Company:
The University of Idaho
Analytical Sciences Laboratory
Moscow, ID
www.uidaho.edu/asl
Business Strategy:
The University of Idaho Analytical Sciences Laboratory (ASL) is a full service laboratory that operates within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Their staff of scientists, technicians, and support personnel is committed to providing the highest quality analytical and research services.
Company Profile:
ASL directs its services and research support to universities, government agencies and contractors, non-profit organizations, the clinical veterinary community, and agricultural producers. Offering over 200 different tests conducted in compliance with the applicable Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations (40 CFR §160), the laboratory analyzes about 20,000 samples per year for a broad spectrum of target compounds in a wide variety of matrices. Supporting the activities of university scientists, the Cooperative Extension System, veterinarians, as well as state and regional agencies, ASL has five analytical services: Water Quality, Soil Chemical and Physical Analyses, Plant Chemical Analyses, Environmental Monitoring, and Veterinary Diagnostic Toxicology.
Water Quality testing includes methods in the EPA 100, 200, 300, 500, and 8000 series, among others. In addition, advanced instrumentation and senior scientists allow ASL to develop and validate analytical methods in support of many unique research projects. The Soil Analysis lab processes approximately 2500 samples each year in support of university research and soil fertility testing for homeowners. ASL provides a broad range of analytical services in the area of Plant Analyses, including pesticide residues, macro- and micronutrient composition, and heavy metal analysis. The Environmental Monitoring Service performs a full range of regulatory and research grade methods of analysis for heavy metals, trace hazardous chemicals, and pesticides in a great variety of matrices. The Veterinary Diagnostic Toxicology Service is the primary toxicology laboratory for Idaho and Washington. A full range of veterinary toxicology tests are provided to veterinarians, wildlife workers, law enforcement agencies, and university researchers. Over one hundred veterinary diagnostic toxicology cases per month are handled at ASL.
Sample Master® LIMS at the University of Idaho Analytical Sciences Laboratory:
ASL’s previous LIMS was out dated and was based on a proprietary database which limited their ability to expand the system to handle new and different analyses. ASL was searching for a system that would allow them more flexibility with their data and reporting. Their requirements were for a LIMS system that could handle a wide variety of procedures and yet not be so complicated that a full-time IT staff was required to implement and maintain the system. They were also looking for a system that provided reliability. ASL determined that ATL’s Sample Maser
® LIMS met all of these requirements.
Sample Master
® LIMS utilizes Microsoft SQL Server allowing for ease of use in working with data. New tables can be added and attached to the standard Sample Master
® database to allow expansion of the base system to meet varied requirements. Sample Master
® LIMS has provided ASL the ability to utilize their terminology and to configure the system to match the sample flow of their laboratory. Because of the LIMS flexibility, ASL has been able to easily customize Sample Master
® to “fit” their laboratory.
Sample Master
® contains powerful reporting functions that allow an unlimited number of user definable custom reports to be created. Report design is facilitated by the inclusion of “canned” sample reports. Over 7 dozen canned reports are included with Sample Master
® LIMS; which can all be modified. ASL was able to use these reports as a starting point and modify them to meet their reporting needs and generate sophisticated reports.
“Sample Master® LIMS is a great tool for our laboratory. It has allowed us to better track samples through the laboratory and provide data in a format that is more useful and valuable to our clients.”
Janet Snow, Laboratory Support Administrator
The University of Idaho Analytical Sciences Laboratory
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