General Instrumentation Department

The General Instrumentation department (GI department; Dutch: Gemeenschappelijk Instrumentarium) is a facility within the Faculty of Science at the Radboud University Nijmegen.

Opening hours

The GI department is open on workdays from 8:00-18:00 (you do not need to badge in at the door). Contact us if you need access outside these hours.

Department closure during the Christmas holiday: from 22 Dec 2025 - 7 Jan 2026

The Huygens building and therefor the GI department will be closed during the Christmas holiday from Monday 22 December onwards. Due to maintenance work on the Huygens building, this closure is extended up to including Wednesday January 7th. It is at the moment (03.11.2025) unclear if the microscopes need to be powered off during this time period. No one can the access the GI department during the Christmas closure period; this includes people who have extended access outside of normal opening hours.

Radiation safety (TEMs)

The TEMs within the GI department are considered "Inherent Veilige Toestellen" (IVTs, 'inherently safe devices') by the radiation safety team. This means that they are safe to use. Please contact Hetty if you want to know more.

Biosafety

Different labs within the GI department are operating at different biosafety levels. The biosafety level is noted next to each door.

Biosafety levels in the GI department

SL-1

• Most labs are SL-1.
• This means no work with GMO's or infectious agents takes place in these rooms.

AP-1

• We have two optional SL-1/AP-1 rooms:
  • Room HG01.239 (containing the SP8x light microscope and the DM2500)
  • Room HG01.236 (SP8-Lia)
• AP-1 essentially means that ML-1 samples can be imaged in this room, as long as the container (e.g. the microscope slide) with the sample remains closed at all times.
• Next to the lab door is a card which indicates whether or not GMO's are present in the room. Make sure to flip the card to the correct side when entering the room.

ML-1

• Room HG01.228 (TIRF, SoRa, Thunder) is an ML-1 room.
• Only authorised people are allowed to enter this room.

Rules regarding working in the ML-1 room (TIRF/SoRa/Thunder)

Please refer to the following documentation regarding how to work in the ML-1 room:

• Work protocol GI, part 3 (English)
• Werkvoorschriften GI, deel 3 (Nederlands)
• Short summary of the key points

How to get access to the ML-1 room (TIRF/SoRa/Thunder)

Before you are allowed to enter the ML-1 lab, you have to complete a GI user registration. This consists of two parts:

• Fill in the GI's ML-1 user registration form. There are three versions of the form:
  • A form for users that are registered as ‘projectmedewerkers’ in GRIMAS. They are allowed to work independently in the GI ML-1 room. (e.g. most PhD students)
  • A form for ’students’. These users are not registered as ‘projectmedewerkers’ in GRIMAS, but are registered as ’students’ by their own department. They are allowed to “work under supervision” in the GI ML-1 room.  (e.g. most MSc students)
  • A form for ‘guests’. These users need to be ‘one on one supervised’ in the GI ML-1 room at all times. (e.g. mechanics, microscope demonstrations/practicals).
• Attend a GI room-specific training by Jelle or Hetty. This takes about 5 minutes. If you receive a microscope training in this room, then the room-specific training is already included. After the training, Jelle or Hetty will sign off the form and archive it. You are now allowed to work in the ML-1 room.

Contact

For more information, comments or questions, contact Hetty ("Verantwoordelijk medewerker", VM), or Jelle ("Assistent verantwoordelijk medewerker", AVM).