nothing's wrong-- i'm just a STEM student...
[i rarely see stem rep-- so here’s PART TWO! (find part one here) the extended edition of ‘stoners in stem’ highlighting the parts of this life that i find myself loving ;p
Thinking of doing sectionals (Physics, Environmental Studies, Mechanics, Entomology, etc.), so if there are any suggestions you'd like to highlight, plz tag or comment !!]
TAG YOURSELF !! I LOVE SEEING WHAT YALL GET UP TO !!
slightly concerned glances being shared between even the worst of acquaintances when your mentor drops some crazy lore surrounding how they entered their field(s)
good god. the apple-cider vinegar and dish soap gnat traps. honey alternatives decidedly never cross anyone's mind (nor the threshold of the lab for that matter)
walking the fine line between the Ridiculous and the Logical during data analysis like the two aren't twin kings of ruin
noncommital shrugs when asked anything about your preferred diet or eating habits
writing exclusively with pen, or exclusively with pencil. feeling borderline disgusted having to use the other when you forget your own
'Why do you care?' 'Why don't you??'
Every documentary you watch absolutely changing your life and challenging your worldview
Either hanging onto your textbooks like a lifeline or forgetting about them as they gather dust under your bed. maybe you never bought them at all-- pirated PDFs littering your desktop
anything in jars being considered decor (snakes, regurgitated bones, praying mantis egg cases)
seeing the slant of fences, trees, and lamp posts-- thinking of all the wind and weather that's passed along the same path you have
TREEHUGGER !!! HA HA
the clean quiet that hangs over the linoleum early in the morning; the warmth is not so subtle now that you've rolled up your sleeves.
teaching everyone around you how to bypass PAY FOR ARTICLES because knowledge should always be F[ree]INED [inspect, gear, disable java]
having to just sit by n watch while someone pointedly ignores your input, and a totally avoidable incident (that could have totally been avoided) is not, in fact, avoided
dealing with the consequences of that incident for the rest of the experiment/project
blank stare, lips in a placatingly firm line as you nod along with the stern talking-to you're being given. their words going in one ear and out the other because you're already thinking through another way under admin's nose
whaaaaat ? how'd those locally indigenous species just pop up everywhere overnight, ha ha ? wow nature is crazyyy
digging through public records for one reason, only to uncover an entirely different can of worms about the institution you frequent
digging in the literal dirt and uncovering literal worms lol amirite guys
'Please remember that this is just a prototype and that i'm it's in a very fragile state right now.'
going crazy trying to figure out what a specific testing company uses in their chemical compounds, because good fucking god how are you supposed to cite the evidence if you can't even label what it is?
a disastrous experiment being abandoned like Chernobyl once determined beyond salvation-- everyone curious to see how it'll develop and fester when left on its own
'life imitates art,' you think, as you finally recognize one of your unnecessarily complicated formulas being represented in your daily life
often being so bad at the thing you love that you can't do anything about it but laugh
staring for so long at something during a lecture that white begins to leech into your vision. you should probably blink a few times so people don't begin to suspect you're a reptile (even more than they already do)
'Don't.. don't look at me like that...' [speaking to a(n) (INSERT NAME OF LITTLE CRITTER HERE) you had to gently move onto a little scale to collect data]
honing in on where your talents in your field lie; the disappointment in finding your limits that turns to indifference when you remember you're still phenomenal at a million other things you enjoy
'i want to study you like a bug.'
thinly concealed irritation masked by a patient smile and a small 'mhm' when someone tries to explain your life's purpose TO you (ten dollars says they're wrong about it, too)
'and you want me to run this... on a full moon?' 'don't start with that shit again.'
yer disgust is lookin' a lot like morbid curiosity these days...
a lot of your scientific conclusions being discerned by common sense ('Please just use your cognitive functions, you guys...')
a clean earth sciences lab floor.. my white whale...
the small (increasingly large) pile of recyclable material that's waiting to be torn apart or filled with soil and plants; it topples over when people walk past, but no one can bring themselves to throw any away
'all this only cost me like... $270. which is crazy given that these're the real fuckin' deal with solid steel reinforcements.' 'man...this shit is so gonna blow down.'
leaning into the obscure, instead of away from it out of habit; seeing its effect in your daily life and work
all the plastic utensils in the dining area being stolen for diagrams, leaving behind only the reusable metalware. this is unexpectedly admirable of the engineers, if only to those who care about the inadvertent environmentalism
taking things apart to see how they work-- having very little planned on how to put it back together
'I don't know what you want me to do about that, you created it.' 'Not on purpose!'
downloading photomath during testing season. your doubt being palpable over your (in)ability to solve simple equations
carrying hand lotion everywhere you go because of how often your work has you washing your hands; colleagues and peers holding their hands out like beggars in a Mel Brooks film ('lotion... dollop of lotion for the poor D:')
borrowing chemical-grade goggles from the lab before going out to protest; supervisors giving you dubious thumbs ups while they 'accidentally' leave the key to the goggle sanitation station right by the cabinet..
'Now that you've poured your blood, sweat, tears, and other secretions into this project-- decide if you want to take it home to maintain, or have it eradicated.'
utilizing the public library, but having to double-check the internet before citing anything from the books you pour over because your city is more concerned with the way the building looks than the content it supplies
'The Martian,' both the book and the movie ... Mark Watney you will always be famous,,
'Why are you taking so many difficult classes at once?' 'My entire degree is difficult classes.'
carrying a small journal everywhere in an attempt to organize your thoughts, tasks, and reminders (you've never looked back on a single you've written, but you like to think it at least helps in the moment)
being torn between the scientific evidence that supports getting eight hours of sleep and your own hubris. you can stay up it's fine. it'll be fine.
you're not fine but at least the lab counters feel so nice against the side of your face
WHAT THE FUCK IS EVEN A KILOGRAM 🦅🦅🦅‼??!!!!!
having no idea where your degree will take you, giving everyone who asks a different vague answer
hands being littered with cuts and burns; not being able to stop yourself from touching even at the worst of times
geeking out over carbon sensors and ammonia regulators your supervisor managed to convince the department to splurge on (nothing provided by them will enter your lab for another three semesters)
being one of the most prepared people ever when it comes to disaster prep; this includes zombies
'this was not.. our intended result... someone get the shovel.'
pettiness infiltrating your daily life in the form of utilizing your talents; coding programs and drawing up diagrams and running tests just to prove someone wrong (or just to fuck with them)
studying with your liberal arts friends; both of you staring at your respective incomprehensible lines of symbols and words that neither of you have the brainpower to comprehend. most of the lights are off and the library closes in ten minutes, but you know the night staff and they've learned to keep their distance until absolutely necessary.
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