APPENDIX IV.5
Description of RSPH Laboratory Facilities
Individual Project-Specific Laboratories in the RSPH Building (Lower Level)
International Food and Water Diseases Laboratory
Under the direction of Dr. Christine Moe (IH), this laboratory (suite L-36) has
approximately 1000 sq ft of space in the Rollins School of Public Health building near
the Emory Vaccine Research Center. It contains equipment to perform molecular
epidemiology and clinical microbiology research, including enzyme immunoassays,
polymerase chain reaction, Southern blotting, Western blotting, cloning, DNA
sequencing and computer assisted sequence analyses. Specific equipment includes: three
Dell 2003 computers, four -70 C freezers, 96-well plate reader spectrophotometer,
automated 96-well plate washer, an Olympus fluorescent microscope, Nikon Inverted
Microscope, Labconco Class II Biosafety Cabinet, two thermal cyclers, microfuges,
analytical balances, water baths, hybridization chamber, and gel electrophoresis
equipment. Supporting common lab facilities include a freezer/centrifuge room, warm
room, cold room, common tissue culture facility, autoclave/dishwashing facility and dark
room.
Environmental Toxicology and Exposure Assessment Laboratory
Directed by Dr. Barry Ryan (EOH), this laboratory (suite L-37) has approximately 750 ft2
of space and includes four lab benches, a large fume hood, and adequate water, gas,
electrical, and other services to ensure proper laboratory practice. Specific equipment
available for these projects includes glassware, reagent storage areas, bench space, and
networked laboratory computer facilities using networked Dell computers operating
speeds of at least 1 GHz and equipped with 40 GB mass storage devices. The research
group maintains a Hewlett-Packard Gas Chromatograph (Model No. HP 5890A)
equipped with a flame ionization detector, and electron capture detector; a Perkin-Elmer
4100ZL Zeeman-corrected atomic absorption spectrophotometer with graphite furnace
and hollow cathode lamps specific for various metals; a Shimadzu High Performance
Liquid Chromatograph, Model LC-10AT capable of four-mobile phase gradient elution,
equipped with a SPD-10A UV/VIS detector; a RF-10A Spectrofluorometric Detector; an
SIL-10 Auto Injector; and SIL-10A System Controller; a Cahn C-33 Microbalance, as
well as other balances
Infectious Diseases Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory
Under direction of Dr. John McGowan (EPI), this laboratory (suite L-21) involves
approximately 625-square-feet of space devoted to epidemiologic typing and molecular
studies of resistance mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria of current clinical
and public health importance. This laboratory has four laboratory bench work areas, a
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APPENDIX IV.5
Description of RSPH Laboratory Facilities, cont’d
large fume hood, two bacteriology safety cabinets and airflow connections providing
level 2 biosafety conditions, and adequate water, gas, electrical, and other services to
allow proper laboratory operations. Specific project equipment available include
confocal microscopes, gel electrophoresis equipment, and furnished darkroom for pulsedfield gel electrophoresis, thermal cyclers for forward evolution of resistant bacteria, and
molecular and genetic studies of bacterial resistance determinants, shared and individual
centrifuges and a shared speed-vac for dehydrating samples. The laboratory has access to
the SPH computer network from three Dell desktop units for data entry, storage, and
analysis.
International Pneumococcal Diseases Laboratory
Directed By Drs. Keith Klugman and Lesley McGee (IH), this laboratory suite (L-22)
consists of approximately 750 sq/ft devoted to epidemiologic, microbiologic, and
molecular studies of pneumococcal disease isolates from around the globe. The
laboratory is equipped with work benches and storage shelving in addition to
desk/computer space for 4 laboratory personnel; negative airflow and fumehoods; 3
computers (including genetic analysis software: Bionumerics, Oligo and BimCore
packages), related printers, scanner, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis apparatus, real-time
PCR amplification apparatus+ MacIntosh computer and Epson printer, 80C chest freezer,
waterbaths, vortex and orbital shakers, stirrers, colony count readers, pH meter,
microcentrifuges, spectophotometer, replica platers, ultraviolet reading facility,
microdilution plate viewer, and dry heating blocks. A new real time PCR machine has
recently been purchased and is available for use by the other infectious disease
laboratories.
Associated Common Lab Facilities in Grace Crum Rollins Building
RSPH maintains in the secured area of the laboratories described above other laboratory
facilities for use by all, including cold-room storage (-10 C) , warm room facilities (37
C), isotope counting rooms, tissue culture room. The general laboratory facilities include
numerous -80 C freezers with available space for long-term storage of samples. We
maintain a single -140 C freezer for ultra-cold storage. The laboratory facility maintains
a Barnstead triple-glass distilled pure water facility and a Milli-Q 18 megaohm ion-free
water supply in a common-room facility.
A darkroom facility is also maintained.
Airflow specifications and controlled access to the area are consistent with current Public
Health Service and National Institutes of Health guidelines.
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APPENDIX IV.5
Description of RSPH Laboratory Facilities, cont’d
Laboratory Space Outside the Grace Crum Rollins Building
Whitehead Biomedical Research Building
Under the direction of Dr. Gary Miller (EOH), this laboratory consists of approximately
1000 sq ft of space in the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease in the Whitehead
Biomedical Research Building. The laboratory also has access to shared facilities for cell
culture, animal surgery, and microscopy. The Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
houses a Zeiss multiphoton confocal microscope, a fluorescent microplate reader, an
electron microscope, several light microscopes, a cryostat, several sliding microtomes,
and two Maldi Q-TOF mass spectrophotometers. Dr. Miller's lab (suite 575) contains an
Applied Biosystems 7000 Real Time PCR system, an ESA Coularray HPLC system with
refrigerated autosampler, a Beckman Biomek 2000 Automated Laboratory Workstation,
an MJ Research DNA Engine thermocycler, an Alpha Innotech FluoChem Imaging
station, a Packard Top Count Scintillation System with robotic liquid handling station, A
Perkin Elmer 96 well Fluorescent Microplate Reader, two biological safety cabinets, four
cell culture incubators, a Beckman bench top centrifuge, six In Vitrogen Novex western
blot electrophoresis systems, and several horizontal electrophoresis units.
Winship Cancer Institute
Directed by Dr. Roberd Bostick (EPI), this laboratory is assigned approximately 1000
sq/feet of laboratory space located on the 5th floor of Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute.
The laboratory is equipped with sinks, acid cabinet, flammables cabinet, and an
externally vented hood, as well as 500 square feet of dry lab space. The laboratory is
completely equipped to do both routine histology and immunohistochemistry as well as
microscopy and imaging. Specific equipment includes a Leica Tissue Processor, a
Reichert-Jung Model 2030 Biocut Rotary Microtome w/Quick Release Clamp X-Y
Orientation & High Profile Disposable Blade Holder, Tissue Flotation Waterbaths,
Boekel Illuminated Tissue Flotation Bath w/Light & Digital Temperature Display, a
Boekel Tissue Flotation Waterbath, Incubator (Lab Line Model 120), a Sakura TissueTek Console, a Tissue Embedding System (Model 4709 & 4710), H&E Autostainer Leica
ASXL, Automated Coverslipper LeicaCV5000 (1) Paraffin Dispenser, Flexible arm
lamps, an automated Immunostainer DAKO, Adjustable microliter pipetters, Microwave,
and Clinical Laboratory Microscope w/accessories including dual observation head
(Olympus BX40), Clinical Laboratory Microscope with accessories (Olympus BX40),
Stereomicroscope (Olympus 5Z30) & bifurcated fiber optic light source, Digital Light
Microscope Camera, adaptors and cable - Polaroid DMC II, Image Analysis System ImagePro Plus (SciMeasure), and CalComp Drawing Board III, -20C Freezer, Ohaus
Electronic Scale, Vortex Genie II Mixer (Model G560) (Scientific Industries),
Thermolyne Varimix Aliquot Mixer (Type 48725), Incubator, Heated stir plate, and two 80C Freezers (2).
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APPENDIX IV.5
Description of RSPH Laboratory Facilities, cont’d
Respiratory Diseases Branch of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Under direction of Dr. Keith Klugman, this laboratory has approximately 400 sq/ft of
laboratory space on the CDC Clifton Road campus. The laboratory is equipped with
laboratory work benches and storage shelving in addition to desk/computer space for
1laboratory personnel, and has negative airflow and fumehood. Equipment includes a
pulsed-field gel electrophoresis apparatus, refrigerator/freezer, 2 waterbaths, 2 vortex and
one orbital shaker, pH meter, microcentrifuges, hot-plate stirrer, 2 dry heating blocks, 1
weighing balance, 2 large electrophoresis units, 3 small electrophoresis units, and 1
microwave. Major shared equipment in this laboratory includes a 16-capillary DNA
sequencer, a speedvac system, 2 incubators, a biohazard safety hood, a gel documentation
system, and one -80C freezer
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APPENDIX IV.6
Computer Hardware and Software Resources
COMPUTER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE RESOURCES
Server Environment:
The School server environment is based on a combination of UNIX and NT and can be
divided into four areas:
Compute Services
The core of our compute services is provided by a Sun SunFire V1280, which has
12 1.2GHz UltraSparc IIIci processors and 24G RAM. Storage is provided
through our SAN (storage area network) over a fibre channel network, with 1
terabyte of RAID-protected storage dedicated to the compute server. The server
hosts analysis and programming tools including: SAS, SPlus, Fortran 77/90, C,
C++, Gauss, Java, R, and IMSL.
Services are provided to the desktop using the X Windows interface.
Internet/Web Services
Our mail server, which also provided primary DNS services, is a Sun SunFire
V880 with 4 900MHz UltraSparc III CPUs with 8G RAM and 1.4 terabytes of
protected storage (some mirrored internal fibre channel drives, and some on
external RAID arrays connected via fibre channel). Our primary web server is an
identical machine with 146G of mirrored fibre channel storage.
The School's distance learning initiative, eLearnTM, is based on Blackboard
software. The server is a Dell PowerEdge 6650 with 4 1.6GHz Pentium 4 Xeon
CPUs with 4G RAM running RedHat Enterprise Linux, and has access to 50G of
RAID-protected storage via the SAN.
Database Services
Our main database server is a Dell PowerEdge 2650 with dual Pentium 4 Xeon
processors and 8G RAM, running Windows 2003 and MS-SQL Server. The SAN
provides access to 265G of RAID-protected storage.
Web access to this database is provided by Macromedia's ColdFusion
applicationserver, which runs on a Dell PowerEdge 2650 (dual P4 Xeon, 4G
RAM) running RedHat Enterprise Linux.
Blackboard has its own dedicated database server running Oracle 9i on a Dell
PowerEdge 6650 (quad P4 Xeon, 4G RAM) running RedHat Enterprise Linux.
Local mirrored discs provide log storage, while the bulk of the data resides on
200G of RAID-protected disk space from the SAN.
36
APPENDIX IV.6
Computer Hardware and Software Resources, cont’d
File and Print Services
Based on Windows NT, seven servers work together to provide file and print
service to the School's desktop network. These state-of-the-art systems provide
the latest in general use programs, including statistical and mathematical
modeling software, database management, graphics and office support tools.
Network Environment:
The RSPH network consists of Fast Ethernet hardware running TCP/IP. Gigabit Ethernet
provides high speed transmission to each of 10 floors and across three buildings. Ethernet
provides high speed (10 Mbps) access to most desktop computers and peripheral devices.
The network terminates at over 900 locations. Each contains three connections (2 UTP
and 1 Fiber). More than 45 miles of UTP CAT 5 2061 cable and more than 18 miles of
fiberoptic cable provide the capability of high speed voice, video or data to every
desktop.
The RSPH network is connected to the Emory Campus backbone via a 100 Mbps
Ethernet connection, making campus services and wide area network services readily
available.
Computer Labs/Classrooms:
The Rollins School of Public Health operates three computer labs. Two of the computer
labs are located on the Plaza level of the GCR building and one is located in the Public
Health space in the 1525 Building. The two the labs in GCR are primarily designed for
student instruction space, but are available for student use when class is not scheduled.
They are Dell Pentium processors 2.0 GHz or higher, with a minimum of 256 MB of
memory. The computers feature Windows XP, Office 2003 and a variety of other
software. Both instructional labs also have overhead LCD projection and flat panel
displays to provide easy visibility for the entire classroom. The lab located in 1525 has 24
Dell Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz, 256 MB Ram and also features Windows XP and Office XP.
In addition, 27 kiosk-type work stations are located throughout the Plaza Level and first
floor of the Grace Crum Rollins building. These computers are available for student use
24 hours a day, seven days a week. All computers in the labs are kiosks have flat panel
displays of Pentium 4 processors, 512 megabytes of RAM, Windows XP, and Office OX.
All computers have internet connectivity and network access to a number of other
software programs used for classes.
Faculty/Staff Desktop Computers:
Currently, new computers are at least a Pentium IV configuration with 512 megabytes of
RAM memory, and have CDRW and flat panel monitors standard. The School has
replaced over ⅓ of its desktop units this past year which is part of an ongoing
replacement policy to provide faculty, staff, and student desktop computers that are less
than 3 years old and under warranty.
37