbiology work. Our biosafety rating is similar to a BSL-1 lab.
Below is a selection of the various pieces of equipment that are available for member use:
Flow Hood
Our laminar flow hood is an ideal apparatus for aseptic work. It has UV sterilization lights and flows filtered air through the chamber constantly to minimize contamination. It is ideal for bacterial work, fungi/mushroom culturing, and plant tissue culture. This is not a bio-safety cabinet suitable for BSL-2 work or for mammalian tissue culture.
PCR machines
We have two PCR machines. Our primary machine (pictured) is capable of gradient temperatures in addition to all standard PCR operations.
qPCR Machine
We have one qPCR macine, the Chai Open qPCR. We have not used it much yet but it was purchased brand new through their kickstarter!
Autoclave
This tabletop autoclave is useful for sterilizing equipment and media. It has a capacity of up to 3 L of liquid media in one run. This instrument requires additional training to operate, or, one of our support members would be happy to run your load for you.
Centrifuges
We have several centrifuges for several types of tubes. Pictured here is our primary centrifuge, which holds 1.5mL eppendorf tubes. This centrifuge can reach speeds up to 20,800x g (14000 rpm) and has built in refrigeration for operating at temperatures 0C to room temp.
Gel Electrophoresis
We have a variety of different gel electrophoresis rigs depending on the number of samples you wish to run at once. We have several types of wells for each as well as multiple power supplies for when several people are running gels at once. We also have a UV light system and blue light system for imaging DNA bands.
pH Probe
We have two types of pH measuring instruments. These will require quick additional training to use but are very easy to operate. They are highly accurate and we have all the necesary buffers for recalibration to keep them in top shape.
Electoporator
This electroporator is useful for transforming electrocompetent cells. We have plenty of electroporation cuvettes as well as the protocols and buffers for making electrocompetent E. coli.
Nanodrop 2000c
The NanoDrop 2000c can measure DNA, RNA, and protein concentration and purity using only 1uL of sample. This model also has a cuvette spectrophotometer option for samples up to 1mL.
Water Baths
We have several water baths that can be set to your desired temperature.
Incubators
We have 4 incubators. Two are in operation and kept at constant temperatures (30C and 37C), while the other two can be used temporarily at any temperature needed.
-80°C Freezer!
We have just set up this wonderful new -80°C undercounter freezer!
Interested in storing your cell lines with us? We have space for over 200 tubes with a capacity for over 1200. You can store a single vial, or a box, depending on your needs.
Compound microscope with camera
Thanks to an anonymous donor, we’ve received a wonderful new microscope, including a 14MP camera to capture videos and images. It’s called the OMAX 40X-2500X Full Size Lab Digital Trinocular Compound LED Microscope with 14MP USB Camera and 3D Mechanical Stage. It easily hooks up to a laptop for capturing data. Detailed microscope specs can be found HERE.
Here’s a blog post with some images and a video when testing it out in the lab. Lots of fun with great, high resolution images!
Some other items include:
A full-size 4°C refrigerator for media and plates storage.
Two -20°C Freezers for samples and enzymes storage.
Sets of VWR/Rainin/Eppendorf pipettes
Fotodyne UV Transilluminator with photographic hood
Mettler Toledo AE100 Analytical Balance (up to 109 g, 0.1 mg readability)
LEADZM Lab Balance (up to 3000 g, 0.01g readability)
Tabletop vortexers and centrifuges
Orbital shaker and rockers
Block heaters
Hotplate/Stirrers
Interested in renting out our cold storage space?
We now offer space in our cold storage spaces, dedicated for you! This is available to both SoundBio members and non-members.
Email us at lab (at) sound.bio to learn more about our different cold storage options.