My Synthetic Sediment Laboratory

Since my graduate school days at Manhattan College, I've really enjoyed the hands-on experience of field and laboratory work.  The process of planning and gathering data about the environment, then evaluating them to extract useful and interesting information has always been quite satisfying.  So much so, that I've spent the last 10 years or so on online stores slowly purchasing equipment, instruments, glassware, chemicals, and manuals as part of my personal lab.  I know.. I know.. major science dweeb!  My wife never understood it until my synthediment(TM) work showed some promise of success.  She always has been very gracious to put up with the expense and the storage of those items.. so long as they were out of her sight!

I'm showing some photos of the set-up I have currently, partially in my garage and partially in my basement. 

My most recent addition, a Perkin-Elmer Lambda 2S uv-visible spectrophotometer, currently resides in the closet of our home's "mother-in-law" suite.  Gotta protect those electronics, you know...

Having these tools has been critical for furthering my synthediment(TM) development work.  I'm finishing up my literature search work (I have upwards of 2500 citations and associated PDF files) in preparation for a review paper documenting the synthetic sediment development work that has been done by others to date.  I hope to continue my synthetic sediment development effort and post my successes (and trials..) here and elsewhere.