What's your day job?

[Andy A.]

I am an electro-mechanical tech at the Giesel School of Medicine (yes, Dartmouth just named it's medical school after Dr. Suess).

On paper, my job is to install, repair, modify and calibrate medical research lab equipment, and create custom experimental apparatus. Pretty much anything to do with technology, I get to figure out. The variety is astounding- everything from replacing vacuum tubes on enormous 70 year old amplifiers to making carbon fiber fixtures for MRI's. Every lab has it's own unique research challenges and I get to help figure them out.

It's the perfect job for me, right at the sweet spot between being a full up engineer and a machinist. I've had jobs in the past that came down to shaving half a penny in cost off plastic junk that was destined for a landfill. Here, in some small way, I help contribute to science and the next generation of doctors. The job satisfaction level is off scale high here.