Lab & Things

Quiet has returned to the VP lab as renovations have slowed down here at OSU-CHS. Right now we are waiting for the electrical work to be done before things can move forward with the rest of the renovation. Dr. Smith and the guys from physical plant are sill hopeful that the fume hood can be made to work, but so far nothing definite has come out of the endeavor. So far, we have seen two doors come down (one of which was replaced), creating a much more open hallway; two work stations and an entire wall of upper and lower cabinets have been relocated; the tall cabinet that stores all of our screen washing concentrate was also relocated into the new lab space; one sink was removed and another was re-plumbed; and two rows of "chemistry"-style student benches were removed to make way for new tables. We still have a long way to go, but for now the sound of drills and hammers has subsided.

In Dr. Weil's lab we've begun our microvertebrate molding and casting. I'm still tweaking our set-up and procedure to make the process as streamlined as possible. I have been training some of our volunteers and one of the graduate students on the method, and even though it has been a little rocky in the instruction as we are just beginning the whole process in the lab, our first batch came out quite nicely. Batch #1 had no air bubbles in the tooth crowns, excellent morphological fidelity at low powered magnification, and no unsealed areas with rubber penetration. I am very proud of us. We do need to work on the finer points of numbering/lettering, speed, footer size, and general appearance, but that will improve as we move through more batches.

We patterned our methodology after that of the VP prep lab at the Sam Noble Museum. Kyle Davies (Sam Noble Museum Preparator) graciously trained myself and one of our volunteers on the method. Right now we're using small mammal teeth from owl pellets as our practice specimens. Because these teeth have passed through the digestive track of an owl, they have a higher porosity. Each tooth was sealed in a thin mixture of Butvar-76 and acetone prior to molding and casting. Once we get things perfected we will move onto the actual horde of fossil specimens that we need to mold and cast for SEM imaging. The quality of these casts is so detailed that you can perform SEM micro-wear analyses on teeth as small as a couple of millimeters. By casting, you also don't have to sputter coat original specimens in gold to run them through an SEM, which makes conservators and collections managers very happy. I highly recommend the process.

Below is a brief list of the equipment needed to start a micro-vertebrate molding/casting operation:
 
Centrifuge with swing out trays
Vacuum pump & chamber
Van Aken clay
Rolling Pins
Spatulas of various sizes
Probes
Butvar-79 & acetone
Polyurethane casting resin (we use TC-892 A & B from BJB industries), Anti-foam, & pigment
Platinum Cured Silicone Rubber (we use GT-5092 & CA-5275 from GT Products)
Butcher paper & waxed paper
Needle-nosed pliers
X-acto knife
Clear 16 oz. plastic cups
Unwaxed 4 oz. paper cups
Cardboard working trays
Gloves
Vials for "cookie cutting" clay

~JB McHugh

Teeth set up in clay waiting for molding compound.

Our centrifuge.

Construction Zone

Renovations of the OSU VP lab spaces has begun!

As my office door is only a few steps down the hall from the labs being renovated, I get a  ring-side seat to the construction. Luckily, so far I've been able to ignore most of the noise and chaos. Though, our faculty are finding out that having me so close to the action is very handy - as I can let them know in an instant when issues come up. I feel like a spy, under the guise of a paleontologist... there's two movie genres that if they ever came together could be an instant blockbuster regardless of plot. Think about it... high tech gadgets, subterfuge, fight scenes, and dinosaurs. How could it not make money?

But before I start planning my next alternate career, perhaps I should get back to the blog post at hand.

So we are under renovation. Why? Well, there are a few reasons why now is a good time to restructure (physically). First, we're in the process of hiring a new faculty member, who will be needing some swanky new lab space - granted the final renovation of the new hire's lab space is in freeze mode until we actually hire someone. But in anticipation of our new addition, one of our existing faculty members is taking the opportunity to move lab spaces, and most of our construction so far has had to do with this relocation.

So far, the best part of this relocation has directly effected my own office. Previously, my office door was off the main lab wing hallway, only sandwiched in an 8 foot strip of hallway closed off by two sets of doors (that lead along the same, single hallway). It was beyond ridiculous - good thing I'm not claustrophobic. But now the second door has been removed! Hooray, I am part of the rest of the wing! The second door is going to be switched out for the old door to the lab under remodel. Why? Because it swings into the lab and not into the hallway - which has access to the fire exit, and fire safety requires the door to swing toward the fire exit.

We've also had cabinets and doors torn out and moved into the new room. The room was an old classroom, set up similar to a college chemistry lab. The old gas lines for burners were taken out and one of the three sinks removed. There's a very nice fume hood in the lab, but we are still trying to get it to work. If physical plant can't fix it, then we will ditch it for more grad student or volunteer space. Dr. Weil has a working fume hood in her lab, so we won't be totally bereft without this one. This week, they've been mostly working on re-routing the electrical for the new layout and finishing up moving the doors.

We are also kicking around ideas for some new communal vert paleo lab equipment and space. But all of that is still in idea mode, and I will post about it when it becomes a reality. Right now the fore-runner in the list of ideas is a 'dirty' prep lab, but more on that later.

~ JB McHugh

Abstract Time

It's just about springtime again, which means it's time to start reviewing research projects and begin thinking about what to present at professional meetings and conferences this year. Many of the fall conferences won't have deadlines for abstract submission for several months. But summer and late spring conferences will have deadlines in the near future. If you are planning to present in a prize session (such as the Romer or Colbert prize sessions with SVP) those will also have earlier deadlines.

I have decided to present research at two international conferences this year: the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) annual meeting in Los Angeles, CA and the International Symposium for Paleohistology meeting in Bozeman, MT.

Unfortunately, here in the US the government travel freeze has made it impossible for any scientists with federal jobs to travel to meetings this year, handicapping them in terms of networking, collaborating, and disseminating research results. This will undoubtedly impact meeting attendance this year, and depending on the meeting, could negatively impact meeting logistics. Keep an eye out for updates on scientific conferences this year - and if you'd been planning to meet with colleagues from the USGS, BLM, US Forest Service, US Fish & Wildlife, NPS, etc. at a conference this year, you might consider a Skype meeting instead.

But if you are lucky enough to get to go to a conference or two, and even better, have funding to go to your conferences, you will soon be faced with the classic dilemma: should I present a poster or give a talk?

There are advantages to both options, and many people have strong opinions as to the presentation forum, but in all honesty - some types of research are best presented as a poster, and others as a talk. Posters often are better suited to research with large, complex graphics that will not be easily read in a large conference room with a PowerPoint  projection screen (especially by those not seated in the front row). Talks allow more visibility of a researcher (you have the spotlight for 15 whole minutes!), and allow you to show animations much more easily. However, that spotlight can feel like a 15 minute pressure cooker, especially if you have a full 3 minutes in there with heated questions from the audience. Poster sessions are often more relaxed and you have more time to convey your point to colleagues - however, if you are very unlucky, you could be stuck with a long time to argue with someone who just can't stand your research. Talks tend to reach a wider diversity and number of ears (some of which may just be waiting for the next talk), while posters can offer more in depth dialogues with interested individuals - which can more effectively translate into collaborations or even jobs than a talk, where someone will have to do the leg work of tracking you down afterwards.

Regardless of the format you chose (and you may not always get the format you prefer when submitting an abstract), you need to make your presentation as effect as possible. If you have the opportunity, a seminar in graphic design will go a long way into improving your presentation "art" for the rest of your career. The right software is also a key tool in preparing yourself - PowerPoint is great for a talk, but dreadful for putting together a poster - I have no idea why people do this. Adobe Illustrator, or another graphic design software, is what you need for a poster. If you are new to the software, have a buddy give you a quick run through, take a seminar, or find an online tutorial to get yourself started. Chances are you will need this skill for scientific illustrations for the rest of your career - so don't shy away from a new skill that will make your life easier. Be sure to have your poster/slides proofread by someone other than you - preferably someone unfamiliar with your research, who can point out what you need to better explain. Also, be sure to practice! A minimum of 3 rehearsals for a scientific talk can make a world of difference in confidence and presentation effectiveness.

Here are some helpful links to putting together effective scientific presentations. There are many more websites out there to help you, so surf around and see what you can find. Good luck!

Dazzle 'em with Style: The Art of Oral Scientific Presentation

http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~wilkins/writing/Supp/dazzle.html

Ten Secrets to Giving a Good Scientific Talk

http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/cms/agu/scientific_talk.html

The Art of Scientific Presentations

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~scranmer/vanmarle_talks.html

Scientific Poster Design

http://www.cns.cornell.edu/documents/ScientificPosters.pdf

Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation

http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030102

Poster Presentation of Research Work

http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/dept/Tips/present/posters.htm

~JB McHugh