Alex Palazzo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at The University of Toronto.
Today I used a pipette for the first time in three and a half months.
What a strange feeling it is to work in one's own lab.
While I've been submitting papers and grants, my technician has been busy preparing solutions, ordering equipment and even performing a few "experiments" (if you can call transforming bacteria tan experiment). It's almost as if we've been supplying the ship, one that's getting ready to sail off into the unknown. I was looking after the financing, while my technician stocked up the ship with supplies. We've even managed to recruit a couple of undergrads who are in the lab performing independent research projects. I even managed to bring in some Port - after all you can't run a ship without some fine spirits.
We may find new land, or we may fall off the edge of the earth.
Having no microscopes yet we are constructing new genes and purifying proteins expressed in bacteria. But that's good enough for me. So here I am finally working away in my own space, on work that is 100% mine, and I don't even know where we keep the ampicillin. With my those first few microlitres, the HMS Palazzo-Laboratory officially sets sail.
Now where's the champagne?
Comments
Do we have a favorite vintage - or is it any port in a storm?
Posted by: CW | October 27, 2009 6:17 PM
Fun description -- here's to some life changing discoveries. Cheers.
B
Posted by: Brian Jordan
| October 27, 2009 8:27 PM
Bon voyage (and it's a hell of a voyage!).
Posted by: Spiny Norman | October 28, 2009 1:09 AM
congratulation,
happy sailing in your discoveries of new horizons.
Posted by: rita | October 28, 2009 9:52 AM
Congrats and best of luck. Remember to pack your eyepatch, compass, charts, and sextant. Or buy a GPS.
Posted by: Tulula's friend | October 28, 2009 10:18 AM
"Do we have a favorite vintage - or is it any port in a storm?"
I brought back from Portugal some Graham's 10 year barreled Tawny Port - grapes from 1997 - bottled in 2007. It's pretty good, although I've had better. At home I have a fantastic bottle of white Port - I'll save that for special occasions.
Posted by: Alex Palazzo
| October 28, 2009 11:05 AM
Congratulations! I wonder if there is anything like a GPS in research. I have no clue where my research work is gonna take me to!
Posted by: NP | October 28, 2009 12:31 PM
YARRR!!!!!!!
Posted by: Comrade PhysioProf | October 29, 2009 8:30 PM