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I mentioned, in a previous post , a documentary called Naturally Obsessed. I expressed an interest in viewing the movie and encouraged readers to take advantage should such an opportunity present itself. Soon after the post, I received an email from one of the movie’s producers offering to send me a copy of the movie. You guys ROCK!

I’ll start on that positive note and, after viewing the movie, it looks like I’ll be ending on one as well.

Initially (before I received the movie), I thought it would simply be a good way to educate family and friends about the life of a crystallographer or graduate student in this field. Turns out, the movie is not only a great way to introduce people to this line of work, but a beneficial tool that can be used to recruit new students to this area of science.

The movie does not disappoint. It has some very entertaining characters who easily capture and hold the viewers attention.

The movie helped me realize a few things. First, how caught up I can get in my projects. Second, I gained an appreciation for the other researchers out there, as we are all going through the same ups and downs. We may work in separate labs but, ultimately, we all have the same goal: to understand how nature works. Finally, we all eat pizza on synchrotron trips.

Important note:
If you’re having difficulty getting your crystals to diffract properly, try setting up your trays to ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots’ by the Flaming Lips. Seems as though our little proteins have an affinity for good music.



Favorite quote by Kil(partick) Carroll:
“Science is not done in a vacuum. Everything, in some sense or another, is a collaboration…eventually everyone gets stuck. The only way to do it is by talking to other people who have been where you are and can give a relatively logical approach to solve that problem.”

Final note: Naturally Obsessed will be playing at the ACA this year. DEFINITELY worth checking out. I will update you when I hear a specific time and location.