Facilities around the world celebrated International Laboratory Animal Technician Week January 30–February 5, 2011. This year’s theme was “Respect Research & Technicians.”

Tech Week Celebrations

ETHICON, Inc., Somerville, NJ

What better way to kick off Tech Week then with some food…with a kick! A chili cook-off, or as we called it, a “Kick-off Chili-off!”, to be more specific.

I and Tech Week Co-Chair Amy Hanna, BS, LATG, started about two weeks ahead of time by announcing to our preclinical research department (~25 people) that Tech Week was coming up and we wanted to start it off with a bit of fun and team building by having this Chili-off. We asked for volunteers to make any kind of chili they liked and that entries would be voted on and judged by everyone for the best hot, moderate, and mild spicy chilis as well as the best vegetarian and most unique chili dishes.

Thirteen would-be chili chefs rolled up their sleeves and created some of the best chili I have ever had. Varieties included everything from the more traditional stick-to-your-ribs beef or turkey chili recipes to the super unique: Chipotle seafood white, Indian spicy vegetable, and Hungarian-Hawaiian chili’s. Some chefs, or volunteers who didn’t compete with chili, brought in sides such as homemade cornbread, brown rice, or Spicy Indian Wafers, and desserts including lemon bars, brownies, ice cream, and chocolates shaped like little mice!

Once the votes were tallied, we announced the winners and awarded prizes. Prizes awarded included an assorted hot sauce set, chipotle brownie mix, a salsa dish, cookbook, and decorative “chili-pepper” lights, but no one went away empty-handed! Tech Week Mini Write-Away notebooks (from AALAS Bookstore) were handed out to all who joined us in celebrating. Thanks AALAS for the great idea!

We all had a great time and it’s only the first day! Activities for the rest of the week include an off-site technician luncheon at The Cheesecake Factory, Tech Week item goodie bags, and a BYO-Lunch-n-Learn which will include a review of the AALAS Learning Library, bookstore, and what CEUs count towards maintaining certification status!

Recognizing our laboratory animal technical and surgical staff for their continuous dedication, skill, and quality support is important to us and supports an environment of teamwork, skill-building, and further education.

Thanks AALAS!

Charles River, Houston, TX

Our facility held a different contest each day that included prizes.  We also provided breakfast on the first day of Tech Week, and lunch was brought in on Wednesday by one of our vendors. We had a marshmallow shooting contest on Monday, and full-size candy bars were given for the top three shooters based on distance. The shooting contest ended with an impromptu marshmallow fight, which was great fun. Tuesday, we had a Play Doh creation contest with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes awarded for teams of four. The prizes were key chains, water bottles, and $5 gift cards to the nearby fast food place for breakfast. Thursday, we had a Hula Hoop contest, which was hilarious. We awarded company logo water bottles to the top three and full-size candy bars for all brave participants. Friday, we held a scavenger hunt. Participants had 45 minutes to follow 9 clues to find nine Kong toys hidden around the site. Inside each Kong toy was a question to answer for extra points (AALAS- or site SOP-related questions) in the event of a tie. We had teams of two with prizes for first three teams that included restaurant gift cards, DVD movies, and candy bars for all participants. Finally, each technician received the AALAS Tech Week pen and sticky note holder set. 

The staff seemed to really enjoy the week based on the laughter that ensued during each contest, and asked me what we were going to do next week!

Stony Brook University

As in years past, our facility held a week-long celebration to thank our hard-working techs. This year's celebration was a success thanks to the hard work of Laurie, who organized and planned the activities, and the contributions of our valued vendors, who graciously helped to defray the costs associated with the week's activities.

On Monday, the techs received goodie bags filled with popcorn, candy, and assorted other sweets. We served the techs lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday—hero sandwiches on Tuesday and Italian food (prepared by chef Laurie) on Wednesday. Thursday's celebration included an extended coffee break and breakfast. On Friday, techs were given more goodie bags.

Thanks to the generous contributions of our vendors, we were able to extend Tech Week an extra day. We provided a taco lunch for our techs, and were joined by a few of our vendors' techs.

All in all, it was a nice celebration and our way of saying thanks for a job well done. Let's see what we can come up with for next year!

Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY

At the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC, the animal care techs and the vet techs were honored with a special “thank you” luncheon during Tech Week.

Tech were also honored during the Metro NY branch annual installation dinner held on Feb 4, 2011. The technicians were asked to stand and be recognized for their hard work. Also, a technician table with free giveaways, including personalized chocolate bars for the technicians, was set up at the dinner.

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Orlando, FL

Our facility held a week-long celebration in honor of Tech Week. On Monday, we provided breakfast for the staff. On Tuesday we held a pizza party, sponsored by Charles River sales representative Stacey Cohen; also, goodie bags from Charles River CSS Consulting and Staffing Division arrived in the mail. On Wednesday, techs received more goodies, and were treated to a barbecue lunch. Thursday's celebration included cake and ice cream sundaes. A luncheon at Eagle Creek, sponsored by operations specialist Bonnie Taylor, was held on Friday.

Florida Atlantic University

We assigned each technician a researcher as a secret buddy. I sent out an email to all researchers asking them if they would like to participate; those that replied were matched to a technician. I sent each technician and participating researcher a list of questions about themselves, then gave the responses (with the names masked) to the person's secret buddy.

The secret buddies exchanged gifts each day of Tech Week, based on what they learned from the list of responses they were given. I collected and distributed the researchers' gifts to their technician buddies, then brought the researchers their gifts from the technicians later in the day. At the beginning of the game, I stressed to all that these gifts need not be expensive items. However, as their appreciation for each other grew, so did the value of their gifts; by the end of the week, both researchers and technicians alike were giving gifts like steak dinners and Cross pens.

On the last day of Tech Week, we had a big potluck dinner and revealed each participant's secret buddy. Before I announced the buddies, I asked each technician and researcher to guess who they were paired with. The ones that guessed correctly received prizes from local restaurants.

The goal of the game was to encourage the technicians and researchers to get to know each other personally, in the hope that they would develop more respect for each other's work. In this, the game was a huge success. Some lasting friendships were formed, and the feedback from everyone involved was overwhelmingly positive. Many participants remarked how they enjoyed receiving a little surprise each day.

AHCS/NINDS/NIH, Bethesda, MD

Our Tech Week started off with everyone receiving a beautiful orange Tech Week button and yummy bagels! On Monday and Tuesday we enjoyed some yummy doughnuts and our care staff teamed up to participate in a board-decorating contest in our break room—cage wash vs. animal care techs vs. vet techs. Competition was fierce; our prestigious judges debated for over 20 minutes before choosing a contest winner!

On Wednesday, we played a Tech Week Trivia Game (again cage wash vs. animal care techs vs. vet techs), which was a lot of fun. Thursday, the team that took first place in the board-decorating contest enjoyed fruit and dessert while watching funny videos. On Friday, we had a wonderful pizza party sponsored by Priority One Services.

Throughout the week, we played Star of the Day. The supervisors hid tokens with “See the supervisor” written on them throughout the facility for the care staff to find. Whoever found the most tokens each day got to wear a "Star of the Day" badge and were given the opportunity to cross-train at another position; for example, our animal caretakers assisted veterinary technologists for the day, or veterinary techs shadowed their direct supervisor. This game brought out the competitive spirit in everyone! We also had a Tech Respect Board set up outside of the break room where people could post kind messages to the staff on little mouse cut-outs.

We look forward to Tech Week every year. This year's celebration was a big success. Not sure how we will top this next year!

2011 Tech Week Items and Celebration Ideas

Respect Research & Technicians poster
Display these eye-catching posters (11 x 17 inches) throughout your facility and in public areas to promote the 2011 Tech Week event.

Updated for 2011! “Suggestions for Recognition of Technicians” document
Want to do something really special for your techs during Tech Week this time? Check out this list of ideas! Updated every year with suggestions from AALAS members around the world, this tool is perfect for sparking ideas of how to celebrate the event at your facility. Don’t plan your event without it!

Tech Week Certificate

2011 Tech Week Logo

If you need the logo in a format not offered here, please email
webmaster@aalas.org.

“BAIT”—Branch Activities, Information, and Tips
A cool web page of tidbits for AALAS technicians and branch members. Includes presentations, articles, activities, and guidelines on personal and professional development, animal care and facilities, public outreach training, and branch meeting resources.

“Reach Out!” Public Outreach Materials
AALAS’ Reach Out! materials are perfect for planning a company-wide or community-based public outreach event during the 2008 Tech Week event. These downloadable materials offer motivation and encouragement for technicians interested in learning “how” to reach out to the public about the need for animals in biomedical research and provide the tools and resources needed to conduct successful public outreach sessions within their communities.

Other outreach materials:
AALAS Camp (4.25 mb)
 Public Outreach Downloads