Expanding your laboratory by accessing collaboratory resources

Abstract

is the home of a research facility set up by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The facility is atypical because it houses over 100 cuttingedge research systems for the use of researchers all over the United States and the world. Access to the lab is requested through a peer-review proposal process and the scientists who use the facility are generally referred to as "users" [1]. There are six main research facilities housed in the EMSL, all of which host visiting researchers. Several of these facilities also participate in the EMSL collaboratory, a remote-access capability supported by EMSL operations funds. Of these, the High-Field Magnetic Resonance Facility (HFMRF) and Molecular Science Computing Facility (MSCF) have a significant number of their users performing remote work. The HFMRF in the EMSL currently houses 12 NMR spectrometers that range in magnet field strength from 7.05 to 21.1 T. Staff associated with the NMR facility offer scientific expertise in the areas of structural biology, solid-state materials/catalyst characterization, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. The way in which the HFMRF operates, with a high level of dedication to remote operation across the full suite of high-field NMR spectrometers, has earned it the name "Virtual NMR Facility". This review will focus on the operational aspects of remote research done in the HighField Magnetic Resonance Facility [2] and the computer tools that make remote experiments possible. It is our hope that our model will serve as a general example for other laboratories considering the use of remote access to their resources.The suite of tools for computer-supported cooperative work used at the EMSL enables researchers to set the controls of the spectrometer, execute NMR experiments, acquire data, analyze results and communicate with other researchers, all without leaving their home institutions or offices. Although there are some limits to what can be accomplished over the internet -mechanical functions such as sample insertion must be performed by local scientists -manipulation of the NMR software and communication with collaborators can be done securely and in real time using desktop computers and standard academic networks [3].Remote collaboration is supported as an option in many of the standard EMSL user support processes. Web forms for submitting proposals to use EMSL facilities include check boxes to indicate a request for remote operation. When a proposal is accepted users must register and take the standard EMSL online computer training to obtain access to instrument computers and the EMSL network. When training requirements are met remote users are given an account on a VNC (virtual network computing) [4] server computer. This VNC server acts as a launching pad to instrument-control computers in the laboratory. For those not familiar with VNC this is an OpenSource software application that enables remote computer control, sending the computer display to the remote site and accepting remote keyboard and mouse input. VNC ...

Dark Lab or Smart Lab: The Challenges for 21st Century Laboratory Software

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