Alas, Liya and I drive another long ways out to our destination of hemp and cannabinoids. Things picked up when we entered IPS today and met up with Sean in the morning to analyze the data from yesterday. Studying the linear regression models, we used the data to compile a report on the levels of CBD, CBDA, THC, and THCA in the oven-baked flowers and hemp oil. Afterwards, we returned to the lab area to clean the mass spectrometer. Sean removed the pressurizer can cleaned the surfaces with alcohol. Additionally, he used a sonicator to remove the ions and other impurities from small metal pieces. Liya and I had some free time afterwards as we waited for lunch. During the time, we read stories and watched videos of people who advocate for the benefits of CBD. It was pretty awesome seeing how many people improved their sleep, anxiety, opioid addictions, etc. from these products.
As lunch rolls around, the lab team decided to get food from a nice Thai eatery which we brought back to IPS, but the restaurant forgot to give us our fried bananas for dessert! This ended up working out because I brought a dark chocolate pound cake as a thank you gift for the lab group. Since Krystle wouldn’t be there on Friday, Liya and I thought a dessert would hopefully be a way we could show our appreciation. As we ate our Thai food and chocolate cake (strange combo honestly), we also got to talk about the history and background of Integrated Lab Solutions (ILS), a subset of Integrated Solutions. It turned into an extended lunch break but was time well spent. Not only did I learn more about the laboratories, I also learned more about the individual scientists and employees! They are all really nice, smart individuals!
After we finished our share of spicy chicken and crab rangoons, Krystle showed us their urine test operations. Fun fact: don’t try to dilute your pee when you go to the doctor’s office for a test. Apparently, a lot of people try to do that! We learned that the HPLC machines can easily detect the purposeful dilution and whatever the person may try to hide, so be honest haha! For confidentiality reasons, we were unable to analyze or study the urine testing in detail, but the general info was still quite interesting! Can’t wait for our final day tomorrow!
