Requesting to use the STEM Education Collaboratory
Before placing a request to use the STEM Education Collaboratory, please review the intended purpose of the space to ensure that your event aligns with the goal of the space: to conduct interdisciplinary outreach, professional development, research and instruction in integrating science education, technology education, K-12 engineering education, and mathematics education.
The “Requestor” for an event must be a VT School of Education faculty or staff member and is the person who is responsible for the equipment and activities in the STEM Education Collaboratory during the event. Before placing a request, please review the STEM Education Collaboratory calendar to ensure the facility is available when you would like to use it.
Please submit Event Request Form to reserve the STEM Education Collaboratory for your event. Events should be requested at least two weeks in advance to allow adequate time for approval and to prepare the facility for the event.
After you have submitted your request, it is sent to the STEM Education Collaboratory Lab Manager who confirms that the facility is available during the requested time and forwards the request to the Assistant Director for approval. If the event is approved, the Lab Manager contacts the “Requestor” and “Contact” to confirm the event and to request additional details as needed to prepare the STEM Education Collaboratory for the event. You should receive confirmation or a request for further information within five business days of your request submission.
There are two types of events that do not require scheduling using Event Request Form: tours of the facility and training on equipment. To make a request for either of these types of events, just email the Assistant Directory (oit@vt.edu) or Lab Manger (CLAHSStemCollaboratory-recs@exchange.vt.edu ).
Classes that are scheduled for the STEM Education Collaboratory go through the normal class scheduling process.
Canceling a Request
If you should need to cancel a scheduled event, please email the Lab Manager (CLAHSStemCollaboratory-recs@exchange.vt.edu) as soon as possible. If you have requested any equipment or supplies for the event, please be sure to indicate that in the email, so the order can be cancelled as well.
Requesting Supplies & Equipment
While every effort is made to ensure that consumable supplies remain fully stocked, you may notice a material that is running low. Please e-mail the Lab Manager (CLAHSStemCollaboratory-recs@exchange.vt.edu) with the name of the material and it will be reordered. Also, if you need supplies or equipment that are not on the inventory, email the Lab Manager with details about the product (model, quantity, supplier, URL if possible). The request will be submitted to the Assistant Director of Office of Instructional Technology for approval. In order to allow time for processing, please place requests at least four weeks before the item is needed. Grant-funded events are responsible for providing their own consumable supplies, with the exception of the material used for the 3-D printer.
Available Equipment
An inventory list, along with locations, of equipment and supplies is located in a binder below in the cabinet below the key cabinet (cabinet A4). Each cabinet also has a sign indicating the cabinet letter and the inventory in the cabinets and drawers below it. As you prepare to complete the Event Request Form, review the inventory list to ensure that all the supplies you need are available. If you need supplies or equipment that are not on the inventory or are unsure of what is available in the lab, e-mail the Lab Manager with details about the product (size, quantity, supplier, URL if possible).
All equipment and supplies stored in the Science and Technology Lab area, in the Prototyping Lab area, and in cabinets A (above and below the key cabinet), B (the tall cabinet to the right of the SMART Board, and C (below the sink on the workbench) are common use. The cabinets and drawers below the SMART Boards and on the workbench facing the SMART Boards are for personal and grant-funded equipment and supplies. If you need a cabinet to store materials and have not been assigned one yet, please email the Lab Manager (CLAHSStemCollaboratory-recs@exchange.vt.edu). Cabinets may be reassigned at the start of each semester to accommodate instructors for that semester. There is also a cabinet for special events so if you need storage space in preparation for an event and you do not have an assigned cabinet, you can arrange to use that one. In addition to the cabinets up front, there is also storage space for personal and grant-funded material in the storage room.
An inventory of personal and grant-funded equipment brought into the STEM Education Collaboratory should be submitted to the Lab Manager. Also, the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for any chemicals brought into the lab need to be stored in the orange binder below the key cabinet.
All common equipment should be returned to the STEM Education Collaboratory by the end of the event. Equipment may be taken out of the STEM Education Collaboratory during the course of your event, such as to collect data with the LabQuest probes, but it should not leave the university with participants or faculty/staff, such as overnight or multi-day events. If students in a class need work time with the equipment to complete an assignment, the instructor should request open lab time using the Event Request Form.
When bringing new materials into the lab, EHS should be notified that these are being moved in case they have to move them for you. To check please contact Chris Wakley (biological cwakley@vt.edu, 231-3361) or Frank Imperatore (chemical/radiological, imperato@vt.edu, 231-2982).
If you would like training on any equipment in the STEM Education Collaboratory, you may indicate that on the Event Request Form and you will be contacted for more information and to arrange a time for training. Training does not have to be in conjunction with an event, so if you would like to learn more about equipment without scheduling an event, e-mail the Lab Manager (CLAHSStemCollaboratory-recs@exchange.vt.edu) and a time will be arranged. Training should be requested at least two weeks in advance to allow adequate time for scheduling.
Just-in-time training resources will be located in the Resources section of website.
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