We recently acquired some lab space that was previously occupied by a biologist, and will be offering part of it to whoever we hire for our job opening. The space will probably need some extensive remodeling, both because it hasn't been touched in years, but also because it was set up for biology work.
Thinking about the space, and what would be needed to make it useful for a physicist, led me to the following rule of thumb for identifying the type of science done in a lab:
If a room has more sinks than electrical outlets, it's a biology lab.
I'm sure something similar could be done for most of the other lab sciences-- if a room has more fume hoods than sinks, it's a chemistry lab; if it's got black carboard taped over all the windows, it's a laser lab; if it has more Ethernet ports than lights, it's a computer lab; etc.
What's a good rule of thumb for spotting a lab in your favorite (or least favorite) lab science?
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If there are nothing but desks, chairs, and/or couches, it's all computational or theoretical work in that lab.
"If there are nothing but desks, chairs, and/or couches, it's all computational or theoretical work in that lab."
Our computational lab is carpeted, thats a pretty good identifier. Although carpet + fancy electronics was probably not the smartest idea.
If it has lots of little windowless rooms, it's an experimental psychology lab.
If it's underfunded, it's the Math lab.
If it has drums and xylophones, it is the music education lab. If it has a computer, a CD player, and a music stand, it is the improvisation lab.
That is a fib. We need a great many outlets to plug in our centrifuges, pH meters, balances, electrophoretic apparati, vortexers, shakers, incubators, spectrophotometers, refrigerators and yes, our computers (which we use for word processing the many papers and grant applications).
If it has more interior decorated wall panels than instruments, it's industrially funded.
We had a number of different rooms, but the main one had no sinks and about a gazillion power outlets, miles of wire, various plugs, balasts, timers, etc. all of which I assembled myself. Oh, there are animals in there, too, but you cannot see them - they are monitored via computer in the adjoining room (which does have a little sink). My advisor said that if I did not graduate, I could always use the skills I learned in the lab and be an electrician.
If it has a sign outside that says, "24-Hour Flower Stand," it's a meth lab.
If a room has more refrigerators and -20s than chairs, it's a molecular biology lab.
If a room has more hoods than chairs, it's either a chem lab (fume hoods) or a cell bio lab (tissue culture hoods).
If it has a big telescope... then you got lost on the way to the lab, because you're now in an observatory. :-P
Nobody's said the one that I've observed most: if it's in the basement, it's a physics lab. I hear there's less vibrations but I think everyone's just trying to hide us.
Our computational lab is carpeted, thats a pretty good identifier.
Yes. Carpet is a great way to identify theory labs.
If it has lots of little windowless rooms, it's an experimental psychology lab.
They just converted a room across the hall to psych labs, and this is pretty accurate. There are little windows in the doors, but during the construction, it looked like Gitmo.
One of the psych profs has since decorated the space with plastic flowers because, as he explained, he doesn't want people to think about death when they're in his lab. Apparently, it throws off the results.
If it is internally reinforced, has a bare concrete floor, and contains a habitable structure more than one storey in height, it's probably a civil engineering lab.
If it has working, light-tight shades for all the windows, roughly two screens or monitors for each computer, and a decent sound system, then it's probably a telescope control room.
If it jumps up and licks you repeatedly, it's probably a black Lab.
I'm just glad that physics is taking a lab from biology, which has been kicking our butt funding-wise for many years. Next can you take a lab away from the Law School?
If it has a 1200 amp circuit breaker, it's an engineering lab.
RE: "if it's in the basement, it's a physics lab." And if the electrical outlets are suppied by conduit on top of cinder-block walls, it's a physics lab that produces lots of data. If you can't see the conduit, don't expect lots of data.