Until mid-July, I'm working three days a week for a client situated in the MaRS building, downtown Toronto. The project I'm working on won't set the world on fire but, in my own little way, I'm having a blast. Here are a few vignettes from my time so far …

The building in question – the "facade" is a heritage building, one of the original University of Toronto buildings. The interior and towers are have all been modernized. The south and west towers are under construction.

They just built the desk I'm sitting at about 10 days ago. To my immediate left is a wall and, on the other side of that wall, is a multi-storey construction zone. Pretty noisy over there, thus I wear my iPod while working. A lot. Playlists have suddenly become important to me.

This is my first foray into biotechnology. I'm working for an organization that has within it some of the smartest people on the planet, all working towards curing cancer. Or finding multiple cures for the myriad different kinds of cancer. Very very big brains. Next week, I get to interview the senior guy in charge of cancer genomics. Whoa.

I feel pretty humbled and privileged just to be there. This is one of the most high-profile projects in Toronto, the "Discovery District", which is at the intersection, appropriately, of the medical/hospital zone, legislative zone, and the university zone. The kitchen area on the floor where I work overlooks Queen's Park, our provincial assembly. The MaRS building itself is host to multiple biotech organizations, some private sector, some public/private. The idea is to put all the smart people together and hope something good happens. It is possible that I am oversimplifying.

MaRS hosts events often, conferences and such. It is a terrific space for such things, except for the ongoing construction. Mesh was just there and it was supremely ironic that I was too busy with my client stuff to attend. At least once per week, usually around lunchtime, the front steps are covered in red carpet and there is a limo or some fancy pants car out front.

On one such day, I was just returning from the gym, a few blocks away. I can get away a couple times a week to go to a modified circuit at the Y around lunch time. I had my iPod on shuffle and, as I was approaching the building, some majestic choral piece came on. The red carpet was out and there was a black stretch SUV out front. It all felt extremely important, although people (normal people like me) were coming and going via the front door as per usual. Someone was eating their lunch while perched on the stonework out front. So I proceeded towards the door as per usual, sweeping waves of choral music adding a certain je ne sais quois to the moment. I was feeling sort of full of myself as I got closer to the door. Suddenly, just as I got to the door, one of the metal railings seemed to reach out and grab my iPod headset cord from my side, yanking the headset askew on my head, and shutting down the choral climax pretty quickly. I tried to disentangle myself as quickly and inconspicuously as possible – which became impossible as I then proceeded to stumble over the red carpet and fall against the glass doors at the front.

I tend to favour the side door now.

I'm pretty sure I'm working at the only quasi-medical facility in Toronto that comes equipped with its own grand piano in the lobby. Yamaha, for those who care about such things.

In addition to being extremely smart, the people who work here are really nice and kinda quirky, which I'm enjoying immensely. I walked by one fellow's office several times and snickered every time as, in addition to the posters regarding upcoming Important Conferences and Announcements, he also has this:

Coincidence?

I love this. I got to interview this guy last week and he is delightful. He heads up bioinformatics. Yes, I've read the Wikipedia thing but I still have no idea what that is. There is a textbook that I walk by every day, several times, called "The Internet and New Biology". I have no idea what this means either, but I'd like to know more. Perhaps BoxSpring Man will let me borrow this text for a little light reading.

About two weeks ago, I had to go interview people on a floor that I hadn't been to yet. Once I got past the access door, I found myself in a hallway where, clearly, labs containing Real Science were located. White lab coats, microscopes and test tubes behind glass. As I tried to find my interview subjects, I walked by something labeled "Genome Sequencer". It looked like a really big bread maker. I heard a stern voice in my head say, "Just don't touch anything!"

I shared with one of the other non-scientists on that floor, in a hushed voice, that just being there made me feel all tingly. She smiled, leaned over and quietly said, "I know – me too!"

I'll be sad when my project is over in a few weeks – but so chuffed that I got to contribute, in a tiny way, to the work that goes on here. It is a remarkable place, and a remarkable idea, and a use of my tax dollars that engenders not one ounce of cynicism in me, which is refreshing indeed.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend