Quarter century working with polymers

2000/09/01 Kortabarria Olabarria, Beñardo - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Kimika
• Unibertsitateak

Currently the Faculty of Chemistry is located on the Campus of Ibaeta, along with the rest of faculties, but 25 years ago it was in Altza, in the urban environment of San Sebastian. "He was ghetto shaped. Now we know Altza and we know what it is, but 25 years ago it was even further. It was outside San Sebastian, people didn't go to the neighborhood to sleep anymore. It was on a remote summit. It was a very rare place to install the faculty." Perhaps someone might think that the situation of the other faculties of Donostia was similar, but that is not so. "No, no. For example, the Faculty of Law and the School of Engineering were already here. We were in the old building of the Professional School of Altza. The place was large, but not appropriate: when it rained the water entered the offices, in the laboratories, in the rooms, etc., the wind also made its own and two, under the laboratories was the chicken coop... took to the laboratory people who gave us shame". Of course, they were temporarily. "We were told that we went for three years, Martín Guzmán himself told us that we were going to do the specialty in the new faculty, but in the end we spent a dozen years."

Leaving Altza headquarters, professors and students from the Faculty of Chemistry came to Ibaeta in 1987. "Things were very late. At that time we had no money to make infrastructure and that is why the faculty is late and badly done, especially if we compare it with others in the environment. The foundation was very expensive, since all this land is a marsh. In addition, since the budget was approved until the faculty was made many years went by... with all that it means."

Despite the bad situation of the structure and the headquarters and the inconveniences that this supposed, these three people consider that the atmosphere of then compensated everything. "I have so many memories. The teacher and the student were very close, much closer than now." In fact, 25 years ago in the Faculty of Chemistry there were no problems of massification, since in that first promotion began about 120 students. For them there was a working group of about 10 teachers who taught Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Mathematics and Biology, which were the subjects. Therefore, the Faculty of Chemistry had more than one form of center than faculty. However, the fact that teachers and students were close to each other, although one might think, did not mean a favor deal for the students. Imagine that only 33 of the 120 people who started the first promotion finished their studies without losing course.

In this Faculty of Chemistry the field of polymers is particularly relevant. "When we were in the third year of the course, before specialization, I remember how Martin Guzmán was doing propaganda in favor of polymers and Alberto González in favor of the general chemistry branch." According to Antton Santamaría, the faculty was born to work with polymers. "That was the goal, to foster the field of polymers. The entire curriculum was oriented towards polymers, but the general chemistry curriculum was subsequently created. The aim was to attract professors to open the new branch, since those who came from outside knew nothing about polymers. That's why the faculty didn't like too much." Obviously, at that time there was a relative battle between fans of polymers and general chemistry.

From a historical point of view, Isabel, Antton and Jon fully agree that betting on polymers was a big bet. "In Spain there are too many Faculties of Chemistry, there are some in all universities, including private ones. It is evident that there are many in this sense, and the only one dedicated to polymer research is this. In addition, to get a job, those who study branches in polymers have much more possibilities today. In industry and in the field of research polymers are of great importance, also in society... and only polymers - plastics, biopolymers, natural polymers... - are being investigated here. It is being integrated into other faculties, but in its entirety only offered here. The scientific importance of polymers is increasing, for example, in the last ten years two Nobel laureates have been awarded to research on polymers. The faculty has been a pioneer, today it is an example and 25 years ago it was something very curious". Euskera has always had a place in the Faculty of Chemistry of San Sebastian, since from the second year they began to teach in Basque. "At first they were taught because the professor knew Basque, without more. The Basque branch was subsequently established. It was an effort of all: the initiative of the teachers, the request of the students... the students who favored the Basque classes that were in that first promotion, was a very active group. Among the teachers, Luis Bandrés, who for years was secretary, knew how to move things...

Despite the studies, there have been several facts and characters that have marked these 25 years of the Faculty of Chemistry: the prestigious feast of the faculty, such as San Alberto, which is not done recently, "...because it was only drunk, was a shame. Before it was a faculty party, teachers also participated in the theater, etc. "; the reception Txaro; the creation of the Etxenike higher research center... 25 years have passed, but not in vain.