BRF UPDATE - MAY 2019
We have continued to be very busy, with a few people away for extended periods/roles being recruited for a variety of reasons. I would like to say a huge thank you to the BRF team in general, as people have continued to be flexible, stepping up and helping out across our different areas. I would also like to thank everyone else for their patience and understanding during this time.
We have a lot of key/exciting updates for this month, please read on.
Upcoming events/activities
The future of animal research at UQ - Researcher Feedback session for TRI/PACE – 28th June 11-12.30pm
WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF ANIMAL RESEARCH AT UQ? OPINIONS AND FEEDBACK WANTED!
UQ has engaged OmniAdvisory consulting to evaluate the current and future needs of animal research at UQ. These sessions are an opportunity to have your say at a series of workshops. This will position the university to provide cutting edge animal services support while ensuring the provision of the highest level of animal welfare. Omni advisory want to know what you think about:
* What animal research will look like in the future?
* What are the strengths of the current animal services now?
* Where are the opportunities?
* What would you like to see?
Friday 28th June – 11-12.30pm, TRI Seminar Room 2003 Researchers feedback session for TRI/PACE – calendar invite attached to this email.
If you are unable to attend the above session (others available upon enquiry) and/or would like to give individual feedback then please email either of;
Dr Tim Dyke [email protected]
Dr Gordon McGurk [email protected]
Duo talk – Forbes and UQBR: The Search to prevent diabetic kidney disease – Thursday 20th June TRI Seminar Room 2004
Professor Josephine Forbes and UQBR Animal Technical Officer Jason Zahra will be giving a combined presentation on Professor Forbes’ work on kidney disease, highlighting the role that the TRI BRF team played in performing the animal work for a recent project. A calendar invite is attached to this email.
TRI Core Open Day – 16th May
Come along to hear about the services offered by the Biological Resources Facility and Gnotobiotic Facility, as well as a number of other TRI Core Facilities (invite attached).
BRF staffing
Acting Research Coordinator role – Brad Buchan has formally been appointed to the Research Coordinator role in an acting capacity until December, whilst Karen is in the Training Coordinator role for the duration of a maternity leave position. Congratulations Brad and special thanks for your hard work so far in stepping up to cover this dynamic role!
Breeding Coordinator – Kendall on leave 27th to 31st May
Kendall will be away on leave for one week at the end of this month. As a consequence there may be delays in responding to breeding requests but we will continue to cover and monitor these requests during this time.
Online training – BRF Induction courses
In late March about 250 existing users of the BRF were added to the online induction courses which have been in place for new users, to ensure a minimum level of training was met for all personnel working with animals. It has been fantastic to see people working through these and now over half of all people invited to the course have completed the online training. A lot of people have also taken the time to give useful feedback on the courses which is hugely appreciated, as this is the first time this has been implemented and it is always challenging catering to a wide range of existing skills, needs and knowledge amongst our users. We have also worked through some technical issues which again we really appreciate everyone’s patience and feedback on. As the due dates approach we will be going through and updating access records accordingly, removing those who no longer need BRF access which will bring the completion rate up even further.
As always please do not hesitate to contact us with any queries or feedback at all.
