To find information about reserving the Silverman Hall Basement or 4th Floor Autoclaves or Glass Washers, please click here.

The page contains calendars that show when the resources have been reserved and allows you to complete a reservation form to block out time for yourself. This is a work in progress so if you have problems then contact clp-info@northwestern.edu.

Operating instructions for the autoclaves:

Pre-Use

• DO NOT autoclave Biohazard waste
• Never Autoclave solvents or combustible, volatile, flammable, radioactive or corrosive materials.
• Wear appropriate PPE – eye protection, lab coat, heat resistant gloves
• Use only the foot lever to open/close the autoclave. Manually trying to push/pull the doors open can
  damage the door mechanism and cause downtown. This is also inappropriate use of the autoclave.
• The drain screen needs to be cleaned periodically.
• Complete the user login sheets.
• Complete the machine’s online reservation.

Loading

• Loosen lids to avoid dangerous pressure build-up
• Place containers in a tray and load the tray. Do not place items directly on the autoclave chamber floor.
• Empty glassware should be placed in a pan on its side or inverted.
• Liquids should be placed in a pan upright.
• Do not place liquid items above non-liquid items on an autoclave rack.
• Do not let items touch the walls or ceiling of the autoclave chamber.
• Allow spacing around all items for steam contact/penetration
• Please ensure the temperature probe is located in a location where it will not be damaged.

Unloading

• Wear appropriate PPE – eye protection, lab coat, heat resistant gloves
• Open the autoclave only after the cycle has finished (Zero pressure in the chamber)
• Use only the foot lever to open/close the autoclave. Manually trying to push/pull the doors open can
  damage the door mechanism and cause downtown. This is also inappropriate use of the autoclave.
• Open door and allow steam to escape and be careful not to come in contact with steam
• Place items on heat tolerant surfaces. Do not leave items until cooled. Cooling may take 15 minutes or
  up to an hour in some cases for liquids.

Slowly remove items from the autoclave. Be careful not to touch hot surfaces or spill hot liquids.

Most Common Autoclave Settings:

• LIQ 30: 121°C, ~500 mL/container with 30 min sterilization
• LIQ 40: 121°C, ~1000 mL/container with 40 min sterilization
• GRAV 30: 121°C, Wrapped (tips) with 30 min sterilization and 20 min dry time
• GRAV 20: 121°C, Unwrapped with 20 min sterilization and 15 min dry time
• PVAC 10: 132°C, Unwrapped with 10 min sterilization and 10 min dry time
• PVAC 20: 121°C, Unwrapped with 20 min sterilization and 15 min dry time

Operating instructions for the glassware washer:

Pre-Use

• Remember to rinse the glassware in the sink of any deposits.
• Inspect all glassware for imperfections and discard faulty items. Cracks and deep scratches can cause
  glassware to break and capped containers to explode.
• Check that chemical supply has both the level sensor and suction tube inserted into the detergent
  container. When new chemical supply is added, the pump may need to be primed (see section 4.3 of
  the operating manual).
• Verify the debris screens in the chamber are clean and in place.

Loading

• Only use the open/close buttons to operate the door.
• Ensure no items stick out or hang out of the rack. Always use a rack designed to handle the appropriate
  type of items to be processed.
• Glassware must always be placed in a spindle header for processing, never alone on a manifold rack.
• Miscellaneous articles can be placed in a general purpose basket with or without a general purpose
  basket cover.
• To see basket and accessory installation refer to the operating manual.

Beakers must be placed open end down. If lightweight plasticware or metalware is being washed, use a
cover to prevent items from turning.

Post-Use

• Remember to clean the glassware loading tray of glass shards and/or chemical deposits.

Click here to view information regarding detergent usage. 

Silverman Hall Access Form – CLP Personnel requesting Wildcard access to Silverman Hall must fill out the form completely and email the form and a photo of the front and back of their INDALA-encoded Wildcard* to clp-info@northwestern.edu. Please note: Access can take up 2 business days to be granted. Download Form. All other personnel in faculty research groups (including staff) need to work with their departmental administrators to gain access to the building.

CAMI Access Request Form – Those requesting access to the Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging (CAMI) in Silverman Hall must fill out the form completely and have it approved by Chad Haney or Alex Waters. Download Form.

CLP Personnel requesting Silverman Hall key access must fill out this form for all Medeco key (hard key) requests for offices and rooms B550 and B560.  Download Form. All other personnel in faculty research groups (including staff) need to work with their departmental administrators to gain key access to the building.

Reserve a Silverman Hall conference room using Outlook Desktop Application and an “@northwestern.edu” email address.

Click on “Calendar” in Outlook

Create a new appointment or meeting

In the To: field, add the meeting attendees

In the To: field, perform a room search and find the room you want to reserve (Silverman 1-510, Silverman 2-510, Silverman 3-510 or Silverman 4-510). The email address for each room follows this pattern, 2170Cmps-0X-510@northwestern.edu. If you want to see availability for all rooms, include each Silverman conference room in the to field and click on Scheduling Assistant in the menu bar at the top of Outlook.

Choose the room you want and send the request. All requests for Silverman conference rooms will automatically be directed to CLP for approval. Your request is pending until you receive a final approval message from CLP (within 1 business day).

The rooms are specifically:

Silverman 1510: 2170Cmps-01-510@northwestern.edu

Silverman 2510: 2170Cmps-02-510@northwestern.edu

Silverman 3510: 2170Cmps-03-510@northwestern.edu

Silverman 4510: 2170Cmps-04-510@northwestern.edu

CAMI (Silverman 1531): 2170Cmps-01-1529@northwestern.edu

*CLP staff can provide AV/ IT support only to CLP staff and CLP-specific activities. All research groups and other non-CLP activities must contact their schools or departments with requests for support for AV equipment and IT.”

Silverman Hall was designed to advance interdisciplinary research and training. Activities are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis, and CLP activities shall always have first priority.

Requests to reserve space in the Silverman Hall lobby and various atriums can be made by completing the request form and submitting to clp-info@northwestern.edu at least 5 business days in advance of the event. Facility use is contingent upon acceptance of all terms in the Silverman Hall Space Use Agreement Form. By signing this Agreement, you are acknowledging that you have read and understood these policies. Download Form.

If the event is to be cancelled, the applicant should notify CLP at least 48 hours in advance of the activity. Violation by a use agreement holder of any of the rules governing the use of Silverman Hall and grounds may be cause for the cancellation and denial of future requests.

The CLP Administration office handles all facilities requests for CLP Core spaces and common use areas of the building. The spaces include:

Basement West: DTC

Basement East: Proteomics, QBIC

1st Floor West: Hotel Space

1st Floor East: CAMI

2nd Floor East: Hotel Space

4th Floor East: DTC

Common Areas: Hallways, Lobbies, and East Conference Rooms (X-510) for CLP cores

For requests regarding these areas, an email should be sent to clp-info@northwestern.edu with the following information:

Room number

Description of the problem, including if this is a recurring problem

Any more specific directions to the problem

Contact Person in case of questions

Details of any special hazards or restrictions entering the space

An indication of the level of urgency

Example:

Room: Silverman B705 (Basement West Wing)

Problem: Autolcave #2 (closest to the west wall) door is not closing.

Contact: Your Name, your.email@northwestern.edu, (your phone number)

Note: Some water is on the floor but it is not accumulating or overflowing outside a small area

Note: If the door was stuck closed and there was immediate need for getting things out then that should be included in the details.

For all lab and office related issues, please contact the department of the PI or occupant. The departments place and track all these requests. If you would like to copy clp-info@northwestern.edu, on the email then that might be helpful when determining if the problem effects other labs or related to other reported problems.

An Arrow Courier pickup and drop off is located in Silverman 4-704, with a designated spot at the end of the counter near the back end of the room. The courier makes at least one trip between Silverman Hall (Evanston) and Olson (Chicago) every weekday. This service is limited to the exchange of research materials and is supported by research and is provided by the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. Below is the approximate schedule:

Evanston Pick up:

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM @ Silverman Hall 4704

Chicago Pick-up / Drop-off:

~ 11:00 AM depending on traffic @ Olson 8524

If packages are waiting for transport at Olson, then a return trip will be made to Silverman Hall; otherwise, deliveries end for the day.

Evanston Drop Off (if necessary):

1:15 PM – 2:15 PM depending on traffic @ Silverman Hall 4704

Here is the Silverman 4704 Courier Door Sign and the Shipping Label. Every package must include a complete label.

The Sender is solely responsible for communicating where and when a package is available for pickup. Neither CLP, the Lurie Cancer Center, nor Arrow Courier are responsible for these communications. Please be sure to inform the intended recipient regarding when and where a package will be delivered.