S-Lab announces international shortlist for best laboratories
The winners will be revealed in September at the S-Lab Conference & Exposition in Nottingham, UK
Recognising best practice in designing, building and operating laboratories around the world, this year's S-Lab Awards shortlist has been announced. It comprises 40 entries from nine different countries in eight categories listed below:
- New r&d and analytical lab building
- New teaching/mixed use lab building
- Refurbished lab
- Lab effectiveness
- Environmental improvement
- Making a difference
- Laboratory data and Informatics
- New product
Four labs are shortlisted for the best new r&d and analytical lab building category:
- The Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Maine, US
- The University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, UK
- The University of Saskatchewan International Vaccine Centre, Canada
- The Washington DC Consolidated Forensics Laboratory, US
There are five shortlisted entries in the best new teaching/mixed use laboratory building category:
- Charles R. Drew Charter School, US; Sydney University, Charles Perkins Centre, Australia
- The University of East Anglia, Bob Champion Research and Education Building, UK
- The University of Florida, Lake Nona Research and Academic Centre, US
- The University of New South Wales, Tyree Energy Technologies Building, Australia
Those shortlisted for the best refurbished labs include:
- Cell Therapy Catapult R&D Centre, Guy’s Hospital, London, UK
- Huntsman Pigments Innovation Centre, Wynyard Park, Tees Valley, UK
- Sheffield Hallam University, UK
- University of Edinburgh, Chemical Synthesis Laboratory, Scotland
- University of Glasgow, Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Scotland
Those shortlisted for the laboratory effectiveness category are:
- Massey University College of Sciences, Palmerston North, New Zealand
- The Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- The Science Exchange – a US-based internet venture
- Wageningen University, in the Netherlands
Those shortlisted for environmental Improvement schemes include:
- Aston University, UK
- Lilly, Windlesham, UK
- University of Oxford Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, UK
- University of Michigan, US
Those nominated for the 'Making a Difference' award are Allison Hunter, a technical manager on two campuses at King’s College, London and Rekha Joshi, a senior technical manager in the Faculty of Science, Macquarie University, Australia.
Selected for Laboratory Data and Informatics achievements are:
- Boston University, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Lab, US, for enhancing biosecurity through Informatics
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Research Campus, US and Ecodomus for using BIM for more effective facilities management
- Scottish Environmental Protection Agency for its advanced checking, analysis and visualisation systems for sample data
Shortlisted under the best product category are:
- Ax60 by Analox, UK, a low-cost sensor system designed to detect potentially hazardous levels of carbon dioxide gas in ambient air
- ESTS ISG, Germany, for a flash steam generator used in Logiclave autoclaves which requires no stored hot water or pressurised steam reservoir
- Genano, Finland for proprietary nano-scale air purification method that removes particles of nanometre size and kills viruses and bacteria
- Inlabtec, Switzerland for a Serial Diluter that automates and standardises sample dilution for testing of bacterial counts in food safety and other applications
- KNF Lab, Germany/US, for a redesigned RC900 rotary evaporator whose wireless operation allows full control without raising the fume cupboard sash
- Labaqua, Spain, for a robotic arm for the automatic concentration of water samples by membrane filtration for their microbiological analysis by culture isolation
- SKZ–TeConA, Germany, for a solar-heated water system for pressure test tanks
The award winners will be announced at the 2015 S-Lab Conference & Exposition being held in Nottingham, UK, on 22–23 September.
For more details visit www.effectivelab.org.uk/awards.html