MIP's Secret Weapon:

Chuck Norris?

Elizabeth Wagenmaker

Laboratory Technician, Molecular & Integrative Physiology

There is a poster hanging in the laboratory next to mine that depicts how specific groups of lab members view each other: undergraduates see the postdocs as rolling in cash, grad students see a screaming PI, postdocs see grad students as small children poking an electrical outlet with a metal knife, etc. The one that always puts a knowing smile on my face is how lab technicians see each other: as Chuck Norris. That’s right, the butt-kicking action star that has spawned a thousand memes depicting his badassery; one of my favorite science-related ones being “the periodic table is incomplete because only Chuck Norris knows the element of surprise.”

Like Chuck Norris, lab technicians have to possess - and be adept at - a multitude of skills. We also have to be quick on our feet because on any given day, we are acting as researchers, administrators, air traffic controllers, wish-granting genies and, yes, sometimes even therapists. It is not unusual for us to be filling many roles at once. Unlike Chuck Norris, we may not quite know everything but we do serve an important purpose in maintaining the lab’s “history.” As students and postdocs come and go, it is often the technicians that provide continuity and stability within a lab. We are frequently some of the most visible representatives of the department when it comes to forming working relationships with labs outside of Molecular and Integrative Physiology (MIP) as well as other university support staff. Additionally, many lab technicians working in MIP hold graduate degrees, have research interests of their own, and publish regularly, all of which significantly contributes to the research goals of the lab and the department as a whole. So, just as with Chuck Norris, lab technicians are like Swiss Army knives: we have many important functions, we are great problem solvers and we come in handy! As a result, we truly are MIP’s secret weapons in the optimal functioning and success of the department.