Merck Millipore launches \'Design Your Steritest Pump\' contest
Contest to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Steritest system, the first closed filtration device for sterility testing
Merck Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA, has launched the 'Design Your Pump' contest to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Steritest system, the first closed filtration device for sterility testing. Contest participants will have the chance to create a custom, virtual design of the front panel of a new set of Steritest pumps, which will launch soon. Winning entries will be posted in the design Hall of Fame.
Designs can be created and submitted on the contest website. The interactive 'panel generator' software allows participants to choose from a menu of colours, shapes and styles. Different elements of the pump panel can be customised, including the logo, background colour, flares and buttons. Visitors to the site can also view all other entries and vote for their favorites via the Explore Gallery. Designers of the panels with the three highest vote totals will receive a GoPro Hero3 White Edition Camera.
The contest is currently open for submissions and the final entry deadline is June 30, 2014 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Visitors can vote for their favorite design until July 15 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time, at which time the three entries with the highest votes will be declared winners.
Since introducing the Steritest system in 1974, Merck Millipore has improved standards in sterility testing, reducing the risk of false positive and false negative results, increasing reliability and streamlining workflows for microbiologists around the world.
'Conducting a test for sterility requires excellent workflows and a reliable test performance. The Merck Millipore Steritest system, with pump and filtration devices, supports the operators in a perfect manner to obtain reliable test results,' says Dr Timo Krebsbach, Division Manager Marketing & Sales, Labor L+S AG, Germany.
As part of the celebration of 40 years of sterility testing, Merck Millipore will be launching three new pumps in 2014. The pumps will be part of the Steritest portfolio, which includes a full range of filters and needle adaptors, as well as accessories and related hardware.
Additionally, Merck Millipore will donate €14,000 to Seeding Labs, a global non-profit company located in Boston, Massachusetts, which provides researchers and scientists in developing countries worldwide with the laboratory equipment they need. This donation continues Merck Millipore's relationship with Seeding Labs. In 2013, Merck Millipore and Seeding Labs funded a large shipping container to carry laboratory equipment and supplies to Gulu University in Uganda. The University's Biology Department will use these supplies to help reconstruct and rehabilitate Uganda in its recent recovery efforts.
