Of Scientists and New "Toys"

By Jim Schmidt
Senior Scientific Advisor
ABC Laboratories
www.abclabs.com

Several years ago I had the great privilege of writing an article¹ for the magazine Today’s Chemist at Work about the history of chemistry sets.  Part of the fun in the writing was canvassing chemists for reminiscences of having a chemistry set in their youth and how it was much more than just a "toy"; it actually inspired and influenced their career choice.

As professional analytical chemists and experimental scientists, the anticipation of adding new instruments – and it is no coincidence that we often refer to them as “toys” - to the lab maintains a good amount of the excitement of younger days.

Indeed, just last week, a colleague here at ABC Labs – recently returned from the annual meeting of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry – eagerly shared news about some new tools and techniques well suited for the work that he and his team perform.

There are many reasons to invest in new instruments – faster sample throughput, better sensitivity, improved quality of results, reduced environmental waste, easier use, smaller footprints, lower maintenance costs, and anticipation of future needs.

There is another (perhaps) under-appreciated, yet very important, justification that gets to both the practical and the personal aspect of those investments; as one science writer put it:

“Keeping the lab furnished with modern, technologically advanced equipment not only keeps laboratory operations competitive by increasing productivity; it also provides such intangible benefits as staff pride in the workplace and enhanced stature with customers.”²

To that end, the addition of new instruments and technologies in our labs is news that we happily and eagerly share.  As an example, see the recent post by Glenn Petrie, PhD, on how the ProteinSimple® Wes™ system is being used in our laboratories.

Keep an eye on this blog for more updates on new instruments and technologies being employed by our expert scientists; even better, subscribe to the blog using the notification tools on the top right so you don’t miss another post!

What new “toy” are you looking forward to adding to your laboratory?

References

1.    Schmidt, J. M., “Yesterday’s Toy Becomes Tomorrow’s Trade,” Today’s Chemist at Work, December 2004, pp. 34-37.

2.    Collins, W., “Managing Obsolescence,” Laboratory Manager, May 2010, pp. 56-60