Last October Ridade,
a PhD visiting researcher from Purdue
University (Indiana, USA), was working with us in CMAC at
the University
of Strathclyde as part of a recent collaboration network between
both Universities. Ridade is currently working with a twin-screw granulator as
the main processing equipment for her research, and he experience in this area
introduced me to this new application. It was a great learning experience
having someone from the other side of the world coming to share not just lab
equipment and bench space but also personal experience and why not, fun in the
lab! We spent long working hours that (of course) required long coffee breaks
with all sort of good edible things such as tea cakes, muffins, biscuits, and
many more! Not to miss, as well, occasional dinner breaks where take-away chips
and soup were like the best thing since sliced bread. Of course not everything
was lab work. We also had some free time to visit the lovely city of Edinburgh
where we saw Edinburgh castle with its amazing view, enjoyed American style
dinner and shared some laughs as well. I look forward to crossing the Atlantic
Ocean and sharing a wonderful experience with Ridade and the rest of
researchers in the States!
Both researchers at Edinburgh castle (left) and at SIPBS Halloween
party (right)
It was the September
30th morning, when I landed in
Glasgow, a day later than expected due to the fire in Chicago O’hare Airport.
When I came to the university, Laura was already waiting for me at the building
entrance. She took me to the office, where I was going to spend 5 weeks, and
our adventures began! We had lots of experiments to perform and, as always,
limited time. We encountered many challenges on the way, including missing equipment
pieces, unknown design space of the equipment and more. However, with the help
of many people in and outside of Lamprou group, we were able to complete more
than 90% of the planned experiments. In addition to making great friends and
learning about Scottish culture, I have gained a lot of professional experience
during this trip. First of all, a team of diverse disciplines is perfect for
solving variety of problems. Scientists and engineers have different approaches
to problems, which make the solution richer and more meaningful. Secondly,
planning is of key importance. Asking and trying to answer a lot of “What if?”
questions facilitates planning. Finally, communication is critical, where every
detail should be evaluated. Many thanks to Lamprou group!
*To be continued…
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