labtech unplugged

Joe Klavitter, from University of Michigan Advanced Genomics Core, shares how his team went from being unsure about automation to confidently designing and running a full workflow, independently.

In this episode, SPT Labtech’s Melissa Netwal and Jonathan Faherty share their personal experiences navigating the challenges of single-use plastics in the lab. They dive into practical alternatives, like reusing and washing tips, while acknowledging these methods aren’t always a perfect fit. The conversation also explores how non-contact dispensing technologies, such as those found in dragonfly®...

In this episode of labtech unplugged, we’re joined by Dulan Liyanage from My Green Lab, a non-profit organization aiming to drive a long-term cultural shift towards sustainability in the scientific community, through a portfolio of frameworks and certifications designed to address different aspects of life in lab. In addition to learning more about the organization, we explore the significance of...

In this episode, we're joined by Kerstin Hermuth-Kleinschmidt, an independent sustainability consultant, who shares insights into her career and provides actionable tips that can help you reduce your environmental footprint in the lab. Whether University or industry-based, Kerstin walks through the process that she follows when undertaking projects with labs, to ensure long-term success with measu...

Packaging not only protects new products during shipping and delivery but also communicates essential safety information and brand messaging. However, excessive plastic packaging is a common issue. In this episode, Robin Tan and Leo Chao from Zenpack join us to discuss innovations in eco-friendly packaging. They share how Zenpack is pushing the boundaries of paper and cardboard to balance creative...

At the heart of synthetic biology lies the Design-Build-Test-Learn cycle, a systemic approach to development where researchers build on gained knowledge with each iteration. While this approach is successful in generating lots of data quickly, labs are faced with the challenge of generating an enormous amount of plastics waste through increased consumables usage, a large portion of that coming fro...

The life science industry generates over 5.5 billion tonnes of plastic waste every year, with a huge reliance on single-use plastics. It’s clear that reducing this volume will have a significant impact on reducing carbon emissions. Another challenge is the lack of measurement tools to fully understand current impact and forecast the future impact of sustainability efforts. Traditional metrics for...

In every life science lab, plastic consumables, like pipette tips and syringes, are essential for daily operations. As throughput demands increase, so does the volume of plastic used every day. These items must also meet rigorous standards to ensure accurate and reliable results, especially in sensitive clinical and biological research. In this episode we sit down with Helen and Paresh from SPT la...

Synthace, known for their expertise in software, supports biologists with their platform that digitizes experiment design and simulation, unifies automation, and harmonizes data, providing a complete digital record that facilitates faster and more streamlined workflows. As part of their organization-wide initiatives, the team has used their experience with software to promote sustainable lab pract...

In the first episode of labtech unplugged, we're kicking off our conversation with Carey Rooks and Joby Jenkins from SPT Labtech around sustainability in the lab, discussing the progress that has been made so far and key areas where improvements can still be made. No matter what the next steps are, it's clear that we need to take responsibility for our own choices and actions, and that collaborati...