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. 



Synthetic Sediment Stuff

Well, I've ventured into the world of blogging for the first time. And I believe it is for a good purpose, not just to see myself in print on the net. These pages are devoted to talking about all things sediment (aquatic sediment... not the subsurface "geologist" version), an interest that began with my excellent grad-school experience at Manhattan College in the early 1990s, under wonderful professors like Drs. Dominic Di Toro, John Mahony, Bob Thomann, and John Connolly, and with great fellow-students like Michael Fichera and Tom Parkerton.

For the last 10 or so years, that curiosity has focused on synthetic (artificial, formulated) sediment and how to "build a better mouse trap" as the saying goes. Improving the development of synthetic sediment has become my pet project that keeps my brain occupied and entertained while I spend my work days earning a living. The current iteration of the fruits of my labors is a material I've coined synthediment(TM) (.. synth[etic] [s]ediment). It's formulated with a much larger list of components than the common recipes currently in use. I'll be posting more information in the near future about synthediment(TM), the background behind its development, and the progress being made on applications using this material.

It's my hope that others will join in the conversation and share our collective thoughts on this part of the environment. Enjoy!