If you were to ask me a week ago about my experience in the lab, I would reference advanced chemistry with Mr. Rushin, and tell you about all of the cool experiments that we did. After yesterday, that experience has grown. With Dr. Kavita Nanda, Dr. Jill Ferguson, Sara, and David, we travelled to PQC: Product Quality and Compliance. We met researchers who showed us various contraceptive methods, and then elaborated on their goal at FHI 360. Our researcher explained that when sending aid to developing nations, it’s imperative that the aid we send is of good quality; we don’t want to be responsible for an HIV outbreak, because of broken condoms. At PQC, scientists use a variety of tests (and cool technology) to examine the strength, durability, and efficacy of contraceptives.
PG warning ahead:
At PQC, the first lab we were in was the condom-torture lab. We got to see condoms rapidly filled with large quantities of water, to check them for holes; condoms blown up in vacuum chambers, to check for strength; and condoms stretched and heated, to check for elasticity and durability. The slow-motion video of a condom exploding may be one of my favorite souvenirs so far. Afterwards, I got to apply some chemistry, in the drug potency lab. Here, scientists introduced us to their usage of spectroscopy, High Pressure Liquid chromatography, titration, and dimensional analysis. The Mr. Rushin student in me geeked out. Perhaps the best part of the day was getting to see lab concepts I had worked with applied in real life settings. Here, the science wasn’t for a lab grade. It was to promote global health by providing critical tools for sexual empowerment within the region.
