Grass Grinding

This week I am grinding grass into a fine powder using the tissuelyser (a bit like a centrifuge but goes side to side instead of around). I put specific samples or mixtures of samples with ball bearings into a container and mash it up. I have to be extremely careful not to contaminate any of the samples, gloves, ethanol, everything meticulously clean. This is challenging when working in the bottom of the building where there are soil samples and soil equipment and soil everywhere! The samples will go into the spectrometer that will trace isotopes, I think.

Cam (Phd student) will use this to gather evidence (of nitrous oxide emissions?) Using this data, she creates graphs which she can then compare, interpret and critique. This is not a quick process, she has been gathering grass samples for nearly 2 years now. Some words on my thinking, not in haiku form.
patience
planning and organisation
technological problems to overcome
collaboration
systems
contamination
plastic waste