Cascade policy reminder | new manager

[Mihir Tendulkar]

All,

      There has been a spate of users lately who are not recording the  
status of *all* of the probe tips before and after use. We've had  
several broken and dirty tips lately, and the lack of proper recording  
makes it difficult to track down which people are misusing the system.

      Please check ALL of the tips prior to your session. With the  
microscope up, bring the tips close to each other (don't bump them).  
Lower the microscope and use the coarse focus to examine each of the  
probe tips one by one. Do the same thing after your measurement.

      We know this adds a little time to your session, but it makes  
our jobs easier. Replacing the probe tips weekly is both  
time-consuming and costly.

      On a related note, we have done away with the reminder policy.  
Now, we give 2 warnings for violations. Upon the third violation, the  
user will be removed from the system. They must undergo the full  
training procedure to be re-enabled.

      That being said, I think the system has been treated pretty well  
by the majority of users, and I want to thank you for that. The  
Cascade technician was impressed with the status of the system, and he  
was surprised to learn it was in good shape despite having so many  
users. I want to thank those of you that are doing a good job with the  
system. Please keep it up.

      Finally, we have also added Helen Chen (xiangyuc at stanford.edu)  
to the stable of managers. She will assist in training and weekly  
maintenance.

-- 
Mihir Tendulkar
Applied Physics PhD Candidate
Nishi Group, Stanford University