When it was time to move plants from the BYU Genetics Great Lab to the College of Life Science greenhouse at 1001 E. 820 N. near Kiwanis Park, a half mile away, a student would usually walk to an off-campus parking lot, access their personal automobile, drive back to the Life Science Building, go back up five stories to the lab, gather and load the materials in the building’s parking garage, then drive to the greenhouse and back—and at their own expense. Well, that was before!
Assistant Professor David Jarvis is a faculty member of the Genetics, Genomics & Biotechnology program at Brigham Young University, located in the Plant and Wildlife Sciences building. “Research is conducted in the Genetics Great Lab, a shared laboratory involving all of the genetics, genomics, and biotechnology faculty and their students,” the website states. I sat down with Dr. Jarvis in his comfortable 5th floor office, facing a large window with a breathtaking view of Y Mountain, to learn about the eBike he had bought for his department in June of 2021. Dr. Jarvis and his wife had bought a cargo bike seven years ago to use in Saudi Arabia when he was a postdoctoral fellow at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). They actually bought the bike in the US and shipped it to KAUST, then later shipped the bike back to Utah to continue using it [which may hint at how much they were enjoying their bike].
This biking experience gave Dr. Jarvis the idea of purchasing a cargo eBike for his students to transport plants and material between the lab and the greenhouse, and more often to travel the distance for the required twice per day plant waterings. Dr. Jarvis did some research on cargo eBikes and decided on a Rad Power Bikes RadWagon 4. Around the same time he bought a 27gal. plastic Tuff Storage Tote, drilled holes in the bottom of the tub to bolt the Tote to an accessory frame that he had also purchased and mounted on the rear carrier, added a few tie down straps, and a cargo container was born. The eBike is stored in the building’s parking garage on the ground floor and the battery along with two helmets, a quality tire pump, and the battery charger are stored neatly on shelves in a designated room of the lab.
I met Karson and another student in the lab and learned that the use of the eBike is now saving both students and instructor time. Since the students are paid hourly, this equates to monetary savings for the department as well. Karson, who lives relatively nearby and rides a longboard to campus but would need to use his car to transport plants and materials, really “likes the eBike” and was willing to pose with it for a photo. Dr. Jarvis likes the time saved that can now be used in the lab, and everyone likes cruising down 820 North on a cool cargo eBike.
