The Material Characterization Laboratories are central research instrumentation resources operating as a key part of the Otto H. York Center for Environmental Engineering and Science. The main goal of the laboratories is to provide support in terms of analytical instrumentation and technical expertise to faculty and students for their multiple research projects. The Laboratories have a unique combination of highly skilled technical personnel and state of the art instrumentation. The objective of creating the Laboratories is to provide a resource that supports high-level research at NJIT. Both in the selection of the range of instrumentation and in the method of operation, the Laboratories are expected to be helpful and supportive.

The MCL are capable of providing a wide variety of high-quality analyses, characterization procedures, and related technical support to solve research problems. Please look through our web site to learn more about what the Laboratories can do and about the professional staff. We look forward to working with you in meeting your research and analytical laboratory services needs.

The best measure of success for the Material Characterization Laboratories is the level of research use of the facilities. Our goal is encourage as much use as possible. To a significant degree, the user fees discussed below are established based upon an estimated annual use for the individual instruments. When the usage increases, the fees should decrease. The scientific contribution and reputation of the Laboratories depends on the ability of the facilities and the staff to support and enhance the research of our colleagues. We are eager to do that.

There will always be ways to improve our services and procedures. We are open and receptive to any comments and suggestions that may improve the operation and contribution of the Laboratories.

INSTRUMENTATION USAGE FEE FOR INTERNAL USERS

The Material Characterization Laboratories have an hourly rate for instrumentation usage. The User Fee Schedule includes only major pieces of equipment in the MCL (55 working instruments with a total initial purchase price of ca. $3,000,000). The rest of supplemental equipment with an individual purchase cost below ca. $5000, such as analytical balances, laboratory presses, small centrifuges, mechanical calibrated pipettes, ultrasonic baths, several ovens and hotplates, and similar equipment are available free of user charges.

Based on feedback and suggestions from users, a new alternative approach to pay for the instrumentation usage has been established - a yearly fee. This fee is based on 200 usage hours for most instruments. Once you have paid the yearly fee, you will have an UNLIMITED use of that particular instrument without any additional hourly charge during the current fiscal year.

Another alternative, which has existed in the past, for projects that benefit from a high-level of usage of several instruments is the payment of an annual fee of $10,000 per project. This means that all users for that particular project can use any instrumentation in the Laboratories with no additional hourly charge. In addition, they will have priority scheduling privileges. Care must be taken to identify clearly users and activities that are covered under this option in order to be fair to all users.

These three approaches, per hour instrument usage charge, per year charge for a particular instrument, or the annual charge for priority access to all instrumentation, are designed to give user a choice based upon individual research needs and budget. The yearly fee approach might be appropriate for those who exclusively rely on the MC laboratories instruments for their research and might be appropriate for the GC, HPLC, IC, TOC and ESEM work when 200 usage hours can be accumulated very fast. The MCL provides at no additional charge a continuous gas supply for all instruments, including GCs, GC/MSs, LC/MS, TGA, AED, ICP/MS, AAs and TOC.

SUPPLIES

Instrument user fees DO NOT INCLUDE supplies. The MCL budget is not set up to provide users with supplies. Supplies include but are not limited to: GC and HPLC columns, AA, ICP-MS, and GC calibration standards, solvents for HPLC or other chemicals, syringes, syringe filters for sample preparation, tips for the AFM or SNOM. Please keep in mind that during the last several years the laboratories have accumulated different GC and HPLC columns, and standards, which can be made available to you for exploratory trials and further use. Before setting up any method, a new user will be provided with the list (including recommended vendors and prices) of the supplies needed for the particular method of analysis.

PLANNING TO USE THE MCL

Sometimes problems can be solved in more than one way. Analytical instrumentation and methods change and improve, and the most efficient way to solve a problem may no longer be the one with which you are most familiar. The MCL has a professional staff who will give free advice on alternative ways to solve your analysis problems. The staff is composed of 4 degreed professional people who utilize modern and sophisticated instrumentation in order to produce results: three of them have Ph.D. degrees, including two microscopy specialists. If you would like the assistance of the Material Characterization Laboratories to solve a particular problem, ask us for advice.

AVAILABILITY OF LABORATORY RESOURCES TO NEW RESEARCH STARTS

One of the objectives of the Material Characterization Laboratories is to add benefit and assistance in the process of securing research grants and building the research reputation of the university and its faculty, staff, and students. While user fees from research funding sources are a critical part of keeping the Laboratories open and functioning, we realize that new research ideas and emerging research areas may not have funding sources available. A small program of providing initiation funding has been established to address this concern. The goal is to provide some degree of initial characterization results to demonstrate proof of principal for a new idea or perhaps to permit a student to complete dissertation work. This type of support must be limited in objective and in duration. It must be clearly established that no other funds are available to support the need.

Researches who want to explore this possibility are urged to contact either Dr. Krishtopa or Dr. Watts to discuss what is needed and the best ways to carry out the work that is required.