Artel Promotes Pipetting Skills and Team Building During Lab Week 2011

Artel, a world leader in liquid handling quality assurance, will be holding Pipetting Olympics competitions in labs across the country as part of of National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, April 24 – April 30. During this competition, lab technologists—as individuals and teams—will have a chance to test their pipetting skills and win gold, silver, and bronze medals for precise liquid dispensing.

“Improper pipetting technique is a major source of error in laboratories,” said Dr. George Rodrigues, Artel’s Senior Scientific Manager. “The Pipetting Olympics is a fun, team-building event and a hands-on component of Artel’s suite of training tools, designed to meet heightened demand for pipette operator competence in clinical laboratories.”

Participating technicians will test their pipetting skills in their own laboratories using the Artel PCS® Pipette Calibration System, which enables labs to rapidly assess, record and compile the performance of the operator as well as the pipette.

“I have been using pipettes, in one form or another, for over twenty years now and was amazed at how a simple technique change could make such a huge difference,” said Chris Carson, Laboratory Manager at the Plum Creek Wastewater Authority in Colorado. With a .07% coefficient of variation (CV) precision score, Chris was one of the winners of the Artel Pipetting Olympics at Pittcon 2011. “I think people take for granted that the pipette will do the work for them, when in fact there is a lot of technique involved to achieve consistent results,” he added.

In addition to awarding medals during Lab Week, Artel will provide a series of tips to help coach participants on proper pipetting technique. On the Artel Pipetting Olympics Facebook page participants can seek out tips and share their own pipetting secrets and techniques with Artel—and their fellow Olympians.

BASF Corp. Agricultural Chemist, Brian Gordon, tied with Carson for first place at Pittcon 2011 and shared valuable advice for laboratories gearing up for the Lab Week competition: “Replicate the same motion for each transfer. Use the same positions and angles for each transfer to ensure that any differences in volume between replicates are minimized.”

At the end of Lab Week, each lab will submit its scores to Artel for evaluation. Winners will be announced on May 30, 2011.

To gain access to technique-improving tips, share experiences and post pictures and videos of the Artel Pipetting Olympics: Lab Week 2011, visit the Artel Pipetting Olympics Facebook page.