Science and sensibility

There seemed to be something resembling interest from the readership about the job interview I mentioned in an earlier post would go, so here goes:

Good, I think.

It was on the telephone since the studentship is in Palmerston North and I am not, and the lead scientist on the project I’m applying for had a thick French accent which made me ask him to repeat things more than once. I don’t like talking on the phone at the best of times, and today I could here myself in the speakerphone at the other end which was annoying.

I was prepared for pretty much all of the questions I had to field but one of them did sort of throw me. I was asked what I’d do if I was performing a DNA extraction with a large number of samples, got to the end and found an empty tube, suggesting I’d messed up somewhere along the way. Thinking this was a test of my ability to apply my knowledge of biochemistry and lab practices I went off on something of a long winded explanation of how I was going to salvage the situation until I realised the answer they were looking for was “ask for help.” Live and learn I guess.

I think I’ll go find something a little more scientific to post about before this personal interlude degenerates into David’s Live Journal.