FAQs - Finding Tools and Services



How do I know what technique I need to use for my analysis?

Each user facility has a detailed website of capabilities and tools available for the research community’s use.  Quick links to the user facilities that utilize RIMS can be found under the User Research Facilities option on the dark blue menu bar on the www.rims.psu.edu web site.  Inquiries about tools and techniques available can also be sent by e-mail directly to the facilities management, administrative contact, or technical staff members for whom contact information is available on the respective facility web sites.


How do I know which technical staff member to contact about my analytical/fabrication needs?

Some of the user facility web sites include a description on their technical staff personnel lists of what areas staff members have expertise in or are responsible for in that respective user facility.  If you consult the facility web site and are still unsure of which technical staff member you should contact, you can contact the facility manager or administrative contact to be directed to the appropriate technical staff person based on your needs.  Contact information for facility managers and administrative contacts is available at www.rims.psu.edu/facilities/index.asp.


What type of training is required for me to use instrumentation/tools myself?

Training requirements vary across the different user facilities and also for each individual tool or piece of equipment within each user facility.  The technical staff person in charge of the tool or equipment is the best point of contact to learn what type of training is required, if there will be a training charge, and what the training includes.  After you have completed training on a particular tool/piece of equipment, the technical staff member who trained you will add you as an authorized user in RIMS to be able to reserve and use that particular tool/piece of equipment.


Will a technical staff member do my analysis/fabrication for me?

As a service of the various user facilities, a technical staff member can, indeed, be paid the technical staff assistance hourly rate, to do work for a PI or user.  In most cases, internal users are encouraged to get trained and use the instrumentation and facilities themselves as part of their college educational/research experience.  In some areas, it is even possible for external users to complete paperwork that allows them to come into the facilities to do their own work.  In a few instances, tool/equipment usage is limited to technical staff only where all work is done by the staff members.  Inquiries about doing work yourself versus paying to have the work done for you can be directed to the respective technical staff member in charge of the technique or area needed for your research project.


How do I know what techniques and tools are available in which buildings?

To find where a tool or technique is located on campus, consult the various user facility web sites.  Some have maps posted on their web sites to visualize where locations are on campus.  Others merely list the building location information as part of the technique information page.  In the cases where similar instrumentation is available in several different buildings, be diligent about asking the respective technical staff member to which building you should report for training and use of the equipment.  In the summer/fall of 2011, a number of the VPR user facility labs will be relocating to the new Millennium Science Complex on central campus near Thomas Building.  It will be especially important for users to verify the location of tools and equipment as we enter the period of relocating to the new building.


What if a tool I need to use isn’t part of a user facility that is on RIMS?

Most, but not all, of the user facilities in the Vice President for Research division are currently utilizing RIMS.  Furthermore, most, but not all, of the University’s user facilities are operated by the Vice President for Research division.  Therefore, you may find the tool you are looking for isn’t listed on the RIMS Launchpad.  This does not mean that the tool isn’t available for your use.  It merely means that you may have to go about reserving it, using it, and being billed for it in whatever separate electronic system or paper tracking process that particular facility employs at this time.  A search from the main Penn State web site can help you find various user facilities across campus and at other Penn State campus locations.


What if a tool that I need to use isn’t part of a user facility?

The University is committed to providing user research facilities across campus that offer researchers convenient access to a wide range of state-of-the-art instrumentation and services.  A user facility must have its charge-out rates approved by the Office of the Corporate Controller in order to establish its status as a user facility that is able to charge researchers a fee for services.  If the tool you need to use isn’t part of an established user facility but rather in a faculty member’s private lab, there is not a mechanism in place for that faculty member to charge for letting you use his/her lab and that tool.  An informal arrangement between faculty members to offer tool usage outside their respective groups can occur.  However, it is arranged on a case-by-case basis and is at the discretion of the faculty member with the tool in his/her private lab.