Cleared for Synchrotron Use!

Today I was back at CSIRO working in the lab. I also completed safety training for use of the Australian Synchrotron (located just next door). The group here at CSIRO has beam time this weekend and I am going to go man a shift to help the group. For those who are unfamiliar, government agencies who own large expensive equipment (such as synchrotrons, research nuclear reactors, etc.) accept proposals from groups for time to use the instruments. When this time is allotted, it is typical that groups will work around the clock running experiments constantly to make the most of the time that they have.

In our case, we will be working on the small-angle x-ray scattering beamline at the synchrotron (http://www.synchrotron.org.au/index.php/synchrotron-science/about-synchrotrons/what-is-a-synchrotron). I will be working with Paolo from 6pm until 2am tomorrow night. I think Cara and Matt come in after to work for the rest of the night. I'm looking forward to getting to experience running experiments on a synchrotron. Even just the name sounds cool. I have no idea what samples we will be running (since they will all be related to work that is going on in the group at CSIRO).

Today, for lunch, the group went out for Chinese food. We went to a restaurant for 'yum cha'. Basically, you sit at the table and servers come around with carts offering you small portions of a wide variety of dishes. You choose what you want and they mark it on your bill, which is left on the table. In the end (and especially with a large group like we had) you get to try a lot of different foods. Almost all of the food was really great! I really didn't care for the pig stomach though. But I did enjoy eating a chicken foot (it was a lot like a chicken wing except less meat). Beyond those exotic dishes, we had several amazing dumplings and other great Chinese food. Diana, Arelia, and Matt (all Chinese) were our food experts and they took care of ordering for all of us and we just enjoyed eating!

So things are back to business as usual here in Melbourne. I am definitely still missing New Zealand. Though knowing that there are so many other things left to see there makes me happy because it gives me plenty of reasons to want to go back!