75 år fysikalisk kemi vid Åbo Akademi: Betjänande vetenskap och teknologi

The origins of the Department of Physical Chemistry at Åbo Akademi go back to 1921 or 1922, when study of physical chemistry commenced as an independent subject. This short historical survey summarizes the 75 year development, from a single lectureship to the present Department with its permanent staff of 11 and, additionally, an average of 29 man-years of externally funded research. In total, some 60 researchers report their activities to the Department annually, a number which includes the 5 to 10 foreign researchers working at the Department. The article describes the most important sectors of research and the national and international frameworks upon which the research rests. Also mentioned are the Ph.D. (Licentiate of Science or Technology) and D.Sc. (Doctor of Science or Technology) theses that were accepted during the anniversary years 1996-1997. Finally, the thrust of the recent changes in the school and university systems is evaluated.