First Day

I kicked off my summer research experience today, arriving at Gilman Hall just before 9 a.m. After a short initial tour with my PI, we left the lab to obtain computer access and lab keys from other buildings on campus. My PI explained in greater detail what I'll be up to this summer, and it looks like my responsibilities fit into two roles: I'm to act as a 'lab manager' of sorts for the brand new (as in 6 months old) lab and develop my own research on some polymers formed from bio-renewable (vegetable) oils, cross-linkers, and dicyclopentadiene.

As the "lab manager", I'm expected to become proficient in the operation of 6 brand-new thermal analysis instruments (names to follow in later posts). I will then train outside companies/researchers to use the equipment or take on their material analysis myself. I'm supposed to become the "go-to" for this kind of thing, and I'm afraid it means I've got a rough couple of weeks of learning ahead of me. I will also be expected to design some sort of worksheet to standardize monthly usage reports (versus 6 unique reporting styles from 6 unique graduate students) and develop some charging scheme to bring in profit for the lab (this in addition to the brochure(s) I'll be developing to advertise to outside interests). This part of the job is both scary and exciting. Responsibility!

The second part of my job is the 'get your hands dirty' research I've been hoping to get for a long time. The polymers metathesized from Dilulin (a modified linseed oil) and dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) aren't yet optimal - there are reasons I'm not remembering - and the group is looking to add cross-linkers to improve the kinetics and possibly the strength. I'll be testing different compositions of the Dilulin, DCPD, and a cross-linker (CL-2) as well as different procedures to see if the cross-linker improves anything. Not only will I be preparing samples (with trips to the chem store for supplies and my very own lab notebook!), but I'll be analyzing them on the equipment that I'm now scrambling to understand. It's good for me, and I hear this equipment is prevalent in the chemical engineering field.

For the remainder of my time today, I completed several long tutorials about the instruments and met a chemistry grad student, Phil, who prepared a couple of polymer samples and recrystalized the Grubbs catalyst for my viewing benefit. My PI, a student from another research group using this equipment, and I tried to run some corn protein through an instrument called a DSC (I promise I'll learn what all of the acronyms stand for and make a note of it!) in the afternoon. Something went awry, however, because the heating element never kicked on, and the LN2 that was supposed to cool the 40oC sample to 25oC ended up going all the way to -40oC before we aborted the run.

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Reflection: A good first day. I was super nervous going in, but everybody I met was really nice. I'll meet another grad student tomorrow who I'll be working more closely with (but still unlike my previous non-stop shadowing). I have a desk (no computer) that I'll need to wash off...it's covered in old, old spilled coffee. I don't know if I can have formal lunch breaks (I ate while working today, and only a peanut butter sandwich at that!), and I don't know how I'm supposed to cut it off and leave. I didn't check my email until just before I left for home today. I'm excited and nervous both. I think this is going to be a cool summer!