| On the dying breed aspect - https://kjzz.org/content/535871/asu-third-generation-scienti... > "Laboratory glassware is extremely expensive – and we drop stuff from time to time," said Dempster. > Dempster estimated the glass shop charges 1/10 to 1/20 of what companies would, with a much faster turnaround. > Nevertheless, scientific glassblowing is a dying art. > "It's slowly been dwindling. Like, lately, if people retire, they kind of shut down the shop and start outsourcing. But us glassblowers are trying to change that," said Roeger. > Roeger is working to reestablish the apprenticeship program in which she learned her skills. > "The apprenticeship program is a four-year, full-time, hands-on training with a master glassblower, and it really does take that much to be able to produce glassware that customers can use." > For now, she's glad to see more women entering a historically male-dominated field. |