MPI-CBG LMF mission
From BioDIP
What is a Facility?
From the MPI-CBG Services and Facilities mission statement
- Many of the cutting edge technologies need well-trained and dedicated staff in order to extract the maximum potential from the technology.
- A service is defined as a unit that performs service jobs, i.e. applies a technology on behalf of a research group or researcher and returns the analysed results to the researcher.
- A facility is defined as a repository of knowledge, expertise, reagents and tools that provides the functionality but does not perform the actual work.
So by extension:
- A facility should have open, non preferential, access for all in house (or even on campus?)
- The aim of a facility should be to enable higher quality and increased output of useful science in house (or even on campus?) than if it did not exist.
What is the MPI-CBG LMF portfolio of responsibilities?
MPI-CBG is a Facility, rather than a service - not only in name, but also in practice
But what does that mean in practically? (Should?) MPI-CBG LMF (should?) provide the following: From http://www.mpi-cbg.de/facilities/profiles/light-microscopy.html LMF mission statement:
- ...is to provide access to state-of-the-art light microscopy techniques and instruments along with vision toward future trends.
- ...assist through consultation, training and project collaborations.
Further, these two statements imply the following requirements/responsibilities:
- All research groups (and individuals) should get a fair bite at the resources offered by the facility.
This means
- There should be enough equipment to go around (so people get stuff done soon enough)
- There needs to be enough expert staff at hand for maintenance of, and training and assistance on, that equipment in a timely manner (= fast enough to not hold up research)
- All research groups should have a say in how the facility uses its allocated resources, eg what areas to emphasize: equipment, teaching/assistance, and also on how it executes its responsibilities (That's via the LMF steering committee!)
- The facility should act as a resource/repository for expertise, experience, know how etc, which should be retained in a (re)usable open manner, eg. Wiki (This is the retained knowledge of the LMF staff members)
What is the MPI-CBG LMF action plan?
...so how can the facility meet the above responsibilities?
- Deposit and maintain know how and other useful information in an open Wiki visible to all.
- Teaching small groups on basic (and advanced) courses is a resource efficient way to increase scientific/technical quality and output of experimental imaging work
- One to one training/discussion is essential for users to develop their skills/ideas and do higher quality and more efficient work.