Ann came to the physiology lab one day when I was freezing the arteries. She had never seen liquid nitrogen, so I went outside and picked some wildflowers and leafy green ferns to show her how fun research can be. I dipped a bunch of flowers into the liquid nitrogen and when they came out they looked almost normal, but a little wet and frosty. I then smashed them on the table and they shattered into thousands of tiny shards of colored petals and I was left holding a few fractured stems. She was shocked and impressed. I let her do the same to some more flowers and some ferns. As the vegetation thawed it made a bit of a mushy mess on the table, but I didn’t mind. It was nice to spend time with Ann.

“Why do you need so many of these things frozen?” she asked.

“I am going to purify a protein from them and do experiments on the protein. So I need lots of protein to do the experiments and will need lots of arteries to be able to purify enough protein,” was my response.

“How do you purify a protein and why do you want to?”

“I want to purify it because the data I get from it will be compared to the data I get on the same enzyme in the NMR. The data are going into my thesis so I can get my degree. So why I want to purify the protein is to get my degree and to do something that no one has ever done before.”

“I understand data is important,” she said, “But why do you need it from the NMR and the pure protein?” She asked.

“Good question. First though, data are plural, datum is the singular. So, ‘data are important.’ And I want lots and lots of data. Now to answer your question, with the NMR and protein studies I can tell what is controlling the function of creatine kinase in the artery.” I regretted correcting her grammar in that way, but it slipped out by force of habit. Dr. Dillon was big on using correct grammar in science and that kept me sensitive to the subject.

“So one group of data are compared to the other group of data.”

“Yep.”

“But, other than getting a degree, why is that such a big deal?” she asked.

This was a question I was very ready and happy to answer.

 “The enzyme is something that helps the muscle in the artery function normally,” I explained. Arteries are not just pipes; they open and close to maintain blood pressure and to provide blood flow to important tissues. If the artery cannot work right, disease occurs. So my thesis is that the normal function of the protein will keep the artery functioning normally. One reason I think this enzyme might be important is because it is one of the most active in our bodies. But why is it so active in arteries? If I figure that out I may figure out ways to protect the arteries from dying during organ transplant or improve artery function during diseases such as high blood pressure. The information could literally save lives.”

“Cool. Wanna go to lunch?” she asked.

“Sure. How about macaroni and cheese.” I said, holding up a piece of artery that looked a lot like macaroni.

Ann laughed and said, “I was thinking of sandwiches at the deli, and since you’re such an expert, you can rate the meal.”