By Irene Hsiao
Congratulations to the laboratory of Jun Huang, winners of the first annual JRSI Peer Lab Walkthrough Competition! With safety as a year-round priority for lab manager and safety officer Laura Pulido, the Huang group, an IME cancer immunology lab, was competitive from the very start. "Laura is extremely organized -- as if a manager could find anything in a Walmart," states undergraduate researcher and team co-captain Ashima Thusu. Every chemical and shelf has a label and an order, and every piece of equipment is clearly labeled with lab and safety protocols and technical support information. "Quartzy makes it easy," says third-year graduate student Jill Rosenberg, referring to the online lab management platform and scientific research supply marketplace that catalogues and inventories the chemicals in their lab. While their organizational system requires the constant cooperation of a lab that considers itself "slightly OCD," Pulido insists that organization goes hand in hand with safety and efficiency: "You don't have to waste time looking for anything or repeating experiments because they were contaminated," she notes. "I was a little bossy, but it was worth it!" adds Thusu. The lab anticipates spending the $500 prize money on top quality personalized stress balls and a much deserved lab outing.
