Everyday Scientist

strange ice

January 17, 2008 at 5:35 pm | sam | EDSELs, everyday science, grad life

Today, I became the senior graduate student in my lab. Which is scary, because who do I go to when I have questions?!?! The new students joining the lab tend to come to me with a lot of questions. I’m sure the other senior lab members get a lot of questions, too; and it’s fun to watch the now-second years get all the same questions that they asked me when they joined. I really like helping people with science questions, and I want the new members of the lab to benefit from me just as much as I benefited from my seniors when I joined. But then there are those other questions…

This EDSEL goes for the Best Question from a New Lab Member of 2007. Runner-up is “What is the phone number here in lab?” My answer: “Um, it’s written right there on the phone.” The winner goes to this conversation:

Post Doc: I just got a package that had ice in it to keep the sample cold. What do I do with the ice?

Sam: You can put ice in the sink. It’s just water, so it’s OK to go down the drain.

PD: But it’s strange ice.

Sam: What do you mean, “strange”? Is it dry ice?

PD: I dunno.

Sam: You know, dry ice: solid carbon dioxide?

PD: I dunno.

Sam: Hrumph. Is it smoking?

PD: Yes.

Sam: That’s dry ice. Just leave it in the box and it will sublime.

PD: OK.

Now, the post doc isn’t from the US, so maybe he couldn’t remember the word for dry ice. But I thought the “frozen CO₂” description would help. I guess not. I’d ask him to post his side of the story, but he’s no longer in the lab.

“Post Doc,” if you’re reading this: Congrats! You won an EDSEL.