Science Laboratory Technician - Biological & Physical Sciences Columbus State Community College

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Classroom Support

• Performs highly skilled laboratory functions and other technical duties in support of coursework. This includes the maintenance of appropriate safety and hygiene standards, set up of the teaching laboratories, preparation of laboratory demonstrations as required by faculty, to provide optimal results and save time for students and instructors, maintenance, upkeep and replacement of analytical instruments, assembling and maintaining laboratory equipment, calibration of lab equipment, and training faculty in the use of lab equipment.
• Weekly cadaver care to support human anatomy instruction.
• In addition, the science lab tech sets up, maintains, and tears down weekly labs, maintains lab supplies and equipment for labs taught by CSCC BPS instructors in High School settings, and prepares chemical solutions, reagents, extracts, dilutions, and microbiology media.
• The microbiology science lab tech is responsible for preparing, maintaining, and performing quality control testing of microbiology media used for the growth of microorganisms, as well as the maintenance and quality control of bacterial cultures used during consecutive laboratory sessions.
• Provides classroom assistance to faculty, adjuncts, and students. Assists in laboratory class coverage as needed.
• Cleans and organizes assigned laboratory environments and maintains laboratory supplies and equipment.
• Operate autoclave, calibrate, and perform necessary troubleshooting and repair.
• Process chemical hazardous waste.
• Assists in maintaining BPS lab cabinets, including maintaining stock, organizing materials, ordering supplies, and preparing them for classes.

Customer Service

• Expected to have sufficient knowledge of lab procedures, processes, equipment use, and inventory to answer questions posed by faculty, including expected results.
• Provides lab tours and orientations to new faculty, orienting them to lab policies, equipment, and procedures.
• Assists faculty with special projects.
• Assists faculty with community outreach/service/STEM promotion to K12.
• Responds timely to emails, texts, and phone calls from faculty, including evening and weekends.
• Schedules instrument and equipment use.
• Assures adequacy and availability of supplies and materials.
• When budgetary constraints prevent adequate supplies, the transport of materials between locations, including high schools.
• Good stewardship of college resources in procurement, maintenance, and use of materials.
• Procurement, proper labeling, and storage of chemicals.
• Procurement of laboratory materials from scientific vendors, local establishments, online vendors, including live, fresh, and time-sensitive materials, using college expense card, blanket purchase orders, and requisitions, including documenting receipt of lab items.
• Answers general questions and provides information to students regarding course content, resources available to students in need of assistance in determining course substitutions and prerequisite requirements, and other general information.
• Performs other duties to support teaching function for lecture, lab, and distance learning classes, inclusive of working with the BPS science lab tech team in support of 24 lab rooms, 2 instrument rooms, 15 prep/storage rooms across 7 scientific disciplines.

Administrative

• Maintenance of required documentation related to laboratory activities.
• Creation, updating, and maintenance of laboratory preparation manuals and instructor manuals.
• Management of equipment and materials inventories.
• Orders new lab equipment and supplies required to run science labs for all sections of BPS lab courses.
• Compiles and regularly updates a detailed listing of more commonly used lab equipment for all courses.
• Completes chemistry and biology chemical inventories.
• Completes lab fee analysis.
• Provides technical and administrative support for faculty, adjuncts, and chairperson.
• Makes scheduling arrangements for classrooms and equipment.
• Orders, maintains, and distributes required laboratory materials for students, staff, and faculty.
• Meets with faculty and staff to determine capital equipment needs, as needed.

Culture of Respect

• Fosters and maintains a safe environment of respect and inclusion for faculty, staff, students, and members of the community.