Metamorphosis of a Superhero

Spies go undercover, adopting a new set of clothing and a new appearance in order to fulfill their missions.  Superheroes have brightly colored suits, capes, and a wide array of weapons and gadgets at their disposal while they save the day.  Geochemists often have their own equivalent of the superhero costume or undercover spy clothing- they have clean lab gear!

Several weeks ago I shared a picture drawn by my best friend that shows me as a superhero named GeoKate.  Here it is again in case you missed it the first time:

This picture along with questions from several people about what I have to wear when working in the clean lab have inspired me to present a real-life view of GeoKate, who by attending grad. school is in training to become a geochemistry superhero.  Enjoy!

The Metamorphosis: From Ordinary Grad. Student to Clean Lab Superhero
Upon entering the outer room of the clean lab, the heroine leaves behind the tools of her everyday life (keys, phone, shoes, etc) and prepares to transform.  Winding her way deeper into the lab, she encounters the cloak room, and the metamorphosis begins.

1)  Shoes- Lab shoes not only prevent acid from damaging the heroine's feet, but add a stylish touch to the superhero uniform.

 2) Hair net- A stray hair in your lab beaker is definitely not acceptable.  Neither is having your hair in your face while you're flying.

3) Hood-  A key part of obscuring your identity, since it makes everyone in the lab look identical from most angles.

 4) Lab coat-  Besides the practical use of keeping her clothes clean while fighting crime and dissolving rock, it nicely doubles as a cape while in flight.  It also confuses all of the various evil doctors and villains who often use lab coats as their standard uniform.  They don't expect a superhero to wear one!

5) Face shield/goggles-  GeoKate is modeling the face shield here but most of the time wears the less extreme goggle option.  But sometimes you just need the extra protection and a bug guard while flying!

6) Gloves- Blue nitrile gloves.  Definitely an up-and-coming fashion trend for the functionality conscious.  No germs, no mess, and a splash of color that matches the shoes. Not to mention no fingerprints.....

  Voila! The metamorphosis is complete.  Now...off to save the day! (or learn more about garnet...)

The Introduction

Most stories require an introduction.  I suppose the adventure of chasing my PhD is no different.  So, in case you missed the basics, here is a summary.

This past May I graduated with a double major in geology and science education and a minor in biology from Olivet Nazarene University.  I have accepted a Dean's Fellowship to pursue my PhD in Earth Science at Boston University starting in the Fall of 2011.   In my first year, I will be starting method development for a totally new detrital garnet dating system, as well as learning the existing garnet dating technique used in BU's labs.  Basically (for you non-geochemistry types) that means I'll be creating a brand new chemistry method to accurately figure out the ages of small pieces of transported garnet, which in turn can help us understand the time frames for the formation of some of the world's great mountain belts and other geologic structures.  Blazing a new trail is sure to be difficult, but I guess I could say I'm no stranger to building my own path.

Therefore, I will be picking up my life and moving across the country on a brand new adventure.  I'll have a new office, a new lab, new projects, new classes, new colleagues, a new apartment, a new roommate, a new church, a new school, a new city...that adds up to a whole bunch of new things.  I hope that writing this blog will let me record some of the details of this adventure so that those I have physically left behind can keep up with my hectic life and also so that I can record the memories I don't want to forget.  After all, in a little over a month I'll become GeoKate in the Bay State.