Friday, July 23, 2004
"Nah..nobody knows the trouble, I've seen..."
Today marks the end of my first week of nanotechnology research, and I have to say the experience has not been exactly what I expected. Most of my time in the program has been divided between reading articles with complicated names like "Electroosmotic Flow in Template Prepared Carbon Nanotube Membranes" and participating in labs from the university's introductory engineering curriculum. I have discovered another universal truth about introductory lab courses: it doesn't matter where you go, all the lab instructions are written very clearly...in German. And then they are translated back to English by someone who does not speak German. Otherwise, how else to explain the poorly written instructions, faulty diagrams, and otherwise convoluted conditions? Ok, in fairness, there might be some interference from science teachers...apparently we are notorious for thinking we know better about things.
Another thing I learned is that I still have (on the whole) a terrible instinct for picking lab partners. The first lady I worked with blew up at me for noting that the washer she was measuring couldn't possibly be 13 cm wide, maybe she meant millimeters? When I started looking at the washers she was done measuring and looking for a labelling scheme to keep track of which washers were which, she suddenly snaps, accuses me of being a terrible teacher, and notes that she would hate to be in my classroom because I must be overly critical of my kids, always hovering over them as they work.
First instinct: Unleash the patented Invisible Ben wit, reducing her self-confidence to a bowl of jell-o as I run mental circles around her.
Second instinct: Apologize for any possible offense, get a drink of water.
I went for the second option, avoiding a potential conflict escalation. When I got back however, my lab partner had decided that she was not going to do any more work because I was always criticizing her. I asked if she was sure (yes) and then calmly proceeded to do the lab on my own. The old saying is true..."childhood is short, immaturity is forever."
Thankfully, my actual research team seems pretty cool. My faculty advisor is a friendly Ukrainian with a voice that sounds strikingly similar to Andy Kaufman in Taxi. He also happens to be a world renowned nanotechnology expert. The team consists of him, myself, two grad students, and another local teacher, this one the science chair at Lordlad High, the best school in the city so far as testing is concerned. She offered me a job the other day, but only if I had three years of teaching experience. Sadly, no luck on that front. Perhaps in a few years. Looking forward to today when the team goes and actually synthesizes carbon nanotubes. It's a shame the electron microscope is broken though...I'd like to see our work.
Otherwise, it's been a mundane time for the Invisible Ben. I've gone out to the park to throw my boomerang (which nearly got eaten by a carnivorous oak over the weekend), played Megaman 2 on my new Gamecube (I realize now, resistance was futile.), and continue trying to get things ready for my big move a week from tomorrow.
And now some quick kudos:
This is Invisible Ben, signing off.
Nano, Nano.
Today marks the end of my first week of nanotechnology research, and I have to say the experience has not been exactly what I expected. Most of my time in the program has been divided between reading articles with complicated names like "Electroosmotic Flow in Template Prepared Carbon Nanotube Membranes" and participating in labs from the university's introductory engineering curriculum. I have discovered another universal truth about introductory lab courses: it doesn't matter where you go, all the lab instructions are written very clearly...in German. And then they are translated back to English by someone who does not speak German. Otherwise, how else to explain the poorly written instructions, faulty diagrams, and otherwise convoluted conditions? Ok, in fairness, there might be some interference from science teachers...apparently we are notorious for thinking we know better about things.
Another thing I learned is that I still have (on the whole) a terrible instinct for picking lab partners. The first lady I worked with blew up at me for noting that the washer she was measuring couldn't possibly be 13 cm wide, maybe she meant millimeters? When I started looking at the washers she was done measuring and looking for a labelling scheme to keep track of which washers were which, she suddenly snaps, accuses me of being a terrible teacher, and notes that she would hate to be in my classroom because I must be overly critical of my kids, always hovering over them as they work.
First instinct: Unleash the patented Invisible Ben wit, reducing her self-confidence to a bowl of jell-o as I run mental circles around her.
Second instinct: Apologize for any possible offense, get a drink of water.
I went for the second option, avoiding a potential conflict escalation. When I got back however, my lab partner had decided that she was not going to do any more work because I was always criticizing her. I asked if she was sure (yes) and then calmly proceeded to do the lab on my own. The old saying is true..."childhood is short, immaturity is forever."
Thankfully, my actual research team seems pretty cool. My faculty advisor is a friendly Ukrainian with a voice that sounds strikingly similar to Andy Kaufman in Taxi. He also happens to be a world renowned nanotechnology expert. The team consists of him, myself, two grad students, and another local teacher, this one the science chair at Lordlad High, the best school in the city so far as testing is concerned. She offered me a job the other day, but only if I had three years of teaching experience. Sadly, no luck on that front. Perhaps in a few years. Looking forward to today when the team goes and actually synthesizes carbon nanotubes. It's a shame the electron microscope is broken though...I'd like to see our work.
Otherwise, it's been a mundane time for the Invisible Ben. I've gone out to the park to throw my boomerang (which nearly got eaten by a carnivorous oak over the weekend), played Megaman 2 on my new Gamecube (I realize now, resistance was futile.), and continue trying to get things ready for my big move a week from tomorrow.
And now some quick kudos:
- Congratulations to Kate for making the U.S. Olympic Team! We'll all be cheering for you in August.
- Congrats to Amy for appearing on the WB's new TV show Studio 7...though I have to agree that saying that there was no way you could lose because of where you went to school might have made you appear somewhat arrogant.
- Congrats to Kinu for making the Invisible Ben blogroll after all this time. Check out Kinu's blog. He's got lots of stuff to say.
This is Invisible Ben, signing off.
Nano, Nano.
