| |
 
Summer 2005, Vol. 1, No. 3 | Back to Index
Meet Rick Langill, MBL Machinist, 7 Lillie
Want to invent something for an experiment you’re working on? Need something repaired? MBL machinist Rick Langill is your go-to guy and the MBL’s very own MacGyver. Like the famous TV character, Rick, a seven-year MBL veteran, can fashion almost anything out of anything, and he pretty much has.
“I make things out of metal and plastic, aluminum and stainless steel,” he says. This year alone he’s built a wide variety of contraptions for between 50 and 70 MBL scientists. He even once built a salinity controlled, temperature moderated tank to study live squid eyes. “Sooner or later, everyone ends up in the shop,” says Rick, who personally sits down with each person in need of his services. “We discuss what’s needed, and I draw up a plan,” he says. “I almost never get blueprints.”
Rick is also the guy people call when something needs repairing on campus. In addition to his uncanny ability to build things from scratch, he welds, he fixes machines, he’ll even cut wood to spec.
With his training as a machinist, four years of Search and Rescue for the Coast Guard, a pilot’s license, and as an airframe and power plant FAA licensed mechanic, there is seemingly no task that’s beyond Rick’s grasp. He’s flown Grumman Tiger airplanes for fun, and, as a 16-year member of the Air National Guard who is now a Technical Sergeant, he fixes F-15s at Otis Air Force Base in his spare time.
So next time you need a piece of equipment that doesn’t exist, don’t forget to call on Rick. He’ll whip you up something in no time, and you’re sure to be wowed by his ingenuity.
The New Collecting Net is an employee newsletter published by the Communications Office. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Call (508) 289-7423 or e-mail us at
|
