ASEC 81

Down in the recesses of the Auburn Science and Engineering Center, here at UofA, back in some hall within the labyrinth of the building, I sit with a few other confused freshmen. We are focusing our efforts toward an experiment for PMT (Project Management and Teamwork) in hopes that we will actually get results this time. ASEC 81, the chemistry lab we are in, is unusually cluttered with tiny fragments of cut up paper as we attempt to create the most surface area for hydrolysis of the paper. The goal here is to expose the polymer, cellulose, in the paper in order to allow for it to be hydrolyzed into its simple monomer state, glucose; then we can find out the glucose concentration of the solution using a spectrometer. However, getting to this point is proving to be a stone's-throw away from impossible given the nearly hieroglyphic instructions we were given. Basically, we all are asking each other for help here, even though none of us know what's going on.

Duh-dah-dah-DAH! Mr. TA comes in to save the day! Not really...The TA hasn't provided anything but criticism at this point. After a confused conversation between about ten freshmen college students and one Middle-Eastern teacher's assistant, we were able to extract a somewhat restructured procedure. However, we couldn't help but ask a question or ten in between each step, since he refused to instruct us step-by-step and insisted upon disclosing the entire lab procedure every time we asked a question. Finally, after we get done with a great job of doing everything he says, he looks dispiritedly at our results, saying, "That'll do." Through a little redundancy in our questions, we were able to get a clue as to what they meant, and finally, after 3 weeks working 3 hours a day, 2-3 days a week after classes, we got through the lab. Ghansus was truly with us.

That was three weeks ago, coming out of present tense (for Ghansus knows what reason). Now, in real present tense, we are faced with more work in the lab. Great. We get to pretend to be chemists by cutting up paper into bits and putting it in water. Sure a little chemicals here, an enzyme there, but we aren't really getting anything out of it. The chemistry professors, who would fail somebody for the kind of work they've given us, are supplying lab procedures with secret messages that apparently only TAs can read! If I don't understand the point of the experiment until I've read it six times, attempted it twice, come to you for help, and made you do it for me and get the results, then I believe there is some revising to be done.

Luckily, we have upper classmen for team leaders that are guiding us through the continuing phases of our team waste paper hydrolysis project. They've kept us updated so far and kept our research on track. I just don't want to be cutting up paper for the rest of my college career. Alright, enough whinin;' I've got bits of paper to cut up.