Thus, after finishing high school, I started with high expectations and enthusiasm to study chemistry at the famous Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

I thus decided to leave the university forever and tried to find an industrial job in the United States.

I wanted to understand the secrets behind my chemical experiments and behind the processes in nature.

I am not surprised that they show no intention to follow in my footsteps, although if I had a second chance myself, I would certainly try to repeat my present career.

However, I survived and started to read all chemistry books that I could get a hand on, first some 19th century books from our home library that did not provide much reliable information, and then I emptied the rather extensive city library.

I recognized that teaching and research institutions vitally depend on the involvement of active scientists also in management functions.

On the theoretical side, I was concerned with stochastic resonance.