Luger Lab wins CU Boulder Freezer Challenge
The Luger Lab, a Biocemistry labÌýheaded by PIÌýKarolin Luger, hasÌýwon the CU Boulder Freezer Challenge, put on by CU Green Labs.
The CU Boulder competitionÌýhappened in conjunction with theÌýÌýandÌýoffered additional prizes to CU Boulder labs participating in the international competition based on how many points they earned on their scoresheets. In all, 23 labs from CU Boulder participated in the 2018 International Laboratory Freezer Challenge and togetherÌýthey earnedÌýCU Boulder Honorable Mention in the competition.ÌýUniversity of IllinoisÌýUrbana-Champaign, who took first prize in the International Freezer Challenge, had 40 labs participate in the challenge.
The Luger Lab earned a $100 gift card to a local restaurant of their choice, and they choseÌý.
The following labs also received $100 gift cards to local restaurants of their choice.
- 2nd place - Biochemistry Cell Culture Facility (defending champions from 2017)Ìý-Ìýetai's
- 3rd place - Leinwand Lab - MCDB -ÌýThe Med
- 4th place - Detweiler Lab - MCDBÌý-ÌýThe Corner
- 5th place - Yin Lab - BiochemistryÌý- Potbelly's
- 6th place - Parker Lab - Biochemistry - Backcountry Pizza
Labs participated from many different departments on campus including CIRES, Integrative Physiology, Physics, theÌýInstitute of Behavioral Genetics and Chemical and Biological Engineering. Labs earn points in the freezer challenge byÌýdefostingÌýfreezers and refridgerators, sharing freezers between labs, attempting room tempertature sample storage, buying new more efficientÌýUltraLow Temperatures freezers and retiring older, less-efficient modelsÌýand creating or maintaining inventories of the contents of their freezers and refridgerators.
The International LaboratoryÌýFreezer Challenge is organized by the non-profitsÌýÌý(I2SL) andÌý.
"The freezer challenge is about immediate energy efficiency savings, but it's also about resiliency. Performing this regular maintenance on your systems can prevent catastrophic equipment failures," says Christina Greever, CU Green Labs Program Assistant and Outreach Coordinator. In short, she quips, "it's good for energy efficiency, it's good for your freezer unit itselfÌýand it's good for science." Greever adds that labs that participate in the Freezer Challenge are on the cutting edge of finding new research solutions and moving away from the risks to research involved with freezer use.
Congratulations to all participating labs!