Yesterday was my first day actually working in the lab and it went pretty smoothly. Besides preparing sample active layers to get me accustomed to the techniques, it was a slow day because Dr. Soboyejo or my "project guidance counselor" had to help another PhD student get their project back on track after a one-week holiday. Nonetheless, it was a good day, and I only expect my involvement to increase.
Upon my arrival at the Engineering Quad, I crossed paths with Pat Quinn, who was taking a small break for Lunch in the E Quad Cafe. It's amazing that at least 3 Peddie students are working in the same building and we may barely see each other. We had a small chat and he told me a little bit about his work, but soon we both parted ways and headed back to our respective labs. Tiffany had just come back from picking up lunch so I ended coming back to the E Quad Cafe and keeping her company while she ate.
Soon after she finished eating, we went to have a conference call with Dr. Soboyejo in her cubicle. He was really helpful in finalizing some details of my project, but you can only get so much help over the phone compared to in person. I was soon kicked out by another Princeton PhD student who is also working on a project with Tiffany, so I went ended up sitting in the Coffee Room and using the Internet to research more about my project. I didn't know that the call was going to last for 1 1/2 hours, but I read as much as I could between accidental naps.
When she came back, she told me that we still had some paperwork to finish before I could enter the lab, so I had to copy some information from one form to another for multiple sheets before I was all set to work. By this time it was closer to 4:45pm and Tiffany was anxious to leave, but I reminded her that I hadn't even gotten the practice in the lab that I wanted. Though she was reluctant, she helped me rush through a procedure to prepare active layers composed of P3HT and PCBM. I actually was surprisingly accurate and efficient given the time constraints that she placed upon my work, and had three finished active layers (pre-annealed) in an hour.
She was impressed at my attention to detail, but after that 3 hour lab safety training session, I'm obsessed with cleanliness and precision in the lab. They don't wear eyeglasses in the lab, so I brought my own (THANK YOU WORTHINGTON LABS) and I wouldn't stop measuring and re-cleaning things until my heart was content. This may slow me down a bit in the lab, but I think its good for the long run.
By the time we had cleaned up and I had gotten all my things, it was closer to 7pm and we decided to call it a day. In conclusion, the day was not what I had expected, but it will only get better from here.
Upon my arrival at the Engineering Quad, I crossed paths with Pat Quinn, who was taking a small break for Lunch in the E Quad Cafe. It's amazing that at least 3 Peddie students are working in the same building and we may barely see each other. We had a small chat and he told me a little bit about his work, but soon we both parted ways and headed back to our respective labs. Tiffany had just come back from picking up lunch so I ended coming back to the E Quad Cafe and keeping her company while she ate.
Soon after she finished eating, we went to have a conference call with Dr. Soboyejo in her cubicle. He was really helpful in finalizing some details of my project, but you can only get so much help over the phone compared to in person. I was soon kicked out by another Princeton PhD student who is also working on a project with Tiffany, so I went ended up sitting in the Coffee Room and using the Internet to research more about my project. I didn't know that the call was going to last for 1 1/2 hours, but I read as much as I could between accidental naps.
When she came back, she told me that we still had some paperwork to finish before I could enter the lab, so I had to copy some information from one form to another for multiple sheets before I was all set to work. By this time it was closer to 4:45pm and Tiffany was anxious to leave, but I reminded her that I hadn't even gotten the practice in the lab that I wanted. Though she was reluctant, she helped me rush through a procedure to prepare active layers composed of P3HT and PCBM. I actually was surprisingly accurate and efficient given the time constraints that she placed upon my work, and had three finished active layers (pre-annealed) in an hour.
She was impressed at my attention to detail, but after that 3 hour lab safety training session, I'm obsessed with cleanliness and precision in the lab. They don't wear eyeglasses in the lab, so I brought my own (THANK YOU WORTHINGTON LABS) and I wouldn't stop measuring and re-cleaning things until my heart was content. This may slow me down a bit in the lab, but I think its good for the long run.
By the time we had cleaned up and I had gotten all my things, it was closer to 7pm and we decided to call it a day. In conclusion, the day was not what I had expected, but it will only get better from here.
Who's the third Peddie student?
ReplyDeleteBryan Fiori (Alumnus Class of 2011)
ReplyDelete