Day 3

Again, I woke up sometime early due to jet-lag, but fell back asleep to wake up at seven. It’s cool that I can wake up automatically this early with jet-lag. This morning before having some chocolate cheerios for breakfast, I called my parents and chatted for a bit. Then I ate, packed my lunch, and my bag. I left with Beate, and Isabel, her daughter. We dropped off Isabel at school since she was late before driving to work. When we entered the carpark aka parking lot of the Forensic Scientific Services, FSS, complex which is run in partnership with the University of Queensland, Beate pointed out the different buildings. Next to EnTox, the centre for environmental toxicology where I’d be working was the mortuary sciences building with the morgue. All of Queensland’s forensics needs are met here. The section we’d be in has lesser security. Beate used her keycard to gain entry through the back way and then we headed to the security office to get me a guest pass until I get a real one.

The guard there didn’t even recognize Beate even though she’s been working there for a year and a half and is the deputy director of EnTox! We headed up to her area, down some halls, and through a lab, into an office area where I was introduced to everyone. They were all super friendly. One guy asked me how I pronounce iron, Fe. At first I didn’t understand him because he said it like “ion”. Apparently the Australians don’t pronounce the “r” and it was a bit of an argument between him and Beate who says the “r”. Needless to say, I made Beate happy, and it was a funny encounter.

I met Hanne who was currently the youngest person there; she had already finished her masters so that should show you the age gap. She is from Norway, and is going to show me around. I’ll be shadowing her, and asking her a bunch of questions. The others were British, Danish, and Chinese. Beate took me in her office and showed me some powerpoints on what they do at EnTox, and the projects they’re working on. Basically they’re using a variety of bioassays for different things. After a couple weeks, I’ll be working on my own project dealing with E. Coli. and also learn how to do some bioluminescence tests. She also gave me a research article to read.

Then a little later, I underwent training with two other girls from Hong Kong. This friendly lady explained the procedures and rules of FSS, and we had to fill out a worksheet. She told us that in the summer, they have snakes lying around on the sidewalks and that some birds will swoop out of the sky and attack your head. Thank goodness it’s not summer! I also had to do fire procedure training on a computer and answer a quiz to make sure I knew my safety information.

Afterwards, I went and ate lunch with the other girls that work in Beate’s group in the cantina. Then Hanne showed me a bit around the lab, their HPLC machine, etc. We then went in the PC2 lab which you need special entry to since they work with breast cancer cells in one and salmonella in the other. I observed Hanne do an E-Screen test on a sample. She was performing the test to see if there was any estrogen present. Adding the cancer cells would react with the hormone to multiply the cells. It was interesting. She worked in this special hood and everything had to be sprayed with ethanol first to make sure it was clean and uncontaminated. I got to see a multi-pipettor being used for the first time.

I was pretty tired at this time since it was about two o’clock, and around this afternoon time is when jet lag hits me the most. Beate had to leave early for her dentist appointment so we headed home a little bit later.

Beate had to start prepping dinner for tomorrow night since she was having a good-bye party for one of her research assistants. She decided to make kaese-spaetzle, a noodle-type German dish. I got to help make some of the noodles, it was fun.