CORES, the core ordering and reporting system that core facilities use to facilitate their operations on campus, will be retired by the end of the calendar year. To ensure the University of Notre Dame is prepared for this, core facilities will transition to a software called iLab core facility management software from Agilent Technologies.
“Notre Dame Research is excited to roll out this new software program to the University’s core facilities,” said Melanie DeFord, assistant vice president for research. “Beyond the phasing out of CORES and the need to replace it, iLab core facility management software offers a variety of new benefits for core facility managers and users.”
Researcher in the Radiation Laboratory, a core facility at Notre Dame.iLab core facility management software was specifically designed to support the operations for shared resource facilities. This software has increased functionality, including improved scheduling for resources, access controls for equipment needing trained users, cost-tracking for projects, and robust reporting capabilities. One of the key benefits is the customizability of the system to allow each core facility to use (or not use) certain functions of the iLab core facility management software.
Some facilities have already started the transition process to the new system. Megan Sheraton, research technologies and support program director in Notre Dame Research, is responsible for the daily operations of the core facility software and is leading these transitions, which will continue in multiple waves throughout the year. The units assigned to the first waves and their go-live dates are as follows:
- Wave 1 on May 26, 2020: Molecular Structure Facility, Chemistry Nitrogen Core Facility, and the Radiation Laboratory
- Wave 2 on July 1, 2020: Helium Recovery and Liquefaction Facility, Physics Machine Shop, and the Flow Cytometry Core
- Wave 3 on July 1, 2020: Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, MITERAC, and the Aero-Optics Core Facility
- Wave 4 on August 1, 2020: McCourtney Hall Dry Ice Facility, McCourtney Hall Nitrogen Core Facility, Engineering Machine Shops, and the Engineering and Design Core Facility
Go-live dates may change as needed. Please contact Megan Sheraton if you have any questions about the designated transition dates or wave timeline.
In discussing the transition process, Allen Oliver, director of the Molecular Structure Facility (MSF) and research professor of chemistry and biochemistry, said, “The initial transition process to iLab core facility management software has gone smoothly, as the software meets the needs of my facility. The Agilent Technologies and Notre Dame Research teams have facilitated this process and have been able to readily answer any questions that I had throughout the process. Both teams were able to tailor the interface to the purpose of the MSF and I believe that this will certainly apply to all facilities during the transition to iLab core facility management software. The learning curve was not as steep as I had anticipated, due to the intuitive nature of the interface."
To support the transition process, core facility personnel may participate in monthly virtual sessions for demonstration of the iLab core facility management software.
Regular sessions for training and demonstration of the software will be held for the user community. Dates and times for those trainings will be determined in the coming weeks. Those interested in participating should contact ndcores@nd.edu for scheduling once those dates and times are announced.
Contact: Melanie DeFord, assistant vice president for research, mdeford@nd.edu or Megan Sheraton, research technologies and support program director, mujdak@nd.edu.
research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch
About Notre Dame Research:
The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see research.nd.edu or @UNDResearch.