Policies and Prioritization

For information about starting your project at EPIC visit our getting started page.

Access to the EPIC lab space:

  • A staff member or lab assistant must be present
  • Only current active students, faculty, and staff can access EPIC
  • Non-BU affiliated visitors must be accompanied by an EPIC employee and are not allowed to use any of the equipment
  • Access after hours is at the discretion of the Director of EPIC
  • Staff offices should not be entered without permission
  • Storage areas should not be entered without permission
  • Current safety quiz must be successfully completed

What we can help with:

  • Course projects across the university
  • Collaboration with faculty
  • Research projects
  • Any student who is starting a company can use EPIC to build prototypes
  • Personal projects by students, faculty, and staff
  • Club projects

What we can’t help with:

  • Production of multiple copies of a product that are going to be sold – For example, BUildLab students can build prototypes but need to outsource production
  • Shipping of parts off campus
  • We will not build your project for you
  • The production of, maintenance of, or modification of any weapons or knives
  • Bicycle/scooter/skateboard repair – Visit the BU Cycle Kitchen website for information on their facilities
  • Design of products that include the wiring, and charging of Lithium Ion batteries.
  • Processing unknown or hazardous material (i.e., cutting carbon fiber) – Visit our material selection page for information on compatible materials
  • We do not allow welding of vehicle frames or structural components in which the failure of a weld could result in damage to, or loss of property, or cause personal injury.
  • Work on pressure vessels is prohibited without written approval from the acting director of EPIC.
  • Any project work that incorporates the use of LiPo batteries: these are expressly forbidden in EPIC.
  • Woodworking or finishing, no sawdust allowed

Loss of privileges:

  • The staff of EPIC has the final say on what is and isn’t safe behavior. Any behavior deemed disrespectful or unsafe may result in loss of EPIC privileges.

How we prioritize resources:
EPIC is a first-come-first-served facility except when demand is high. Based on the load on the space, safety concerns, the skills of the students, the complexity of the project, and the amount of staff time, we may need to scale down or turn away certain projects.

We will prioritize support in the following order:

  1. BU course work
  2. BU research work
  3. BU Clubs & Student Innovation Center (BUild Lab) projects
  4. Student/Staff/Faculty individual projects

Please reach out to Prof. Chomyszak with any policy questions.