The rhythm of doing science

Me working at the hood to make the nutrient bath the cells need

Science processes have a rhythm. One afternoon, I'm working on an experiment trying to get cells from the ear to survive in a warm bath full of nutrients. I use acrylic plates like clear, mini muffin tins. A clump of cells sits in the nutrient bath in each little cup. My job today is to refresh the nutrients.

“There’s trees outside with tops swaying in the wind, so it’s like I’m in a tree house.”

I'm in a quiet side room off the main lab space. To my right is a window that fills most of the wall. There's trees outside with tops swaying in the wind, so it's like I'm in a tree house. To my left is a heavy black curtain to help preserve this clean area and block light from the window for the microscopes at the other end of the room. The walls are painted black for microscopy work, but the big window shines a spotlight around me in bright natural light.

A stage for one.

The warm incubator is in front of me and the culture hood is whooshing air through it behind me. I've prepared for my task - pipettes to transfer liquid nutrients lay on a freshly sanitized surface in the culture hood next to bottles of fresh nutrient liquid. The UV light on for 15 minutes and an ethanol spray before that.

I carefully open the door to the incubator, reach in and pick up a plate, and close the incubator door as I turn to place the plate under the glass opening into the hood. I can't move too quickly, or it will disturb the airflow of the hood that keeps only clean air inside. Work in the culture hood is a balance of moving efficiently to reduce how long your samples are exposed, but not too fast to cause air to flow the wrong way.

The plates click as I set them down, sounding like I'm carefully placing Legos.

Even though the window makes it bright, the heavy curtain, warm incubator, and whooshing of the hood makes me feel cozy.

I place the last plate into the culture hood. I settle down in the chair facing the glass on the front of the culture hood - it acts like a buffet sneeze guard, so I can reach my hands under to reach the plates.

Every step is planned to ensure everything remains sterile, including where I place my hands and tools. If bacteria grows in, the cells don't survive.

“Everything is lined up, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”

Everything is lined up, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. Clean to dirty from right to left - first my liquid nutrient bottles, then pipettes, then plates, then finally liquid and pipette disposal.

I focus.

I remove the old nutrients from the plates. I have to be careful not to disturb the cells, and get a fresh pipette tip for each cup.

Then I use a motorized pipette to suck up fresh nutrients from the bottles and then distribute into each cup. It whirrs and spits liquid each time I press the button - lift lid, *bzzz*, lower lid, shift my hand, repeat.

Moving to a rhythm.

Finally I'm done. I transfer the plates back to the cozy incubator. I clean up. If everything works out, I'll be able to look at the cells under one of the microscopes on the other side of the room.