SDS-PAGE and Wonderful People

I’ve started running SDS-PAGE to look at the breakdown of flour proteins over time and the effect of various dough components on breakdown.  So far, the gels are turning out well.  Unju had some 8-16% Tris-Glycine gels leftover from one of her experiments that she let me use to test the method.  I was able to see the proteins degrade over time so I ordered some 10-20% Tris-Glycine gels, which fit the molecular weight range I was interested in a little better, and I am now using those to compare the effects of different dough components on breakdown.  A picture of my experiment is below.

I keep meeting more and more wonderful people here.  Earlier this week one of my eyes was red and hurting so I went to see the nurse, Kay.  I’m not very good with directions and had a little trouble finding her office.  Someone noticed that I looked lost and asked me where I was trying to get to.  When I told him he didn’t just point me in the right direction, he walked me there.

Kay looked at my eye and then called an optometrist nearby and got me an appointment for as soon as I could get there.  After I returned from my appointment I went back to her office and she helped me with my eye drops and then the next day she checked on me several times to make sure I was feeling okay and was doing okay putting the drops in by myself.  Levetta and Unju both asked me how I was doing for the next few days too.  No one cared that I had to abandon and then later throw out the experiment I started to go to the doctor.  Everyone was just concerned about me feeling better.

Dan and Todd both returned from their conference in Switzerland this week.  It sounds like the conference was really neat.  Dan met with bakers from other sites to make sure all their procedures were consistent and then attended a cake baking workshop and Todd had a day of business meetings and then attended a workshop on modified food starches.  Todd brought us cute cow key chains that moo when you squeeze them as souvenirs.