RM's+Week+of+February+25,+2008

RM's Logbook


 * Monday, February 25, 2008**

Today, DL went over the a few events that our class will participate in. As our school team was not selected to travel to CERN, we want to develop ways (such as creating films) to promote the understanding of particle physics. In March, there will be a particle physics' master class, which we will attend. It will be a whole-day affair, and part of it will include a telecommunications conference with other physicists at other schools and the analyzing of particle physics data. I also read up on the lunar eclipse that occurred and the astronomy's group observation plans for February through March.


 * Tuesday, February 26, 2008**

Today, I updated my logbook. For some strange reason, I was experiencing technical diffculties, mostly manifesting themselves in slow uploads of pages.


 * Wednesday, February 27, 2008**

Today, I read a portion of another paper that Dr. Sarveswaran gave me and updated my logbook.


 * Thursday, February 28, 2008**

I went into the lab today. As I didn't have any more silicon chips to use as samples, I cleaned 10, 1cm squared silicon chips in toluene for 30 minutes. Then, I rinsed them with 18 mega ohm water and dried them with nitrogen gas. Next, I created the piranha acid, composed of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide. I placed the chips in the acid and boiled the acid over a hot plate at 90 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes. Next, after I let the acid cool, I rinsed the chips with 18 mega ohm water and placed them in water in a vial. Dr. Sarveswaran is kind enough to take them to the cleaning room next Wednesday to get another set of baths because if I did it, it would push back my sample making by another week. Then, next Thursday, I will make samples with APTES, DNA, and ethanol, since the latter didn't turn out well last time.


 * Friday, February 29, 2008 (Leap Day!)**

I updated my logbook with what I accomplished yesterday. I also finished the paper that I started reading on Wednesday.

Week of February 18