The Department of Biological Sciences is located in Long and Jordan Halls. The major items of equipment belonging to the Department are available to all members of the Department. These equipment items include darkroom facilities, several low speed mid speed and ultra-centrifuges, a liquid scintillation counter, a thermocycler for PCR, computer-controlled equipment such spectrophotometer and fluorimeter plate readers, a real-time PCR machine, and a Fotodyne Gel Documentation System with ethidium bromide, coomassie, green fluorescence and densitometry capabilities. The department also houses sterilization and glass-washing facilities, walk-in cold rooms and environmental chambers, and fluorescence microscopy facilities. Specialized fee-based campus facilities are also available to all departmental researchers. These include animal facilities, green house facilities confocal and electron microscopy facilities, a DNA sequencing facility, and genomics/proteomics capabilities. A detailed description of major resources is found below. |
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| Microscopy Facility |
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 A microscopy facility, located on the 3 rd floor of Jordan Hall, houses a number of microscopes for use by researchers. These include a Zeiss Axiovert 135 Fluorescence microscope with green, red and DAPI fluorescence capabilities, a Zeiss Axiovert 25 inverted light microscopy, and a Nikon SMZ800 stereomicroscope. All microscopes are equipped for digital image capture. |
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| Clemson University Genomics Institute (CUGI) |
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The CUGI BAC/EST Resource Center produces high quality BAC libraries, cDNA libraries, and various types of shotgun libraries. The facility works with plant, animal and microbial genomes. At the present time, CUGI has one of the largest collections of BAC libraries in the world. CUGI also provides fee-based services for robotics (colony picking, re-arraying, colony filter arrays, library storage and clone distribution), sequencing (cDNA, shotgun, BAC-end), physical mapping (BAC fingerprinting, marker hybridization), proteomics and lipidomics (mass spectroscopy, modification, hydrophobicity and shotgun proteomics), and functional genomics (labeling and hybridization, chip reading and statistical analyses). |
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| Laser Confocal Microscopy Facility |
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This facility houses a Zeiss LSM510 with optics for red and green fluorescence, and imaging software for additional image analysis and manipulation. |
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| EM Facility |
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This Facility provides histological services for tissue processing, paraffin embedding and sectioning, frozen tissue embedding and sectioning, routine staining and immuno-histochemical detection of antigens. Two electron microscopes and associated equipment for sampler preparation are associated with this Facility. One technician operates the facility. |
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| Real-Time PCR |
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| Computer-controlled Cepheid SmartCycler PCR instrumentation is available to perform real-time PCR. |
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| Spectroscopy |
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Computer-controlled Bio-Tek spectrophotometer (μQuant) and fluorimeter (FLX-800) plate readers are available for spectroscopy needs. In addition, a luminometer has been provided by Turner Biosystems through their grant program. |
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| Animal Care Facilities (Godley-Snell) |
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The Godley-Snell Research Center (GSRC) opened on Clemson University campus in August of 1995 as a centralized animal research facility. GSRC has 22,000 sq. ft. dedicated to maintaining a variety of laboratory animal species used in research and teaching programs at Clemson University; and to providing resources and support services for those programs. GSRC is managed by the Office of Research Services and provides facilities, equipment, caging, and veterinary and technical support to facilitate animal research and teaching programs. GSRC has housing space for large and small laboratory animals, including two suites of individually ventilated isolation cubicles. Facilities and caging are available for housing laboratory rodents, rabbits, chickens, goats, swine, and other species as required. Ventilated cage rack systems and micro isolator cages are available for housing mice. All animal rooms have centrally controlled temperature, humidity, air-flow, pressure differentials, and lighting. Environmental parameters are monitored continuously using a computer controlled monitoring system with dial out alarms. Laboratory animals are procured from pre-approved sources of specific pathogen free animals. Research Services staff includes laboratory animal trained veterinarians and animal care technicians. Animal care staff provides seven day a week animal care and health surveillance. The surgical facility has two large operating rooms, nursing station, sterile prep, recovery room, procedure and surgical prep room, and radiology. Anesthetic delivery and monitoring equipment are available for various animal species. GSRC maintains a biocontainment suite that meets CDC, Animal Biosafety Level 3 criteria. Access to the facility is controlled by an electronic card access system. The suite contains 1000 sq. ft. animal housing space, a controlled environment chamber, laboratory space, and personnel shower/locker. Laboratory equipment includes a Class II B2 biosafety cabinet and a pass-through steam sterilizer. The biocontainment area is maintained under negative pressure differential with 100% fresh air and 100% HEPA filtered exhaust. Animals are maintained in accordance with all animal welfare regulations and federal guidelines to ensure humane care. Clemson University animal research facilities and programs are registered by USDA and have received full accreditation from the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC). |
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| Animal Care Facilities (Jordan Hall) |
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Reptile/Amphibian vivarium. 6 x 4 m  greenhouse room with floor drain on the roof of Jordan Hall managed by the Biomechanics Lab (R. Blob, PI). Suitable for housing aquatic or terrestrial vertebrates that prefer warm temperatures, including reptiles and many amphibian and fish species.
Aquatic Animal Research Facility. Located in the Pool Agricultural Sciences Building at Clemson University. Dr. Margaret Ptacek (mptacek@clemson.edu, 656-6 964) is facility manager and Jennifer Seda (jseda@clemson.edu, 656-7162) is operations manager. Rooms are available for short-term projects involving aquatic animals housed in aquaria, stock tanks and raceway channels. Re-circulating tanks and raceways can be used for freshwater or sea water research projects. |
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| Greenhouse Facilities |
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 The Clemson University Greenhouse Complex is a support facility for basic and applied plant research housed in the Biosystems Research Complex.
The facility contains over 40,000 square feet of greenhouse space and a 16,000 square-foot headhouse. The greenhouse facility is comprised of two ranges of greenhouses each aligned along a central corridor. Together the ranges contain 24 greenhouse 4 bench zones measuring 36’ x 35', 8 greenhouse single bench zones measuring 12' x 35’, and 4 covered growing areas.
The headhouse contains all of the support facilities for the greenhouse including a preparation area, demonstr ation room, temperature-controlled storage rooms, general laboratory, level 3 containment laboratory, seven growth rooms, reach-in growth chambers, shop, pesticide and fertilizer storage and mixing areas, autoclaves, and emergency utility equipment.
This information taken from the Clemson University Experiment Station page at: http://www.clemson.edu/agforestryresearch/gh/ |
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| Bob and Betsy Campbell Museum of Natural History |
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 The vertebrate collection is located in the Bob and Betsy Campbell Museum of Natural History. It maintains an extensive collection including representatives of 80 percent of the families of birds of the world.
The collection is available for use in teaching and research. There is a classroom area, two vertebrate storage areas, one for dry and another for wet storage. The dry storage area holds 4,000 mammals, 7,000 birds, and 5,000 egg clutches. The wet storage has 2,500 reptiles and amphibians, as well as 7,000 jars of fish. Mr. Stanlee Miller (email: smmll@clemson.edu; telephone: 656-3456) is the curator in charge of the vertebrate collection.
Herbarium. The Herbarium is located in the Bob and Betsy Campbell Museum of Natural History. It maintains an excellent collection of local, regional and worldwide floras. Mr. Pat McMillan (email: pmcmill@clemson.edu; telephone: 656-7234) is the curator in charge of the herbarium.
Visit their Web site at: http://www.clemson.edu/tour/pages/other_campus_areas/natural_history_museum.htm |
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| Library |
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The Robert Muldrow Cooper Library, located in the center of campus, is the main library of the Clemson University Libraries system. Its six-level building houses more than 1.5 million items, including books, periodicals, and microforms. The library subscribes to the majority of major biological, chemical, mathematical and physical science journals. On-line bibliographic retrieval is available through the database searching capabilities of Lockheed and SDC search services. Databases include electronic journals, Bios, Life Sciences, Medline and Zoological Record. The library also provides such services as interlibrary loans, document deliver and access for the disabled. The library also houses a significant number of copiers, printers and computers. |
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| Other Research Support Facilities |
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The Department of Biological Sciences offers an ethanol distribution facility. Clemson University offers a Safety office for radioactive, biological and chemical waste disposal. |
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