27 November 2012

Present: Bill Mills, David Houpt, Tim Bronk, Brad Julson, Margaret Hastedt, John Firth, Chad Broyles, Phil Rumford, Carlos Zarikian, John Miller, Sandy Dillard.

Item 1: To discontinue the use of tape to secure labels on the end of the core liner

According to Mills the continued use of tape to secure labels to the core liner would require that the core engraver be moved into the core rack. This would cause problems with the extraction and venting of fumes produced by the machine. Furthermore, Mills told the group that new labels are to be purchased which do not require the use of tape to secure them to the core liner. No one had any objection to discontinuing the use of the tape, provided that the labels stick.

Action: Discontinue the use of the tape starting with Exp. 345.

Item 2: A new type of 3M vinyl tape was sent to the ship for evaluation as a possible replacement for the current d-tube tape

The technical staff did not like the tape.

Action: The tape is not approved for use on the ship.

Item 3: Ruler situation

Rumford showed an example of the rulers recently purchased for the GCR and ship. The rulers looked fine apart from their thickness.

Action: Rumford to find a way to cut the rulers down to 6mm thick.

Item 4: A cheaper way to ship frozen samples

Dillard gave the group some information of a FedEx LN2 shipping container that costs about half what a comparable World Courier dry ice shipment would cost. Hastedt raised a question about the volume of material that the new type of shipper could hold. Dillard assured us that the container would hold the same volume as a conventional ice chest. Houpt asked if FedEx would nurse the package through customs as does world courier and keep the container frozen if delays were encountered. Dillard replied they would. When asked if FedEx would keep and maintain the package if for some reason no one was there to accept delivery, he said he did not know.

Dillard pointed out that in ports where supplies are difficult to procure, this type of shipper could be loaded onto the JR at the start of an Exp and the shippers charged at the end with our own LN2 supply. Mills asked if there would be a fee associated with keeping the containers on the ship for 2 months. Dillard did not know.

Action: Dillard will coordinate a test shipment from Victoria at the end of Hess Deep. The shipment will be sent to the GCR. Rumford will report on length of time taken to ship and temperature profile during shipping. ALO’s will comment upon ease of use, storage capacity etc.

Item 5: Rearrangement of microscope lab

Mills/Houpt stated that in order to accommodate the new SEM in the microscope lab and keep the current number of microscopes in the lab easily accessible and useable, some rearrangement of the lab is required. Two proposed layouts were presented to the group. Chieh Peng noted that her crew  “would like to keep the current function and layout regarding the 2 archive dtube racks in the corner of the microscope area. And the closeup photo table in the middle of corelab serving multiple functions”. Mills noted that neither option would affect the layout of the dtube racks. After a lengthy discussion the group had no objections to either of the 2 options presented leaving the final choice up to Mills/Houpt.

Action: The LWG endorses the Mills/Houpt proposal. Work will begin during tie-up in Victoria.

Item 6: Feedback mechanisms

It was suggested that feedback from the LWG’s on work that has been completed, or is currently being undertaken is inadequate. The only place to find LWG information is on the IODP_INFO server under – Minutes – LWGs. Rumford appreciated the value of the LWG newsletter produced by Houpt. Houpt offered up the possibility of creating a cloud for each instrument where status and comments could easily be posted. Rumford commented that our current web based informational infrastructure is getting to be very complex and some sort of site map should be produced to make employees aware of what information is available and how it can be accessed.

Action: No solid recommendations were forthcoming from the group.