Purdue students sniff manure for science

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the experiences of students involved in unconventional scientific studies, particularly focusing on the sensory aspects of working with manure and other unpleasant tasks in agricultural research. The scope includes personal anecdotes, humor, and reflections on the challenges faced by students in the field of animal science.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses strong distaste for the smell associated with manure studies, highlighting a humorous reaction to the situation.
  • Luca Magnani, a doctoral student, shares that he finds hog farms particularly odorous but is accustomed to animal environments, suggesting a level of resilience among students.
  • Another participant contrasts the manure study with their own experience of de-winging fruit flies, indicating a preference for the former.
  • Concerns are raised about the current practices in manure application, with one participant commenting on the strong odors they have encountered.
  • Participants share anecdotes about other unpleasant tasks in research, such as cleaning animal pens and the financial compensation for participating in studies, which some find inadequate.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants share a general sense of humor about the unpleasantness of their experiences, but there is no consensus on the severity of the tasks or the adequacy of compensation for participation in scientific studies.

Contextual Notes

Some comments reflect personal experiences that may depend on individual tolerance levels for unpleasant tasks, and there is ambiguity regarding the specific practices in manure management that contribute to the odors discussed.

Who May Find This Useful

Students in agricultural sciences, animal science researchers, and individuals interested in the realities of fieldwork in scientific studies may find this discussion relevant.

ZapperZ
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080102/ap_on_sc/sniffing_stenches" ?

I only have one thing to say about this: "EEEEWWWWWWW!"

Luca Magnani, a doctoral student in animal science, said the hogs farms are the worst to smell, but he's used to being around animals, so it doesn't bother him much.

"Grad students are kind of poor. I've done worse than this, he said.

Er... such as what exactly, Luca?

ZZ.
 
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Like de-winging fruit flys. I would of much rather sniffed some stinky air.
 
I do not know what the farmers are using to manure the land these days but by heck it stinks.
 
ZapperZ said:
Er... such as what exactly, Luca?

Going into the barns to clean the pens that the samples are coming from. :rolleyes:
 
The OSU health sciences department was once offering what sounded like a pretty good deal for students: $1200 for some muscle core samples. At first, even as a non-starving student I had considered participating. But it turned out that for $1200 they wanted something like 50 cores over a period of a year! OUCH!
 
ZapperZ said:
Er... such as what exactly, Luca?

ZZ.

Tasting it for $35?
 

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