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Light repairs: next Tue 21st!
by Helfenbein,Paula April 14, 2026

April 14, 2026

Dear all, next week Tuesday, 21st of April, the LED lights in all chambers will be inspected and any broken LEDs will be replaced. For this some plants might have to be moved out of the shelf units for a max of 30 minutes, but will of course be placed back into the correct shelf unit right after. If there are any plants that should not be touched, moved or taken out of the shelves, please contact me till next Monday! Thank you very much, best Paula [signatureImage] Paula Helfenbein Core Technician, Plant Sciences Facility M +43 664 80847 7980 paula.helfenbein(a)vbcf.ac.at<mailto:paula.helfenbein@vbcf.ac.at> Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities GmbH Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3 1030 Vienna Austria www.vbcf.ac.at<https://www.vbcf.ac.at/>

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Passing the torch: Core Technician position open!
by Helfenbein,Paula April 14, 2026

April 14, 2026

Dear all, after some amazing years here, I’ve decided it’s time for a new chapter for me - I’ll be leaving my role as Core Technician this summer to dedicate myself fully to finishing my Master’s degree. Working at the institute has been an incredible experience, and I’m walking away with so many great memories! To ensure everything stays on track, my colleagues at the VBCF Plant Sciences Facility and I are working closely to manage a smooth transition and we are currently on the lookout for a new, motivated Core Technician to join the team! Please find the job description attached, feel free to forward it to anyone who might be interested! I’ve truly enjoyed my time here and will miss the amazing environment. I’ll be around and available as always until end of July, so feel free to reach out! Best, Paula [VBC Logo] Paula Helfenbein Core Technician, Plant Sciences Facility M +43 664 80847 7980 paula.helfenbein(a)vbcf.ac.at<mailto:paula.helfenbein@vbcf.ac.at> Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities GmbH Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3 1030 Vienna Austria www.vbcf.ac.at<https://www.vbcf.ac.at/>

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Reminder for cleanliness at the MPL
by Rozanek,Solvejg March 24, 2026

March 24, 2026

Dear all, lately the sink was left dirty more often, which is why we would like to remind you to keep the soil room (and especially the sink; see attached picture) and other working rooms clean, so that the cleaning staff and other users can use them as well. Leave the rooms as you would like to find them! Thank you for your understanding and your help! Best the VBCF Plant Sciences Team

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Plants moved in chamber #19 #21
by Helfenbein,Paula March 2, 2026

March 2, 2026

Dear all, due to an emergency in chamber #20 this morning we had to move the plants into the adjacent chambers. We moved some of the plants in chamber #19 and #21 slightly within the chamber to make sure we have enough space to fit everything, but all plants stayed in the correct temp, light and humidity conditions and with the right light intensity. We apologise for this inconvenience, if you should have any questions please feel free to reach out to me any time. Thank you very much for your understanding, Paula [VBC Logo] Paula Helfenbein Core Technician, Plant Sciences Facility M +43 664 80847 7980 paula.helfenbein(a)vbcf.ac.at<mailto:paula.helfenbein@vbcf.ac.at> Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities GmbH Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3 1030 Vienna Austria www.vbcf.ac.at<https://www.vbcf.ac.at/>

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Power outage plant growth chambers
by Helfenbein,Paula Feb. 12, 2026

Feb. 12, 2026

Dear all, we had a short power outage today at the chambers, around 2pm the lights were off for about 5 minutes. Everything is running now as usual with the correct program for each chamber. If you need more detailed records for the interruption please let me know! We apologise very much for this, best regards Paula [VBC Logo] Paula Helfenbein Core Technician, Plant Sciences Facility M +43 664 80847 7980 paula.helfenbein(a)vbcf.ac.at<mailto:paula.helfenbein@vbcf.ac.at> Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities GmbH Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3 1030 Vienna Austria www.vbcf.ac.at<https://www.vbcf.ac.at/>

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Reminder: Waste and cleanliness in plant growth chambers at the MPL
by Rozanek,Solvejg Nov. 27, 2025

Nov. 27, 2025

Dear all, lately it was more often the case that freshly watered pots with plants have been trashed and that the trash cans were completely full. Since the bags should not get too heavy (also because they become even heavier after autoclaving), we would be grateful if you could trash your plants only when they are dry or not completely wet. Watering takes place every Monday morning and Thursday afternoon. If that is not possible, we would ask you to only fill the trash cans half full. If no empty trash cans are available, please take one of the transparent bags and place them next to trash cans, where they will be picked up for autoclaving. This procedure saves time and resources. Further we would like to remind you to keep the soil room (and especially the sink) and other working rooms clean so that the cleaning staff and other users can use them in the same way. Trays ready to be cleaned must be stacked upright instead of sideward to use the space in the box as efficient as possible. Thank you for your understanding and your help! Best, Solvejg for the VBCF Plant Sciences Team

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! Repair in plant growth chamber system, Tue 11th Nov !
by Helfenbein,Paula Nov. 11, 2025

Nov. 11, 2025

Dear all, unfortunately, our internal watering pump for the growth chambers in the 8th floor is leaking and needs to be replaced as soon as possible. At the moment all chambers are running as usual and temperature and humidity are the same as always and will also stay this way. But it is important to replace the broken pump as soon as possible, as it could cause further damage to the system otherwise. The repair is scheduled for next Tuesday, 11th of November at 8:30 am. During the repair, the watering pipes will be closed, therefore, there will be no watering (automatic or manually) and no humidity control in the chambers! We estimate that the repair will take a few hours, maybe less. Please contact me as soon as possible in case you have any humidity sensitive experiments running in the chambers at the moment. Please ensure that everyone in the lab is informed, that there will be no water accessible in the chamber during this time. I will inform you once the repair is done, and you can water your plants as usual. The automatic watering on Monday morning will happen as always. Thanks a lot for your understanding, best Paula [VBC Logo] Paula Helfenbein Core Technician, Plant Sciences Facility M +43 664 80847 7980 paula.helfenbein(a)vbcf.ac.at<mailto:paula.helfenbein@vbcf.ac.at> Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities GmbH Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3 1030 Vienna Austria www.vbcf.ac.at<https://www.vbcf.ac.at/>

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New pest control alternative: Bacillus thuringiensis
by Helfenbein,Paula Oct. 6, 2025

Oct. 6, 2025

Dear all, from this week onwards we offer a new pest control alternative against black flies (Fungus gnat) at the MPL growth chambers in the 8th floor. You will find a new canister in the green cupboard in the sowing room filled with Bacillus thuringiensis - a bacteria solution that can be used as a natural pest control for insects due to its natural occurring toxicity (<i>Bacillus thuringiensis</i> (<i>Bt</i>) Fact Sheet<https://www.npic.orst.edu/factsheets/btgen.html>). The application is very similar to the ones of nematodes: mix 5 ml of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) solution with 1 litre of water in the green watering can and water your pots generously before sowing. Repeat the treatment every ~3 weeks. We will continue to offer nematodes as before in the fridge, the Bt solution is just an alternative to nematodes. It is necessary to apply either one of the pest control treatments, not both of them! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us! Best regards, Paula [cid:cdaa855c-66f4-4921-bc6b-4e75a8f53f0a] P.S.: Please always put the canister and the watering can back into the green cupboard and close the door (as Bt has to be stored in dark), thank you :) [VBC Logo] Paula Helfenbein Core Technician, Plant Sciences Facility M +43 664 80847 7980 paula.helfenbein(a)vbcf.ac.at<mailto:paula.helfenbein@vbcf.ac.at> Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities GmbH Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3 1030 Vienna Austria www.vbcf.ac.at<https://www.vbcf.ac.at/>

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Change in booking system: labelled shelf units!
by Helfenbein,Paula Sept. 26, 2025

Sept. 26, 2025

Dear all, with 1st of October we plan a slight change in our booking system for all shared plant growth chambers: As you might have already noticed, the individual shelf units are now labelled with numbers. When booking your shelf unit in the booking system PPMS, please make sure you book the correct shelf unit number! This is true for all shared chambers, at the MPL chamber #19, #20 and #21 at the moment. All current bookings have been moved to their correct shelf unit number. Please make sure you always book the correct shelf unit number from now on and for the amount of time you will use it! This ensures that everyone has the same access to shared chambers and can plan their experiments accordingly. If you should ever have any problems with bookings, or want to terminate or change bookings, feel free to contact me. Thank you very much, Paula [cid:b3acdb0f-6c3a-4958-bd83-19c384c80b10] [VBC Logo] Paula Helfenbein Core Technician, Plant Sciences Facility M +43 664 80847 7980 paula.helfenbein(a)vbcf.ac.at<mailto:paula.helfenbein@vbcf.ac.at> Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities GmbH Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3 1030 Vienna Austria www.vbcf.ac.at<https://www.vbcf.ac.at/>

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Thrips in chamber #21
by Helfenbein,Paula Feb. 26, 2025

Feb. 26, 2025

Dear all, I hope you all had relaxing holidays and I wish you a happy new year! Unfortunately, we found thrips on one plant in the shared longday chamber #21. The tray was removed and so far, there are no traces that any of the other plants has been infected yet. Therefore, all other plants can stay in the chamber for now. Chamber #21 is now a quarantine chamber, so please follow these rules: * DO NOT move plants out of the chamber, NEVER bring plants to another chamber. All plants may remain in chamber #21. * Harvest and trash all plants in chamber #21 as soon as possible. * Only enter if absolutely necessary. * Leave all waste inside the chamber (take waste bins inside and leave them there). * Leave dirty trays inside the chamber. * DO NOT enter any other chamber on the same day once you entered chamber #21! We will precisely monitor all plants in the chamber and inform you how we will proceed. Please contact me directly if you have any plants that will not be harvested/trashed soon. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. Thank you all for the cooperation and I am very sorry for the inconvenience, best Paula [VBC Logo] Paula Helfenbein Core Technician, Plant Sciences Facility T +43 1 7962324 7090<tel:+43179623247090> M +43 664 80847 7980 paula.helfenbein(a)vbcf.ac.at<mailto:paula.helfenbein@vbcf.ac.at> Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities GmbH Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3 1030 Vienna Austria www.vbcf.ac.at<https://www.vbcf.ac.at>

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