The training in analytical chemistry at the Engineering School of Valais

The restructuring of the engineering schools into well-defined competence c entres has led to a reorganisation of chemistry training in western Switzer land: chemical engineering and computational chemistry at Fribourg, and ana lytical chemistry at Sion, in both cases within a general chemical training framework. Each school will carry out increased amounts of applied researc h, technology transfer, and continuing education, often in collaboration wi th industries and foreign institutes, which will strongly influence teachin g practice. Today, analytical chemists are confronted with a multitude of different pro blems to be solved. Teaching analytical chemistry thus pursues two main obj ectives: transmitting scientific knowledge and know-how. These objectives cover not only the classical wet methods and separation te chniques and spectroscopic methods, but also surface analysis, electrochemi cal and coupled methods, which are indispensable for solving particular pro blems. Students should leave school with their own critical vision of analy tical chemistry. This means that they should be able to correctly 'analyse' analytical results and judge them in an appropriate context. In this sense , sampling and sample preparation deserve a very careful treatment. In order to reinforce this orientation at the Engineering School of Valais, two new professors with extensive industry experience have been appointed.