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Oct. 16th, 2001 01:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonwiseWe have a seminar speaker who came to visit the lab today, a nice fellow from Cambridge U in England who works on dynamic combinatorial chemistry and multiporphyrin arrays. I got drafted to go to lunch with him along with two other students... and the Big Man himself. @_@
Of course, the speaker asks about what I'm doing...
and I had to keep it nice and vague because bullshitting my way through right in front of the Big Man is a big old no-no. Yes, I know what I'm doing, but sometimes it's hard to roll off a pithy blurb about what the research is.
To my relief the Big Man took over and started telling the speaker about the portion of my project that I find really interesting, namely the therapeutic porphyrins that can be used as treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
It felt really good to hear him go on about the beneficial effects of the so-called "FP-15," because it's not too often that the Big Man shows all that much interest in my end of things. This compound is a huge investment on the part of our collaborators up in Boston, who are trying to make a go of FP-15 as a drug, and it is a dear wish to me that someone will be helped by something I did.
I guess that's a defining principle of what interests me, at least scientifically; it has to be useful. There are people who study something to the last little detail because it's of academic interest. These people are important because they lay the groundwork for fundamental workable theories, and someone has to do it. Me, I'd rather use said theory to produce something that will be of more concrete use.
At any rate... I have to go look up how to synthesize gallium porphyrins. Don't get too excited, everyone. :/
Of course, the speaker asks about what I'm doing...
and I had to keep it nice and vague because bullshitting my way through right in front of the Big Man is a big old no-no. Yes, I know what I'm doing, but sometimes it's hard to roll off a pithy blurb about what the research is.
To my relief the Big Man took over and started telling the speaker about the portion of my project that I find really interesting, namely the therapeutic porphyrins that can be used as treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
It felt really good to hear him go on about the beneficial effects of the so-called "FP-15," because it's not too often that the Big Man shows all that much interest in my end of things. This compound is a huge investment on the part of our collaborators up in Boston, who are trying to make a go of FP-15 as a drug, and it is a dear wish to me that someone will be helped by something I did.
I guess that's a defining principle of what interests me, at least scientifically; it has to be useful. There are people who study something to the last little detail because it's of academic interest. These people are important because they lay the groundwork for fundamental workable theories, and someone has to do it. Me, I'd rather use said theory to produce something that will be of more concrete use.
At any rate... I have to go look up how to synthesize gallium porphyrins. Don't get too excited, everyone. :/
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the word of the day: Minutia!
Date: 2001-10-17 02:27 pm (UTC)Where am I going? I don't know... I like the idea of an academic post doc (flexibility! bowling!), but I know with every fiber of my being that I do not want to be an assistant professor. That, to me, looks like a painful extension of grad school (which has already been painful enough). So, I see myself doing an academic post doc and then heading into industry. I could also see myself going to the NIH...
What do you want to do when you get out? (Sounds like we're in prison, doesn't it? Actually, it's closer to indentured servitude, I think).
I'm really looking forward to moving on. I look forward to not feeling guilty when I take a weekend off or spend a chunk of time on something unrelated to science (like writing!). I'm tired of being in debt (another reason to go into industry) and tired of worrying all the time... What do you look forward to the most?
Re: the word of the day: Minutia!
Date: 2001-10-18 09:22 am (UTC)Here's what I've come to see as far as professor-dom: if you want tenure, you will have no life until you get it. This period is about 5-6 years, and the divorce rates are tremendous. Our boss was married at the time, and he worked from 7-11 every day. His wife's job was to keep the kids quiet so he could work while he was home. Call me crazy, but I don't want a job like that.
What do you want to do when you get out? (Sounds like we're in prison, doesn't it? Actually, it's closer to indentured servitude, I think).
lol! You're so right! Long hours for tiny pay. Guess we are in prison, to some degree. :)
Industry is the way I'm hoping to go; granted, the hours might be grueling there too, but I'm guessing I'll get paid more and there might be more flexibility as far as having a life is concerned.
Mostly I'm looking forward to making some money so I can do what I really want to in life, which is buy a house by the ocean and never move. ^_^