• Question: is it hard learning what all the machines do in alotted time?

    Asked by jessy63 to Daniela, Hannah, Ian, Jono, Mark on 14 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Jono Bone

      Jono Bone answered on 14 Jun 2013:

      Hi jessy63,

      I don’t understand your question could you give me some more detail about what your asking?

      Thanks,

      Jono

    • Photo: Ian Wilson

      Ian Wilson answered on 15 Jun 2013:

      Hi jessy63,

      D’you mean all of the machines I need to use for my work? If so, then yeah there’s a lot to learn about each machine, and they tend to be quite expensive so you need to know what you’re doing before you touch them.

      The hardest one I’ve had to learn about is the machine that reads DNA sequences. I’m not allowed to use it (only a few people are!) but I need to know how it works and, believe me, it’s complicated!

      My PhD lasts 4 years though, which means I have plenty of time to learn how to use the machines I need and there’s always someone to ask if you get stuck.

      Hope that answered your question. Let me know if you want to know anything else 🙂

      Ian

    • Photo: Hannah Brotherton

      Hannah Brotherton answered on 16 Jun 2013:

      Hi jessy63,
      I am more of a practical person than a writer so I love learning how machinery works. It does take a while to learn all the buttons and instructions. Also, as a PhD student you work independently, so if something goes wrong, you need to use those problem-solving skills to figure it out. But, because a PhD is around 3-4 years, you become pretty much an expert by the end.

      The hardest bit of equipment I had to use was trying to place electrodes on the head and making sure they are in the right place and picking up the activity in the right part of the brain.

    • Photo: Daniela Plana

      Daniela Plana answered on 16 Jun 2013:

      Hi Jessy,

      Some machines are easier than others, but some do take time and work to learn how to use them. I think it’s really important to learn how to use the equipment properly, so we don’t damage it (some of it is quite expensive and lots of people share it, so you don’t want to mess it up for other people!) and also so we can get the best results!

      Normally we get enough time to practice and learn how how to use things, so time is normally not a problem!

      Hope that answers your question!
      Daniela

    • Photo: Mark Hodson

      Mark Hodson answered on 16 Jun 2013:

      Hi jessy63,

      it can be. Some machines are easier to use than others. A lot of my work involves trying to work out what stuff I find in the environment is made of. So some machines I use are really easy – for example there is a machine that I use to measure how much carbon is locked up in soil and really you just stick your soil in the machine and press a button and the answer comes out. Others are really complicated – I use something called a synchrotron which is a small particle accelerator (like the large Hadron collider but smaller!) and that takes a team of hundreds of people to make it work.

      Generally the more often I use a machine the easier it becomes to use.

      cheers

      m

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