1. Facility Access & Onboarding

Card key access to Magnetic Resonance facilities is managed by the METRIC Operations Coordinator (or designee). To gain access, users must complete the onboarding process below.

Step 1: Complete Prerequisite Safety Training

Training is required for all users before any self-use services can commence. Register for courses via Reporter:

• NCSU Laboratory Safety Training – EHPS-LS103 Safety Orientation Checklist
  • Note: If you are actively working in a research lab, you have likely completed this already.

Step 2: Establish Financial Agreements

Before scheduling instrument specific training, ensure the appropriate paperwork is active in the Lab Management Portal:

• Internal Users:  Must have an active Financial Agreement. PIs are responsible for maintaining active agreements, including setting up agreements for new grant awards and adding/removing participants as the research group changes over time.
• External Users: Signed Services Order Form and a Lab Use Agreement (if working onsite). ID card acquisition will be facilitated by METRIC administration.

*** Please note that all stated service rates are regularly evaluated by the Office of Facilities and Administrative Analysis, which is responsible for reviewing and approving use rates for service centers that anticipate charging Federal Contract and Grant projects and/or external Federal customers. Although we cannot definitively project future rate increases, users should anticipate 2 – 5 % increases annually.***

Step 3: Request Instrument Training & Card Activation

1. Request hands-on training via the Lab Management Portal. (See below.)
2. Once training is complete and financial forms are verified, please complete the Magnetic Resonance Card Access Request. This process typically takes 1 – 2 business days.

⚠️ Strict Access Policy: Sharing your ID card to grant facility access to unauthorized individuals is strictly prohibited and will result in an immediate loss of facility privileges.

2. Instrument-Specific Training

All users must complete hands-on training on their selected instrument before receiving unsupervised facility access.

General Equipment Training: A qualified instructor will cover safe and proper instrument operation. You are required to follow all provided instruction sheets and portal rules.

What to Expect:  A qualified instructor will cover general safety, proper operation, and technique-specific configurations. Initial training usually will take ~1 hour, with additional follow-up sessions as needed.

Shared-Facility Reminder: Because this is a shared space, the instrument configuration may differ from how the previous user left it. Always verify the setup before beginning your run.

Policies for MR Accessories: The use of specialized accessories—including variable temperature (VT), flow probes, or spinners designated for VT—requires advanced training and direct supervision. Please submit a Consultation Request when your project requires these tools.

Hardware Modifications: To ensure instrument stability in a shared facility, any physical changes to hardware configurations (such as probe swaps, autosampler removal, etc.) are strictly prohibited unless approved in writing and coordinated directly with METRIC MR Staff.

3. Instrument Reservations & Workstation Use

Reservation Rules & System Calendars

You must reserve instrument time via the Lab Management Portal. The system follows specific time constraints and reservation rules based on the instrument and time of day:

Magnet Name	Location	Standard User Interface	Week Day Rules (Mon–Fri, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM)	Weekend, Night, and University Holidays
Bruker NEO 400*	Partners III 304	Automation, Topspin 4.5	Walkup; max 1 hour of consecutive use	No Limit
Bruker NEO 500	Dabney 17	Automation, Topspin 4.5	Walkup; 30-minute max consecutive reservation time	2 hours per person per night
Bruker NEO 600	Polk 50	Automation, Topspin 4.5	First-come, first-served; max 2 hours per user per workday	8 hours per person per night
Bruker Avance III 700	Polk 50	Automation, Topspin 3.8	Walkup; 2-hour max consecutive reservation time	No Limit
Bruker NEO 700	Polk 50	Automation, Topspin 4.5	Walkup; 2-hour max consecutive reservation time	No Limit
Elexsys E500 CW-EPR	Partners III 304	Xepr	No Limit	No Limit

*Note: The Bruker NEO 400 is strictly reserved from Saturday through Tuesday weekly for special research.

Booking Definitions:

First-come, first-served: The time you reserve is a target, but it is not guaranteed to be the exact minute your sample goes into the instrument. This model provides flexibility for users to set up experiments at a convenient time.

Walkup: The time you reserve is the exact time your sample must be handled by the instrument. This ensures quick data turnaround for users who need immediate experimental feedback.

Longer Runs: Longer experiment times are welcome, but they require advance coordination with staff.

Scheduling priority: Priority is assigned in the following order: Internal NC State users, External Academic and Federal users, and External Industry and Commercial users, reflecting the facility’s primary mission to support NC State research and education while also providing access to the broader scientific and industrial communities when capacity permits.

Service Options & Assisted Use

For users utilizing assisted-use services or sample submissions:

1. Submit a Consultation Request. A METRIC MR team member will reach out within one week to discuss your project.
2. Review the assisted-use instructions.
3. Drop off samples during normal business hours at Dabney 23, or ship them to: Attention: METRIC MR 2620 Yarbrough Drive, Raleigh, NC 27695.

Technical Support

• If an instrument malfunctions or goes down during use, immediately report the issue here:
  • METRIC Magnetic Resonance Support Request.

Workstation Restrictions

Workstations are dedicated strictly to instrument control, data acquisition, and data processing. To protect instrument integrity and cybersecurity:

• No external hard drives or flash drives are permitted.
• No personal web browsing or unauthorized program downloads are allowed.

4. Laboratory Safety & Sample Management

Chemical Restrictions: Instrument rooms are not equipped (e.g. fume hoods, safety showers) for long-term chemical storage or complex chemical manipulation.

Sample Removal: Bring samples into the facility only for active data collection. Remove them promptly when your session ends.

Sample & Tube Removal: Already-run samples may be removed by staff at any time to open up spaces on autosamplers. All completed samples will be removed from the autosampler at least once per week and placed in the collection container labeled “Current Week” near the sample spinners. After another week, samples in the “Current Week” container will be relocated to the “Previous Week” container. The following week, the samples will be moved to the “Free to take” container.

Tube & Spinner Handling: Take extreme care when handling samples. Do not discard spinners (whether intact or broken) in the trash. Broken spinners should be given to a METRIC staff member or, if unavailable, placed on a bench and labeled as “Broken. Do not use.”

Spills: Users are responsible for immediately cleaning up any chemical spills. Involve Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) immediately if the spill is hazardous or cannot be safely managed.

Equipment Damage: If equipment is damaged due to user misuse or negligence, the user’s PI (or the external organization) will be billed for the cost of repairs.

5. Data Retention Policy

METRIC stores raw and processed data for a minimum of 1 week post data collection.

• After one week, METRIC assumes no responsibility for data storage.
• Users are highly encouraged to securely transfer their data immediately following acquisition and processing.

6. Citations & Authorship

Institutional Citation

To support our funding and continued operations, users must cite METRIC in any publications, presentations, or grant proposals utilizing data collected at the facility. Please use the following text:

“This work was performed in part by the Molecular Education, Technology and Research Innovation Center (METRIC) at NC State University, which is supported by the State of North Carolina.”

Authorship Policy

Co-authorship on scientific papers should be extended to METRIC staff members who provide meaningful, substantive contributions to the intellectual content or design of the published work, as recommended by ICMJE.

7. Policy Enforcement & Violations

Failure to comply with facility policies, safety protocols, or staff instructions will result in the following progressive disciplinary actions:

Violation	Consequences
1st Violation	Written notification of the violation(s) and a formal reminder of facility policies.
2nd Violation	Loss of independent access (self-use) privileges for 1 week. The user’s PI or supervisor will be notified. Any data collection during this period must be performed by METRIC personnel at the standard hourly staff rate.
3rd Violation	Loss of independent access (self-use) privileges for a minimum of 6 months. Data collection must be handled by METRIC personnel at the hourly staff rate. The user must undergo full instrument re-certification before independent access is reconsidered.