Interview Meme
From forest_rose .
1) That complicated stuff that you do in lab? Explain it to me. In small, uncomplicated words.
Ummm. Good question :) Let's see if I can explain it right...
So, you're probably familiar with the resin that dentists use for teeth filling, that's soft when applied but hardens after the dentist cures it with blue light. My work is sort of based on the same principle, using light to trigger a chemical reaction.
Except in my case instead of tooth-filler-resin I use a drop of protein solution (specifically it's bovine serum albumin). The light I shine on it is a laser beam, focused so tightly that the light beam is less than a micron in diameter. Smaller area also means more photons per unit area so the light energy is very concentrated.
When this pin-prick sized beam of light touches the protein solution, it makes that tiny section of liquid "solidify" into a gel. Think of what happens to the white of a raw egg when it's cook. It's almost exactly that, but at length scales smaller than the diameter of a red blood cell.
Now here comes the beautiful part - Holding the light stationary means that I solidify a single point. Moving the light around means that I can solidify lines and curves in space! Moving the light rapidly over a patch means I can "fill in" larger areas. And if I move vertically, I can layer lots of patches one on top of each other, producing 3-D shapes.
So far, this is just really fancy technology for making pretty (or ugly) microscopic structures. There are some potential applications for tissue culture research, but the technology is still too primitive to manage that with much success.
I hope that makes some sense. Mostly when people ask me about my research, I quietly panic for a second, and then tell them the above story with lots of hand gestures. It's a regular Monty Python sketch most days :)
If you want to see pretty pictures that come from the technology, try this link: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i07/8507notw3.html
2) Where does your username come from?
When I was in college, the denizens of my dorm were known as Moles because we supposedly never saw the light of day. The "Bob" part came about my first year, when I found some friends arguing about the correct pronunciation of my given name. I said, "Pronounce it any way you want," and some smart-ass answered, "Okay, Bob". The nickname stuck after that.
3) What's your favourite fandom?
I can't really say. I seem to move through them too quickly. I was in the X-files fandom for the longest time, from 1998 to 2001. Took a break from fandom after that. When I found Remus/Sirius this year I jumped in and loved it, but when I wrote the Charon's Train stories I felt that I'd resolved all the open-ended questions I had about the pairing. Around the same time, I jumped ship to Torchwood Jack/Ianto (which is, really, Sirius/Remus in another incarnation). Now I feel like I'm moving on from that, and I have no idea what will take its place.
Unless the U.S. elections count as a fandom. I'm checking election coverage multiple times a day. I think it is by far the least healthy fandom I've belonged to. The Wank is unbelievable :)
4) And your favourite character in that fandom?
X-files: Scully because she's hyper-rational, brilliant, and occasionally demonstrates a dry humor.
Harry Potter: Remus because he's thoughtful, kind, and occasionally demonstrates a dry humor. Also, the entire Black family is so horrifically fascinating.
Torchwood: Ianto Jones because he's accomplished, efficient, demonstrates a dry humor. Also, Captain Jack Harkness. Because srsly, Captain Jack Harkness.
Dr. Who: Funnily, I'm not into the fandom because the Doctor strikes me as creepy. But Donna Noble is one of my favorite fictional characters EVER. Because she's loud and always ALWAYS right.
Don't ask me for my favorite politician. I'll just cry.
5) What do you plan to do when you've finished the Scary PhD Of Doom?
The current plan is to teach at the university level, but my mind changes depending on how my day/week/month has been. I've enjoyed my work as a Teaching Assistant this semester, so that gives me hope that I'm doing the right thing.
Leave a comment if you want your own questions.
1) That complicated stuff that you do in lab? Explain it to me. In small, uncomplicated words.
Ummm. Good question :) Let's see if I can explain it right...
So, you're probably familiar with the resin that dentists use for teeth filling, that's soft when applied but hardens after the dentist cures it with blue light. My work is sort of based on the same principle, using light to trigger a chemical reaction.
Except in my case instead of tooth-filler-resin I use a drop of protein solution (specifically it's bovine serum albumin). The light I shine on it is a laser beam, focused so tightly that the light beam is less than a micron in diameter. Smaller area also means more photons per unit area so the light energy is very concentrated.
When this pin-prick sized beam of light touches the protein solution, it makes that tiny section of liquid "solidify" into a gel. Think of what happens to the white of a raw egg when it's cook. It's almost exactly that, but at length scales smaller than the diameter of a red blood cell.
Now here comes the beautiful part - Holding the light stationary means that I solidify a single point. Moving the light around means that I can solidify lines and curves in space! Moving the light rapidly over a patch means I can "fill in" larger areas. And if I move vertically, I can layer lots of patches one on top of each other, producing 3-D shapes.
So far, this is just really fancy technology for making pretty (or ugly) microscopic structures. There are some potential applications for tissue culture research, but the technology is still too primitive to manage that with much success.
I hope that makes some sense. Mostly when people ask me about my research, I quietly panic for a second, and then tell them the above story with lots of hand gestures. It's a regular Monty Python sketch most days :)
If you want to see pretty pictures that come from the technology, try this link: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i07/8507notw3.html
2) Where does your username come from?
When I was in college, the denizens of my dorm were known as Moles because we supposedly never saw the light of day. The "Bob" part came about my first year, when I found some friends arguing about the correct pronunciation of my given name. I said, "Pronounce it any way you want," and some smart-ass answered, "Okay, Bob". The nickname stuck after that.
3) What's your favourite fandom?
I can't really say. I seem to move through them too quickly. I was in the X-files fandom for the longest time, from 1998 to 2001. Took a break from fandom after that. When I found Remus/Sirius this year I jumped in and loved it, but when I wrote the Charon's Train stories I felt that I'd resolved all the open-ended questions I had about the pairing. Around the same time, I jumped ship to Torchwood Jack/Ianto (which is, really, Sirius/Remus in another incarnation). Now I feel like I'm moving on from that, and I have no idea what will take its place.
Unless the U.S. elections count as a fandom. I'm checking election coverage multiple times a day. I think it is by far the least healthy fandom I've belonged to. The Wank is unbelievable :)
4) And your favourite character in that fandom?
X-files: Scully because she's hyper-rational, brilliant, and occasionally demonstrates a dry humor.
Harry Potter: Remus because he's thoughtful, kind, and occasionally demonstrates a dry humor. Also, the entire Black family is so horrifically fascinating.
Torchwood: Ianto Jones because he's accomplished, efficient, demonstrates a dry humor. Also, Captain Jack Harkness. Because srsly, Captain Jack Harkness.
Dr. Who: Funnily, I'm not into the fandom because the Doctor strikes me as creepy. But Donna Noble is one of my favorite fictional characters EVER. Because she's loud and always ALWAYS right.
Don't ask me for my favorite politician. I'll just cry.
5) What do you plan to do when you've finished the Scary PhD Of Doom?
The current plan is to teach at the university level, but my mind changes depending on how my day/week/month has been. I've enjoyed my work as a Teaching Assistant this semester, so that gives me hope that I'm doing the right thing.
Leave a comment if you want your own questions.