ADVION CSM system

This spring/summer Dr. Ragains and I spearheaded an initiative to relocate the Advion ExpressIon mass spectrometer from the SIF to the Chemistry Department. 

Dr. Pojman agreed to have the system checked by the manufacturer, and the system is now fully operational. It is currently located in the basement of Choppin Hall (room B-24), the same room the MALDI is located. 

• The instrument is part of the MSF, and therefore I am the main manager.
• The instrument is intended as a “walk-up” mass spectrometer. Users will be able to book online the instrument in a similar fashion to the MALDI and the NMR instruments.
• Users will be allowed to book the instrument after training. Users can signup for training by visiting the instrument booking section.
• A one hour block is reserved every Friday from 1 to 2 pm. This time is dedicated to traiing and to running samples submitted to the facility. The permanent training sessions allow users to learn how to use the instrument, get a refresher, ask specific questions etc.
• The training is intended to provide users with the knowledge to operate the instrument and also the minimum expertise to acquire high quality data. Some users can learn everything in 1 hour, others will require more time, but all users need to meet minimum requirements before they can run the instrument on their own without any supervision. This is intended to avoid erroneous operations that may compromise the function of the mass spectrometer and, also very important, to make sure that the data you acquire have the quality needed to help your research.
• We created a Box folder with all the training material, including videos, powerpoint presentation that guide the users ste-to-step, and the manuals to operate the instrument. The folder contains also the Advion software, which can be used to open and analyze the acquired data. Any LSU affiliated user can access the page from this website, in the "Protocols and Software" section.