Post by @SRLevine@neuromatch.social

Currently trying to figure out if there really is a generational difference in lab work between when I was in grad school and now in terms of "figuring out if equipment is repairable/how to repair it" vs. a field difference (more biology vs. chemistry) vs. something else. When asked one of my coworkers figures they are just too focused on their individual projects to want to solve these problems, which could also be true and maybe more individual than any blanket statement?

I think it's kind of generational with more equipment now being a "black box" that you can't take apart and repair yourself without potentially having major issues so people don't see how to trouble shoot that sort of thing even in simpler systems. So unless they think of themselves as handy they never even try to fix things.

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Dawn Ahukanna

@dahukanna@mastodon.social 6 hr. ago

@SRLevine As newly graduated chemist, “industry practice” was opaque “order glassware from manufacturer catalogue”.
Needed tube of specific diameter with 75 & 26 degree bends & grumbled not finding it. 20 yr experienced chemist asked for specifics & came back with perfect match, warm to touch.
Me: gobsmacked & curious “where did you get this?”
Them: “Do you have 45 mins? Follow me”.
Initiated to glass “toolbox”: pre-fab shed for lost art of glass blowing, “industry practice” when they graduated

Dawn Ahukanna

@dahukanna@mastodon.social 6 hr. ago

@SRLevine
2/2- “making my own chemistry glassware” was not an option that would have occurred to me as I’d never done it or been exposed to it.
I brought that lab into the “computer-toolbox” era and reflect on that experience as I interact with others.
Now I’m the experienced, computational technologist gobsmacking, curious newly graduated colleagues and initiating them to arcane “bash command line” or “ssh-ing” into a server (in the opaque cloud).

Sam Levine

@SRLevine@neuromatch.social 5 hr. ago

@dahukanna So you'd say just keep being open to explaining that "yes we can repair things ourselves" and figure if they want to learn the skill they will get some watching me and that at least they know it's possible?

Dawn Ahukanna

@dahukanna@mastodon.social 5 hr. ago

@SRLevine
Find the people whose reaction is “gobsmacked and curious-Where did you get that? How did you do that?” initiates to carry on the “arcane, forgotten” practices and traditions“ toolbox.
Can you imagine if I had been shown the “shed” without being in the ready state of “gobsmacked and curious”? I would have left, unimpressed by the knackered, old equipment.
When I was in ready state, I was engaged by the creative and problem solving possibilities they unleashed.

Sam Levine

@SRLevine@neuromatch.social 7 hr. ago

For context: at 5:45PM tonight I got a slack asking about a piece of equipment I co-supervise. I answered, but it needs some startup time etc. And then I asked "what's wrong with your speed vac". And was told "the hose to the neutralizing jar keeps popping off". And I went "I bet I could solve that problem, can you let me into the lab?".

It took two trips over to the other lab (to get different pieces of tubing and tools as I had ideas) and a couple of attempts, but I eventually worked out that the problem was the outlet diffuser-thing-ma-bob was clogged and over-pressuring and causing the hose to fly off. Which meant rinsing it in the sink solved the problem, and everything seemed to be working when I left. But during the course of this I asked if they had hose clamps and was shown a keck clip (not a hose clamp, those familiar with both will laugh now) and when I asked where the tool box/drawer was the person was like "uh X has it somewhere" (X is the amazing lab manager, at a conference in Switzerland so obviously can't ask and expect a response at that time of the night). Like how do you not know where the tool box is at all?

Sam Levine

@SRLevine@neuromatch.social 7 hr. ago

Am I expecting too much? I did after all reassemble a mac mini on my desk between reaction set-ups today. Not to say I'm any good at this stuff, but I can at least find our torx screw drivers and know to keep my screws in little containers.

Also, and perhaps a more important thing: how do I convey to students not just "here is the solution to the problem in front of us" but "here is how you want to think about these problems". Because I think knowing how to think about fixing this kind of thing does directly translate to being good at improvising stuff in experiments as necessary. Is it a matter of just explaining that they should think of it as part of their work?