Evolutionary Insect Laboratory

The Evolutionary Insect Lab provided research facilities for Laureate professor Dr Nina Wedell and involved the refurbishment of an existing building at the University of Melbourne’s Biosciences 4 building.  The new lab was designed to PC2 standards to facilitate a new OGTR (Office Gene Technology Regulator) certified insect laboratory suitable for using wild and imported genetically modified flies (drosophila melanogaster and pseudoobscura) as well as moths in the research. The research consists of the rearing of insects and conducting observational assays together with DNA work, and the use of bacteria in the insects.

The new facility includes a general laboratory area, a food preparation space, a clean room and an RNA preparation room, an airlock-protected insect lab and two dissection rooms. Equipment and building services have been accomodated to support the research including C02, RO glasswashing, incubators, freezers, fridges, cooking equipment, and exhaust.

Yellow doors are used as warm colours are known to generally repel flies, as opposed to cool colours.