What Happens As My American Adventure Is About To Begin?

And off I go… Well, I’m trying to. My flight just got canceled, so I’ve been put up at the airport Marriott until tomorrow. At least I’ll get to see what an $85 dinner looks like.

First time for everything, and probably the last. Always a silver lining.

According to Gu, Yang, Wang, and Xie (2020), delayed and disrupted flights reliably provoke passenger frustration and stress. These are factors that airports now try to model and predict in order to manage disruptions before they escalate.

And then there’s the baggage situation. The limit is 2×23 kg + 10 kg for carry-on.

Honestly, I’m pretty much pushing that limit, any more and I’d need a shoehorn. I can take comfort in the fact that I managed to pack in my usual 45 minutes. This was done with my stopwatch in hand.

That’s pretty much the deal. Anyway, the adventure is about to begin. First, I need to scope out the area and see if setting up shop in California is on the cards.

Oh, and pretending to be a programmer. Sometimes I feel like I could tackle anything except coding. But hey, you gotta push your limits, whatever that means.

What Is the NIH Course All About?

Now, a bit about the system American scientists work in…. Well, at least about the part that involves research with human subjects.

The NIH, or the National Institutes of Health, recently mandated an online course. Specifically, this course is for science students participating in such studies.

According to the National Institutes of Health, anyone involved in NIH-funded human subjects research is required to complete training. This training must cover protecting human research participants before beginning the work. This rule applies to me too, so I expected a doozy when I sat in front of the computer.

According to Ajuwon and Kass (2008), workshop-style research ethics training measurably raises participants’ knowledge of ethical principles. Furthermore, mean test scores roughly tripled from pre-test to post-test. After all, American laws sometimes lead to peculiarities like banning washing cats in washing machines.

What Did the NIH Test Question Actually Ask?

What did I get? Well, here’s a prime example of a test question I had to tackle: “Case Study: Human Heart Study An investigator plans to use human hearts to study factors leading to heart failure.

One group of normal, control hearts will be sourced from cadavers. Meanwhile, another set of diseased hearts will come from individuals scheduled for heart transplants. Does this study involve human subjects?”

And the correct answer: “Yes, this study involves human subjects. Using healthy hearts from cadavers doesn’t count as human subjects research, as the heart donors aren’t alive.

However, using the diseased hearts removed during transplant surgery is considered human subjects research, since the donors are living. According to the HHS Office for Human Research Protections, federal regulations define a “human subject” as a living individual, which is why research using only deceased donors’ tissue falls outside that definition.”

Well, there you have it. At least I’ve got a certificate now, affirming my fitness for duty in the Lab.

That’s a bit reassuring. Still, I could’ve put these 8 hours to something more creatively fulfilling…