Do you ever have trouble getting access to instruments that you need?

I'm currently at the centre of a bit of a ding-dong with other users, we have a booking system in place, which I used to book time on a machine, but another user has stamped their foot cos they want it (and they want it NOW...). Result: emails from the higher echelons flying around re: does anyone have the "right" to book equipment. What's the situation in your institutions?

I should add that my industrial partners need me to do these analyses, otherwise we may not get next year's funding, so I'm a bit nervous:$

Apologies for the poor use of commas in that message. That's how stressed I am, I usually take pride in my commas;-)

I understand where you are coming from. There is one other PhD student in our lab who ignores the needs of other people and uses what she wants when she wants, for example all the PCR machines or all the benchtop centrifuges in one go. Or she uses up stock reagents then never reorders them so when you come to use them they are all gone. It gets a bit annoying but she is one of these girls who is totally selfish and doesn't take note when it's pointed out that other people need to use machines.

But on the whole we have a booking system for equiptment in our lab and pretty much everyone sticks to it. Basically if you have booked the machine then you should be the one to use it.

Is it a case of a post doc saying that their work is more important cos you're just a phd student? Have you taked to your supervisor about it? If funding is at stake then surely that should make your work a priority.

Thanks Tricky. It's another PhD student who is unhappy that I've booked the machine for a couple of weeks. The objection from them is that no-one should be allowed to book equipment; our argument is that's nonsense: how else do you manage shared machines? There has always been a booking system in place. I've been told I'm being "unfair", because I've booked it. I just wondered if other uni's had booking systems, or is it first come first served?

There's a hiatus on use of the machine at the moment while this is argued out, which is likely to get me earache from our sponsors!

The annoying thing with people like that is.. as soon as they need a piece of equipment for a couple of weeks a booking system will seem like a wonderful idea!!

Exactly: earlier this year I was kept off a machine for weeks by the same person who's kicking up a stink now! Short memories...