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The Author: |
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At the age of only nine years, I started with first experiments in chemistry in my parents' washhouse. After school I moved to Basel to become a laboratory assistant by CIBA. I worked for four years in this company as a laboratory assistant for synthesis of organic products (dyestuffs & intermediates). In the meantime CIBA married GEIGY and became CIBA-GEIGY. Then I realised, that I knew too little, and so I matriculated for 3 years at the Technical High School of Winterthur. When I left Winterthur as a Master of Chemistry, I returned to Basel. |
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| But I didn't like to adjust the pH-value with
a flat-spanner, and hence I joined Prof. E. Heilbronner's team at the 'Physical-Chemistry
Institute' at the university of Basel for four years and synthesized org.
products for the whole group. I analysed the substances on my own, because
they were very dangerous (explosive, toxic, deep temperature) and so I got
to know a lot of 'practical analytics' and a lot of different methods. As
my family started to grow, shortly before our first son was born, I had
to look for a regular, secure income and so I went back into industry. Back to CIBA-GEIGY in the central department of analytics, where we specialised in spectroscopy and automation for the different other departments (Dyestuffs & Chemicals, Pigments & Additives, Agro chemicals, Pharmacy, Biology, Clinical chemistry, Environmental, etc.) for research and development labs, quality control labs, but also for the production plants of all these departments and for supporting 'our' customers. |
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At this time we had our first experience with MCA, and we were probably confronted with every 'pitfall' imaginable. We learned an absolutely new UV/Vis-spectroscopy, NNIR-spectroscopy, NIR-spectroscopy, and IR-spectroscopy. But finally we realised, that it was still the old well-known spectroscopy, only in a newer, much correcter way! Now we knew, why all the published atlases of UV/Vis-spectra, etc. are of so minimal value, and most of the time only allow a comparison by eye. As we automated the analytical methods for our internal customers, we also soon gained experience in programming computers and acquired knowledge how the user-interface has to be, so that even a less trained technician could handle it with no fear of making a mistake! |
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| 1990 came along and with it the "Desiderio"-program (it's supposed to be Italian and means 'Having a wish ...'). In reality you had no wish at all if you were on the wrong side of sixty — you had to leave the company without exception! What an immense loss of knowledge and experience! The so called “new” generation started making the same mistakes all over again! | |||||
Persons I wish to thank: |
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Dr. Hermann Bartels
He was my supervisor for many years, — till his early retirement. He spent a lot of time protecting us from the “rain” from the higher management, took great care of our contacts to internal and external customers. He was very talented in organizing many of our developments from the different departments and gave us much credit for our work. He always introduced new ideas to our discussions. Now you know where the 'Bar(tels)-Sipper' originated. Thank you very much. | ||||
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Mrs. Yvette Cornélis
She was our laboratory assistant for twenty two years, — till she retired in 2003. She was not only a good laboratory assistant, she also became a good programmer. She spent a lot of time on cultural issues and organized almost every event our group enjoyed during these years, so we benefited not only in our work. She helped our internal and external customers on the phone, and if they couldn't handle the problem, she went to see them and trained them very well. She looked after our visiting students from the university of Bath/GB like a mother and organized so many things for them, not only the German course they loved. Thank you very much. | ||||
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Peter Forster:
  
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Software Development & Consulting Peter Forster Neubadstrasse 88 CH-4054 Basle, Switzerland Mail to: peter.forster@p-forster.com |
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