fricks up 20 years of scientific research 
An unnamed custodian allegedly unplugged a freezer containing cell cultures, samples and other elements to further analyze photosynthesis
The sudden temperature change 'compromised, destroyed and rendered unsalvageable' the majority of the specimens
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is seeking an unspecified amount of damages from the third-party contractor
A janitor - apparently fed up with a constant beeping coming from a freezer at a New York lab - allegedly shut it down for some peace and quiet but in the process also destroyed $1million worth of research.
The unnamed custodian from Daigle Cleaning Services was working at the Cogswell Building at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, on the night of September 17, 2020, when he said he heard 'annoying alarms'.
He opened an electrical box and shut off the circuit breaker, a lawsuit filed in Rensselaer County court claims, sending the temperatures inside the freezer to jump from negative 112 degrees Fahrenheit to negative 25.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
The move caused damages believed to be at least $1million, but the university is seeking an unspecified amount of money in the lawsuit against the janitor's third-party contractor.
'A majority of specimens were compromised, destroyed and rendered unsalvageable, demolishing more than 20 years of research,' the lawsuit says.
The freezer alarm had been triggered by a mechanical malfunction that stopped the unit from maintaining a constant temperature, according to the lawsuit,
Repairs for the freezer — which held cell cultures, samples and other elements to further analyze photosynthesis to improve solar panel development — had been scheduled for September 21.
In the meantime, the suit argued, a letter hung on the freezer explaining the source of the alarm, with instructions on how to silence it.
'This freezer is beeping as it is under repairs,' the sign reportedly said in all capital letters. 'Please do not move or unplug it.
'No cleaning required in this area,' the letter continued. 'You can press the alarm/test mute button for five to 10 seconds if you would like to mute the sound.'
But the cleaner has claimed to public safety officers on campus that he thought he was flipping the circuit breaker on.
'People's behavior and negligence caused all this,' RPI's attorney Michael Ginsberg told the Albany Times Union. 'Unfortunately, they wiped out 25 years worth of research.'
Ginsberg added it would cost an estimated $1million to replicate the work under Professor KV Lakshmi, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology.
Daigle Cleaning Services, meanwhile, had a $1.4million contract with the school to clean facilities during the fall 2020 semester.
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Based janny. Btw I guarantee the "20 years of research" added up to precisely peepee. It didn't take 20 years to build the A bomb it doesnt take 20 years to improve a solar panel.
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The Manhattan project had 130,000 people working on it and a billion dollars in funding. Maybe this project had like 1 guy who wasn't r-slurred.
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Which means it was worthless anyway
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Never say these two words together again
Also I'd agree with you on the value of the material, but if they were working with cell cultures and had 1 mil $ invested into it it could've been important. Work with biological material takes very long I've heard, and from my experience the work probably took so long because there's like 3 people working on the project
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Matt Damon: the bad timeline
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At least one airliner has crashed in exactly the same way. Master caution keeps coming on? Just pop the breaker to whatever system is trying to warn you, bro.
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I remember that, they figured it out from a wierd audio recording and a different pilot giving up the info after the fact
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um most pissed i ever saw my dad was when i convinced my parents to move my bedroom to the basement when i was like 12
he had these meat freezers down there, like just a shit load of premium meat and thats the tea, sis
i unplugged them literally all to plug in my n64 and thats the tea, sis
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I guess the beatings made you the person you're now
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If 20 years of research is lost because you put it all in one freezer you're not a scientist you're an r-slur
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Literally do anything other than this. Even so much as a second sign near the breaker to complement the 'whoops might hear a few beeps lol' sign on the fridge would be better than what they had.
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If it's that darn critical, put a lock on the breaker. They make clips specifically for when the breaker needs to be locked on, such as feeding fire alarm panels.
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They actually did do that. He had tools or something
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Neighbor cant shower and put a clean shirt on before he does a tiktok?
He gets a pass if he's blue collar but he's still using singsongy tiktok voice
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Does he look blue collar to you?
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Is this what construction workers look like these days?
Man times have changed.
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Get the bag king
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Don't make me watch it again to figure that out
I'm sure some zoomer strag would show up at a roofing job with that haircut
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He looks neurodivergent
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He doesn't even look like he wants to be here, already dead inside.
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Janny's a dumbass
But an unskilled dumbass
You don't leave $1 million of material under the supervision of an unskilled dumbass
You put that shit on battery backup, with another alarm to go off if the main power fails
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Mfw my gayming pc has better power protection than “20 years” of research.
Guarantee this is a work to scam insurance and/or cover up grant fraud and incompetence. Aww geez boss, we don't have anything to show for 20 years of work because someone turned off our refrigerator.
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What do you mean literally the most BASIC of precautions could've fixed this?
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These are scientists. Lab safety is beneath them
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Exactly. It's crazy how before gaining access to work in a facility you'll be absolutely mindfricked about proper safety precautions and rules for operations etc, and then when you actually start working youll notice that nobody follows them. 'Don't turn on that device or it will burn down the entire lab' is a thing I have actually heard while working
It's really fricking cool though, rules are for losers
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You don't keep 20 years of samplea in one freezer
Also, this is what you get when you hire people who don't speaka da english
Dude saw sign, couldn't read it, figured he would try turning the power on and off lmao
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At the breaker?
When do janitors ever frick with circuit breakers?
Odd story tbh
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So no one had any written information, it was all supposedly just these few cell samples with nothing written digitially about the process to recreate them?
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The PI is a Sexy Indian dude lmao
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Sciencestrags should learn to turn their loud beeping shit down or off, they deserved it.
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What kind of janny in currentyear doesn't have earbuds?
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Janitors moved on from being an annoyance for forum posters to being a menace to society
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you're the janny
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thank you
I love
@X 
he is so based and cool
(gaslighter has me hostage send help)
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More like "COVID restrictions destroyed 20 years of research".
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kill jannies
Krayon sexually assaulted his sister.
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behead those who disrespect jannies
throw surprise birthday parties for jannies
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Snapshots:
(Daily Mail) Janitor pulls the plug on storage freezer in New York lab to stop incessant beep - but also destroys DECADES worth of science research worth $1million:
archive.org
ghostarchive.org
archive.ph (click to archive)
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