Cleaning

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

Periodic cleaning is required to remove bacterial films from instrument windows and particles that may not get flushed out of the backscattering enclosure. We have found, for typical oligotrophic, open-ocean conditions, that weekly cleaning is sufficient while, in meso- and eutrophic conditions, more frequent cleaning is needed. If, following cleaning, a significant change (drop) in signal is observed, fouling has likely degraded the previous data, which should be flagged accordingly and, if possible, corrected (for example by removing a trend). It is still unclear, however, whether one is better to assume a linear trend or an exponential trend, given that fouling organisms typically grow exponentially.

For cleaning details (e.g. solvent and/or soap types to be used) of specific sensors refer to manufacturer protocols. We recommend using lens paper on all the surfaces interacting with detected light (e.g. windows, flow sleeves) to insure that their properties do not change it time due to scraping with harsher materials. We typically use DI water, rubbing alcohol and a mild detergent such as Triton-X to clean our instruments.