Carolina Biological
Research teaching resources, microscopes and lab supplies. Request a quote matched to your syllabus, class size and existing equipment.
Visit supplier ↗FOR COLLEGE MICROBIOLOGY LAB COORDINATORS
Plan the semester.
See the full cost.
Start with what your teaching lab already owns. Calculate the packs you actually need, see what will be left over, and build a clearer semester budget.
01 Define the class02 Build the budget03 Take the report to your department
THE NEXT EXPERIMENT / BUY ONLY THE SHORTFALL
Already on the shelf?
Put it in the plan.
Plan one item against existing usable stock and a supplier’s pack size. See the shortage, order quantity and leftovers before adding a cost to your semester budget. The example below is illustrative.
Entries stay in this browser tab only. They are not saved, and reloading the page restores the example values — download a report to keep your work.
QUOTED PURCHASE COST
Shortfall to cover
Whole packs to order
Units purchased
Units left after planned allocation
Avoided spend vs buying all new
This item plan is separate from the semester budget. Transfer its cost once to the appropriate budget category.
The purchasing decision
Supplier quotes may include minimum orders, discounts, tax and freight that are not modeled here. Avoided spend is a comparison at the same pack price, not a verified saving. Existing stock has not been inspected.
Why pack sizes change the decision
Shortfall = max(0, required − usable stock). Packs = shortfall ÷ pack size, rounded up. Leftover units = stock + purchased units − required. The all-new comparison rounds the full required quantity to whole packs at the same price. Existing stock may reduce the shortage without reducing the number of packs; in that case avoided spend is zero.
THE SEMESTER PLANNER
A clearer budget.
Before the purchase order.
Use your own supplier quotes and staffing estimates. The starting numbers are illustrative, not product prices or recommended lab requirements. All calculations stay in your browser.
ESTIMATED SEMESTER RESOURCE COST
Enrolled students
Cost per student
Purchases, before contingency
Staffing, before contingency
Contingency allowance
Planning estimate; no supplier pricing is implied.
How the calculation works
Students = students per section × sections. Purchases = students × consumables per student + new equipment + shared supplies + other costs. Staffing = sections × preparation hours × hourly staff cost. Total = (purchases + staffing) × (1 + contingency ÷ 100). Existing equipment is not re-purchased or depreciated in this model. Contingency applies to both purchases and staffing.
THE PURCHASING BRIEF
Ask better questions.
Compare like with like.
Check the items you have addressed. Download the list with your budget to support a conversation with faculty, technicians and purchasing staff. A tick records your review; it does not certify suitability.
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YOUR TAKEAWAY
A report to take
to the department.
Download your current item plan, semester budget and checklist in one printable HTML file. Open it offline in a browser, share it with colleagues, or choose Print → Save as PDF. The report is created in your browser; nothing is sent to us unless you choose to share a copy below.
THE PRINCIPLE
A good teaching resource
starts with the course.
Learning comes first
ASM updated its undergraduate curriculum guidance in 2024. Use the learning goals, your syllabus and instructor judgment to define requirements before comparing products. Read the curriculum guidance ↗
Context matters
Teaching-lab resources need to fit the facilities, supervision and institutional requirements. ASM also publishes teaching-lab biosafety guidance. A product description or budget calculator cannot replace that review. Read the teaching-lab guidance ↗
SUPPLIER RESEARCH
A starting point.
Not an endorsement.
Two educational suppliers to start your own research with. Product suitability and institutional-order arrangements still need checking. We have no affiliate or paid relationship with either; these are ordinary, unpaid links.
Home Science Tools
A school-oriented catalog worth checking for individual teaching needs. College-level suitability must be evaluated product by product.
Visit supplier ↗Listed October 2026. Inclusion is not evidence that any product is suitable for your institution. See our disclosures.
BUILD · LEARN · IMPROVE
One small pilot.
One real buying decision.
Our working hypothesis: college microbiology lab coordinators need a clearer way to combine semester costs and purchasing requirements. We have not yet validated it with interviews.
Make the decision visible
A stock-aware item planner, semester budget, exportable checklist and short supplier research list. No account or data collection needed.
Work with six coordinators
Observe a recent or upcoming purchase. Test whether three can use the tools with real figures and name a concrete improvement.
Build what the pilot needs
Possible next steps: side-by-side quotes, equipment inventory or course-specific planning. Select one based on observed use.
Pilot targets are proposed project decisions, not industry benchmarks. No interviews or supplier applications have been completed.
RESEARCH & TRANSPARENCY
The evidence behind the pilot.
Carolina already offers buying guides and quote requests; Quartzy and LabArchives already support inventory and ordering. Our narrower hypothesis is connecting course requirements, class size and existing resources to a usable semester purchasing brief. Novelty and demand remain unproven.
About this research edition
Microbiology Atlas is an independent pilot run by Forest van Eeden. There are no approved affiliate relationships, hands-on product reviews, or institutional endorsements. Scientific context links to ASM's original guidance. Budget defaults are illustrative. Planner entries stay in your browser and are not stored; a copy reaches us only if you tick the sharing box. Downloads contain the values you enter and remain under your control. About the project · Disclosures and method.
Future commercial recommendations should explain their evidence, show relevant alternatives, and disclose compensation beside paid links. The working name has not been trademark-cleared.