Some information on how to start
If you are planning to conduct a study at our Core Facility, you should keep in mind that some technical and organizational requirements must be met.
In addition to the scientific preparation for the study, some formal matters need to be arranged in advance. Please also note that measurements with an MR scanner require knowledge about the safe operation at the user. When planning your study, you should therefore allow sufficient time for training and instruction.
This document is a guide to help you plan your studies.
Administrative Requirements
Registration Bonn Technology Campus
To be able to log in to the Core Facility, you need to register and have a user account on the Bonn Technology Campus.
With this login you get access to the booking system of the Core Facility.
The booking system of the Core Facility MRT can be reached with the following link:
This system allows users to view the appointment calendar, i.e. to determine whether an appointment is free or already taken. It is planned that they will then be able to enter their own appointment requests, which must still be confirmed by Core Facility staff.
When booking, the user specifies a project for which the scanner is to be reserved. Each project is assigned a cost contribution (price) and a cost center, possibly with a PSP element.
The access data for the booking system is personal and is assigned centrally for the entire IT and research infrastructure of the Bonn Technology Campus. You can request them on the following page:
First Login – Registration at the Core Facility
If you have applied for your access data for the Bonn Technology Campus, it may take a few days until the access data is activated.
You can check if the login is working by logging in to the BTC-Cloud.
If the login is successful, you should check if you are in the MRT group. Go to shares (Freigaben) in the menu on the left side and you should see the CF-MRT-Public folder. If you do not see this folder, open the shares sub menu by clicking on the small triangle at the left. Then go to pending shares and accept the CF-MRT-Public share for you. If there is no pending share, you are not yet in the MRT group (may take 2 days). If you do not have success after waiting appropriate time, please contact us.
Once login to the BTC-Cloud is working and you have access to the CF-MRT-Public folder, you can log in to the booking system of the Core Facility for the first time:
At your first registration you will be asked to print out a registration form. With this form you can register as a user. Besides some information about yourself, we need information about the project you will be working on. Please fill in all information carefully and sign the form. The information on the project will be filled in by your superior, especially the details on the cost center and the PSP elements. Ask your manager to fill in the information concerning him/her and complete your registration with the Core Facility for the specified project with his/her signature.
Then hand in the completed form with both signatures to the Core Facility.
The registration of an employee is always linked to a project. If you are to work on several projects, please fill out a separate registration form for each project.
This procedure is necessary because the fees are invoiced on a project-related basis. Therefore the user must be assigned to projects for which he can then reserve measuring times in the booking system.
Training
Safety Briefing
Before you can carry out measurements on the MR scanner, you must have been informed about the dangers and safe operation. It is therefore absolutely necessary that you receive safety instruction. The safety briefings take place regularly in the Core Facility, depending on requirements. Currently, the number of participants is limited due to the corona pandemic.
If you participate in the Core Facility training program (see below), safety briefing is part of the training and will be organized for you within the workshops.
If you are already trained in the use of an MR scanner and only need a safety briefing, please contact us beforehand so that we can consider you for the next appointment.
Risk Assessment
Before you enter the magnet room, you must make a risk assessment. This is to make sure that nobody enters the magnet room for whom special dangers may arise from the magnetic field. At the door to the magnet room you will find a risk assessment document in German and English. Please fill out the document carefully and hand it in signed. If you are in doubt, please contact us and do not enter the magnet room under any circumstances.
Workshop
The Core Facility offers regular workshops in which you can learn how to operate the device and how to handle the scanner safely. If you are interested in participating in the workshops, please contact us.
The workshops cover various topics, e.g. safety of participants and personnel, performing a measurement, functional MRI, saving data in the archive and much more. If you have no experience with MR scanners, you should plan at least 2-4 weeks for your training and participate regularly in the workshops.
Approval
Regardless of the number of workshop units you have visited, we would like to ask you to carry out a trial measurement together with the staff of the Core Facility. In doing so, we will pay particular attention to whether you take all aspects for safe operation into account during the measurement. If we notice that you need additional training in certain areas, we will recommend that you attend further workshop units.
Only after a successful acceptance you will receive permission to measure independently.
Of course, you can also attend workshops again after successful training for a refresher course.