Use of Scott Base Facilities

Extensive use was made of the bio-lab area in Q hut and the wet Lab in the pump house. The area in the bio-lab was particularly useful although a little cramped. The wet lab is useful in that it is one of the few areas in Scott Base where the ambient temperature can be reduced. This facility is therefore invaluable for the running of cold temperature experiments such as protein separation. Host of the equipment taken to the Antarctic by this event was of a specialist nature, such as protein purification equipment. Items that would be of general use that were taken were a magnetic stirrer and a pH meter. The pH meter currently located in the bio-lab area doesn't work and is probably not accurate enough for general use. The centrifuge in the bio-lab could also be upgraded with the purchase of a fixed angle rotor and the purchase of new plastic inserts for the swing arm rotor. Bed plastic inserts would initially be most useful. This would increase the ability to use this facility for more than haemocrit type work. It would be of great assistance to prospective researchers to have a list of equipment available in the bio-lab and wet lab facilities.

A good supply of distilled water should be available. This will require fixing the still and obtaining ideally a 25 litre glass container to collect the water once distilled. Washing up soiled glassware is currently a problem but was overcome with the use of the mess facilities.