The main output of a PhD is research papers and a thesis about the work that was conducted. However, the skills gained by a PhD student go far beyond the detailed scientific knowledge presented in these documents. ETHZ PhD student Turry Ouma has been in Eldoret, Kenya, for the last few weeks setting up chamber measurements at our experimental agricultural field site at the University of Eldoret. Turry’s experiences are a great insight into the many skills required to complete a PhD.
Security is one important issue Turry had to deal with. Organising fencing, the installation of security cameras, assistance to weld solar panels on to the top of our trailer set up…
Managing the power needs of the system is another major challenge. The system has a complicated set up: First the solar panels provide power, then the input switches to mains power when needed, and in the case of a total outage the back up generator kicks in followed by a controlled shut down. In addition, we need surge protectors, uninterrupted power supplies, and a balanced distribution of load. We scientists are not electricians and getting our heads around this took a lot of time, but Turry and the team got it running in the end.
No field campaign is carried out without equipment problems, both major and minor. When our lasers melted down during pre-testing in Switzerland, we thought we had had our fair share for this project, but equipment problems never stop! Turry had to seek help to sort out a failing compressor, required to produce high-pressure air to switch pneumatic valves.
Eventually, the system was up and running. This was the case for a whole day until the Picarro decided to stop working. Currently Turry and colleagues are switching to the role of instrument IT specialists and trying to “float the motherboard” to fix this problem. Hopefully soon we will have data…
Note: Thanks to Turry Ouma for all images in this post.
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