The Grainger College of Engineering
Materials Research Laboratory

MRL Orientation for External Users

Orientation and Safety Training for External Users

New users are required to

  • complete University of Illinois Division of Research Safety basic training 
  • watch the MRL Orientation video

before accessing the shared instrumentation facilities.

Researchers who will not be using the instruments themselves (i.e., who are covered by a TTA/Technical Testing Agreement) are exempt from these training requirements but are still highly encouraged to watch the MRL Orientation video.

Division of Research Safety (DRS) Training
  1. Email mrl-facilities@illinois.edu to request the creation of a DRS public account.  If multiple researchers from your project are covered under the same FUA/Facilities Use Agreement, please request this for each individual.
  2. Go to https://drs.illinois.edu/
    1. Click on the "Training" menu item.
    2. Click the "Laboratory Safety" link.
    3. Click the "Login with an OVCRI Public Profile" button and enter the credentials sent to you by DRS for your public account.
    4. Complete the Laboratory Safety training (make sure to complete both parts).
    5. Go back to https://drs.illinois.edu, click on the "Training" menu item, and click on the "Chemical Safety: An Introduction" link.
    6. Complete the Chemical Safety: An Introduction training (make sure to complete both parts).
  3. It is your responsibility to ensure that your training is up to date for any trainings which expire after a period of time.
  4. If you require additional safety training for your project (such as laser or X-ray safety training), complete this as well.
    1. Access these trainings through the DRS website at https://drs.illinois.edu or from the OVCRI training library at https://ovcrportal.research.illinois.edu/Training/Browse.aspx
    2. In the MRL online scheduling system (see the MRL orientation video for instructions on how to access this), enter the completion dates for those additional trainings in the Safety Trainings button.  These additional safety trainings will not be required for all research projects.
  5. Read the DRS Laboratory Safety Guide.
MRL Orientation Video

The MRL orientation video covers details on the MRL building access, important office and resource locations, lab safety procedures, etc. It also includes a full tutorial on how to use our scheduling system to reserve instrument time and how to request training on a particular tool. Please make sure you watch this orientation video before requesting training.