Gary Sing
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Engineering major: BME/EE Double
Anticipated date of graduation: May 2005
Why did you choose this major? What interests you most about this area of engineering?:
Well, to be honest, I don't know why I chose BME. I applied to Pratt and on my application, it asked me which field I wanted major in. Biomedical sounded cooler than all the other ones, so I checked that box. As for why I'm doubling, when I got to Duke, I heard that it was easier to double than to do the straight BME...so that's why I'm doubling.
What are your long term career plans?:
Good question...um, I'm not sure, but maybe teach, maybe research, maybe go overseas and do missions work? I really don't know. We'll see how grad school apps go, and take it step by step.
How did you get involved in the microgravity, vomit comet project?:
Dan asked me if I wanted to do it, he showed me the video of kids floating around, and I was hooked.
What do you hope to find out through your research?:
To see if there's a direct gravity-sensing device in bone and muscle cells. This information fits in very neatly with some of the research being done by our advisor, Dr. George Truskey.
What were your thoughts when you learned you would be flying on the vomit comet?:
Awesome! I get to do somersaults and yarf up my innards! Great!
Do you get motion or air sick? If so, what are you plans for not barfing all over your teammates? And even if you don't normally get airsick, what are you plans for not barfing all over your teammates?:
I get very motion sick. I get nauseous sometimes on the buses. I get nauseous if I'm riding backwards on a train. I get nauseous sometimes when I'm on a plane. What's my strategy to not puke everywhere? I have absolutely no idea. I think I've already written it off as an occupational hazard. It's going to happen, so I'm not going to worry about it.
What's your favorite food? What food will you be sure NOT to eat before going on the vomit comet?:
My favorite food...I don't think I have one. I love lots of food. I'll say Chinese eggplant with beef. That stuff rocks.
What is something funny or unusual that people don't know about you?:
I'm a twin, and no, we've never switched places in class, and no, if you punch one of us, the other person doesn't feel it, and no, we're not telepathic, and no, etc etc.
What kind of training do you have to undergo in order to ride the vomit comet?:
I think we have to go in that spinning ball thing where they strap you in spread-eagle and then they whirl you around. But I could be making that up. Also, I think they brief us on acceptable behavior on the plane, such as, "No horsing around on the plane."
What part of the experiment(s) are your responsibility?:
You know, it's funny. I don't really know. I guess I'll find out when we get there.
How is the experimental setup different from what you would do in a normal gravity environment?:
In microgravity, you have to take into account issues like, "Ok, so when I compress this syringe, the formaldehyde might float instead of coming into contact with the cells. Let's make the container small, and then flood it to make sure that the formaldehyde does its job." Stuff like that.
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