Don't miss the best of 2013: Lab & Science News top 10

By Scott Anthony Patterson, Marketing Communications Manager

On January 02, 2014 in Articles

I laughed. I cried. I put on fifteen pounds. 2013 has been a wonderful year, but I can’t help but feel that I missed something that everyone else knows about. Somewhere in the shuffle, I am just certain that some life-altering knowledge somehow slipped past me, and that one day soon I will stand baffled, wishing that I could comprehend what everyone else is laughing about or what they all seem to find so mind-blowing.

What have I missed?

Fortunately, there is still a chance to catch up on some of the things you missed in 2013 so that you can enter 2014 fully prepared.

Labconco brought you 179 Lab & Science News stories over the last year. They were read nearly 75,000 times. For your utility and amusement, here’s a top ten list of our most read, most shared Lab & Science News items of 2013:
 

1. Does that lab really need an explosion-proof fume hood?

We receive many requests from customers for explosion-proof (EP) fume hoods. Customers often think that if they are working with a flammable chemical they automatically need an EP hood. In reality, only a small percentage of customers really need EP fume hoods. 

Determining whether you need an explosion-proof (EP) fume hood may seem like a daunting task…

2. Top 10 reasons to build a new lab

You have plenty of reasons all your own to consider renovating your laboratory. But once you’ve decided that it’s time for the big lab-makeover, should you build new? Or should you try to fill the old lab with new furniture and equipment? Here’s the quick version of the top ten reasons to build new compared to the top ten reasons to keep the old lab and update the contents…

3. Purifier Logic+: The culmination of biosafety cabinet human factors design

Every job has its own hazards, the majority of which are due to how humans interact with our work environment. Laboratory science is no exception; however, many employees do not associate potential hazards and injuries to the layout and configuration of their work centers…

4. How to choose the right laboratory glassware “dish washer”

If you've never purchased a laboratory glassware washer before, or if it's been a long while since you have, there are six things you should consider before choosing one: resources, conservation, form, function, your laboratory's specific needs, and ensuring that you're getting the best deal.

Here are some tips and guidelines to the benefits, features and options that are out there…

5. Differences between horizontal & vertical clean benches

Laminar flow clean benches provide working environments that have their own filtered air supply. Used in a variety of laboratory, research, hospital and manufacturing applications, clean benches direct the airflow of HEPA filtered air over the work area to provide an ISO Class 5 (formerly Class 100) particulate free work area to perform product tasks.

6. You’re hot then you’re cold: refining your lyophilization process

Ever wish there was a science to refining your lyophilization process? Sorry, there's not. But there is an art to it, and my recent article in Lab Equipment magazine can help you get the perfect process down for your application:

Typically, sample concentration or solvent evaporation requires…

7. Is your lab as safe as it should be?

These headlines involving laboratory safety issues are not making the national news agencies, so the general population as well as laboratory personnel are not aware of the number of incidents that are actually occurring in laboratories. Lack of proper training certainly plays a role in these incidents, but most importantly, it is a lack of daily compliance to safe laboratory practices...

8. Four reasons you should not dry evidence in a fume hood

When drying evidence in a fume hood, it is often very difficult to maintain chain of custody, prevent cross contamination, and properly decontaminate the work area of biohazards. If you are currently drying evidence in a fume hood, it might be time to consider obtaining an Evidence Drying Cabinet instead…

9. What to know about glove boxes

As a Product Manager of 26 years, I have seen glovebox usage increase for a growing number of applications. Scientists, engineers, manufacturers, and facility managers have started using new terms for these devices in an effort to better define and categorize specific glovebox applications…

10. The Origin of BSCs: The evolution of Human Inclination Technology

The Purifier Logic®+ design team scrutinized every biological safety cabinet, intent on finding, designing and integrating the best possible features. The Result? Decidedly the most extensive human factors package, Inclination™ Technology, and the MyLogic™ Operating System…