Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I reserve instrument time?

First, you must review our billing policies and set up a billing code.  Once a billing code is in place, you make a reservation using our online system.  First time users are encouraged to contact AMRIS applications staff prior to making a reservation.

What is the AMRIS mailing address?

University of Florida
MBI/AMRIS
P.O. Box 100015
Gainesville, FL  32610-0015

What is the AMRIS shipping address?

University of Florida
MBI/AMRIS
1149 Newell Drive, LG-124
Gainesville, FL 32611

Link to interactive campus map

How do I transfer my data from the facility after collection?

For the 500, 600, Cryo600 and the 750 instruments, the data should be transferred to the datastation after collection via the cross-mounted network. From the data station the data may be transferred via ftp using filezilla.

For the horizontal 4.7T and the 11T systems, you may ftp directly from the system.

For authorized Gatorlink users on the 3T systems, UF also offers the SMB Share as a means for transferring data. For more information, navigate to the 3T pages or follow this link to SMB Storage.

How do I apply for NHFML user programs?

The NSF-funded NHMFL Users Program supports access to the AMRIS facility for users external to UF as well as technology development projects. Please submit a proposal through the user portal and select the AMRIS facility.  The proposal will be peered-reviewed by members of the NHMFL user committee.  Proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis with reviews provided and funding decisions made within four weeks of proposal submission. More information is available here.

How do I Remotely Operate an Instrument?

To gain access to the AMRIS facility systems remotely, you will need to have a UFID and gatorlink account, and you must contact the AMRIS staff member responsible for the instrument you are using.  The staff member will send you the address for the machine as well as a user name and password.

IMPORTANT: you should only login to the console software when you have time booked on the machine. Logging in at other times may impact other users. Remote running of instruments is strictly restricted to experienced, authorized users. More information is available in this pdf file.

What if a study participant has worked with metal or been injured by a foreign object and needs an orbital X-ray to be cleared for entering the 3T MRI magnet?

Follow the guidelines in this file Orbital_Xray_VCourt_Guide

What technical support is provided for the use of the 3T facility?

A research-dedicated technologist is available to operate the scanner and fMRI paradigms 8am-8pm, Monday-Friday. Training is provided to researchers to run the scanner for other times should that be required for your study. We provide support in imaging protocol development, including pulse sequence, and image processing and analysis. Depending on the scope of our involvement, this typically can be arranged in form of research collaboration. We offer a range of auxiliary equipment such as projection screen, response system and physiological monitoring. We also provide support for integrating peripherals equipment with the scanner that researchers bring in for their projects.

How do I make arrangements to use AMRIS’s Cryo-Chemistry 600 spectrometer?

The spectrometer is located in Room 100 of the Chemistry Laboratory Building (CLB) on the main UF campus, about a 3/4-mile walk north from the AMRIS Facility of the McKnight Brain Institute (MBI) in the UF Health Science Center.

Contact Jim Rocca by e-mail (jrrocca@ufl.edu) or phone (352-294-0126) concerning this instrument.  Dr. Rocca can provide instruction for you on the Bruker Avance III console concerning to the particulars of its operation.  Once you are comfortable operating the instrument on your own, you can then make arrangements for independent key access to CLB-100, as well as for building access if you are not a member of the Chemistry Department.  Please note that such keys are not issued to individuals, but to a single research group, and the Professor overseeing your research will need to sign the form requesting access to this spectrometer.

I only have a small amount of a substance, e.g., natural product, poly-peptide, etc.  What AMRIS spectrometer(s) should I use to obtain the best spectra on my sample in solution, and is it possible to have assistance with the spectrometers?

Knowing some additional details about the “small” sample will help decide which instrument to use:  if known, what its approximate molecular mass is, what types of NMR spectra you require, and whether you have micro-grams or milli-grams of the substance; compare to our System Sensitivity Comparison tables.

For further information about how AMRIS’s liquid-state spectrometers may meet your mini-/micro-sample needs, please contact Jim Rocca by e-mail (jrrocca@ufl.edu) or phone (352-294-0126).  Generally speaking, our 600-MHz instruments equipped with cryogenically-cooled radio-frequency (RF) probes will provide you with the best sensitivity for proton(1H)-detected spectra.  These spectrometers have commercial 1.7mm or 5-mm indirect-detection cryogenic probes. Additionally, there are occasionally available unique, prototype high-temperature-superconducting (HTS) cryogenic “RF micro-probes” that may be more suitable for your sample:

If you also hope to obtain directly-detected carbon (13C) spectra on your small sample, then the Agilent system, with either its 5-mm or 1.5-mm cryogenic RF probe, will provide the best sensitivity.

If you are already familiar with Bruker’s TopSpin software, then Mr. Rocca can provide a check-out for you on either spectrometer.  If you require training for solution NMR on any of these systems, or if you would prefer to simply have an operator provided for your sample analysis on one of the spectrometers, then Jim is also the AMRIS staff member to contact.

Are there opportunities to work for the AMRIS Facility at the University of Florida?

We invite you to search for jobs through the UF Careers web portal, search for AMRIS or MAGLAB: https://explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/listing/