Comprehensive vs. Research Universities

I took my oath yesterday and began my term as a "visiting research associate" at my local RO1.  (There really was an oath to support protect and defend the state, although all I had to do was sign.)  Most of my day was spent organizing parking, signing up to be trained to use instruments, etc.

One of the folks in the lab I am working in asked me what had prompted me to go back into the lab.  At first I thought it an odd question until I recalled that faculty at research universities don't work in the lab.  Many of us comprehensive university and primarily undergraduate university folks never really leave the lab.  When all your lab workers are fresh faced undergraduates and MS degree candidates it falls to you to be constantly training new students and being the expert in how to get things done in the lab. While our access to cutting edge equipment may limit our ability, our lab skills have to stay sharp to get anything approaching publishable results accomplished.

One interesting thing yesterday was the response to my question about chromatography.  The only prep level methodology available here is manual flash chromatography (glass columns and house air lines, etc).  No Isco, Biotage, etc. here.  Not even radial chromatography.  

I learned long ago that when time and money are the dual anchors holding down your research program you invest in technology that will save you both time and money.  I have found that radial chromatography is a good chromatography teaching tool and is low cost.  It can be faster than manual flash columns.  From the standpoint of preparing graduates for careers, some experience with flash instruments is useful.  Once my students use our system I can't get them to go back to radial and they never do manual flash.  

So, while many think of comprehensives as research backwaters when compared to our RO1 counterparts, it is worth noting that we are actually different institutions with different charges.  It's a matter of mission and resources.