Past Events
join I2SL NorCal: BrinGing smart labs to california
Join us to learn about the Smart Labs process, which optimizes lab safety and regularly achieves whole building energy saving of 20-40%.
Webinar
Virtual webinar on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 12pm (pst)
Panelists:
Alison Farmer, Director, KW Engineering
Deirdre Carter, Energy & Sustainability Manager, LBNL
Karla Arredondo, Ventilation, HEPA and Robotics Program Manager, LBNL
Allen Doyle, Safety & Sustainability Specialist, 3Flow
Wendell Brase, Associate Chancellor for Sustainability, UC Irvine
join I2SL NorCal and I2SL New England for the MiT NANO Center virtual tour & Panel
Webinar
Virtual webinar on Tuesday, March 9th from 9-10:30am (PST)
Panelists:
Travis Wanat, Sr. Project Manager, MIT - Capital Projects Group
Scott Lebow, Sr. Project Manager, HGA Architects & Engineers
Marcell Graeff, Sustainability Lead, HGA Architects & Engineers
Jacob Knowles, Director of Sustainable Design, BR+A
I2sL Norcal annual conference recap
Webinar
Virtual webinar on Tuesday, November 10th from 9-10:30am (PST)
TOPIC:
Three sessions:
Session 1 - Electrification and Decarbonization of Research Facilities presented by John McDonald of Smithgroup (20-25 min)
Session 2 - What a Difference FDD Makes (at Stanford) presented by Alison Farmer of KW Engineering and Leslie Kramer of Stanford University (20-25 min)
Session 3 - California Mandatory Regulation for Fume Hood Sash Closers and Exhaust Contaminant Measures presented by Victor Neuman of Laboratory Exhaust Certification
2020 Virtual I2sL Annual Conference
Webinar
Virtual webinar on Monday-Wednesday, October 5-7, 2020 (all day)
TOPIC:
The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) is offering its Annual Conference and Technology Fair Virtually this year!
You'll hear from lab owners, operators, designers, and engineers in the comfort of your own home or office as they discuss the most pressing safety and sustainability topics affecting labs during COVID-19 and in the future.
thursday september 17th
Webinar
Virtual webinar on Thursday, September 17th, 2020 from Noon-1PM (PST)
TOPIC:
ASHRAE and I2SL Northern California presents Lab Considerations Through a Pandemic
Guest speakers include:
Lyn Gomes, MEP Coordinator at DPR Construction
James Falconer, M.E., Principal at Affiliated Engineers, Inc.
Todd See, PE, LEED BD+C, Principal at WSP
Michele Sagehorn, CEM, LEED AP, Principal - Commissioning Authority at Red Car Analytics
Martin Gicklehorn, Principal/Lab Planner/President at GL Planning
Topics to include:
Current challenges related to HVAC systems during a pandemic
Production vs. safety when bringing employees back into the laboratory
Sustainability and energy consumption
Wednesday August 26th
Webinar
Virtual webinar on Wednesday, August 26th, 2020 from Noon-1PM (PST)
TOPIC:
Guest speakers from My Green Lab will cover the topic of sustainability in scientific research.
Guest speakers include James Connelly and Rachel Ralph
They will be discussing trends in sustainability and biotech, how to achieve Green Lab Certification, and other benefits of going green with your lab.
OUR SPEAKERS:
Moderator: Jonathan Eisenberg, ARUP
Lisa Churchill, Associate Principal, ARUP
Patrick Daley, Gritstone Oncology
Jim Doughty, CIH, Senior Program Manager, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Koray Kaya, Principal Engineer, AlfaTech
Ted Palashis, President, Overbrook Support Services
Kelley Raasch, CSP, Associate Director of EHS, The Broad Institute
Mary Jo Spector, Director of Research Facilities, Design, Construction, and Maintenance, Florida State University
Wednesday July 8th
Townhall Webinar
COVID-19 has changed the way laboratories operate, from academic institutions to research and development protocols. To continue this important conversation as labs consider reopening and retooling for the future, the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) is hosting its second free town hall on the topic, COVID-19 Challenges and Successes for Designing and Operating Safe and Sustainable Labs, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. Eastern (9:00 to 10:30 a.m. Pacific) on July 8, 2020.
Hear a panel of experts from university and pharmaceutical laboratories on the East and West Coast address the top questions facing lab owners, operators, engineers, and designers today as we learn to adapt to COVID-19 concerns:
Successes/challenges surrounding social distancing in labs, common areas such as elevators, or non-lab buildings,
How the pandemic is challenging lab design requirements, new and retrofit, from both a safety and sustainability angle.
How you can prioritize sustainability when addressing air quality/exchanges to keep labs safer and still energy-efficient.
The I2SL Northern California and New England Chapters are co-hosting this town hall with the generous support of their local sponsors and in conjunction with the California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) and the San Francisco Chapter of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE). This town hall is the second in a series of events I2SL is provide to discuss lessons learned about safe and sustainable lab stoppage and start-up; watch the first one, Returning to the Operational Laboratory Environment During COVID-19, which is free to the public.
Register today! Attendees at the July 8 town hall will have an opportunity to ask questions and participate in polls. If you can’t make it July 8, I2SL and CLSA will post a recording on their websites. Stay safe!
Additional Information:
Please email any questions to Terry Stelter
Click Here to follow I2SL NorCal on LinkedIn
Wednesday May 20th
Webinar
Joint I2SL Norcal / ISPE SF webinar on Wednesday May 20th from 12pm-1pm PDT
TOPIC:
Cal OSHA Fumehood Requirements and What Can Be Done About Them
Cal OSHA requires that fumehood face velocity be maintained at 100 feet per minute. While it’s not necessarily true that 100 FPM is any safer than a lower face velocity, it’s also not necessarily true that a lower face velocity saves you energy. This session looks at:
How we specify and operate fumehoods in order to reduce our energy consumption while still maintaining safety
Is it worth seeking a variance for a lower face velocity?
Should we be looking to lobby for changing this regulation?
Tuesday FEBRUARY 11th
Lab Tour/talk
AstraZeneca’s New Oyster Point Facility
After the tour, guests met in a conference room at AstraZeneca for appetizers, drinks, and networking, followed by a panel of lab experts who spoke about the sustainable strategies they used to build and run AstraZeneca & sustainable practices their companies implement on similar buildings.
Paul Long, Director, Site Operations at AstraZeneca
Sam D'Avanzo, Senior Project Manager, XL Construction
Rob Williamson, Principal & Leader of Science + Technology at HOK
Michael Charney, Principal at Spectrum PMG
MC for Panel: Cynthia Ruby, CEO at Cynthia Ruby and Associates & I2SL NorCal Events Committee Member
June 2019
sustainable Labs Mixer
At DPR in San Francisco, fellow sustainable lab enthusiasts networked and discussed the latest in sustainable lab design, construction, and operation.
Special Guest, Ron Silberstein, Owner & Brewmaster at ThirstyBear provided complimentary beer tastings and gave an interesting presentation on the process of beer making and sustainable practices in their business. ThirstyBear is the first and only brewery in San Francisco to brew certified organic beer and become a certified Green Business!
April 2019
Genentech sustainability Meeting
Genentech pilot plant tour
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Sustainable lab practices presented by Kristi Budzinski (Genentech Green Chemistry/BioPharma Program Manager)
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Implementing the Roche Directive K6 to eliminate all CFCs HCFCs, and HFCs and other chemicals that are harmful to the environment at Genentech presented by Cassie Waddell (Genentech Principal Engineer) and Mark Kehoe (Affiliated Engineers Project Manager)

February 2019
Joint Local ASHRAE /I2SL Meeting
Designing Safe and Energy Efficient Laboratory Exhaust Systems under the 2019 California Title 24 Regulations
Presented by Brad Cochran
November 2018
I2SL Annual Conference recap
Three top Bay Area laboratory leaders shared their presentations from the conference, which was held in Raleigh, North Carolina in October. We learned about the upcoming new I2SL/DOE lab benchmarking tool, the latest in green lab certifications and sustainable procurement, and the mechanical design of an outstanding new, modern laboratory facility. The future of sustainable labs has never looked so great.
September 2018
Hard Hat Lab Tour - Gilead
A hard hat tour of Gilead Sciences, Building NB324. This new 357,000 sf laboratory building, scheduled to open the second quarter of 2019, will include Biology, Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK), Drug Safety Evaluation, Medicinal Chemistry, and Structural Chemistry labs. It will also allow Gilead to create a centralized location for research laboratories on its Foster City campus.
May 2018
Kickoff Social- McCarthy Construction
A network event with other professionals interested in the sustainability of research facilities where we heard about all the exciting upcoming events for the rest of the year.