It has been 743 days since the opening day of the Pharmacy Teaching Experimental Center (PTEC) at Tianjin University (TJU). This laboratory bears witness to the cultivation of well-rounded, educated students who research and practice in the TJU School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (SPST). It is tempting to just focus on its advanced function, international standards and safety standards. Do you, however, know the story behind this laboratory?
Thomas Bader comes from Germany, got his Ph.D degree in Organic Chemistry from Goettingen University, he worked in Zurich University afterwards. The research of Bader’s group encompasses Industrial Process Research and Development of chemical projects from bench to GMP production. In 2015 he accepted the invitation from Jay Siegel the dean of SPST, came to this international institute to start his career as a professor at Tianjin University. In charge of establishing the lab, he lead the team designed the entire laboratory from the arrangement of experiment tables to the selection of all kinds of instruments by using strict selection criteria and software which he learned to use from scratch.
To adhere to international laboratory standards, Thomas inspected every glass ceiling in order to ensure that an unpredictable accident caused by an outside force could be prevented. In addition, he regarded the anti-corrosion level of laboratory surfaces as a crucial safety index. As he was selecting suppliers, Thomas checked their samples by dropping acid and alkali on them to check their anti-corrosion capability. After the laboratory was put into operation, during an experiment, some students reflected that the experimental data did not conform to the expected result within a certain deviation. In order to determine the culprit he supervised teaching assistants to test the experimental instrumentals one by one, reached the conclusion that the thermometers were the cause of the inaccuracy, and replaced the faulty ones to meet international standards.
“The lab actually was a contribution of several committed people that resulted in a wonderful and professional teamwork and formed a motivating and familiar atmosphere for me”, said Thomas, “I personally appreciated (and still do so) the help and the support from all faculty members and students very much, because despite all the difficulties and stress which commonly accompany such a challenging project, this teamwork and the contributions of all those people were the fundamental basis to finally establish an international standard PTEC, where it was thus possible to run already the first practical courses very smoothly and safely.”
Thomas embodies conscientious and dedication, and he will bury his head in his goals. He is a responsible tutor in that his team has compiled two textbooks - Manual for General Chemistry Laboratory and Manual for Organic Chemistry Laboratory - for undergraduates. He once said, “I love my job, I am enthusiastic about it.” Over the past three years, in order to accelerate the publishing schedule of the textbook, he worked very hard, often arriving in the office at 8:30 am and leaving at 10:00 pm. To advance the book’s uses, he coordinated with other tutors to arrange their teaching plans. At the end of semester, he called in every one of his undergraduates to discuss their performance and pointed out the pros and cons.
Talking about the colleagues at TJU, Thomas said that the story behind PTEC also included the contribution from other people, and in particular he would like to mention the contributions such as the professional guidance from Jay and Kim, the provision of a generous financial basis organized by Cuiling and Ling, the coordination of the renovation project by Yunfei and Yong, the organization and set up of the laboratories and the equipment by Kun as well as the support for teaching of the students and training of the teaching assistants by Hongxia.
Students who acquired knowledge from Thomas regarded his corrected manuscripts as the most precious treasure during their campus life. “Thomas is a great professor and a good friend to us, he holds serious attitude in the classroom, while in daily lives, he is so nice and easy-going”, said Li Ansu, a senior in SPST.
“He is diligent, dedicated and optimistic. I am so proud of being his colleague. I really enjoy working with Thomas.” Zhang Ling, associate dean of SPST in Tianjin University. “Thomas’s outlook on life has shaped me a lot. What he says is really inspiring. We should learn from Thomas, from his dedication, his enthusiasm and his compassion,” Another two colleagues, Dr. Zhang Kun and Zhao Hongxia said.
By: Wang Yuanpeng
Editors: Zhang Ling, Zhang Kun, Zhao Hongxia, Liu Yuan and Qin Mian
