Lab Safety

It is our top priority that nobody gets injured while doing an experiment. Some of the projects we'll work on in this class involve materials that, if used improperly, could lead to injury. You're probably familiar with the story of the person who sued McDonalds for several million dollars after dumping hot coffee into her own lap. Hot coffee is hot because we like it that way, and people need to accept that we can't, and probably wouldn't want to, live in a world completely free from risk. Nothing we do in this class is more dangerous than everyday activities like boiling water, chopping vegetables, or crossing the street, but it is within the realm of possibility that you could hurt yourself. Please exercise caution. There are ways to reduce these risks. Among the things you should remember are:

• Nobody expects to have an accident, but they still happen, so it's good to have a plan.
• Accidents happen more frequently when you are in a rush.
• Accidents happen more frequently when you are unprepared, or doing something for the first time.
• Accidents happen more frequently when you use the wrong tool for the job.
• Use your common sense; 3.9 billion years of evolution can't be wrong.
• Use an oven mitt, insulated gloves, or rubberized tongs to handle hot objects.
• You can't tell just by looking whether a metal or glass object is too hot to touch.
• Wear protective gloves when working with sharp objects or glass.
• When cutting things, always point the sharp edge of a knife blade away from your body in case it slips.
• Do not heat up untempered glass under direct flame; it is not heat resistant and may shatter.
• Use eye protection when appropriate. An inexpensive pair of plastic safety glasses could save an eye!
• Keep your work area clean and organized.
• Wear old clothes just in case you spill something.
• Tie back long hair and remove jewelry and loose objects that might get in the way of your work.
• Gather all necessary materials in advance and set them out nearby.
• Read and understand all directions before beginning a project.
• Know what you're going to do before you begin work.
• Think in advance about what could go wrong and how you could deal with it.
• You are responsible for your own safety and the safety of those around you.
• Keep a well stocked first aid kit in the house. You never know when you might need it.
• Keep a fire extinguisher nearby.
• Do projects involving open flame in a well ventilated space with no nearby flammable materials.
• Be careful! Don't do anything that seems dumb or dangerous!
• If it seems dangerous, stop! You are probably doing it wrong.
• Dispose of sharps (needles, broken glass, etc) in appropriate containers.
• If you must dump chemical liquids down the drain, run lots of water with them.
• Ask if you have questions.

Ethical Treatment of Animals

Despite what you might think, scientists care about their research animals and go to great lengths to treat them humanely. It doesn't matter if the animal is unimportant or repulsive to some people, like a worm, or a cockroach or a venomous snake, or if it's cute, furry, and charismatic. If experimental animals are sick, stressed, undernourished or otherwise unhealthy in ways that are not a necessary part of the experimental design, the validity of the experiment is compromised. If an experiment requires the sacrifice or even temporary discomfort of the animal, it must meet a very high standard of necessity. Universities have strict regulations about the ethical care, treatment, and general use of animals in research and teaching, and the regulations go far beyond what is required by law. We will not be doing any experiments using live vertebrates (animals with a backbone) in this class. No living fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, or mammals will be used in any of our experiments. Observation of live animals in the wild is allowed as long as there is no interference with their normal behavior. For example, you can observe a bird building a nest, but you must try to avoid disturbing its activities. Why? A bird might abandon its nest if you bother it and, if the bird is aware of your presence, it may alter the behavior you are trying to study. We may use plants and invertebrates, such as snails, earthworms, insects, etc. in some of our projects, but we will still treat them humanely. While these regulations are self-imposed, they are much stricter than those used in the pet trade, farming, fishing, and many other human activities that involve the use of animals. It is important to remember that a great deal of important medical knowledge that directly benefits humans has come from animal research, but that we are still morally obliged to be humane and to do as little harm as possible, even to animals that most humans don't care about, or ones that the rest of us actively try to exterminate.