It's not unlikely at all.
Research animal disposal would be handled by the animal care staff, not the lab she worked for. Animal use is very highly regulated. If it is a barrier facility, she would have had to work with her animals inside the animal care facility- that is why I think the signing up she did was to reserve a procedure room inside that facility.
Great post and ideas re: the procedure room staff!
Have you read anywhere that Annie actually signed up to reserve a procedure room inside the Amistad street building...or is that simply standard procedure at a major university research lab....or?
Also, what exactly is a "barrier facility?"
TIA.
No, no where did it specifically say she had signed up for a "procedure room" but there was a reference for her signing up for a 10am "time slot" to work. A lot of what I am trying to do is read between the lines here- most of the reporting is being done by lay people- they're calling everything a "lab" and I think it's leading to a lot of confusion.
I am not at Yale, but at a different comparable large university and much of the animal research would be subject to the same rules and regulations.
I have never heard of anyone having to sign up to work
in their lab
. You are there every day- why would you sign up? You're expected to be there. Where you would have to sign up would be in the animal facility. Labs do not keep the research animals inside the lab- it is not allowed, it would be a violation. The IACUC (Animal Care and Use Committee) could shut the lab down if it were discovered. The animals are kept in an animal facility, either barrier or conventional. Barrier facilities are CLEAN. The animals are maintained in a disease free state. You are not allowed to remove animals, except for terminal procedures, since once out they are considered "dirty" and can not go back. You are not allowed to bring large equipment in and out. This means if you are going to work with your animals, you must go to them. What this means is that any equipment you would need would be permanently inside that facility, in a procedure room. There is always a sign up sheet for these rooms as multiple people from multiple labs use them. There is nothing more annoying than going to work with your animals and finding someone there before you who says "I'll be finished in three hours- come back then" That's why you sign up in advance.
I notice that the reporters are calling the building, her office, the actual lab, and the "lower floor room where she was working" her "lab" I don't think they are familiar enough with this sort of work to make distinctions.
