Monday, July 5, 2010
Sunday, August 16, 2009
With a Bang and a Whimper
I strolled to work last Monday with a comforting feeling of familiarity. Li buzzed the door open for me and I headed to Biohybrid Systems, stopping at Karin's room along the way to inquire about a spring-form (for my Abschiedskuchen). She greeted me and said I should speak with Yvonne, who scheduled an appointment later in the day to discuss my seminar. I then chatted with Erwin about his vacation and bragged to Christian about how I enjoyed a Zwetschkekuchen that weekend.
Within 15 minutes, I had spoken and exchanged smiles with half of the department. This subtle feat was perhaps the "X-factor" that made the summer so special. I had become a part of the community, not just at work, but also in the village. At the end of three months, I could recognize a friend in the Fußgängerzone or even Kirti, one of "those kids" always to be found at the soccer-cage.
It was a bittersweet moment to leave the Insitut for the last time. My colleagues gave me a special towel with Saarlandish dialect written on it (I will no longer trockne mich ab, sondern druggele mich ab) and an 1. FC Saarbrücken scarf (Auf geht's FC, Schwarz-Blau ale!). I will really miss those guys.
My last few days in Deutschland were spent blissfully on the Bodensee. Julius and I went on a 110 km bike tour from Friedrichshafen through Lindau (Bavaria), Bregens (Austria), and Romanshal (Switzerland), taking the ferry across the lake from Konstanz back home. I highly recommend anyone going on a bike-tour to take an in-shape buddy along - riding in the slip-stream is so refreshing! We stopped along the way for some swimming and getting lost.
It will take a while before I can decipher what this summer in Germany meant for me. I already know it has spurred on new hobbies (jogging, reading, casual drinking), introduced new career possibilities, and shown that while Germany is a country where I feel at home, I am capable of feeling home-sickness for the USA. The feeling of immense personal growth contradicts the feeling that time flew too fast.
So now I sit in Frankfurt, with a tear in my eye and a smile on my face, ready for an American reunification. Who knows what the future will bring - the way ahead is unknown, but ripe for discovery. One thing, however, is for sure:
I'll be back.
Within 15 minutes, I had spoken and exchanged smiles with half of the department. This subtle feat was perhaps the "X-factor" that made the summer so special. I had become a part of the community, not just at work, but also in the village. At the end of three months, I could recognize a friend in the Fußgängerzone or even Kirti, one of "those kids" always to be found at the soccer-cage.
It was a bittersweet moment to leave the Insitut for the last time. My colleagues gave me a special towel with Saarlandish dialect written on it (I will no longer trockne mich ab, sondern druggele mich ab) and an 1. FC Saarbrücken scarf (Auf geht's FC, Schwarz-Blau ale!). I will really miss those guys.
My last few days in Deutschland were spent blissfully on the Bodensee. Julius and I went on a 110 km bike tour from Friedrichshafen through Lindau (Bavaria), Bregens (Austria), and Romanshal (Switzerland), taking the ferry across the lake from Konstanz back home. I highly recommend anyone going on a bike-tour to take an in-shape buddy along - riding in the slip-stream is so refreshing! We stopped along the way for some swimming and getting lost.
It will take a while before I can decipher what this summer in Germany meant for me. I already know it has spurred on new hobbies (jogging, reading, casual drinking), introduced new career possibilities, and shown that while Germany is a country where I feel at home, I am capable of feeling home-sickness for the USA. The feeling of immense personal growth contradicts the feeling that time flew too fast.
So now I sit in Frankfurt, with a tear in my eye and a smile on my face, ready for an American reunification. Who knows what the future will bring - the way ahead is unknown, but ripe for discovery. One thing, however, is for sure:
I'll be back.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Day 100 in 'Schland - The Homestretch
My 100th day here has just begun. I'll kick it off by going back (a good soccer tactic) to last weekend when I visited the Verwandschaft in Ravensburg, home of the famous puzzle-maker and former home of my dad!
There's nothing like visiting relatives. I felt like the Kaiser being served self-pressed Spätzle and home-grown Apfelstrudel. It just keeps coming! My aunt would have been seriously depressed if I had turned down her offer for a bonus-scoop of ice cream.
But schwäbische Spezialitäten aside, I feel like I really connected with all of my relatives this summer. I grasped the importance and appreciation of my family this time around, which has been one of the many things the past few months have made tangible.
I went for a walk in the historic town for some much needed exercise. I didn't expect much to be going on - the renowned Rutenfest had taken place the weekend before. Climbing up a knoll to find a good view of the city, I started to hear the festive clang of drums. On top of the Berg was indeed a parade of townsfolk in traditional costume. Germany, you are quite the party-animal.
To blend in, I ordered a Maß, which is a liter of beer. I advise ordering such a beverage with extreme caution. It is quite dangerous...your wrist can be really sore after carrying that thing.
Knowing this, Germans train from a young age in preparation for their first Maße.
There are many pleasant memories behind me, and more to come. Work is tapering off and many colleagues are on vacation, leaving me time to assemble my cumulative test results. As it turns out, the pieces are falling into place and I am able to draw some nice conclusions. Still, there's a lot of work to be done - I guess I did have a productive summer at the Institut.
Coming up is a typical (read: kick-ass) German weekend in Saarbrücken. This consists of watching an 1. FC Saarbrücken soccer game, going to a Diskothek, and attending yet another Stadtfest in the city. The weekend after that will feature a Tour de Bodensee, the last adventure before my flight home.
100 days...what a freakin' long time.
There's nothing like visiting relatives. I felt like the Kaiser being served self-pressed Spätzle and home-grown Apfelstrudel. It just keeps coming! My aunt would have been seriously depressed if I had turned down her offer for a bonus-scoop of ice cream.
But schwäbische Spezialitäten aside, I feel like I really connected with all of my relatives this summer. I grasped the importance and appreciation of my family this time around, which has been one of the many things the past few months have made tangible.
I went for a walk in the historic town for some much needed exercise. I didn't expect much to be going on - the renowned Rutenfest had taken place the weekend before. Climbing up a knoll to find a good view of the city, I started to hear the festive clang of drums. On top of the Berg was indeed a parade of townsfolk in traditional costume. Germany, you are quite the party-animal.
To blend in, I ordered a Maß, which is a liter of beer. I advise ordering such a beverage with extreme caution. It is quite dangerous...your wrist can be really sore after carrying that thing.
Knowing this, Germans train from a young age in preparation for their first Maße.
There are many pleasant memories behind me, and more to come. Work is tapering off and many colleagues are on vacation, leaving me time to assemble my cumulative test results. As it turns out, the pieces are falling into place and I am able to draw some nice conclusions. Still, there's a lot of work to be done - I guess I did have a productive summer at the Institut.
Coming up is a typical (read: kick-ass) German weekend in Saarbrücken. This consists of watching an 1. FC Saarbrücken soccer game, going to a Diskothek, and attending yet another Stadtfest in the city. The weekend after that will feature a Tour de Bodensee, the last adventure before my flight home.
100 days...what a freakin' long time.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Spice of Life
Spice. Spannung. Panache.
I'm no Kobe, but I know a triple-double-entendre when I see one. This particula' trifecta describes last weekend to a T.
It kicked off early with a Thursday-night outing to a Mexican restaurant with the colleagues. I flexed my taste-buds, ordering a Chimichanga - extra Scharf (spicy) and followed Erwin's example by washing it down with a Panache (beer with lemonade, also known as Radler and Alsterwasser in the non-Saarland parts of Germany...we're so French). Chilling outside of work with the colleagues is great. Getting to know their personal lives gave me a hint at what mine could be like in a couple years if I continue with this research stuff.
Ah, the research stuff. On Friday, I struggled to diagnose my sick circuit. The dual analog inputs were causing problems; apparently they were interfering with one another, and I had to call German tech-support to decipher why the Spannung (voltage) was abnormally high. It apparently had something to do with "cross-talk" or "ghosting", but since technical German is pretty much lost on me and it isn't anywhere near Halloween, I left it to Monday.
Consequently, the Spannung (also: tension) remained elevated. I went jogging to combat the two Goodbye-Cakes at work ;.( no more Jan) and strayed off the beaten path in search of the setting sun. A poetic run resembled an extended metaphor after I got lost in the woods. When I finally reached civilization, I thought to myself, "Oh, Scheidt!". I was in the neighboring town, facing a green sign that read "St. Ingbert 5 km". My foot was killing me. Without money for a bus, I hobbled to the next green sign: "St. Ingbert 4,7 km". Ouch. And the next green sign: "St. Ingbert 4,7 km". Huh?! When I finally got to the WG, my foot tut Weh from gehing, so much so that I was afraid my Saturday on the Salsa Ship was in jeopardy.
I had been looking forward to the Salsa Ship all month. Every Wednesday I attended Salsa-Tanzschule (dance lessons) to prepare myself for a glorious evening on the Saar. To remedy my ailing foot, I visited an Apotheke (pharmacy) for pain-killers and improvised with some tape and a couple extra socks. It was gonna take more than some aches and pains to stop this Queen from spreading his spice on the dance flo'.
In spite of the weekend's tribulations, the evening was a great success. Imagine a floating Diskothek with higher mean age and mean dancing ability. It was by far the most funked-up ship that ever sailed the Saar. I accomplished my objective of showing those Germans the true meaning of "panache" and got flagged down by an Italian man who told me to dance more "macho".
Italian Man
Home-Dawg Klaus with Band
I'm no Kobe, but I know a triple-double-entendre when I see one. This particula' trifecta describes last weekend to a T.
It kicked off early with a Thursday-night outing to a Mexican restaurant with the colleagues. I flexed my taste-buds, ordering a Chimichanga - extra Scharf (spicy) and followed Erwin's example by washing it down with a Panache (beer with lemonade, also known as Radler and Alsterwasser in the non-Saarland parts of Germany...we're so French). Chilling outside of work with the colleagues is great. Getting to know their personal lives gave me a hint at what mine could be like in a couple years if I continue with this research stuff.
Ah, the research stuff. On Friday, I struggled to diagnose my sick circuit. The dual analog inputs were causing problems; apparently they were interfering with one another, and I had to call German tech-support to decipher why the Spannung (voltage) was abnormally high. It apparently had something to do with "cross-talk" or "ghosting", but since technical German is pretty much lost on me and it isn't anywhere near Halloween, I left it to Monday.
Consequently, the Spannung (also: tension) remained elevated. I went jogging to combat the two Goodbye-Cakes at work ;.( no more Jan) and strayed off the beaten path in search of the setting sun. A poetic run resembled an extended metaphor after I got lost in the woods. When I finally reached civilization, I thought to myself, "Oh, Scheidt!". I was in the neighboring town, facing a green sign that read "St. Ingbert 5 km". My foot was killing me. Without money for a bus, I hobbled to the next green sign: "St. Ingbert 4,7 km". Ouch. And the next green sign: "St. Ingbert 4,7 km". Huh?! When I finally got to the WG, my foot tut Weh from gehing, so much so that I was afraid my Saturday on the Salsa Ship was in jeopardy.
Das Salsa-Schiff (Fanfare Please)
I had been looking forward to the Salsa Ship all month. Every Wednesday I attended Salsa-Tanzschule (dance lessons) to prepare myself for a glorious evening on the Saar. To remedy my ailing foot, I visited an Apotheke (pharmacy) for pain-killers and improvised with some tape and a couple extra socks. It was gonna take more than some aches and pains to stop this Queen from spreading his spice on the dance flo'.
In spite of the weekend's tribulations, the evening was a great success. Imagine a floating Diskothek with higher mean age and mean dancing ability. It was by far the most funked-up ship that ever sailed the Saar. I accomplished my objective of showing those Germans the true meaning of "panache" and got flagged down by an Italian man who told me to dance more "macho".
Dance Partnerin - wawaweewa
Italian Man
Home-Dawg Klaus with Band
No, I may not have seen the sunset, but above the Saar the stars were aligned.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Mark@Work
Today I assigned Jan the important task of photodocumenting my day for y'all. Here's what the ol' boy came up with:
Lacing Cells with Nanoparticles
Programming!
Yep, it sure is a long day...
...but you get through it somehow.
Compiling Taguchi Test Results
Lacing Cells with Nanoparticles
Programming!
Yep, it sure is a long day...
...but you get through it somehow.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Holy Schnitzel!
Last weekend was my cousin's B-day party. She turned 20, and invited lots of her friends to celebrate. I played some guitar. There were 4 kilos of schnitzel.
Heaven on Earth?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Plan B
And now an update on the Praktikum I've been up to at the Fraunhofer Institute:
After 8 weeks on the job, I'm entering the homestretch of the internship firing on all Bunsen burners. The first month was mostly an Ausbildung where I learned and gained experience with aseptic technique and the culturing, counting, and torturing of cells. I also learned the basics of a completely different style of computer programming (LabView) and assembled a nice little program that reads in data from pressure sensors. There had been plenty of odd jobs to do, like building capillaries, assembling an adaptor/interface for a machine (soldered for the first time), and correcting my colleagues' grammar. And train my Praktikant.
I was happy to absorb all of the information and experience during June, but after running tests for a whole month, I realized that not only were the cytotoxicity assays losing their edge, but my results indicated that the water was more toxic than the notorious silver particles swimming in it. OsNOsis it what it should be called.
In light of the circumstances, I negotiated with my supervisor and replaced the rest of the scheduled cytotoxicity tests with an experiment to optimize an assay. I designed an experiment modeled after the Taguchi Method and hope to find more reproducible and robust parameters for a test which measures membrane damage. As far as I can tell, no one has ever tried to optimize a cytotoxicity test using this method before...time will tell if that makes my idea groundbreaking or incredibly far-fetched and stupid.
We'll hope for the former, since in one month I'll be officially presenting my body of work in front of the Department of Biohybrid Systems. Seminars are held in our department every Tuesday in which someone presents his or her research and findings, or discusses a topic on the cutting edge of biotechnology. I'm looking forward to it, but I'll be hard-pressed to condense everything I learned and worked on this summer into a single presentation. It should go well, but just in case, Plan B is a well-rehearsed, half-minute hip-hop dance routine that'll show those jokers the meaning of cytotoxic.
After 8 weeks on the job, I'm entering the homestretch of the internship firing on all Bunsen burners. The first month was mostly an Ausbildung where I learned and gained experience with aseptic technique and the culturing, counting, and torturing of cells. I also learned the basics of a completely different style of computer programming (LabView) and assembled a nice little program that reads in data from pressure sensors. There had been plenty of odd jobs to do, like building capillaries, assembling an adaptor/interface for a machine (soldered for the first time), and correcting my colleagues' grammar. And train my Praktikant.
I was happy to absorb all of the information and experience during June, but after running tests for a whole month, I realized that not only were the cytotoxicity assays losing their edge, but my results indicated that the water was more toxic than the notorious silver particles swimming in it. OsNOsis it what it should be called.
In light of the circumstances, I negotiated with my supervisor and replaced the rest of the scheduled cytotoxicity tests with an experiment to optimize an assay. I designed an experiment modeled after the Taguchi Method and hope to find more reproducible and robust parameters for a test which measures membrane damage. As far as I can tell, no one has ever tried to optimize a cytotoxicity test using this method before...time will tell if that makes my idea groundbreaking or incredibly far-fetched and stupid.
We'll hope for the former, since in one month I'll be officially presenting my body of work in front of the Department of Biohybrid Systems. Seminars are held in our department every Tuesday in which someone presents his or her research and findings, or discusses a topic on the cutting edge of biotechnology. I'm looking forward to it, but I'll be hard-pressed to condense everything I learned and worked on this summer into a single presentation. It should go well, but just in case, Plan B is a well-rehearsed, half-minute hip-hop dance routine that'll show those jokers the meaning of cytotoxic.
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