Week 3:3<\/p>\n
I was in the BBTC (biopharmaceutical bioprocessing technology centre) of Newcastle University and was wondering the corridors peering into labs.\u00a0 Labs with benches, test tubes, separating flasks and acids and chemicals… I felt deeply nostalgic for when I worked in that sort of lab.\u00a0 When I would have to pay attention to the sign at the office that reads \u201clab coats may not be worn in the office\u201d.\u00a0 Labs are simple because the results are simple no matter how complex the preparation; once one does a test then things either work or they don\u2019t.\u00a0 Ah.<\/p>\n
BBTC is part of and situated in the Chemical Engineers building and the corridor where the labs are contain what may or may not be a test.\u00a0 The innocent looking radiator on the wall \u2013 the Chemical Engineer would call this a heat exchanger \u2013 is not connected.\u00a0 The pipes that run to it, both inlet and outlet are blocked by end-caps… leaving the radiator isolated.\u00a0 The unit might leak and had to isolated for its own good, and so that the floor does not become slippery.\u00a0 With engineers there is always a chance that there was a leak and one of them capped the pipes {rubs hands} and that is the problem is dealt with.<\/p>\n
But is the problem solved?\u00a0 That depends on the definition of the problem.\u00a0 It no longer leaks.\u00a0 It also cannot do the job that is it\u2019s only natural function.\u00a0 If this heat exchanger were working and not blocked off from the network of pipes that run through the building \u2013 it would have hot fluid passing through the inside releasing heat into cold air through heat fins that increase the surface area from which the heat can be released.\u00a0 The capped blocked sidelined radiator cannot call itself a radiator while it is in this state.\u00a0 It is merely a wall ornament.<\/p>\n
I will be working with Gavin and Lucy (they will be teaching me how to get this done because they have done this before) to set up talks, mini workshops.\u00a0 It will be my particular job I think to involve\/invite Business School facilitators or \u201cquestioners\u201d in Conversaziones style talks and provide cross faculty exchange. I will also get to do the less important nitty gritties, the rooms and nibbles. An action exchanger.<\/p>\n
Where do I find Natural Networks<\/strong> and can they be created?\u00a0 Where they don\u2019t exist, can people find collaborators both inside and outside the university and develop partnerships that feed knowledge, generate research ideas and lead to new, useful work for all concerned.\u00a0 Can one arrange marriages or must academics and other practitioners find one another and fall in love?\u00a0 All the pipes need to be joined up for the heat exchanger to work.<\/p>\n Clear vision.<\/strong> One of the RA\u2019s in the office is doing research with a supervisor who has now relocated to London and the supervisor has offered the RA though option of also moving down south.\u00a0 But the RA says that he now gets better supervision than he did when his supervisor was in the same building.\u00a0 Also he would be moving at the same salary and of course London is more expensive to live in and travel in and eat in.\u00a0 So he has made the counter intuitive decision (for now) to say in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne.\u00a0 One might say that he lacks ambition but I prefer to see it as a case of the RA having clear and present logical reasoning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Week 3:3 I was in the BBTC (biopharmaceutical bioprocessing technology centre) of Newcastle University and was wondering the corridors peering into labs.\u00a0 Labs with benches, test tubes, separating flasks and acids and chemicals… I felt deeply nostalgic for when I worked in that sort of lab.\u00a0 When I would have to pay attention to the … Continue reading Heat Exchanger<\/span>