© Daan Jaspers ‘What does a lab technician do then there are no practicals? Well, not a great deal actually. I assist colleagues in making demo videos for online education. I updated some instructional materials and protocols and am currently writing a document on working safely with animal specimens that are conserved in alcohol or formalin’.
Annual cleaning
‘This afternoon, I am going to campus to tidy the sensory lab with a colleague. The labs will be thoroughly cleaned. Normally, this takes place during the summer vacation, but many departments on campus are getting their annual cleaning done ahead of time. I also went to campus once when there were still in-house emergency service shifts. But, as the buildings are now empty, this is no longer necessary.’
In the Forum basement, hundreds of sharks are stored in additive solution
Daan Jaspers
‘The dissection practical Experimental Zoology was scheduled for this period. Students dissect a shark, among others. In the Forum basement, hundreds of sharks are stored in additive solution. Complete sharks, measuring 60 to 70 centimetres that have been shipped here from the United States. Some of the sharks were already prepared for the practical, but have now been returned to storage.’
Kayak
‘I would like to be back at work. I’m at home now with my partner Antoinette, who works as a secretary at Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing. But we can’t go anywhere. I hardly dare go grocery shopping as I have been snivelling for four weeks. I can imagine this being really hard for people who live alone. Thankfully, I still have my hobby: I am building a kayak. In the living room.’
‘Kayaking is my passion. I have been doing this for 30 years and am an active member of the Wageningen association Vada. Normally I train there twice a week. This is my fourth self-made kayak. This time, I am making a two-seater of 6.6 metres in length. It has a unique feature in that it can be divided into two halves, which is very practical. So, I sawed it in half.
