Upon Arrival

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If you are the Spokesperson of an experiment at NSCL, you should have taken care of the following items prior to arrival to perform the experiment:

  1. Submitted the completed Scheduling and Safety Questionnaire form
    (see: http://www.nscl.msu.edu/exp/prepexp/questionnaire).

  2. Completed the Request to Ship Radioactive Materials To/From the NSCL form if you plan to ship such materials
    (see: http://www.nscl.msu.edu/exp/prepexp/transport ).

  3. Made housing arrangements for outside users in your collaboration
    (see http://www.nscl.msu.edu/ourlab/directions/accommodations ).

  4. Notified Raman Anantaraman (telephone: 517-333-6337; e-mail: raman@nscl.msu.edu) of your arrival, so that arrangements can be made to provide the best possible support for your experiment.

Parking, Parking Permit, and Access Keys

Outside users arriving by car may park in any of the available spots in the side lot on the east side of the laboratory. For entry into NSCL when you first arrive, please go to the main (west) entrance of the building (closest to Chemistry). If you arrive during normal business hours, the doors will be open; identify yourself to the receptionist as a user and request a Cyclotron Visitor parking permit. If after hours, please use the phone located between the outer and inner doors to call the Operator at 305; and, if (s)he is not at that number, page him/her by dialing 143. Or you can use your cell phone to call the Cyclotron Console at (517)333-6305.

The Cyclotron Visitor parking permit is valid only for parking in the NSCL parking lot. Parking anywhere else on the campus of MSU requires that you get a permit from the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety. For directions to their office, please ask the receptionist or call 355-8440.

If you are staying at Kellogg Center, please note that Kellogg will provide free transportation between the hotel and NSCL, if arrangements are made in advance with the hotel.

Outside users will need NSCL access cards to enter NSCL and work in radiation-restricted areas of the laboratory. For more details, please refer to the following page:

Safety Training

All NSCL users are required to attend a site-specific safety training session, with an annual refresher session, prior to working in the experimental vaults. Raman Anantaraman will schedule a training session for members of your group who have not yet obtained site-specific training or the refresher. You should allow 30 minutes for this, most conveniently during a weekday preceding your experiment. One member of your group must be designated "Safety Representative" and will be responsible for handling targets, radioactive sources, and other safety issues.

Radiation Film Badge

The receptionist will issue a radiation film badge to each member of your group. You must wear this badge at all times when you are in the laboratory. Please remember to return the badge to Raman Anantaraman when you leave.

Further Administrative Assistance

If necessary, the receptionist can direct you to:

  • Chris Townsend (room N-103), who will discuss any administrative needs with you – visas for foreign visitors, on-campus facilities, etc.
  • Raman Anantaraman (room N-105), who will coordinate assistance for your research at the laboratory.

Telephones, Fax, and Electronic Mail

The main telephone number for the laboratory is 517-355-9671. A receptionist will be at this number during normal work hours in the Eastern Time Zone. The telephone number for the Data-U's is 517-324-8110, and for the Outside User Area is 517-324-8122. East Lansing is in the Eastern Time zone.

Long distance telephone calls are a major NSCL expense. Users should follow the guidelines below:

  • Long distance calls should be exclusively for laboratory-related business (this is both NSCL and University policy). If you need to make a personal long distance call, you should either use a calling card or arrange to have the call charged to your home phone.

  • When you make a long distance call from an NSCL phone, try to limit it to the time necessary to accomplish your goal.
  • Use alternative communication mediums such as electronic mail, fax, or the U.S. mail service when possible. As mentioned in section 3, the terminals in the Outside User Area can be used to send e-mail messages. The fax number for the NSCL is 517-353-5967. The fax machine is located in the copy room. Long-distance personal faxes must be charged to your own calling card; if you need help placing such a call, please see Chris Townsend.

To make telephone calls:

PROCEDURE INSTRUCTIONS
TO CALL SOMEONE IN THE LAB dial the last three digits of their phone number
TO PAGE SOMEONE IN THE LAB Dial 143, announce your message, hang up phone
TO PAGE FROM OUTSIDE THE LAB Dial 355-9672 X 143, announce message, hang up
TO DIAL AN ON-CAMPUS NUMBER must dial 9, then 5 digit number (EXAMPLE: 9-5-9671)
TO DIAL AN OFF-CAMPUS LOCAL
NUMBER		 dial 8, then regular phone number (EXAMPLE: 8-655-7203)
TO DIAL AN OFF-CAMPUS
LONG-DISTANCE NUMBER		 dial 8, 1 or 0, area code, regular phone number (EXAMPLE:
8-1-517-655-7203) (1 for direct dial, 0 for operator assist.)
FAX (517) 353-5967

Experimental Accounts on the NSCL Computers

For data acquisition, you will typically log in to one or more Linux and Windows machines located in the Data U's and the experimental vaults. Prior to your arrival, two accounts would have been established for your experiment, one on the Linux data acquisition cluster and one on the Windows system. Both accounts would have the same username and the same password. To log in, supply:

  • your username, which is the 5-digit experiment number 0xxxx, and
  • the initial password, which will be given to you by Raman Anantaraman.

When you first log in, you should change your password on both accounts. On the Windows account, you will be prompted to do this. On the Linux account, to change the password, type yppasswd and follow the instructions. For additional details, please see:

Seating Space

There is an Outside User Area at the east end of the Data Room with nine seating areas (cubicles). Each cubicle has a computer terminal. You can reserve any of the unoccupied cubicles for your use during your visit, by writing your name on the whiteboard provided for that purpose. There is one telephone in the Outside User Area, to serve the whole area; the phone number is 517-324-8122. The terminals in the nine seating areas can be used to send e-mails and to TELNET to your home e-mail account. Each terminal has a username and password assigned to it, and these are posted on the individual desks.

Locker

There are 12 lockers just outside the Outside User Area, on the walkway to the experimental vaults. You can reserve any unoccupied locker by writing your name on the name tag posted on the locker. Before you leave, please strike through your entry and put the locker's key back in the keyhole.

Data Tapes

Users may purchase data tapes from NSCL or bring their own data tapes. We are set up to accommodate LTO and DLT tapes, the preferred choice being LTO. The spokesperson for each approved experiment is responsible for providing the data tapes. You can purchase tapes from the Computer Help Room (room N-111) or, as an emergency measure, from the Cyclotron Operators (console). For inside users, tape purchases will be charged to internal account numbers; for outside users, the purchases will be invoiced.

Liaison

Raman Anantaraman (room N-105, phone: 517-333-6337) is responsible for:

  • Coordination with users regarding experimental set-up.
  • Coordination with users during experiment to ensure efficient use of accelerator time.

For detailed information on a particular experimental device, please refer to the Technical Information about Experimental Devices page.

Operator Assistance During Your Experiment

The role of the Operator-in-Charge is described at:

Food

The nearest place for food is the Owen Hall cafeteria, just three minutes' walk from NSCL. Owen Hall is located diagonally across from the traffic circle just east of NSCL. The cafeteria hours are: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.

You will find a wide selection of restaurants in East Lansing and adjoining areas by searching at the Yahoo website:

Campus Information

Campus information is available at the Michigan State University website: http://www.msu.edu/.

Exercise Facilities on Campus

One of the branches of the Intramural Sports and Recreative Services of MSU is the IM Sports East Building, located just to the east of NSCL on Shaw Lane. See http://www.msu.edu/dept/imsports/imsports.htm for details. It is necessary to have MSU ID to use the IM facilities. If you wish to avail of them, the procedure is:

  1. Get a letter stating your visitor status from Chris Townsend or Raman Anantaraman.
  2. Take the letter to Room 201 of the IM West Building (about 1 mile west of NSCL).
  3. Get an ID card valid for the duration of your visit for a nominal charge ($5).
  4. Use the card at the IM East facility or any of the other IM facilities.

More Information

Detailed information on planning and performing experiments at NSCL is posted at http://www.nscl.msu.edu/exp. The section termed "Performing an Experiment" will be particularly useful while you are making use of our facilities at NSCL.

We strive to provide the best possible support for each experiment at NSCL. Our goal is to make your experiment succeed. Please ask any NSCL staff member for help if you need assistance with a running experiment. We wish you the best of luck on your experiment.