The Specialist Associates in the group suggest improvements, when needed, for improved quality and new procedures, and have written and maintained the laboratory's "standard procedure manual" for review by the Institutional Committee for the Use and Care of Animals. They also design new computer databases for each experiment, enter and do quality control on many forms of data (weight, genotyping, survival, health outcomes), and present periodic reports on the dozen or so different experimental protocols under way at any given time. They work with a very high degree of independence, meeting with the laboratory director about once in each two week period to discuss any areas of concern. The Special Associates on the team also supervise and train new employees, and also train the laboratory's graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty members on relevant animal procedures. They interact with faculty members, at UM and at other institutions, on shipment of mice and biological samples derived from mice, again with no need for supervision by the lab director or other senior personnel. A successful candidate will need to be completely comfortable at all routine procedures conducted on mice, including assessment of mice for health abnormalities typically seen only in older mice.