Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

Facilities Resources

Contact: facilities@igb.illinois.edu

IGB Building and Lab Access Information: For New Hires, Researchers, Faculty, and Staff

For new IGB members, please read the Guide to IGB Building and Lab Access for information on building access, computer accounts, training, and i-Card/prox card use. 

Guide to IGB Building and Lab Access

IGB Connect FORM

Acknowledgment of Risk Form

The policy of the University of Illinois is that volunteers, extra help, minors, (zero) 0% appointments, etc., have accident and health insurance coverage through the University Student Health Insurance Plan, through his/her parent’s health insurance plan, or through insurance coverage the individual purchased.  Please complete the “Agreement and Acknowledgement of Risk Form” and return to Room 1601 IGB (1st floor Gatehouse) or email facilities@igb.illinois.edu to upload in IGB Connect prior to your start of work.

Maintenance and Service Request

Including maintenance, repair, moving, remodeling, and furniture requests, or building service, ground, and security issues

Fill out form

Key Authorization/Pick-Up/Return/Refund

Key Authorization: When a physical key is necessary to access rooms at IGB that are not equipped with a card reader, the request must be submitted by your lab manager, supervisor, or administrative staff to IGB Facilities. 
DO NOT loan, transfer, give possession of, misuse, modify, alter, or make unauthorized copies of any assigned key(s).

Key Pick up and deposit: After you receive the approval notice, you may pick up the key from the IGB Gatehouse Information Desk, room 1601 M-F, between 8:30 - 11:30 am and 1:00 to 4:30 pm. A one-time refundable deposit of $20.00 for the first initial key issued is due at pick-up.  The preferred payment method is a credit card, but we can also accept cash.

Lost Keys: Report any lost or stolen keys to IGB facilities. Upon reissue of said key(s), you will be charged a non-refundable fee of $20.00

Key Return: When the key is no longer needed, you must return the key to 1601 IGB Gatehouse. DO NOT give your keys to anyone else; keys are not transferable. You are responsible for the keys assigned to you until they are returned. 

Key Deposit Refund: To receive a refund, return all keys assigned and complete the Key Reimbursement form. Reimbursement will be issued through University Payables by check or direct deposit from information submitted by the IGB Business Office.
 

IGB Key Reimbursement Request

IGB Info Manual

Procedures and services of the IGB, includes info related to building policies, departments, programs, and support.

Read Info Manual

Nameplate Templates

IGB office Nameplate template

IGB Cubical Nameplate template

Oversize Nameplate Template (Conference Rooms)
 

IGB Vehicle Request/Reservation

Eligibility to drive a university vehicle requires a valid driver's license issued by the driver’s state of residence for the correct vehicle class to be driven. Be familiar with the State of Illinois Rules of the Road.

Driver Approval: Before reserving the IGB vehicle, you must have a Departmental Driver Approval form on file, verified, and approved by IGB Facilities.  After submission of the form, please stop by the Information Desk at the Gatehouse, room 1601, with your current license to complete the authorization.  A new form will need to be completed each Fiscal Year, or when your Driver's License expires within the fiscal year.

Reserving the IGB Vehicle: For IGB Members on official IGB Business, complete the reservation form below to reserve the IGB vehicle.  You will receive an email confirmation if the vehicle is available for the time and date requested or an option to modify your request. 

Vehicle Key Pick Up: The key is available at the IGB shipping and receiving office, receiving@igb.illinois.edu, room 1302, from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. 
 

Vehicle Reservation Form

IGB Parking

Event organizers are responsible for coordinating additional parking arrangements through UIUC Campus Parking and the City of Urbana to request bagged meters or alternative parking options. 

Restricted Access

 

IGB Property Accounting and Reporting (IGB-PAR)

All property at the University of Illinois System, regardless of funding source, to which the U of I System acquires title, is subject to the regulations of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services as "state-owned property."

IGB Property Accounting and Reporting (IGB-PAR) works with University Property Accounting and Reporting (UPAR) to ensure compliance with U of I System procedures and the State Property Control Act. All employees are responsible for the prudent use, care, and safeguarding of system property, regardless of its value.

For more information, form downloads, and instructions, use the link below. 

IGB Property Accounting and Reporting 

Battery Disposal

We have a recycling tub located in shipping and receiving for Primary and Secondary batteries only, e.g., AA, AAA, C, D, and 9V. 

All other batteries will need to be disposed of by going to the Division of Research Safety for battery disposal and submitting a request for pick-up using the Access Waste Management App. You will need to use your Illinois Sign On to log in and complete the request.   If there are any charges, it will be the responsibility of the lab generating the battery waste and the battery waste pick-up. 

Types of Batteries

Please direct any questions to IGB’s Occupational Safety Coordinator, Bob Mann, BobMann@illinois.edu, or IGB Operations and Facilities, facilities@igb.illinois.edu.

Emergency Preparedness

These University Police Department-produced videos are related to emergency preparedness and the concept of “Run, Hide, Fight.”

Emergency Preparedness info

Seasonal Announcements

IGB Holiday Schedule and Building Information

read Seasonal Announcements

Array Cafe

Located at the Concourse Level of IGB, with casual indoor and outdoor patio seating.  Array Café has a nice selection of food and drinks for a quick breakfast and lunch. 

Coffee drinks, pastries, sandwiches, wraps, bagels, hot dogs, seasonal soups, soft drinks, salty snacks and more. 

Catering
Array Café is available to cater IGB events only. To schedule cafe services, fill out our catering form.

Hours – M-F 8:00 am - 3:30 pm

Phone – 217-244-1113

Interested in working at Array Café?
Please download and complete this application, and return to Carlos Spinks at cspinks@igb.illinois.edu.

IGB Lost and Found

Lost and found items can be taken to the Gatehouse Information Desk, room 1601, and will be held for 30 days.  If you work in a lab space, please check if they are holding your item there. 

Space Requests

Contact: space@igb.illinois.edu

IGB Conference Space Request Form - Concourse Spaces

The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology’s Operations and Facilities office handles the use and scheduling of the conference center. The IGB conference center holds up to 90 people. If you are requesting a space other than conference room 612, please email space@igb.illinois.edu.

Request Form

Event Planning

For assistance with conferences, seminars, symposia, or other events, visit the Event Planning section for information and guidance. 

 Event Planning

Safety and Compliance

Contact: safety@igb.illinois.edu

Safety Resources

All IGB safety and compliance materials can be found here. Further information is available through links and resources tabs.

Resource List

Emergency Information

Emergency (Fire, Police or Ambulance)
(campus phone) 9-911
(cell phone) 911

Division of Research Safety
(217) 333-2755

Facilities and Services Safety and Compliance Unit
(217) 265-9828

Non-emergency Police Department
(217) 333-8911

Maintenance / Repair Service
(217) 333-0340

MTD SafeRides
(217) 333-3184

Download IGB Safety Manual

Safety Training and Exams

Who needs to take the online safety training? Researchers, all IGB support staff, all users of Core Facilities, and faculty are required to take safety trainings.

safety trainings

Lithium based battery safe storage and charging and disposal recommendations

Lithium-ion and lithium polymer referred to for this article as (lithium based batteries) have become the primary energy source for several electronic devices ranging from phones and computers to power tools, transportation vehicles and various other equipment that students and staff use or interact with daily. While these batteries provide an effective and efficient source of power, the likelihood of them overheating, catching on fire, and even leading to explosions increases when they are damaged or improperly used, charged, or stored.  

Lithium based batteries store a lot of energy in a small amount of space. When that energy is released in an uncontrolled manner, it generates heat, which can turn certain internal battery components into flammable and toxic gases.

Lithium based battery fires can start from several factors including physical damage such as crushing breaking the casing or exposure to large amounts of water.  Electrical damage like overcharging or using charging equipment not compatible with the battery.  Batteries can also be damaged by exposure to extreme temperatures especially heat.

Listed below are some recommended safety tips for charging, storing, and using lithium-ion batteries.

• Purchase batteries that are only listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and labeled accordingly.
• Stop charging a battery once it is full.  Many fires are the cause of overcharging lithium batteries.  Once a battery is fully charged it should be taken off the charger and placed in a safe storage location.
• Use charging equipment that is only compatible with your device. To be safe, use only the charging equipment that the same brand and is supplied with your device.
• Stop using your device if the battery shows signs of damage, such as an unusual odor, excessive heat, popping sounds, swelling, or change in color.
• Have all repairs performed by a qualified professional.

Recommendations for proper disposal of Lithium based batteries and the devices that contain them.  Lithium-ion batteries should not go in household garbage or recycling bins. They can cause fires during transport or at landfills and recyclers. 

To properly dispose of lithium based batteries you should go to the DRS Waste Management App. DRS will recycle batteries whenever possible. Lithium metal, lithium-ion and lithium polymer batteries must have their terminals (or connections) protected during shipment to prevent short circuits; non-conductive tape can be used for this purpose.

Batteries should be separated and requested for disposal by type. You may add like batteries to a zip lock bag or box and request them as 1 item with weight being in total pounds (not to exceed 35 pounds). Use one of the following UI#’s when requesting your batteries for disposal:

• UI# 7575 - Alkaline Batteries
• UI# 7602 - Lead-Acid Batteries
• UI# 7580 - Lithium Metal Batteries
• UI# 9111 - Lithium-Ion Batteries
• UI# 205346 - Lithium Polymer Batteries
• UI# 5230 - Mercury Batteries
• UI# 9109 - Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries
• UI# 150207 - Zinc-Carbon Batteries

If your batteries are not listed above, please select UI# 1 and specify the type of battery in the Waste Description field.

Pay attention to what we pour down the sinks

Please pay careful attention to what we are putting down the sink.  This often happens to laboratory sinks specifically the sinks in the glass wash/Autoclave rooms and support rooms.  Some items can plug up the drain or cause damage to the pipes while others could be dangerous to you your employees, students and the environment.  Some of the items shat should not be poured down the drain include the following.

• Molten agar
• Liquid gelatin
• Animal fats
• Vegetable oil
• Liquid nitrogen
• Any organic or inorganic chemicals
• Automotive Antifreeze
• Any petroleum products

This is a short list provided to you as a guide and certainly does not contain all items prohibited from being poured down the drain.  Most of the agars, animal fats, gelatin and vegetable oils should be solidified and disposed of as a solid.  Chemicals and petroleum products should be put in an appropriate waste container and picked up by DRS.  Unused liquid nitrogen should be safely returned to the container if possible.  If it is not possible to safely return it to the container, it can be allowed to evaporate in a well ventilated area.  The key to safe liquid nitrogen use is to only take what you are going to use up in a short amount of time.  If you have a question about disposal of a product please feel free to contact the safety office at 244-8346.

More information about waste disposal can be found at this link. 
https://www.drs.illinois.edu/Page/Waste/CommonWasteTypes  

How much flammable liquid can I keep in my lab?

When ordering those flammable liquids have you ever considered how much is too much?  There are regulations that put limits on how much flammable liquid we can store in our labs. 

When considering how much flammable liquid we can store, the first thing we need to do is determine what constitutes a flammable liquid.  According to The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) flammable liquids are broken down into classes.  Class I flammable liquid have the highest level of flammability and these class I flammable liquids are broken down into 3 sub categories, class IA, IB and IC. After this, there is class II and then class III.  Class II and class III liquids have much less reactivity and are considered Combustible liquids.  Combustible liquids are also broken down into sub categories, class II, class IIIA and IIIB. Below are two tables outlining different classes of flammable and combustible liquids.

Flammable Liquids – Liquids with a flash point below 100°F and a vapor pressure that does not exceed 40 psi at 100°F. Flammable liquids are subdivided as follows:

Class I	Definition	Examples
IA	Flash point < 73°F with boiling point < 100°F	Diethyl ether, n-Pentane, Acetaldehyde, Petroleum Ether
IB	Flash point < 73°F with boiling point ≥ 100°F	Acetone, Acetonitrile, Ethanol, Isopropyl Alcohol
IC	Flash point ≥ 73°F and < 100°F	Turpentine, Xylenes, Naphtha

 

Combustible Liquids – Liquids with a flash point above 100°F. Combustible liquids are subdivided as follows:

Class II & III	Definition	Examples
II	Flash point ≥ 100°F and < 140°F	Acetic acid, Kerosene, Mineral Spirits
IIIA	Flash point ≥ 140°F and < 200°F	Ethanolamine, DMSO, Aniline, Formaldehyde
IIIB	Flash point ≥ 200°F	Ethylene glycol, Benzyl alcohol, Vegetable oils, Triethanolamine

 

 

Now that we have determined how to classify our flammable and combustible liquids, how much of this material can we keep safely in our lab? 

The answer to this question is everyone’s favorite answer, (It Depends).  There are several factors that determine the storage quantities. These factors include How is the lab building constructed?  Do we have fireproof or fire-resistant walls and doors?  Do we have a Sprinkler system and automatic fire alarms?  How big are the rooms and how good is our ventilation system, i.e. how many times does the air exchange in the lab or storage room?

This can get very complex, so to make it simple, in general the IGB is considered by NFPA to be a class C laboratory.  If you would like more information on the fire rating of the IGB lab space you can contact the IGB safety coordinator at bobmann@illinois.edu .  Below are the tables outlining the quantities of the various flammable and combustible materials that can be stored per square foot of space.  Also note that if you store flammable and combustible materials in fire-rated cabinets this can increase the amount you can keep in the lab. The tables also have a maximum quantity of flammable and combustible materials that you can not exceed regardless of how large your lab is.

Table 1: Maximum Quantities of Flammable and Combustible Liquids in Class C labs 

Class	Maximum Quantity per 100 sq. ft.	Maximum Quantity per Laboratory	Maximum Quantity per 100 sq. ft.	Maximum Quantity per Laboratory
	Without Flammable Cabinet		With Flammable Cabinet
I	7.5 L (2 gal)	570 L (150 gal)	15 L (4 gal)	1136 L (300 gal)
I, II and IIIA	15 L (4 gal)	757 L (200 gal)	30 L (8 gal)	1515 L (400 gal)

*Material class I includes Class IA, IB, and IC flammable liquids and liquefied flammable gases. NFPA 45 does not place limits on Class IIIB materials. 

So, to put this in perspective, at the IGB the typical main lab space is approximately 4400 sq ft in size and the average back room along the back wall of the main lab is 140 sq ft in size.

Using these measurements, lab spaces can contain the following quantities of class I flammable liquids.

Main lab

4400 sq ft divided by 100 = 44 multiplied by 2 gallons class I liquid without flammable cabinet equals 88 total gallons.

4400 sq ft divided by 100 = 44 multiplied by 4 gallons class I liquid stored in a flammable cabinet equals 176 total gallons.

An average side room

140 sq ft divided by 100 = 1.4 multiplied by 2 gallons class I liquid without a flammable cabinet equals 2.8 gallons.

140 sq ft divided by 100 = 1.4 multiplied by 4 gallons class I liquid stored in a flammable cabinet equals 5.6 gallons.

I hope that this helps our labs understand how much flammable and combustible material we can safely store in our labs.  If you need help in determining the type or quantities of liquids your particular lab can hold feel free to reach out to the IGB safety coordinator at 217-244-8346 or email at bobmann@illinois.edu 

Shipping and Receiving

IGB Contact: receiving@igb.illinois.edu

Helpful Links
USPS Tracking
FedEx Tracking
UPS Tracking