Curious about S. blot radioactivity - Feel kinda silly asking but... (Oct/26/2006 )

I, like many others here I assume, work on a semi-frequent basis with Southern Blots. I was wondering what sort of certification one needs to work with the actual radioactive elements of a southern blot (ie washing with probe, etc).

currently, only one person in the molecular biology department here is allowed to work with the radioactive maaterials. I've read several peoples' comments on doing SB and since I will be going to grad school soon I want to know if it is worth my time to become certified.

No real rush on an answer here, just curious.

At least at the universities I've worked in, the required certification is usually a class you take on radioactivity. This varies by institution, in one university I had to take 4 days of classes and take a test at the end with calculations on half life, etc. In the other two places I've worked in I only had to take a 1 hr class with no test. Some places might require you to retake the class every few years and others only once. You won't be able to get out of taking the class even if you took it at another university, so if you're going to grad school at a different place than you work now I wouldn't bother taking it.

Thanks for the info! I have a prof here who wants me to sit and watch someone do the probing a couple of times just to see what happens. I thought about just becoming certified and helping out as that would help me learn better, but if I have to do it all over again in a year or so it's not really worth my time. I guess I'll just sit back and watch for now!