Laboratory of Advanced Imaging Technology (LAIT)
Pronounced: "/laɪt/" or "/léi/"
Pun
French "/léi/" (Masculine noun) "Milk".
Etymology 1 "/laɪt/" From Middle English leyt, layt, leit, lait, from Old English līeġetu (“lightning, flash of lightning”), from Proto-West Germanic *laugiþu (“lightning”), from Proto-Indo-European *leuk- (“to shine”). Related to Old English līeġ (“fire, flame, lightning”). Compare also Old High German laugazan, lōhazan (“to be red, shine, sparkle”), Gothic (lauhatjan, “to lighten”).
Etymology 2 "/laɪt/" From Middle English laiten, leiten, from Old Norse leita (“to seek, search, inquire”), from Proto-Germanic *wlaitōną (“to look out, see”), from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“to see”). Cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk leita (“to search”), Icelandic leita (“to search”), Swedish leta (“to search, hunt, forage”), Old English wlātian (“to gaze, observe, look upon, behold”).
Verb: lait (transitive, intransitive, Britain dialectal, obsolete) "to seek"; "search for"; "inquire".
An anecdote behind the name, LAIT.
(On 28th January 2020, Lausanne, Switzerland)
It was two months after my arrival in Switzerland. I went to the cinema with my lab members to watch "1917" (wow..there was no COVID 19 back then!!). At that time, I was trying to learn French and got into the habit of speaking out any words that I recognized. The movie was mostly in English, but there was a scene in which the main character met a French woman who shared some milk with him. Of course, she was speaking in French, and that was the moment. It was a serious and calm atmosphere, and suddenly, "Lait!", I spoke out loud with joy, not knowing that I did so, being so happy that I recognize the word "milk" in French. My friends burst out laughing, and that was one of my most joyful episodes with my friends.
A year later, I got my position in my home country and was trying to think of a name for my new laboratory. One sunny day, we were having lunch outside the lab, seating on the grass. After some random talks, I said that I was having a hard time deciding on a name, and Thomas II came up with this wonderful pun. "How about you make the acronym with LAIT?" And, yes, here you go. Long live the LAIT (Laboratory of Advanced Imaging Technology) !
Special thanks to Thomas Debarre (||) and my jolly BIG members!
- Jaejun, August 2021, Ulsan, South Korea
P.S. Our official coffee time would be called "Café au LAIT", and the best student award of a year will be called "La crème de la crème" (best of the best). This is a tribute to Michael - this deserves another story that only BIG members would understand. ~:p