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A framework for the laboratories in our lives

Below (Fig. 1) is a diagrammatic expression of one method of organizing laboratories of the world. The idea behind the framework is that you could name a specific laboratory and be able to put it somewhere within the framework. For example:

• The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's mobile forensics laboratory would fall under Government > Public > Compliance and Legal > Wet (or Dry) > Mobile.

• An engineering design laboratory based within a for-profit car manufacturing company would fall under Private > Internal Customer > Research / Design > Dry > Fixed.

• A chemistry laboratory housed in a secondary school in Germany would fall under Academic > Teaching > Secondary > Wet > Fixed.

Figure 1. A diagrammatic representation of laboratory types using both client type and function as the key organizational elements

The original inspiration for this diagram came from Jain and Rao's attempt to diagram Indian diagnostic laboratories in 2015. While their diagram focused entirely on the clinical sphere of laboratories, it was easy to envision expanding upon their work to express laboratories of all types. Additional inspiration came from KlingStubbins architecture textbook Sustainable Design of Research Laboratories: Planning, Design, and Operation, which lists several methods for organizing types of laboratories; Daniel D. Watch's Building Type Basics for Research Laboratories; and Walter Hain's Laboratories: A Briefing and Design Guide.

The benefit of this diagrammatic approach — with client type at its base — becomes more apparent when we start considering the other two methods we could use to categorize laboratories, as described by KlingStubbins et al.: by science and by function. Organizing by science quickly becomes problematic, emphasizes KlingStubbins:

Gone are the days when the division was as simple as biology and chemistry. New science fields emerge rapidly now and the lines between the sciences are blurred. A list based on science types would include not just biology and chemistry, but biochemistry, biophysics, electronics, electrophysiology, genetics, metrology, nanotechnology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, physics, and so on.

As for function, we can look at what type of activity is primary to the lab. Is it designed to teach students, function as a base for research, provide quality control functions, calibrate equipment, or act as a routine analytical station? Another benefit of looking at labs by function is it helps with our organization of labs within industry (discussed in the next section) by what they do. For example, we don't have a "manufacturing lab"; rather, we have a laboratory in a manufacturing company — perhaps making cosmetics — that serves a particular function, whether its quality control or research and development. This line of thinking has utility, but upon closer inspection, we discover that we need to look further up the chain at who's running it.

As such, we realize these functions can be integrated with client type to provide a more complete framework. Why? When we look at laboratories by science type — particularly when inspecting newer fields of science — we realize 1. they are often interdisciplinary (e.g., molecular diagnostics integrating molecular biology with clinical chemistry) and 2. they can serve two different functions within the same science (e.g., a diagnostic cytopathology lab vs. a teaching cytopathology lab). Rather than build a massively complex chart of science types, with numerous intersections and tangled webs, it seems more straightforward to look at laboratories by client type and then function, following from the architectural viewpoints presented by KlingStubbins et al.

However, this doesn't mean looking at laboratories by science is entirely fruitless. But rather than focus directly on the sciences, why not look at the industries employing laboratory science? While there is crossover between industries (e.g., the cosmetic and petrochemical industries both lean on various chemical sciences), we can extend from the previous diagram (or work in parallel with it) and paint a broader picture of just how prevalent laboratories are in our life.

In the next section, we look at the private, government, and academic labs in various industries; provide real-life examples; and discuss the various subdivisions (functions) and sciences performed in them.

Labs by industry

Note: This is not a thorough listing of industry categories. More will be added when necessary.

Agriculture and forestry

Laboratories within the agriculture and forestry field are focused on analyzing, improving, and ensuring the safety of the various plants, animals, and fungi that are cultivated or bred to sustain and enhance human life. These labs are found in the private, government, and academic sectors and provide many different services, including:

• analysis and assessment of seeds and soils
• analysis and assessment of fertilizers and pesticides
• studies of farm and field systems
• studies of plant and feedstock nutrition
• analysis and assessment of plant and tree fibers and chemicals
• tracking and analysis of plant and tree diseases
• tracking and analysis of invasive plants and insects
• risk assessment of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and microorganisms
• tracking and analysis of agricultural animal disease

How do agriculture and forestry laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? The most obvious way these labs touch our lives on a daily basis is through the food and beverages we consume. Though we talk about the food and beverage industry and its laboratories separately in this guide, agriculture labs are at the forefront of humanity's push to provide greater, more efficient, healthy, and safe agricultural yields. Ag lab personnel work to better feed humans and animals alike, while also considering the environmental impact of research-based advances in fertilizers, pesticides, and GMOs. Without these laboratories in place, we would surely face an even more dire future of struggling to maintain crop yields in a world of increasing population and decreasing natural resources.

Client types

Private - Agriculture labs in the private sector typically serve as third-party or contract laboratories to other entities conducting agricultural activities while unable or unwilling to invest in their own private laboratory. Aside from analytical services, these labs often include consulting services on plant nutrition, soil sciences, and water management.

Examples include:

• A&L Western Laboratories, Inc.
• Agri Analysis, Inc.
• Waters Agricultural Laboratories, Inc.

Government - Government-run agriculture and forestry laboratories conduct specialized topical research, provide analytical services, and oversee federal, state, and local programs in the industry. From bee research to interstate milk shipping program service to compliance testing, these public or public-private labs may act as major research hubs or checkpoints of regulated testing.

Examples include:

• Oregon Department of Agriculture Lab Services Program
• U.S. Department of Agriculture National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment
• Wyoming Department of Agriculture Analytical Services Lab

Academic - Agriculture laboratories associated with higher education institutions are often of a hybrid client type and function. They may multi-purpose a laboratory for research, teaching, and analytical testing purposes. Many higher-education agriculture labs also process samples from external third-party clients, acting in some ways like a private analytical lab would. In some cases, non-profit and private entities partner with higher education (public-private) to provide research and training opportunities beneficial to both the entities and the students. (See for example the Cornell-affiliated non-profit Hudson Valley Research Laboratory.)

Examples include:

• Clemson University Agricultural Service Laboratory
• Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln High Plains Ag Lab

Functions

What are the most common functions? Analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? animal tissue, compost, feed and forage, fertilizers, insects, irrigation water, manure, pesticides, plant tissue, seeds, soil

What sciences are being applied in these labs? agroecology, agronomy, agrophysics, animal science, biological engineering, biology, biotechnology, chemistry, environmental science, food science, microbiology, nematology, soil science, water management

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Acute contact, Acute oral, Acute toxicity, Allergy, Antimicrobial, Atterberg limits, Bioaccumulation, Biodegradation, Chronic toxicity, Composition, Conductivity, Consolidation, Contamination, Cytology, Density, Developmental and reproductive toxicology, Efficacy, Endocrine disruptor screening program, Environmental fate, Environmental metabolism, Expiration dating, Fluorescence, Formulation, Genotoxicity, GMO detection, Hydraulic conductivity, Impurity, Labeling, Metallurgical analysis, Minimum bactericidal concentration, Minimum inhibitory concentration, Mobility, Moisture, Mold - fungal - mycotoxin, Mutagenicity, Nutritional, Organic carbon, Oxidation reduction potential, Oxidation stability, Pathogen, Pathogenicity, PDCAAS, Permeability, pH, Phytosanitary, Plant metabolism, Proficiency, Purity, Radioactivity, Radiochemical, Sanitation, Sensory, Shelf life, Soil microflora, Solubility, Specific gravity, Subchronic toxicity, Terrestrial toxicology, Toxicokinetic, Vigor and germination, Water activity, Wildlife toxicology

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

automated weather stations, colorimeters, conductivity analyzers, dry ovens, fat analyzers, incubators, moisture testers, nitrogen/oxygen analyzers, pH meters, porometers

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the agriculture industry? The food and beverage industry is closely linked. For example, the State of Pennsylvania's Department of Agriculture includes a food safety laboratory division. However, for the purposes of this guide, food, beverages, and ingredients are separated out as its own industry. Even raw materials that can be consumed alone such as cow milk or apples require some processing and handling (e.g., cleaning and packaging). In other words, the agriculture industry is arguably worried about the research, development, growth, and safety of what goes into what the food and beverage industry provides. Agriculture labs also have obvious tie-ins to environmental laboratories, as agricultural activities impact the environment and vice versa. Ties to veterinary labs may seem evident, and in fact many universities lump veterinary science programs with agriculture programs. However, animal science as a scientific discipline is arguably more closely aligned with agriculture science, as animal science takes a broader approach to the production, care, nutrition, and processing of animal-based products.

LIMSwiki resources

• Agriculture industry
• Forest informatics

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Automotive, aerospace, and marine

Laboratories in the automotive, aerospace, and maritime travel industry are focused on the design, development, and testing of components, materials, fluids, etc. that make up vehicles that operate on land, on sea, in air, and in outer space. These labs are found in the private, government, and academic sectors and provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

• analysis and assessment of chemicals and petrochemicals
• analysis and assessment of materials
• analysis and assessment of safety
• tracking and analysis of structural integrity
• design and analysis of lighting
• design and analysis of chassis
• design and analysis of fuel cells
• failure analysis

How do automotive, aerospace, and marine laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? While much scientific effort has gone into the development of modern vehicles — a significant portion of it in some sort of laboratory — from the ergonomic shift knob and regenerative braking system to the quantum accelerometer and solid rocket booster, the laboratory testing that goes into designing safer products and systems is the easiest for the layperson to relate to. From Volvo and Nils Bohlin's contribution of the three-point seat belt to the continuing improvement of automotive and pedestrian impact safety standards, traditional and non-traditional laboratories alike are responsible for advances in keeping drivers, passengers, and pedestrians safer. Without these laboratories in place — and without the related efforts of pioneering automotive engineers developing and propagating tested standards in the 1910s — the safety of vehicles arguably wouldn't be anything like what it is today. Secondarily, vehicle reliability and longevity would also suffer.

Client types

Private - Private laboratories in this industry are usually either associated directly with a vehicle manufacturer (e.g., Ford Motor Company, Boeing Company, Gulf Craft) or act as a third-party contract laboratory for manufacturers and designers who are unable or unwilling to invest in their own private laboratory. Aside from analytical services, these labs often include consulting services on design management and analysis as well as team and project management.

Examples include:

• Automotive Research Association of India
• Calspan Corporation
• Intertek Group PLC

Government - Government-run transportation-related laboratories conduct specialized topical research, provide analytical services, and oversee federal, state, and local programs in the industry. From aircraft fatigue research to emissions testing to transportation system modelling, these public or public-private labs may act as major research hubs or checkpoints of regulated testing.

Examples include:

• H.A. Wills Structures and Materials Test Centre
• U.S. EPA National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory
• U.S. Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory, Transportation Research And Analysis Computing Center

Academic - Automotive, aerospace, and maritime transportation laboratories associated with higher education institutions act as both teaching locations for new students and fundamental and applied research locations for more advanced students. That academic research may be funded by industry sources, by a government, or by a non-profit or foundation, and some academic laboratories may act as a public-private entity when a non-profit or private entity partners with the higher education institution.

Examples include:

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan Automotive Laboratory
• Michigan State University's Energy & Automotive Research Laboratory
• National Technical University of Athens' Laboratory for Maritime Transport

Functions

What are the most common functions? Analytical, research/design, and QA/QC

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? combustion, emissions, fluid dynamics, lubricants, materials and components, paints and coatings, power conversion and control, propulsion and power generation, safety, structural mechanics, transportation system modeling

What sciences are being applied in these labs? biomechanics, chemical, electrical engineering, electronic engineering, environmental, ergonomics, materials science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, physics, safety engineering, software engineering

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Accelerated stress testing, Accelerated weathering, Acceleration, Acoustical, Adhesion, Aging, Altitude, Ash, Case depth, Characterization, Chemical and materials compatibility, Cleanliness, Climatics, Combustion, Comparative Tracking Index, Compliance/Conformance, Compression, Conductivity, Contact mechanics, Corrosion, Damage tolerance, Degredation, Design review and evaluation, Dielectric withstand, Dimensional, Discoloration, Dynamics, Efficiency, Electromagnetic compatibility, Electromagnetic interference, Electrostatic discharge, Emissions, Endurance, Environmental stress-cracking resistance, Ergonomics, Etching, Failure, Fatigue, Feasibility, Flammability, Flash point, Fluid dynamics, Friction, Functional testing, Hazard analysis, Heat resistance, Hydraulic, Immersion, Impact, Inclusion, Inflatability, Ingress, Iterative, Lightning, Lubricity, Macroetch, Mass, Mechanical, Mechanical durability, Oxidation reduction potential, Passivation, Performance, Permeability, pH, Photometric, Plating and coating evaluations, Proficiency, Qualification, Quality control, Reliability, Resistance - capacitance - inductance, Safety, Shear, Shock, Stress corrosion cracking, Surface topography, Tensile, Thermal, Torque, Ultraviolet, Usability, Velocity and flow, Vibration, Visibility, Voltage, Weathering

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

battery load tester, carbon sulfur analyzer, circuit tester, colorimeter, compression tester, demonstration and simulation equipment, digital multimeter, gas analyzer, hardness tester, heat treatment furnace, salt spray chamber, temperature and humidity chamber, tension tester, thermal shock chamber

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the automotive, aerospace, and maritime travel industry? A September 2010 Brookings report stated that "innovation activity undertaken in the private sector of the auto industry extends far beyond the automaker itself, as nearly three-fourths of the value of a vehicle is added by companies other than the automaker." Though the report doesn't directly mention who makes up those companies, presumably industry-focused R&D, QA, and compliance testing laboratories make up at least a small portion of them. As for intersections with other industries, the petrochemical, environmental, and energy industries are closely linked, providing insight and advances in combustion, emissions control, and alternative fuel sources to automobile, airplane, boat, and space vehicle designers and manufacturers.

LIMSwiki resources

• None

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Calibration and standards

Laboratories in the calibration and standards industry are focused on testing the accuracy of measurement devices and reference standards, correcting inaccuracies in measurement devices, and developing and using standards/reference equipment and devices for calibration testing. Broadly speaking, these laboratories will appear as stand-alone, accredited laboratories performing calibrations for customers on request; as in-house calibration laboratories found in production facilities testing their equipment against working standards tested by the third-party accredited lab; or in a university setting, which may or may not offer accredited third-party calibration services. These labs are found in the private, government, and academic sectors and provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

• calibration of working or reference standards used in other calibration activities
• calibration of mechanical, electronic, and other instruments and components, in lab or onsite
• maintenance and repair of instruments
• documentation of tests for regulatory or audit purposes
• enact measurement assurance programs

How do calibration and standards laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? Let's turn to an introductory section of Jay L. Bucher's The Quality Calibration Handbook to help visualize an answer to this question:

Without calibration, or by using incorrect calibrations, all of us pay more at the gas station, for food weighed incorrectly at the checkout counter, and for speeding tickets. Incorrect amounts of ingredients in your prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs can cost more, or even cause illness or death. Because of poor or incorrect calibration, killers and rapists are either not convicted or are released on bad evidence. Crime labs cannot identify the remains of victims or wrongly identify victims in the case of mass graves. Airliners fly into mountaintops and off the ends of runways because they don't know their altitude and/or speed. Babies are not correctly weighed at birth. The amount of drugs confiscated in a raid determines whether the offense is a misdemeanor or a felony; which weight is correct? ... Satellites and everything they affect would be a thing of the past, as would be the manufacturing and production of almost everything made in the world today.

Client types

Private - As previously mentioned, private industry labs are largely either in a production facility or act as a third-party contract laboratory for manufacturers who are unable or unwilling to invest in their own private calibration laboratory. Aside from making the calibration (comparison), these labs may also provide maintenance and repair services as well as compliance documentation.

Examples include:

• Classic Calbration & Testing Laboratories
• EM TEST
• Essco Calibration Laboratory

Government - These government-affiliated labs are often at or near the top of the chain of calibration labs, working with others to link their equipment to national or even international measurement standards. They can be found not only at the federal level but also at the state/territory level and may even exist as public-private partnership.

Examples include:

• National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Pennsylvania Standards Laboratory
• Sandia National Laboratories' Primary Standards Laboratory

Academic - Like agriculture labs, calibration and standards laboratories associated with higher education institutions are often of a hybrid client type and function. They may multi-purpose a laboratory for research, teaching, and professional calibration services, processing equipment and instruments from external third-party clients, acting in some ways like a private analytical lab would. Some university labs may have strong ties (through contracts or received funding) with commercial and government entities, leveraging university research and knowledge to those external parties to further fund university laboratory teaching efforts.

Examples include:

• University of Colorado - Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
• University of Minnesota's Particle Calibration Laboratory
• Utah State's Utah Water Research Laboratory, Hydraulics Laboratory

Functions

What are the most common functions? Calibration, research/design, QA/QC, teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being calibrated, researched, and quality controlled? Electronics, measurement tools, mechanical devices, primary standards; chronometric, dimensional, hardness, photometric, sensitivity, thermal, volumetric

What sciences are being applied in these labs? applied statistics, engineering, metrology, physics

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Acceleration, Acoustical, Compression, Dimensional, Grain and particle size, Humidity, Mass, Optical, Oxidation reduction potential, pH, Photometric, Power quality, Pressure, Proficiency, Reflectance, Resistance - capacitance - inductance, Temperature, Tensile, Torque, Validation, Velocity and flow,

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

benchtop precision meters, calibration mass sets, dry block probe calibrators, heated calibration bath, infrared calibrator, milliamp loop calibrator, multifunction calibrator, pressure calibrator, stage micrometer, standard resistors, standard capacitors, standard inductors, surface probe tester, thermocouple calibrator, torque reference transducer

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the calibration industry? Calibration laboratories, whether located in a manufacturing facility or as a stand-alone third-party facility, have special placement and environmental requirements that must be met to ensure optimal operations. This includes maintaining a strict range of relative humidity; maintaining temperature stability and uniformity; and managing air flow, vibration, and dust issues properly. Many calibration labs found in higher education facilities seem to be multipurpose, capable of handling not only teaching and research functions but also able to provide independent calibration services to external customers, public and private. In the U.S. at least, the government is engaged in several public-private ventures involving calibration and standards laboratories.

LIMSwiki resources

• Reference laboratory

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Chemical

Broadly speaking, laboratories in the chemical industry are focused on testing the properties and constituents of chemicals, bodily fluids, and other organic/inorganic materials. More narrowly, while such testing may be the sole function of a chemical laboratory (perhaps as a contract laboratory), it may also function as part of a manufacturer's greater research and development effort, a clinical facility's quality control program, a government's public safety program, or an agriculture company's environmental research division. In all these cases the work falls under the general concepts of either pure chemistry (research simply for the sake of knowledge) or applied chemistry (activities towards a short term goal, as part of a company or institution). These labs are found in the private, government, and academic sectors and provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

• analysis and assessment of what and how much is in a substance
• analysis and assessment of the physical properties of a substance
• creation and synthesis of new substances
• development of chemical models, theories, and test methods
• quality testing and assurance

How do chemical laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? To answer this question, it's best to first point out that matter = chemicals. Matter has mass and occupies space, and it is made of chemicals. Or as the The University of Waikato in New Zealand puts it, matter is constructed from atoms, and "if atoms are LEGO blocks, chemicals are the structures you can build with them." Therefore, chemistry is about the study of matter, it's properties, and how it changes by external forces. Laboratories performing chemistry activities are, by extension, pivotal to most every aspect of our life. From pharmaceuticals to food, paint to drinking water, a chemistry lab is behind the scenes, with people dedicate to improving our lives.

Client types

Private - The chemical labs of private companies can be found in many professional spaces and contexts. They may appear as part of manufacturing, R&D, and contract lab contexts, located within a facility or as a stand-alone facility. Aside from any of the above mentioned activities, a private lab may also provide consulting services.

Examples include:

• Kojundo Chemical Laboratory Co. Ltd.
• National Chemical Laboratory
• Trane Chemical Laboratory

Government - Government-based chemical labs are often part of a regulatory process or provide research that guides regulation development. They may provide mandated laboratory testing of materials for toxic chemicals or material research studies for the improvement of highway construction materials, for example.

Examples include:

• California's Environmental Chemistry Laboratory
• North Carolina Department of Transportation Chemistry Laboratory
• U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration Chemistry Laboratory

Academic - A majority of chemical labs in the academic environment are traditional, in that they act as both teaching spaces and a place for faculty research.

Examples include:

• Dartmouth General Chemistry Lab
• Ohio State University's McPherson Chemical Laboratory
• Princeton University's Frick Chemistry Laboratory

Functions

What are the most common functions? Analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? biological materials, ceramics, dyes and pigments, fragrances, glass, inorganics, lubricants, manufactured materials, metals, petrochemicals, polymers, raw chemicals

What sciences are being applied in these labs? analytical chemistry, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, theoretical chemistry

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Acid and base number, Acute contact, Acute oral, Acute toxicity, Adhesion, Amino acid analysis, Anion, Antimicrobial, Ash, Biomolecular, Biosafety, Boiling - freezing - melting point, Carcinogenicity, Characterization, Chemical and materials compatibility, Chronic toxicity, Colorimetric, Combustion, Compliance/Conformance, Conductivity, Composition, Congealing point, Contamination, Corrosion, Decomposition, Density, Developmental and reproductive toxicology, Efficacy, Endocrine disruptor screening program, Environmental fate, Environmental metabolism, Flammability, Flash point, Fluid dynamics, Formulation, Geochemistry, Hazard analysis, Impact, Iodine value, Metallurgical analysis, Minimum bactericidal concentration, Minimum inhibitory concentration, Moisture, Neurotoxicity, Oxidation reduction potential, Oxidation stability, pH, Polarimetry, Process safety, Proficiency, Quality control, Sensitization, Shelf life, Solubility, Stability, Subchronic toxicity, Thermal, Toxicokinetic, Vapor pressure, Virucidal efficacy, Viscosity

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

balance, Bunsen burner, burette, colorimeter, centrifuge, chromatographic, crucible, desiccator, dropper, electrophoresis equipment, Erlenmeyer flask, Florence flask, fume hood, funnel, graduated cylinder, hot plate, moisture analyzer, mortar and pestle, multi-well plate, oven, pH meter, pipestem triangle, reagent dispenser, ring stand, rotary evaporator, spectrometer, spectrophotometer, stirring rod, thermometer, vibratory disc mill, viscometer

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the chemical industry? It's important to note that by itself, chemistry as a branch of science — and as a science that deals with the study of matter itself — is a central science, one that bridges multiple other sciences. As such, we see significant crossover into the many of the other industries listed in this guide; clinical chemistry ties to the world of clinical analysis (clinical and veterinarian), medicinal chemistry to the pharmaceutical industry, and chemurgy to the agriculture industry.

LIMSwiki resources

• Chemical industry
• Chemical informatics
• Clinical chemistry
• Molecular informatics

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Clinical, public and private

To talk of clinical (serving the patient) and public health (serving the population) laboratories requires a broad look at those laboratories that serve in the direct analysis, treatment, and prevention of illness. From large third-party reference laboratories like Quest Diagnostics that handle laboratory analysis of patient samples for doctors to the tiny physician office laboratory performing CLIA-waived tests, from the hospital lab to a state's public health lab, from the mobile diabetes testing unit to the national disease prevention lab, it's difficult not to bump into a clinical or public health lab of some sort. These labs are found in the private, government, and academic sectors and provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

Clinical

• diagnostic analysis of patient samples
• identification of infectious agents
• assurance of the quality of blood for transfusions
• analysis, management, and storage of reproductive tissues and fluids
• provision of basic point-of-care testing
• screening or testing of employees for drugs of abuse

Public health

• prevention, control, and surveillance of diseases
• collection, monitoring, and analysis of laboratory data submitted to national databases
• analysis and specialized testing of patient samples
• detection and analysis of toxic contaminants in environmental and food samples
• develop and promote laboratory improvement programs as well as state and federal policy

How do clinical and public health laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? As the debate about whether healthcare access should be universal or is a human right wages on, many people still receive medical care but some do not. While it's bad for the "have nots," can you imagine a different world, one where it's not a fight for the have nots but a fight for most everyone to survive? Try, if you will, to imagine a universe where laboratory medicine never existed. Without laboratorians diagnosing and researching, today's healthy population would be significantly smaller. Clinical and public laboratories have brought us advances in antibiotics, which without many more people would die from surgical site infections post-surgery. These laboratories have helped bring medical diagnostics to more people more conveniently and efficiently, and they are at the forefront of most people's health care.

Client types

Private - Private clinical (or sometimes referred to as reference) labs usually appear in either stand-alone facilities that outpatients go to or in a medical facility such as a physicians group, hospital, or some other form of care facility. Occasionally, you may find private clinical labs in manufacturing facilities to handle mandated drug testing or even in a mobile environment.

Examples include:

• Accu Reference Medical Labs
• Boston Clinical Laboratories
• Quest Diagnostics

Government - You'll find public health labs almost exclusively on the government side, managing disease outbreaks, monitoring public health, and acting as a third-party analysis option for clinical labs struggling to identify or characterize a sample.

Examples include:

• CDC Newborn Screening and Molecular Biology Branch
• Missouri State Public Health Laboratory
• National Serology Reference Laboratory, Australia

Academic - The laboratories found in the academic sphere are often multi-purpose, serving as teaching facilities for students while at the same time providing vital in-house testing to the academic facility's affiliated medical center. However, some may be stand-alone teaching labs designed to provide hands-on education in a lab outside a medical facility.

Examples include:

• Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology
• Emory University Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
• University of Virginia Health System

Functions

What are the most common functions? Analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? Biological specimens, cadavers

What sciences are being applied in these labs? clinical chemistry, clinical microbiology, cytopathology, genetics, hematology, histopathology, immunohematology, immunology, parasitology, pathophysiology, reproductive biology, surgical pathology, toxicology, virology

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Alcohol level, Allergy, Amino acid analysis, Antimicrobial, Antigen, Bioaccumulation, Blood culture, Blood gases, Biocompatibility, Biomolecular, Biophysical profile, Blood typing, Calorimetry, Clinical diagnostic, Chronic toxicity, Colorimetric, Complete blood count, Compliance/Conformance, Composition, Cytopathology, Detection, Dietary exposure, Efficiency, Electrolyte and mineral panel, Electrophoresis, Endurance, Genetic, Genotype, Hematotoxicity, Hematocrit, Hemoglobin, Identification, Immunoassay, Immunofluorescence, Immunohistochemistry, Kidney function, Infectious disease, Lipid profile, Liver function, Medical toxicology, Metabolic, Mold - fungal - mycotoxin, Neurotoxicity, Nutritional, Osmolality, Osmolarity, Pathogen, pH, Proficiency, Radiochemical, Red blood cell count, Refractive index, Sensitization, Solubility, Specific gravity, Sports performance, Stress, Subchronic toxicity, Temperature, Thermal, Thyroid function, Urine culture, Validation, Verification

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

autoclave, balance, biohazard container, biosafety cabinet, centrifuge, chromatographic, clinical chemistry analyzer, colorimeter, desiccator, dissolved oxygen meter, dry bath, fume hood, homogenizer, hotplate, incubator, magnetic stirrer, microcentrifuge tube, microplate reader, microscope, multi-well plate, orbital shaker, PCR machine, personal protective equipment, pH meter, Petri dish, pipettor, powered air purifying respirators, refractometer, spectrophotometer, syringes, test tube and rack, thermometer, urinalysis device, water bath

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the clinical and public health industry? At least in the United States, clinical labs are some of the most prevalent labs in the country; as of January 2017 there was approximately one CLIA-regulated clinical laboratory for every 1,271 people. While many of the diagnostic techniques and laboratory instruments specific to clinical diagnostic laboratories can also be found in the clinical research setting, clinical research labs tend to be a somewhat different beast. As such, we cover clinical research labs separately, in the next section.

LIMSwiki resources

Clinical

• Anatomical pathology
• Clinical chemistry
• Clinical laboratory
• Clinical pathology
• Cytopathology
• Health informatics
• Hematology
• Histopathology
• Imaging informatics
• Immunoinformatics
• Physician office laboratory

Public health

• E-epidemiology
• Infectious disease informatics
• Public health informatics
• Public health laboratory

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Clinical and academic research

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Clinical research laboratories provide a regulated environment for the testing of the safety and efficacy of a variety of medical treatments and diagnostic devices, including medications, implants, and physician test kits. These facilities form the backbone of today's effective medical treatments, from cholesterol-lowering medications to pacemakers for the heart. In the U.S., these types of labs are overseen by the Food and Drug Administration, unlike the previously mentioned clinical and public health laboratories. Clinical research labs are found in the private, government, and academic sectors and provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

• clinical studies
• bioequivalence studies
• study design and management
• custom assay development
• high-volume specimen testing
• test kit development and supply

Clinical studies and trials aside, other types of research may require laboratory services as well. (For the purposes of this guide, we refer to it as "academic research," a broad catch-all category for other research involving laboratories that doesn't readily fit into other industry categories.) Take for example the archeology laboratory, which is responsible for cleaning, analyzing, and identifying artifacts and remains from various sites either as part of a greater research effort or as a contract laboratory service. Research in information technology and communication also occurs in (dry) laboratories; examples include the privately owned Nokia Bell Laboratory and the university-affiliated University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory.

How do clinical and academic research laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? If you've had a medical device implanted, taken a prescription medication, visited an archeological exhibit in a museum, or experienced improvements in how you communicate with others, then you've been touched by a clinical or academic research laboratory. Without these facilities we'd have fewer medications and assistive devices, and by extension shorter life spans. We'd know less about humanity's past growth and development, and we'd lack the technology to rapidly disseminate those findings around the globe.

Client types

Private - Private clinical research labs are most often "central laboratories" (see the end of this section for more on this term) that are contracted by pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers.

Examples include:

• ACM Global Central Laboratory
• Covance Central Labs
• JMI Laboratories

Government - These labs are typically set up by a government agency to perform specific research into medical conditions such as cancer, depression, or HIV infection.

Examples include:

• Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research
• NIH Clinical Trial Center
• Office of Regulatory Affairs' Field Laboratories

Academic - Many academic institutions set up their own clinical research activities, often within an affiliated medical center. These research efforts often serve as training grounds for students to learn more about clinical research and its administration.

Examples include:

• Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Unit Core Laboratory
• University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus
• Washington University Clinical Research Laboratory

Functions

What are the most common functions? Research, clinical studies, contract lab work

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed and researched? artifacts, biological specimens, communication networks, medical devices, etc. (depending on academic discipline practiced in the lab)

What sciences are being applied in these labs? archeology, clinical research, information theory, etc. (depending on academic discipline practiced in the lab)

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Acoustic startle, Acute contact, Acute oral, Acute toxicity, Adhesion, Age determination, Amino acid analysis, Angle of repose, Antimicrobial, Antigen, Behavioral, Blood culture, Blood gases, Bioavailability, Bioburden, Biocompatibility, Bioequivalence, Biomechanical, Biomolecular, Biosafety, Calorimetry, Carcinogenicity, Clinical diagnostic, Colorimetric, Compaction, Compendial, Complete blood count, Cytology, Cytopathology, Cytotoxicity, Detection, Developmental and reproductive toxicology, Dietary exposure, Ecotoxicology, Efficacy, Electrolyte and mineral panel, Electromagnetic compatibility, Electromagnetic interference, Electrophoresis, Endocrine disruptor screening program, Endotoxin, Environmental fate, Environmental metabolism, Extractables and leachables, Feasibility, Fluid dynamics, Functional observational battery, Genetic, Genotoxicity, Hematocrit, Hemoglobin, Hematotoxicity, Human factors, Immunohistochemistry, Impact, Impurity, Inhalation, Irritation, Kidney function, Learning and memory, Lipid profile, Liver function, Locomotor activity, Metabolic, Microfluidics, Minimum bactericidal concentration, Minimum inhibitory concentration, Nanoparticulate, Neurotoxicity, Nutritional, Osmolality, Osmolarity, Oxidation reduction potential, Oxidation stability, Parasitic, Pathogen, Pathogenicity, pH, Pharmacokinetic, Phototoxicity, Protein analysis, Protein characterization, Red blood cell count, Refractive index, Sensitization, Solubility, Specific gravity, Thyroid function, Toxicokinetic, Urine culture, Validation, Verification, Virucidal efficacy, Wildlife toxicology

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

autoclave, balance, biohazard container, biosafety cabinet, centrifuge, chromatographic, clinical chemistry analyzer, colorimeter, desiccator, dissolved oxygen meter, dry bath, electrophoresis system, ELISA plate reader, fluorometer, freezers, fume hood, genetic analyzer and sequencer, homogenizer, hotplate, incubator, magnetic stirrer, mass spectrometry equipment, microcentrifuge tube, microplate reader, microscope, multi-well plate, orbital shaker, PCR machine, personal protective equipment, pH meter, Petri dish, pipettor, powered air purifying respirators, refractometer, spectrophotometer, syringes, test tube and rack, thermal cycler, thermometer, urinalysis device, water bath

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the clinical and academic research fields? It's important to note that some clinical research laboratories may be referred to as "central laboratories." Though mentioned occasionally in its regulation and guidance, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn't seem to provide a definition of the term. However, it seems to be used by some in the context of an analytical laboratory that provides analyses of biological specimens associated with clinical and bioequivalence studies (including multi-site studies, prompting the idea of a "central" lab handling sample analysis) performed at medical institutions.

LIMSwiki resources

• Translational research
• Translational research informatics

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Cosmetic

Cosmetic labs provide research and development as well as quality control functions to the world of cosmetics. From makeups and moisturizers to hair dyes and lipsticks, the cosmetic laboratory is responsible for making safe and effective products of many types. Cosmetic chemists tend to mostly work in private laboratories or as part of a private-public research partnership, though some work in academic labs. Cosmetic labs are found largely in the private sector, though they exist in the government and academic sectors and provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

• formulation and development of products
• safety testing of products
• process engineering improvement
• chemical and material research
• substantiation of compatibility and efficacy claims
• allergy testing
• contaminate testing

How do cosmetic laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? In private industry, cosmetic scientists are tasked with creating a safe product free from contaminates and allergens that may negatively affect a user. At the higher government level, some labs are responsible for substantiating manufacturer claims, testing cosmetics, and even manufacturing cosmetic components; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for example, certifies some color additives as safe for consumers in its own lab. Without these labs, the soaps, shampoos, moisturizers, and makeup on the market wouldn't likely exist, or they did, they would be of unknown quality, posing a threat to human health. When we use such a product, we are reminded that a laboratory was at some point involved in its creation.

Client types

Private - Private cosmetic labs are either found as part of a major company initiative (think L’Oréal Group and its laboratories) or as a third-party contract lab that provides development, manufacturing, and consulting services to clients.

Examples include:

• Ariel Laboratories
• Cosmetic Laboratories
• Cosmetic Laboratories of America

Government - Governments around the world differ in how they regulate and test cosmetics. Though not common, some governments will dedicate space for laboratory testing, certification of constituents, and testing of efficacy and compatibility claims.

Examples include:

• Ghana Food and Drugs Authority, Cosmetic Laboratory
• Government of Odisha's Central Cosmetic Testing Laboratory
• Singapore Health Sciences Authority's Cosmetics Laboratory

Academic - Academic programs in cosmetic science aren't abundant, but they can be found. (The Society of Cosmetic Chemists lists a few U.S.-based programs here.) The laboratories associated with this course of study are presumably similar in makeup to a chemistry teaching laboratory in a typical university, with a few additions, including research facilities.

Examples include:

• Farleigh Dickinson University Cosmetic Science Programs
• University of Cincinnati Cosmetic Science Programs
• North-West University Cosmetics Efficacy Laboratory

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being calibrated, researched, and quality controlled? colorants, dyes, emulsions, lacquers, polymers, silicones, surfactants

What sciences are being applied in these labs? biochemistry, biology, chemical engineering, chemistry, cosmetic science, macromolecular science, pharmaceutical science, process engineering

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Allergy, Antimicrobial, Bioburden, Biocompatibility, Comparison, Compliance/Conformance, Composition, Contamination, Detection, Efficacy, Expiration dating, Flammability, Fluorescence, Formulation, Fragrance, Impurity, Ingredient, Irritation, Labeling, Oxidation reduction potential, Oxidation stability, Pathogen, Performance, pH, Photostability, Preservative challenge, Proficiency, Purity, Pyrogenicity, Quality control, Safety, Sensitization, Stability, Water activity

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

autoclave, balance, chromatographic, digital imaging devices, ESR spectroscopy equipment, fluorescent laser scan microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy equipment, microscope, multiphotone tomography equipment, pH meter, Raman spectroscopy equipment, test tube and rack, thermometer, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) instrumentation

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the cosmetic industry? In the U.S., whereas the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulates clinical laboratory testing , the FDA regulates cosmetic laboratories. Regulation of cosmetic laboratories in other countries varies; in Singapore, for example, the Health Sciences Authority helps enforce cosmetic testing of its Health Products Act.

LIMSwiki resources

• None

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Energy

The energy laboratory is largely a place for the research and development of energy sources and devices, though it also is a place for researchers to focus on improving energy efficiency in current fuels, systems, and structures. These labs are found in the government and academic sectors, and occasionally in the private sector, providing many different services, including (but not limited to):

• chemical and biomolecular engineering
• applied research and development
• analysis and improvement of energy efficiency
• analysis and improvement of transportation systems
• development of energy systems
• discovery and development of materials
• integration of energy systems

How do energy laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? "I want my phone's battery to last longer!" you shout, as you put it on the charger for the second time in a day. The truth is your device probably has a better battery life than the generation before it, and the generation before it, etc., but you're at the same time making it do more demanding tasks than it used to at the same time. Yet advances continue to be made in energy storage. You can thank an energy laboratory and its scientists for that and similar advances that affect you on a daily basis.

Client types

Private - Insert applicable text here.

Examples include: Private laboratories tend to focus on a company's R&D or provide third-party analysis of materials used as fuel sources.

• Biomass Energy Lab
• Energy Laboratories

Government - Insert applicable text here.

Examples include: Along with academic labs, government labs (public and public-private) make up the majority of energy laboratories and typically provide much of the funding for energy research, at least in the United States.

• National Energy Technology Laboratory
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• U.S. Geological Survey's Geochemistry Laboratory

Academic - Higher education continues to be a major source for the study, research, and application of energy sources and equipment. From the optimization of commercial and industrial buildings to alternative fuels and clean energy systems, the academic-affiliated energy lab is pushing energy science forward at a significant pace.

Examples include:

• Texas A&M's Energy Systems Laboratory
• University of California - Berkeley's Renewable & Appropriate Energy Laboratory
• University of Hawaii at Manoa's Hawaii Natural Energy Institute

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, research/design, and QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being calibrated, researched, and quality controlled? biomass, emissions, energy efficiency, energy storage and retrieval, hydropower, petrochemicals, solar energy, thermal energy, thin films, wind power

What sciences are being applied in these labs? chemical engineering, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, material science, mechanical design, microbiology, thermodynamics

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Accelerated stress testing, Aging, Calorimetry, Characterization, Climatics, Combustion, Contact mechanics, Contamination, Degredation, Design verification testing, Dielectric withstand, Durability, Efficiency, Electromagnetic compatibility, Electromagnetic interference, Electrostatic discharge, Emissions, Endurance, Flash point, Fluid dynamics, Friction, Geothermal, Hydraulic, Lightning, Mechanical, Mechanical durability, Power quality, Proficiency, Resistance - capacitance - inductance, Solar, Temperature, Thermal, Torque, Validation, Velocity and flow, Voltage

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

calorimeter, climate test chamber, gas turbine, geothermal energy absorber, hydrogen fuel cell, impulse turbine, light sensor, photovoltaic trainer/system, plasma light system, porosimeter, reaction turbine, solar thermal system, temperature sensor, viscometer, wind turbine

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the energy industry? By and far, energy laboratories seem to have the most prominent footprint in the government and academic sectors. Privately run energy laboratories exist but appear to be the minority, appearing as either an R&D lab inside a larger manufacturing company or as a niche third-party testing facility for biomass and/or petrochemicals. As an aside, since agriculture and forest biomass as well as petrochemicals can be used as fuel sources, the energy industry has ties to the agriculture, forestry, and petrochemical industries. Of course, the power and utility industry — which focuses on large-scale energy solutions for communities — is closely linked as well.

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Environmental

Environmental laboratories are responsible for the analysis and research of a wide variety of materials and environments with the purpose of promoting human, animal, and ecosystem health. These labs also act as compliance enforcement entities for regulators. These labs provide services to energy and utility companies, engineering firms, pharmaceutical companies, governments, and other industry forces. These labs are found in the private, government, and academic sectors and provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

• exposure testing
• field testing
• radiological testing
• heavy metals testing
• air quality monitoring
• environmental assessments
• environmental engineering

How do environmental laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? The easiest way environmental labs tie into the average person's life is through the potable water supply. Without these labs, more people would become ill or even die due to improperly or non-treated drinking water supplies. We need not look further than the Flint, Michigan water crisis, one where improper funding for testing and treatment of contaminated water lead to the metal lead leaching into the drinking water. It may be easy to take clean drinking water for granted, but remember that a lab is most likely in place to ensure it's clean in the first place.

Client types

Private - Private environmental labs cater to industry and the government, providing third-party testing services, often under contract.

Examples include:

• American Environmental Laboratories
• Caduceon Environmental Laboratories
• Pace Analytical Services

Government - Government-affiliated labs not only provide analytical services for states and municipalities; they also may conduct academic and field research to better guide local, state, and federal environmental policy.

Examples include:

• Minnesota Department of Health's Environmental Laboratory
• Saint Louis County Environmental Health Laboratories
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory

Academic - The environmental labs affiliated with higher education are usually researched-based, though they may occasionally provide third-party analyses. These labs are often directly affiliated with a local or even international watershed or ecosystem, providing valuable field training to students while monitoring changes to the location over time and issuing public reports.

Examples include:

• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki's Environmental Engineering Laboratory
• SUNY Plattsburgh's Lake Champlain Research Institute
• William & Mary's Keck Environmental Field Laboratory

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? acoustics, air quality, allergens, biological specimens, contaminates, finished products, hazardous waste, pesticides, raw materials, sediment, soil, solid waste, water quality

What sciences are being applied in these labs? chemistry, chemical engineering, environmental engineering, environmental science, microbiology, organic and inorganic chemistry, radiation chemistry

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Acute contact, Acute oral, Acute toxicity, Allergy, Anion, Antimicrobial, Atterberg limits, Bioaccumulation, Bioavailability, Bioburden, Biodegradation, Chemical and biochemical oxygen demand, Colorimetric, Conductivity, Consolidation, Contamination, Decomposition, Degradation, Density, Ecotoxicology, Emissions, Environmental fate, Environmental metabolism, Environmental monitoring, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Humidity, Hydraulic conductivity, Isotope analysis, Leak, Metallurgical analysis, Minimum bactericidal concentration, Minimum inhibitory concentration, Mobility, Organic carbon, Oxidation reduction potential, Permeability, pH, Photostability, Plant metabolism, Pressure, Proficiency, Radioactivity, Radiochemical, Refractive index, Seismic, Sensory, Soil microflora, Specific gravity, Temperature, Terrestrial toxicology, Turbidity, Wildlife toxicology

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

balance, Bunsen burner, burette, colorimeter, centrifuge, chromatographic, crucible, desiccator, dropper, enzyme immunoassay, Erlenmeyer flask, extractor, Florence flask, flow meter, fume hood, funnel, graduated cylinder, hot plate, moisture analyzer, mortar and pestle, multi-well plate, organic carbon analyzer, oven, particle counter, pH meter, pipestem triangle, reagent dispenser, remote sensors, ring stand, rotary evaporator, sediment analyzer, spectrometer, spectrophotometer, stirring rod, thermometer, viscometer

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the environmental industry? "The environmental laboratory industry will be undergoing continuous radical change in coming years as environmental markets continue to evolve," stated Bangert and Lynch in a 1996 study for the National Research Council. "The model laboratory of the future, therefore, is likely to be far different from that of today," they added. Fast forward 20 years, and we see their then vision for the future of environmental testing labs came to fruition: today's environmental testing lab uses a laboratory information management system (LIMS) to manage data in an automated, innovative lab that provides analytical services as well as research. And they need to be agile as the concepts of "climate change," "biodiversity," and "sustainable ecosystems" continue to weave their way into the focus of environmental laboratories. As such, these labs will play an ever-increasing role in helping scientists better understand how we are impacting our environment.

LIMSwiki resources

• Environmental informatics
• Hydroinformatics

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Food and beverage

Food and beverage laboratories are responsible for developing, protecting, and supporting the food, beverages, and nutritional supplements humans and animals consume. From creating new flavor enhancers for food to ensuring the quality and safe consumption of a wine, these labs play a vital role in most parts of the world where processed food and agricultural products are produced. These labs are found in the private, government, and academic sectors and provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

• reverse engineering
• claims testing
• contaminate testing
• batch variation testing
• extractable and leachable testing
• allergen testing
• shelf life testing
• non-routine quality testing
• packaging testing

How do food and beverage laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? Have you ever enjoyed a candy bar, soda, or snack cake? A laboratory and food scientists were behind its production. Don't care much for processed foods? A laboratory is still involved in the quality and safety testing of raw fruits and vegetables, milk, and nuts. And when food supplies get contaminated, government testing labs are often in the thick of determining the source of the contamination as quickly as possible before more people become ill. Whether it's the unique flavor profile of a potato chip you love or the fact you can reliably acquire safe foods, remember that a laboratory is often behind it.

Client types

Private - From manufacturers seeking help with a formulation problem or a government subcontracting contamination analysis, private food and beverage labs are there. These labs may appear within a major food corporation or act as third-party contact labs for work as needed.

Examples include:

• Avomeen Analytical Services
• DTS Food Assurance
• EAG Laboratories

Government - The government-affiliated labs of the food and beverage industry typically act as protectors of the local, regional, or national food supply. Some may be responsible for developing and enforcing regulations as well.

Examples include:

• Agi-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore's Food and Food Product Laboratory
• Missouri State Public Health Laboratory, Chemistry Unit
• Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Food Safety Laboratory Division

Academic - Academic food and beverage labs are usually teaching labs, often associated with a university's agriculture department.

Examples include:

• Colorado State University Brewing Science and Food Microbiology Laboratory
• University of Maryland, Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's International Food Safety Training Lab
• VirginiaTech's Food Analysis, Meat Chemistry, and Enology Laboratories

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? candy, dairy, fruits, grains, meats, nuts, oils, proteins, soft drinks, starches, sugars, vegetables, vitamins

What sciences are being applied in these labs? biochemistry, chemical engineering, chemistry, fermentation science, microbiology, molecular gastronomy, nutrition and food science

What are some examples of test types, terminology, and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Active ingredient, Alcohol level, Allergy, Altitude, Amino acid analysis, Ash, Bioavailability, Bioburden, Biodegradation, Biomolecular, Boiling - freezing - melting point, Comparison, Compliance/Conformance, Contamination, Density, Detection, Efficacy, Expiration dating, Extractables and leachables, Flavor, Fluid dynamics, Fluorescence, Fragrance, Genotoxicity, GMO detection, HACCP, Hazard analysis, Identification, Ingredient, Iodine value, Isotope analysis, Labeling, Moisture, Mold - fungal - mycotoxin, Mutagenicity, Nutritional, Oxidation reduction potential, Oxidation stability, Pathogen, PDCAAS, Permeability, Peroxide value, pH, Plant metabolism, Polarimetry, Preservative challenge, Proficiency, Purity, Quality control, Radioactivity, Radiochemical, Refractive index, Safety, Sanitation, Saponification value, Sensory, Shelf life, Smoke point, Sulfide, Thermal, Total viable count, Turbidity, Viscosity, Water activity

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

alcohol analyzer, balance, biosafety cabinet, centrifuge, chiller, chromatographic, colorimeter, ELISA equipment, evaporator, fat analyzer, freezer, fume hood, gravimetric diluter, hot/forced air oven, incubator, Kjeldahl digestion apparatus, laminar airflow workstation, media sterilizer, microscope, moisture analyzer, muffle furnace, Petri dish, photometric analyzer, protein analyzer, refractometer, spectrometer, titrator

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the food and beverage industry? As previously mentioned in the agriculture section, the food and beverage industry has strong ties to the agriculture industry, though broadly speaking the food and beverage industry is typically dealing with the end products of agriculture.

While most industries see global standards coalesce around their industry, this holds especially true for food and beverage laboratories. Given the vital nature of a clean and safe food supply, regulation and global standardization remains a strong goal for the industry.

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Geology and mining

Geology and mining laboratories are responsible for analyzing rocks, minerals, and metals; monitoring and reporting on the status of mining operation effects on the environment; and teaching and promoting research of geological and mining science and engineering concepts. These labs are involved at most stages of geological and mining operations, from exploration to production to remediation. These labs are found in the private, government, and academic sectors and provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

• chemical analysis
• physical testing
• earth magnetism measurement
• petrological imaging
• soil suitability and fertility
• environmental analysis and remediation
• drill core analysis
• purity testing

How do geology and mining laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? Tracking down how these labs intersect our lives is comparatively a bit more difficult than the industries we've looked at previously. From an environmental standpoint, when regulated, contamination testing is important to the ecosystems in and around a mining site. The oxidation of sulfide minerals and the corresponding acidification of the environment is well known in the mining community, requiring tested and standardized methods to limit the effects. Secondarily, research coming out of geology and mining labs is helping to make current and future mining activities safer for humans and guiding the implementation of early-warning systems for earthquakes. Without these laboratories in place, there's a higher likelihood humans and animals alike would face a higher risk of poisoning or death.

Client types

Private - These labs focus on providing third-party analysis and consultation services to industry and government, including explorations services, environmental chemistry, and purity testing.

Examples include:

• AGAT Laboratories
• Expert Inspection Company
• Huffman Hazen Laboratories

Government - Many governments around the world have geology and mining departments, divisions, etc. responsible for contamination testing, water quality monitoring, and applied research. They also occasionally offer their services to outside parties and agencies.

Examples include:

• Government of Kerala, Department of Mining and Geology Chemical Laboratory
• Guyana Geology and Mines Chemical Laboratory
• Jamaica's Mines and Geology Division

Academic - Like other industries, academic labs in geology and mining programs contribute diverse research programs to society while teaching the next generation of geologists, engineers, and miners.

Examples include:

• Colorado School of Mines' Geology and Geological Engineering Laboratories
• Michigan Tech's Geological Engineering Laboratories
• University of North Dakota's Harold Hamm School of Geology and Geological Engineering

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? alloys, base and minor metals, minerals, precious metals, sediment, soil, water

What sciences are being applied in these labs? chemistry, environmental science, geology, geotechnical engineering, metallurgy, mineralogy, mining engineering, petrology, seismology

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Age determination, Angle of repose, Atterberg limits, Bioaccumulation, Carbon-hydrogen ratio, Characterization, Compression, Compaction, Consolidation, Density, Durability, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Grain and particle size, Grindability, Hydraulic conductivity, Identification, Inclusion, Isotope analysis, Macroetch, Metallurgical analysis, Mobility, Moisture, Nuclear density, Organic carbon, Oxidation reduction potential, Passivation, Permeability, pH, Proficiency, Radioactivity, Radiochemical, Refractive index, Seismic, Shear, Stability, Stress corrosion cracking, Ultraviolet

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

autoclave, balance, calorimeter, chromatographic, compressive strength tester, furnace, jaw crusher, magnetic separator, microscope, mill (various), pH meter, photoelectric flame photometer, reflectance/gloss meter, roll crusher, sieve shaker, spectrophotometer, titrator, thermogravimetric analyzer, viscometer

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the clinical research industry? While many geology laboratories are indoors, outdoor labs — i.e., field studies — are an important part of the industry. Those that are indoors tend to stand out; take for instance the approximately 20 luminescence geological dating laboratories in the U.S., responsible for dating geological substances. Also note there is often industry crossover with the petrochemical industry, which depends on sound geological science for much of its operations.

LIMSwiki resources

• Geoinformatics

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Law enforcement and forensics

The forensic laboratory is responsible for aiding in crime investigations, helping investigators identify remains, place an alleged killer at a particular crime scene, or identify and characterize crime scene evidence. They also serve as training grounds for future forensic scientists. Less occasionally forensic laboratories operate as private, third-party contract labs that work with government investigators or private industry to analyze DNA, fire debris, paint, etc. These labs provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

• DNA analysis
• fire debris analysis
• metallurgical analysis
• vehicle fluid analysis
• trauma analysis
• skeletal identification
• body fluid identification
• evidence screening
• facial reconstruction
• audio/image enhancement
• carbon dating of remains

How do law enforcement and forensic laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? Your average person won't feel much impact from a forensic lab, at least in a direct sense. Indirectly, forensic labs help capture criminals, which in theory reduces the chances of a criminal running free to intersect your life. Should you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of requiring the services of a forensic laboratory (whether to help solve a crime that has impacted you or help clear you of wrongdoing), you'll feel the impact more succinctly; this lab depends on tried and true techniques employed by knowledgeable laboratorians to solve crimes and give some measure of peace to those negatively affected by them. Without these labs, we'd arguably have more criminals get away with their crimes, leaving more cases unsolved.

Client types

Private - These labs are less common than government and academic labs, but where they do exist, they tend to take on contract analysis and consultation work for a variety of clients.

Examples include:

• Armstrong Forensic Laboratory
• Bode Cellmark Forensics
• Signature Science

Government - Government forensic labs make up a significant chunk of the bunch, whether at the federal, state, or local level.

Examples include:

• U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Laboratory Services Division
• U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory
• U.S. Secret Service Forensic Laboratory

Academic - Academic forensic labs may be used by undergraduate students, but they are largely reserved for graduate level training of students. Some university forensic labs may also provide their facilities and services to government agencies and coroner's offices.

Examples include:

• Louisiana State University's FACES Laboratory
• Purdue Polytechnic Cyber Forensics Lab
• University of California - Davis' Veterinary Genetics Laboratory Forensic Unit

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical and teaching

What aspects and/or technologies are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? biological specimens, bullets and casings, computers, evidence, explosive devices, fingerprints, firearms, ink, insects, pollen and spores, remains

What sciences are being applied in these labs? biology, chemistry, cryptography, digital forensics, entomology, forensic anthropology, forensic engineering, forensic imaging, forensic odontology, medical science, molecular biology, physics, psychology, toxicology, veterinary forensics

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Age determination, Amino acid analysis, Biomolecular, Counterfeit detection, Cross-drive, DNA profiling, Failure, File carving, Fire debris, Forensic toxicology, Gunshot residue, Isotope analysis, Proficiency, Solubility

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

balance, binocular microscope, blood analyzer, burette, centrifuge, chemical storage cabinet, chromatographic, compound microscope, confocal microscope, cryostat, elecrophoresis equipment, evaporator, evidence drying cabinet, extractor, fingerprint development chamber, fluorescent plate reader, freezers and refrigerators, FTIR microscope, fume hood, fuming chamber, graphite furnace, hyperspectral imaging system, microplate handler, microscope, microtome, PCR system, refractometer, spectrometer, spectrophotometer, stereo microscope, viscometer

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the law enforcement and forensics industry? Forensic science is significantly cross-discipline in nature, with anthropology, biology, chemistry, cryptography, entomology, medical science, toxicology, and a host of other disciplines getting involved with the analysis and characterization of a wide variety of evidence types. As such, gaps may exist in knowledge and know-how in some areas of analysis, requiring the recruitment of outside help for more esoteric analyses.

LIMSwiki resources

• Forensic science

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Life sciences and biotechnology

Life sciences is a broad category of scientific disciplines associated with the study of living organisms. Studies at the molecular level as well as the use of living systems and organisms to make products for human purposes (biotechnology) have expanded the concept of life sciences even further. Biological and health sciences are at the heart of life science and biotechnology laboratories, with a broad array of branches/disciplines falling under the umbrella. From the plant experiments and analyses at Space Florida's Space Sciences Lab to the neurological and brain studies at the Neuroinformatics and Brain Connectivity Lab at Florida International University, just about anything to do with living organisms and their components is being analyzed, researched, and synthesized in a life science and biotechnology lab. These laboratories are often research-focused, intent on making discoveries to improve plant, animal, and human life. These labs are found in the private, government, and academic sectors and provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

• researching neuropsychiatric disorders
• researching plant stress tolerances
• molecular imaging
• gene targeting
• gene base sequence analysis
• antibody analysis
• protein and peptide analysis
• DNA sequencing and fragment analysis
• biomarker discovery and validation

How do life sciences and biotechnology laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? Have you received treatment for cancer? A life science lab was behind the development and/or improvement of that therapy. Have you ever eaten a soybean? The plant that grew it was likely improved in some way by the research at life science lab. From the new medicine you take for your medical condition to the new advances in genetics that allow you to detect disease earlier, don't forget your life has most likely been touched by a life science and biotechnology lab in some way.

Client types

Private - Some private labs in the life sciences are foundations or institutes, others are companies.

Examples include:

• Macrogen Bioinformatics Research Institute
• NeoGenomics Laboratories
• The Jackson Laboratory

Government - Government-based life science labs are often part of a branch, agency, etc. and have focused goals either as part of the branch/agency or as mandated research from higher up in the government.

Examples include:

• India Institute of Life Sciences
• Space Florida, Space Life Sciences Lab
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration, White Oak Campus, Life Sciences Laboratory I

Academic - These labs are typically graduate-level and act as hotbeds for researchers of all types.

Examples include:

• Florida International University's Neuroinformatics and Brain Connectivity Laboratory
• University of Missouri's Molecular Genetics and Soybean Genomics Laboratory
• University of California - Berkeley's Cancer Research Laboratory

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? biological specimens, cancers, DNA, genes, organs and systems, plant materials, proteins

What sciences are being applied in these labs? anatomy, bioinformatics, biology, botany, cardiology, genetics, genomics, hematology, kinesiology, medical imaging, microbiology, molecular biology, nephrology, neurology, oncology, pathology, physiology, proteomics, pulmonology, toxicology, and many more

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Adhesion, Age determination, Aging, Amino acid analysis, Antimicrobial, Antigen, Biomolecular, C- and N-terminal, Carcinogenicity, Circular dichroism, Colorimetric, Compression, Cytology, De novo protein, Degradation, Detection, Developmental and reproductive toxicology, Dietary exposure, Disulfide bridge, DNA hybridization, Electrophoresis, Genotype, Identification, Isotope analysis, Macro- and microstructure, Microfluidics, Minimum bactericidal concentration, Minimum inhibitory concentration, Molecular weight, Pathogenicity, Peptide mapping, Post-translational modification, Proficiency, Protein analysis, Protein characterization, Terrestrial toxicology

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

balance, bioreactor, biosafety cabinet, cell counter, centrifuge, DNA sequencer, dry bath, electrophoresis equipment, Erlenmeyer flask, flow cytometer, freezer, fume hood, gel documentation system, immunoassay system, incubator, laminar flow cabinet, microplate equipment, mixer/shaker, molecular imager, osmometer, PCR workstation, pipettor, protein sequencer, reagents, spectrometer, spectrophotometer, thermal cycler

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the life sciences and biotechnology industry? Many laboratories in the life sciences and biotechnology sector are funded by significant external investments, grants, and initial public offerings (IPOs). For example, the National Institutes of Health awarded 7,328 grants worth a total of $3.3 billion to California life science labs in 2014. Others turn to private charitable foundations or even biotech and pharmaceutical companies to help fund research efforts.

LIMSwiki resources

Life sciences

• Biodiversity informatics
• Cancer informatics
• Genome informatics
• Genomics
• Life sciences industry
• Life sciences life cycle
• Neuroinformatics

Bioinformatics

• Bioinformatics
• Bioimage informatics
• Biotechnology
• Molecular informatics

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Logistics

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Laboratories related to the logistics industry serve several different functions. Academic research laboratories are key to the analysis and development of transportation systems and safety, traffic models, geographic information systems, freight logistics systems, supply chains, and transit systems. Secondarily, private logistics labs may provide third-party analytical services on cargo to verify authenticity, assisting in custody transfers. These labs are found in the private and academic sectors, and occasionally in government, providing many different services, including (but not limited to):

• analysis of cargo for custody transfer
• analysis of cargo for dispute resolution
• detection of radiation
• detection of explosives and evaluation of detection tools
• development and improvement of material flow management components
• development and improvement of transportation and routing policies
• modeling and analysis of traffic and driving behavior
• analysis of logistics data

How do logistics laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? Research-based logistics labs produce laboratorians who, for example, may be knowledgeable in the ways of traffic flow and civil engineering. Those individuals may go on to learn more and provide contributions to the transportation department of a city, state, or even federal entity, finding ways to improve your daily commute to work. Those same laboratorians may also have background and experience with electric and self-driving vehicles, contributing their expertise to the growing infrastructure required to run self-driving vehicles effectively, again improving your commute. Secondarily, logistics laboratories may reduce the changes of dangerous materials such as malicious radioactive materials and explosive devices making their way into the country via port, which is beneficial to dock workers and end users of products.

Client types

Private - Private logistics labs tend to provide analytical testing services of cargo, facilitating custody transfers and providing expertise in legal disputes.

Examples include:

• Bureau Veritas Commodoties
• Camin Cargo Control
• Cetispec Services

Government - Governments occasionally engage in research into and investigation of logistics issues of a region or country.

Examples include:

• Savannah River National Laboratory
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Laboratory

Academic - Universities provide laboratory resources to undergraduates and graduates keen to learn more about logistics issues and apply research to real-life problems.

Examples include:

• Federal University of Santa Catarina's LabTrans Transportation and Logistics Laboratory
• Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences' Logistics Laboratory
• University of Tennessee - Knoxville's Logistics, Transportation, and Supply Chain Engineering Lab

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? coal and coke, concentrates, fertilizers, food stuffs, land transportation, marine transportation, mass transit systems, petrochemicals, policy and governance, supply chains, traffic, user/driving behavior, vegetable oils, waste water

What sciences are being applied in these labs? data science, economics, engineering, logistics, management, mathematics, physics, process optimization, risk management, social science, statistics

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Accelerated stress testing, Cargo inspection and sampling, Climatics, Contamination, Corrosion, Counterfeit detection, Damage tolerance, Dimensional, Drop, Durability, Edge crush, Electromagnetic compatibility, Emissions, Flammability, Flash point, Freight flow, Immersion, Impact, Incline impact, Integrity, Last-mile distribution, Leak, Metallurgical analysis, Permeability, Phytosanitary, Proficiency, Radioactivity, Reliability, Safety, Shear, Shock, Stress corrosion cracking, Tear, Tensile, Thermal, Traffic modeling and analysis, Ultraviolet, Vibration, Weathering

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

autoclave, balance, biohazard container, biosafety cabinet, centrifuge, chromatographic, colorimeter, computer workstations, desiccator, dry bath, fume hood, geographic information system, homogenizer, hotplate, incubator, magnetic stirrer, microcentrifuge tube, microplate reader, microscope, multi-well plate, orbital shaker, personal protective equipment, pH meter, pipettor, powered air purifying respirators, refractometer, simulation software, spectrophotometer, statistics software, syringes, test tube and rack, thermometer, water bath

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the clinical research industry? A majority of logistics laboratories are dry labs, meaning they're not analyzing "wet" biological samples, applying reagents, etc. Instead they often heavily rely on software systems to conduct their research and educate new students. However, wet labs do exist in the logistics industry, usually for product and commodity testing of shipments — often petrochemicals — for custody transfer and dispute resolution.

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Manufacturing and R&D

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A manufacturing and R&D laboratory is what it sounds like: a lab associated with the manufacturing process as well as the research and development (R&D) activities that come before it. These labs can be found as part of the company structure, inside a manufacturing facility or separate from one. They may also appear as independent, third-party businesses that contract their services and expertise out to manufacturers and inventors who don't have their own laboratory resources or design knowledge.

It's important to note that when looking at many of the other industry categories in this guide, prior and after, you should notice serious crossover with manufacturing and R&D. In fact, laboratories associated with the "automotive, aerospace, and marine," "food and beverage," and "pharmaceutical" industries are almost entirely affiliated with manufacturing and R&D activities. As such, you may notice some redundancy in the test types listed below and those listed in the previously mentioned industry sections. This section is focused on manufacturing and R&D in a more generic, all-encompassing way.

These labs are found heavily in the private sector. Some labs may also appear in the government as part of state-funded effort, and others show up in the academic departments of some universities as an extension of their graduate-level research programs. Manufacturing and R&D laboratories provide many different services, including (but not limited to):

• development of advanced materials for manufacturing
• reverse engineering of products
• miniaturization of products
• analysis of shelf life
• quality control testing
• biocompatibility testing
• comparison testing
• formulation of recipes
• characterization of materials
• review and evaluation of designs
• innovation of manufacturing processes

How do manufacturing and R&D laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? Unless you live a life of simplicity, growing and making your own food and materials, free of the industrial world, you most likely already know your life is touched by manufacturing and R&D labs on a daily basis. The mobile phone you use, the vehicle you drive or ride in, the pre-packaged food you eat, and the pharmaceuticals you take largely exist because scientists in a laboratory — wet or dry — designed, tested, and quality controlled it. Without these labs, the industrial and technological world you know today would fall apart rapidly.

Client types

Private - Private manufacturing and R&D labs are a staple of the industry, putting people's ideas to work. From a company's internal labs to third-party contract labs, much of the research, development, and quality control activities in manufacturing runs through here.

Examples include:

• Covestro
• L. D. Davis
• Solvay

Government - While not super common, government at times sets up and/or funds laboratories that are dedicated to advancing the field of manufacturing through new and improved fabrication and engineering techniques.

Examples include:

• Australian National Fabrication Facility, NSW Node, Epitaxial Growth Laboratory
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Advanced Manufacturing Division
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Manufacturing Demonstration Facility

Academic - These laboratories are typically part of a graduate research program, training future engineers and laboratorians while spawning new ideas. As seen with the examples below, the focus on learning and researching manufacturing processes may specialize into specific industries such as food and beverage or nanotechnology.

Examples include:

• Cornell University's Food Processing and Development Laboratory
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity
• University of Cinicnnati's Micro and Nano Manufacturing Laboratory

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? The list is seemingly infinite, but a few examples include adhesives, battery electrolytes, ceramics, fiber composites, food preservatives, lubricants, metals, nutritional supplements, plant extracts, polymers, rocket engines, semiconductors, and valves.

What sciences are being applied in these labs? Again, the list is long, and the type of science used will depend on what is being developed. The most obvious scientific disciplines include all types and variations of biology, biomechanics, chemistry, engineering, food science, materials science, mathematics, molecular science, nanoscience, and physics.

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Accelerated stress testing, Accelerated weathering, Acceleration, Acoustical, Acute contact, Acute oral, Acute toxicity, Adhesion, Aging, Alcohol level, Allergy, Altitude, Antimicrobial, Artificial pollution, Ash, Bioavailability, Bioburden, Biocompatibility, Biodegradation, Biomechanical, Biosafety, Boiling - freezing - melting point, Calorimetry, Carcinogenicity, Case depth, Characterization, Chemical and materials compatibility, Chronic toxicity, Cleanliness, Climatics, Combustion, Compaction, Comparative Tracking Index, Comparison, Compliance/Conformance, Composition, Compression, Conductivity, Contact mechanics, Contamination, Corrosion, Cytotoxicity, Damage tolerance, Deformulation, Degradation, Design review and evaluation, Design verification testing, Detection, Dielectric withstand, Dimensional, Discoloration, Disintegration, Dissolution, Dissolved gas, Drop, Dynamics, Edge crush, Efficacy, Efficiency, Electromagnetic compatibility, Electromagnetic interference, Electrostatic discharge, Elongation, Emissions, Endotoxin, Endurance, Environmental fate, Environmental metabolism, Environmental stress-cracking resistance, Ergonomics, Etching, Expiration dating, Extractables and leachables, Failure, Fatigue, Fault simulation, Flammability, Flash point, Flavor, Fluid dynamics, Fluorescence, Formulation, Fragrance, Friction, Functional testing, Genotoxicity, Grain and particle size, Hazard analysis, Heat resistance, Human factors, Hydraulic, Identification, Immersion, Impact, Impurity, Incident analysis, Incline impact, Inclusion, Inflatability, Ingredient, Ingress, Inhalation, Integrity, Irritation, Iterative, Labeling, Leak, Lightning, Load, Lot release, Lubricity, Macroetch, Macro- and microstructure, Mechanical, Mechanical durability, Metallurgical analysis, Microfluidics, Minimum bactericidal concentration, Minimum inhibitory concentration, Mobility, Moisture, Molecular weight, Mutagenicity, Nanoparticulate, Neurotoxicity, Nutritional, Optical, Oxidation reduction potential, Oxidation stability, Passivation, Pathogen, Penetration, Performance, Permeability, pH, Pharmacokinetic, Photometric, Photostability, Phototoxicity, Plant metabolism, Plating and coating evaluations, Polarimetry, Power quality, Preservative challenge, Pressure, Process safety, Proficiency, Purity, Pyrogenicity, Qualification, Quality control, Radioactivity, Radiochemical, Reflectance, Refractive index, Reliability, Resistance - capacitance - inductance, Safety, Sanitation, Saponification value, Seismic, Sensory, Shear, Shelf life, Shock, Smoke point, Solar, Stability, Sterility, Stress corrosion cracking, Subchronic toxicity, Surface topography, Tear, Tensile, Thermal, Torque, Total viable count, Ultraviolet, Usability, Validation, Velocity and flow, Verification, Vibration, Visibility, Viscosity, Voltage, Weathering, Water activity

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

Like materials tested and sciences applied, the lab equipment of a manufacturing and R&D lab will vary based upon what is being designed, tested, and quality controlled. Food R&D is going to depend on a somewhat different set of laboratory tools than say a lab developing a jet engine, pharmaceutical, or mobile phone.

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the manufacturing and R&D industry? When it comes to labs that are prevalent but behind the scenes, manufacturing and R&D laboratories stand out. It's easy to take for granted the products we use in our lives; most of the time they taste good, function as expected, or cause the desired effect. That's not to say that shoddy laboratory processes, equipment, and raw materials don't produce bad tasting, non-functional, poorly advertised products because they do; the lab is only part of the equation. But in our industrialized, technological world, we shouldn't forget just how ubiquitous these sorts of labs are. In U.S. colleges and universities alone, 211.8 million net assignable square feet of research space were set aside in 2013 for laboratories, panels, and test rooms to conduct research in all types of sciences, clinical and R&D. Now think about how many private businesses are doing the same thing? Put together, the National Science Board estimated that U.S. R&D activities totaled $456.1 billion in 2013.

LIMSwiki resources

• Biomedical engineering
• Clinical engineering
• Materials informatics

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Nanotechnology

Nanoscience is the study of objects (materials, structures, devices) and phenomena on the nanometer scale. Physicist Richard Feynman's talk titled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" at the end of 1959 helped spark an exploration today of the world of the fantastically small, one that has spawned a great number of discoveries and inventions based on nanoscience. From quantum computing to cellulose nanomaterials, private, public, and academic labs of all types are improving the way we construct, work, and play. These labs provide many different services, including (but not limited to) :

• characterization and testing of nanoscale devices and materials
• improvement of the performance of existing technologies and materials
• development of new materials
• research and development of nanosafety plans
• research and development of nanotech standards
• research and development of nanomanufacturing and -measurement equipment
• development of nanomedicines

How do nanotechnology laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? As the technology and research around nanotechnology is still in somewhat of an infant phase, it's less clear how these labs affect the average person. The fact that by definition visualizing the design of nanotechnology due to its nano scale is challenging doesn't make relating to nanotech labs any easier either. The idea of the quantum computer, a computational device utilizing nature's small-scale physics, is still in its infancy, but nanotechnology labs such as MIT's Lincoln Lab continue to research and apply nanoscience to the hardware that could make up the first practical quantum computer. Moving from the theoretical to the more applicable, the United States National Nanotechnology Initiative list several applications of nanotechnology found in products today, including solar panel films, windmill blades, gas lift valves, and airplane cabin filters.

Client types

Private - Private nanotech labs are usually associated with a major company or part of a private-public partnership, as the equipment to analyze and manufacture at the nano scale can be costly.

Examples include:

• Hewlett-Packard Laboratories' Quantum Information Processing Group
• IBM Research's NanoLab
• National Center for Nanoscience and Technology

Government - Government-based nanotechnology labs are typically themed towards a certain sub-branch, from nanomedicine (cancer research) to military (war machines).

Examples include:

• Canada National Institute for Nanotechnology
• U.S. National Cancer Institute's Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory
• U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's Nanoscience Research Laboratory

Academic - The nanotech labs of higher education tend to have a focus on post-graduate education and research, occasionally subcontracting its expertise out to the private domain.

Examples include:

• Columbia University's Columbia Nano Initiative Shared Labs Facilities
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Space Nanotechnology Laboratory
• University of Illinois' Micro+Nanotechnology Lab

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? nanoemulsions, nanomaterials, nanomedicines,

What sciences are being applied in these labs? astrophysics, biology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, electrical engineering, microfabrication, molecular biology, molecular engineering, organic chemistry, physics, statistics

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Acute toxicity, Biocompatibility, Characterization, Chronic toxicity, Design review and evaluation, Ecotoxicology, Electrophoresis, Efficacy, Friction, Grain and particle size, Irritation, Nanoparticulate, Proficiency, Safety, Spectral, Subchronic toxicity, Surface topography

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

atom probe, atomic force microscope, atomic force microscopy-Raman system, atomic layer deposition system, calorimeter, cryogenic probe station, dynamic light scattering equipment, electron backscattered diffraction system, ellipsometer, flow chemistry reactor, helium ion beam microscope, micro hardness tester, micropositioning system, nanoparticle characterization system, optical tweezers, particle size analyzer, plasma etching system, safety cabinet, scanning electron microscope, scanning near-field optical microscope, separation membrane, spectrometer, spectrophotometer, transmission electron microscope, viscometer, X-ray camera, X-ray diffractometer

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the nanotech industry? The laboratory equipment of a nanotechnology lab stands out among other industry labs, in so much that it tends to be specialized and expensive, regardless of what sub-field of nanotechnology is being studied. This extends to the laboratory space itself, where conditions must be specifically maintained for optimal results; this includes electromagnetic shielding, reduced acoustic levels, reduced vibrations, and carefully maintained temperatures.

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Petrochemical

A petrochemical laboratory is focused on analyzing the properties and constituents of various petrochemicals (and their feedstock, including petroleum, natural gas, and coal) for the purposes of ensuring their safety, quality, development, and improvement. Secondarily, these labs may provide a platform for R&D and teaching. Petrochemical labs are found in the private and academic sectors, and occasionally in government, providing many different services, including (but not limited to):

• analysis for purity
• analysis for contaminates
• corrosion testing
• characterization testing
• environmental testing
• quality control testing

How do petrochemical laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated that of the approximately 7.19 billion barrels of petroleum consumed in the U.S. in 2016, 48 percent of it went towards motor gasoline, 20 percent of it went to distillate fuel, and eight percent was used as jet fuel. The EIA also notes that while petroleum is used as a feedstock for the creation of plastic in the U.S., it's not the main feestock for plastic, and regardless, the EIA is unable to determine what percentage of petroleum consumed in the U.S. went towards the creation of plastics (though simple math using the numbers previously provided proves that it must be 24 percent or less). Even so, these facts alone can't but cement the idea that the world as we know it today would not be as it is without petroleum and petrochemical laboratories and their laboratorians. One could argue that laboratories developing renewable source of energy and the equipment to harness it are more important from an environmental standpoint, but the point still stands: we currently depend heavily on petrochemicals as energy and to create thousands of products.

Client types

Private - These labs provide an array of analytical services as third-party testers and consultants, or they work as company-based or independent research and development laboratories developing new petrochemical-based products.

Examples include:

• Huffman Hazen Laboratories
• SGS
• Sumitomo Chemical

Government - At least in the United States, government petrochemical labs are typically working to ensure consistent fuel quality, product safety, and fuel transportation methods. Secondarily they may act as environmental response centers, reacting to petroleum spills and natural spills or developing improved remediation methods.

Examples include:

• California Petroleum Chemistry Lab
• Colorado Petroleum Laboratory
• Georgia State Fuel Oil Laboratory

Academic - Academic petrochemical labs are providing education to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as driving new research into petrochemical extraction and infrastructure.

Examples include:

• Del Mar College's Environmental/Petrochemical Lab Technology Program
• Texas A&M University's Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering
• University of Kansas' Tertiary Oil Recovery Program

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? aromatics, coal, feedstocks, intermediate chemicals, monomers, natural gas, petroleum, polymers, sediment, solvents, sulfur, trace metals, water, wear metals

What sciences are being applied in these labs? chemistry, environmental science, geology, geophysics, mathematics, petroleum engineering, physics, thermodynamics

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Acid and base number, Aniline point, API gravity, Basic sediment and water, Biodegradation, Boiling - freezing - melting point, Calorimetry, Carbon-hydrogen ratio, Cargo inspection and sampling, Cetane, Chemical and materials compatibility, Cloud point, Combustion, Compliance/Conformance, Conductivity, Congealing point, Conradson Carbon Residue, Contamination, Corrosion, Damage tolerance, Decomposition, Density, Dissolved gas, Doctor test, Emissions, Evaporation loss, Flash point, Fluid dynamics, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Heating value, Hydraulic, Hydrocarbon group type, Immersion, Impurity, Kauri-butanol value, Leak, Lightning, Lubricity, Macroetch, Mobility, Moisture, Molecular weight, Octane, Oxidation reduction potential, Oxidation stability, Passivation, Permeability, Peroxide value, pH, Plating and coating evaluations, Pour point, Pressure, Process safety, Proficiency, Quality control, Radioactivity, Radiochemical, Ramsbottom Carbon Residue, Refractive index, Salt content, Saponification value, Seismic, Smoke point, Stress corrosion cracking, Surface tension, Thermal, Vapor pressure, Velocity and flow, Viscosity, Weathering

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

amperostat, balance, chromatographic, combustion analyzer, constant temperature bath, density meter, dissolved oxygen meter, evaporation loss analyzer, flashpoint tester, flocculator, fume hood, hot plate, hygrometer, iodine flask, metallic iron analyzer, muffle furnace, oil-in-water analyzer, oxidation stability analyzer, pH meter, pycnometer, refractometer, rheometer, shakers and stirrers, specific gravity flask, spectrometer, spectrophotometer, thermometer, thin film oven, titrator, turbidity meter, vapor pressure analyzer, viscometer, water bath

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the petrochemical industry? Because of the environmental consequences of petrochemical and feedstock pollution of the environment, petrochemical labs share some of the same characteristics of environmental labs. Also like environmental labs, petrochemical labs have their fair share of field analyses, both on land and on the water.

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Pharmaceutical

The pharmaceutical laboratory is complex, but at its core the laboratorians in them aim to better develop, analyze, improve, and quality control the drugs and medical devices that improve humans' and animals' quality of life. Due to the potential health risks of ingesting/implanting a poorly tested pharmaceutical/medical device, these labs tend to be heavily regulated by governments. In fact, the governments themselves will often have their own labs to test for product quality and lab compliance. Universities provide not only education programs for students and graduate research opportunities but also pharmaceutical analysis and outreach programs. Pharmaceutical labs are found in the private, government, and academic sectors, providing many different services, including (but not limited to):

• hit picking/screening of potential therapeutics
• method development and validation
• stability and photostability testing
• shelf life testing
• bioequivalence testing
• dissolution testing
• impurities testing
• counterfeit testing
• formulation optimization
• quality control

How do pharmaceutical laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? In a 2000 journal article published in Journal of Automated Methods & Management in Chemistry, author Juanita M. Hawkins of Jansen Pharmaceutica noted the following: "Understanding the contributions that the laboratory can make in product/process development, process improvement, market surveillance and general business is key to the pharmaceutical business today. Poor laboratory practice yields compliance issues, increased cost, increased cycle time and delayed product introductions." While a very business-centered statement, reading between the lines — and further into the journal article — reveals why properly run pharmaceutical labs are important to the average person: "customers expect the product to be safe and efficacious" and "that it meets all specifications." All but those participating in a primitive society will at one point (if not frequently) have the need to be treated with a pharmaceutical drug or device. Without the associated laboratories and quality control procedures in place, the pharmaceuticals would be of poor quality (if they existed at all) and endanger many lives. Even if you take something as simple as an aspirin, remember that a lab developed it, improved it, and/or quality controlled it for your benefit.

Client types

Private - These labs are either part of a pharmaceutical company's portfolio or are third-party contract labs that provide extensive analysis and consulting services.

Examples include:

• Avomeen Analytical Services
• Medipharm Laboratories
• Pace Analytical Services

Government - Government pharmaceutical labs typically act as either research centers or in an official regulatory capacity to ensure product quality and lab compliance.

Examples include:

• Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research's Biopharmaceutical Development Program
• Hong Kong's Pharmaceutical Chemistry Section of the Analytical & Advisory Services Division
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Detroit District Laboratory

Academic - The pharmaceutical engineering labs in the academic sector provide not only education programs for students and graduate research opportunities but also pharmaceutical analysis and outreach programs.

Examples include:

• University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill's Pharmaceutics and Compounding Laboratory
• University of Notre Dame's Distributed Pharmaceutical Analysis Lab
• University of Rhode Island's Pharmaceutical Engineering Laboratory

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? biological agents and samples, contaminates, drug substances, elemental metals, microbials, proteins, raw materials, solvents

What sciences are being applied in these labs? biochemistry, biology, chemistry, genetics, molecular biology, neuroscience, pathology, pharmacology, physiology, posology, toxicology

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Absorption, Active ingredient, Acute contact, Acute oral, Acute toxicity, Alcohol level, Allergy, Altitude, Amino acid analysis, Angle of repose, Antimicrobial, Bioavailability, Bioburden, Biocompatibility, Bioequivalence, Biosafety, Boiling - freezing - melting point, C- and N-terminal, Carcinogenicity, Characterization, Chronic toxicity, Circular dichroism, Cleanliness, Clinical diagnostic, Colorimetric, Compendial, Compliance/Conformance, Composition, Congealing point, Contamination, Cytotoxicity, De novo protein, Detection, Developmental and reproductive toxicology, Disintegration, Dissolution, Disulfide bridge, Efficacy, Electrophoresis, Endotoxin, Expiration dating, Extractables and leachables, Flavor, Formulation, Fragrance, Friability, Functional observational battery, Genotoxicity, Human factors, Identification, Impurity, Ingredient, Ingress, Inhalation, Irritation, Iterative, Locomotor activity, Lot release, Microfluidics, Minimum bactericidal concentration, Minimum inhibitory concentration, Moisture, Molecular weight, Mutagenicity, Nanoparticulate, Organic carbon, Osmolality, Osmolarity, Oxidation reduction potential, Oxidation stability, Pathogen, Peptide mapping, Permeability, pH, Pharmacokinetic, Photostability, Phototoxicity, Polarimetry, Post-translational modification, Preservative challenge, Process safety, Proficiency, Protein analysis, Protein characterization, Purity, Pyrogenicity, Quality control, Radioactivity, Radiochemical, Safety, Saponification value, Sensitization, Solubility, Specific rotation, Stability, Sterility, Subchronic toxicity, Surface tension, Thermal, Total viable count, Toxicokinetic, Ultraviolet, Usability, Validation, Verification, Virucidal efficacy, Water activity

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

animal monitoring equipment, balance, biological safety cabinet, blood and hematology analyzers, calorimeter, cell counter, cell disruptor, cell harvesting system, centrifuge, chemical synthesizer, chromatographic, cryocooler, dissolution equipment, dissolved oxygen meter, DNA shearing sonicator, drying and heating chamber, electrophoresis equipment, flow cytometer, flow injection analyzer, freeze dryer, freezer, fume hood, glove box, hit-picking system, incubator, inhalation chamber, interferometer, laminar flow cabinet, liquid handling equipment, metallic iron analyzer, microplate equipment, particle counter, PCR equipment, pH meter, powder analyzer, pumps and sprayers, refractometer, rheometer, solid phase extraction equipment, spectrometer, spectrophotometer, steam sterilizer, sonicator, turbidity meter, UV chamber, vacuum evaporator, viscometer, water purification system

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the pharmaceutical industry? Quality control is important to any laboratory; however, in the pharmaceutical industry, many countries like the U.S. place extra emphasis on pharmaceutical quality control labs. "The pharmaceutical quality control laboratory serves one of the most important functions in pharmaceutical production and control ... This includes pharmaceutical laboratories used for in-process and finished product testing," says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Even the World Health Organization puts focus on their importance, pointing out:

The government, normally through the national medicines regulatory authority (NMRA), may establish and maintain a pharmaceutical quality control laboratory to carry out the required tests and assays to verify that APIs, excipients and pharmaceutical products meet the prescribed specifications. Large countries may require several pharmaceutical quality control laboratories which conform to national legislation, and appropriate arrangements should, therefore, be in place to monitor their compliance with a quality management system.

As Maura May notes for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, the importance of these labs not only lies in protecting the public and company; they're a product of a competitive environment, where spending, cleanliness, and lead times are vital.

LIMSwiki resources

• Pharmacoinformatics

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Power and utility

The labs in power and utility industry cover at least two broad categories: power generation and transmission (electrical engineering and its sub-branches) and water treatment and distribution (water engineering and management, including water purification chemistry). Natural gas transmission and distribution (natural gas engineering) is a third type, though more often than not these labs appear in the upstream and midstream distribution chain (i.e., within the petrochemical industry). In several parts of the world, the development and maintenance of local, regional, and even national broadband internet infrastructure is increasingly also considered a responsibility of the public utility system. These labs are found in the private and academic sectors, and occasionally in government, providing many different services, including (but not limited to):

• hardware design, verification, and optimization
• real-time digital power system (RTDS) simulation
• magnetic material characterization
• short circuit analysis
• high-voltage analysis
• forensic and incident analysis
• environmental simulation testing
• certification testing
• water quality monitoring and analysis

How do power and utility laboratories intersect the average person's life on a daily basis? If you live in a location where access to power and clean water are regular, to the point of being easy to take for granted, then your life is positively affected by a power and utility laboratory. Sometimes things go wrong, though, as they have done in the city of Flint, Michigan, where government leadership failures and cost-cutting measures led to a problematic water treatment plant and water source to continue to be used despite warnings the water was dangerous. The Flint crisis is a reminder that when processes break down in a public utilities lab — whether caused internally or from higher up in government — people get hurt or even die. Power, water, natural gas, and even broadband internet: most enjoy and expect these basic services on a daily basis, and sound laboratory analysis and research ensures this holds true.

Client types

Private - These company labs provide a wide array of testing services to third-party clients, conduct research, and even provide certification testing.

Examples include:

• Powertech Labs
• S&C Electric Company
• SINTEF

Government - These are federal, state, or local laboratories responsible for testing and maintaining the safety of water supplies, developing and improving electrical infrastructure, or researching new technologies for public utilities. Occasionally local municipalities will post requests for proposal to contract out regulation-mandated water quality testing.

Examples include:

• City of Pompano Beach, Florida's Utilities Laboratory
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Electricity Infrastructure Group
• PowerLabDK

Academic - Academic power and utility labs are largely instructional, with graduate level research helping to expand the field.

Examples include:

• Penn State Harrisburg University's PPL Electric Utilities Lab
• Oregon Tech Wilsonville's Power Lab
• University of Colorado Denver's Power Laboratory

Functions

What are the most common functions? analytical, research/design, QA/QC, and teaching

What materials, technologies, and/or aspects are being analyzed, researched, and quality controlled? actuators, conductors, electrical converters, energy storage, high-voltage direct-current links, hydroelectric generators, networking equipment, superconductors, transformers, transmission lines, wastewater, water

What sciences are being applied in these labs? chemistry, control engineering, electrical engineering, electrochemistry, electromagnetism, electronics, forensic science, nanotechnology, physics, power engineering, signal processing,

What are some examples of test types and equipment?

Common test types include:

Accelerated stress testing, Accelerated weathering, Acoustical, Aging, Anion, Antimicrobial, Artificial pollution, Bioburden, Chemical and biochemical oxygen demand, Cleanliness, Climatics, Comparative Tracking Index, Compliance/Conformance, Compression, Corrosion, Current and current switching, Damage tolerance, Decomposition, Degradation, Dielectric withstand, Efficiency, Electromagnetic compatibility, Electromagnetic interference, Electrostatic discharge, Emissions, Endurance, Environmental stress-cracking resistance, Failure, Fatigue, Fault simulation, Flash point, Geothermal, Hydraulic, Immersion, Impact, Incident analysis, Induction motor fault, Internal arc, Lightning, Macroetch, Mechanical, Mechanical durability, Minimum bactericidal concentration, Minimum inhibitory concentration, Out-of-phase making and breaking, Partial discharge, pH, Plating and coating evaluations, Power quality, Pressure, Proficiency, Radioactivity, Radio interference voltage, Reliability, Resistance - capacitance - inductance, Short-circuit withstand, Short-line fault, Solar, Stress corrosion cracking, Temperature-rise, Tensile, Thermal, Torque, Turbidity, Velocity and flow, Voltage, Weathering

Industry-specific lab equipment may include:

Electrical engineering: arbitrary waveform generator, circuit simulator, configurable test grids, current and voltage probes, inverter systems, LCR meter, machine drive and controller systems, magnetometer, microcontroller systems, multimeter, oscilloscope, potentiometer, primary metering unit, real-time digital power system simulator, Rogowski coil, semiconductor curve tracer, spectrum analyzer, tachometer, temperature camera

Water engineering: adenosine triphosphate meter, biocide test kit, borescope, burette, centrifuge, chlorination test kit, colorimeter, conductivity meter, dissolved oxygen meter, Erlenmeyer flask, hydrometer, incubator, Legionella test kit, oxidation-reduction potential meter, pH meter, purge and trap equipment, reagents, salinity meter, settling cone, spectrophotometer, thermometer, total dissolved solids meter, turbidity meter

Natural gas engineering: See Petrochemical section.

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the power and utility industry? Looking at the lab equipment list above, it's relatively easy to tell that those labs focusing on electrical engineering are by and far dry labs, whereas water engineering labs are (no pun intended) of the more typical wet type. A reliable power supply and clean drinking water are easy to take for granted in first-world countries, but both are backed by laboratorians working in very differently equipped labs.

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Veterinary

Insert broad information about the industry here.

Client types

Private - Insert applicable text here.

Examples include:

Government - Insert applicable text here.

Examples include:

• http://agi.alabama.gov/divisions/veterinary-diagnostic-labs/diagnostic-laboratories

Academic -

Examples include:

Functions

What are the most common functions? Insert text here

What aspects and/or technologies are being calibrated, researched, and quality controlled? Insert text here

What sciences are being applied in these labs? Insert text here

What are some examples of test types, terminology, and equipment? Insert text here

What else, if anything, is unique about the labs in the clinical research industry? Insert text here

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