swissimpact

[swissimpact]

FROM:  Agiez, canton Vaud, Switzerland.

WORK:  Co-founder of Medidee, a CRO and regulatory consulting firm for MedTechs. We help medical products companies get their products clinically tested and approved.

HOBBIES:  Sailing and repairing classic cars.

RECENT BOOK:  High sea license training books.

FAVORITE FOOD FROM SWITZERLAND:  Raclette.

FAVORITE SPOT IN SWITZERLAND:  Our garden, garage, and the Lac of Neuchâtel. I’m in Switzerland during the quarantine. I’m looking forward to return to my office in Horsham, PA.

How and why did you choose Pennsylvania to open your US office?

We opened Medidee USA in Horsham, PA in 2019. We chose Pennsylvania because the East Coast is well known as having the highest density of MedTech related businesses, besides Massachusetts/Boston which many view as being over-rated.

What has surprised you most working in your field?

I am surprised by the amount of innovation happening around the universities, which PA has a lot. However this innovation is not organized as it is in Switzerland where a culture of performance is embedded.

What do you think are the major things that will be changing in your field within the next 5 years?

I believe more and more EU companies will try to come to the US due in large part to the clarity of the FDA. However, in order for this to happen, the health system here needs to evolve as we are seeing the best technologies being brought to the market while the life expectancy continues to be decreasing.

Please explain the impacts of the current health crisis in your field?

We will see a higher load due to the number of projects related to clinical testing of new COVID-19 related products. Some are serious, while some are just opportunistic dreams. Other than that, the main difficulty lies within having to perform the sales process virtually on a computer screen.

What is a quality, trait, or practice you would implement from Switzerland to the US?

I would implement the integration of networks for innovation from university hospitals toward R&D and market. This is known within the field as "translational medicine”. Switzerland has a density per capita 2-3 times higher than that of the East Coast. Startups get better support in Europe, however, investors are more likely to invest more money in the US.

Does the same line of work vary in the US compared to Switzerland? Is it the same? How so? 

In general, yes. Now, regulatory affairs consulting requires the buildup of a lot of momentum and coherence to get new products approved. The US system with the FDA is extremely clear and people here tend to more strictly adhere to the regulations that are in place. The European and Swiss systems are a bit different where opportunities can sometimes be built using optimized methods and more direct interaction.

How does your Swiss culture impact and contribute to your work?

I feel Americans tend to be quite often intrinsically positive toward Swiss people and products. However, they may sometimes still have a rather romanticized view of Switzerland, and in a way undermine its many industrial and innovative contributions. We mainly have to integrate the generally accepted scheme that “external support” is appreciated from wherever you come.

What do you miss most about Switzerland?

As I have had to remain in Switzerland during the confinement, I haven’t had a chance to really miss too much of anything! I suppose I tend to miss the structure of the economy in Switzerland where people can choose apprenticeships as a higher form of education.

You’ve lived in multiple countries, what challenges did you face when you opened your company in the US?

Medidee has a strong presence in Germany and Switzerland. As with any new business coming to the US, it is challenging to establish a strong reputation here. However, due to the sheer size of the US economy it is mathematically easier to grow your business without attracting too much attention from competitors.

Would you like to share with us success stories?

We have recently been chosen by three local startups as their consulting supplier in situations where there were plenty of local US-born companies that they could have enlisted instead. To me, this says that we are not so far from our target!

E  |   philippe.etter@medidee.com

I welcome your comments at philadelphia@honrep.com. Thank you!

Christine Pfister Honorary Consul

[swissimpact]

CLAUDE KRUMMENACHER  | FEBRUARY 2020

FROM: Champtauroz (VD), now living in Philadelphia (PA).

WORK: Assistant Professor, Departments of Biological Sciences, and Molecular & Cellular Biosciences at Rowan University (Glassboro, NJ).

HOBBIES: Hiking; dragon boating with the truly amazing “Power Over Cancer” team of survivors, caregivers and friends.

RECENT BOOKS: The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by R. Skloot; Alice in Wonderland by l. Carroll; Field guide to the birds of Pennsylvania by G.L. Armistead.

FAVORITE FOOD FROM SWITZERLAND: Potato gratin, saucisson Vaudois.

FAVORITE SPOT IN SWITZERLAND: Any place on the shore of a lake or the banks of a river. _______________________________________________________________________

How did you get started, specifically what drew you to studying viruses? Growing up on a farm, I was always curious about animals, plants, and nature in general. When I realized I could go to the University, I chose to study Biology in Lausanne, with the idea of becoming a field biologist or agronomist. I then got to perform experimental lab research and immediately loved this active process of scientific discovery. In my senior year, I got to choose a research project for my last semester. I picked the virology project thinking, “since viruses are small, they should be simple to understand”. Of course, viruses are tiny, but over the last 25 years, I remained fascinated by how complex and remarkable they are. So, I joined the lab of Dr. Heidi Diggelmann at ISREC (Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research) for this project and remained in her lab for my Ph.D. By that point, I was definitely “infected” and made it a career of studying viruses.

What was the biggest obstacle in your career and how did you overcome it? I have been lucky not to encounter major obstacles during my career. Of course, when you do academic research, you don’t always get the grants you apply for and you rarely get your articles accepted for publications right away. Therefore, it is always important to get advice and tips from your peers to continuously improve the odds. Considering a bigger picture, I realize that for many first-generation students like myself, getting a college degree is not the obvious path and can be a difficult obstacle. At Rowan, many of my students are also the first ones in their families to attend college. Remembering the importance of the support and guidance from my teachers and professors, I mentor my students by letting them know that all doors are open to them, regardless of their background.

What has surprised you most working with viruses? First, I am constantly amazed by the diversity of viruses and their perfect adaptation to their hosts. I work on herpesviruses, which have co-evolved with humans for several million years and adopted remarkable survival mechanisms to allow them to establish lifelong infections of their host. Second, the molecular mechanisms that viruses have developed toward specific strategies of replications are extraordinary. The viral molecular machinery is remarkably accurate to ensure an efficient infection of specific cells, multiplication, and spread of viruses.

Why did you choose Philadelphia? After my Ph.D., I wanted to apply my knowledge in virology toward a more concrete field. The Wistar Institute was recruiting postdocs to work on gene therapy and I decided to apply. A couple of professors from PENN had spent sabbaticals at ISREC when I was doing my Ph.D., thus Philadelphia was not completely unknown to me, even though I had never been here before accepting a postdoctoral position at the Wistar Institute. I got a Fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation to work at Wistar for a year. That year was 1996. After that, I worked at the Penn Dental School and then at the Penn Veterinary School before joining the Rowan University Faculty. Over the years, I made many very good friends here, some born and raised Philadelphians and some coming from all over the world. Aside from the amazing scientific environment, I like the character of the city. I feel it has a unique identity, somewhat rebellious and rowdy, but ready to welcome people from various cultures to be Philadelphians. In the end, everyone roots for the Eagles!

What do you think is the most important quality to have as a researcher? To be passionate is almost part of the definition of being a researcher, but curiosity is what starts it all. Evidently, critical thinking and rigor have to be learned and applied. Altogether these qualities will help a scientist be efficient and also make research fun.

Are you working on any project right now? I continue working on my long-term projects on the molecular interactions between the herpes simplex virus and cells at the beginning of the infection cycle. At Rowan, I also collaborate with colleagues in the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department to develop a new type of drug against herpes. Drug discovery is a long, arduous and expensive process, especially for an undergraduate academic research lab. We are at the beginning of the characterization of candidate molecules, which we hope to improve in the future.

Do you have any advice for your students starting out? What I think is good career advice is “Do what you like to do.” This is what I try to convey to students in my lab and in the classroom.

What do you miss most about Switzerland? Friends and family. The countryside, farms and constant contact with nature.

E  |  krummenacher@rowan.edu

We welcome your comments at philadelphia@honrep.ch

Thank you!

[swissimpact]

TENAYA  &  ANDRE DARLINGTON  |  AUGUST, 2019

TENAYA DARLINGTON

___________________________________________________

FROM | Philadelphia, PA (Switzerland: Greater Basel Region).

WORK | Professor, Cheese Director for Tria Cafe & Wine Bar.

HOBBIES | Photography, travel blogging.

RECENT BOOKS | Butter: A Rich History, by Elaine Khosrova; The Whole Fromage, by Kathe Lison.

FAVORITE FOOD FROM SWITZERLAND | Vacherin Mont d'Or.

FAVORITE SPOT IN SWITZERLAND | Lake Geneva Region.

ANDRÉ DARLINGTON

___________________________________________________

FROM | Philadelphia, PA. (Switzerland: Greater Basel Region).

WORK | Consultant and Freelance Writer.

HOBBIES | Hiking, Yoga.

RECENT BOOKS | Faces in the Crowd, Valeria Luiselli; The Forgiven, Lawrence Osborne.

FAVORITE FOOD FROM SWITZERLAND | The Basler Läckerli.

FAVORITE SPOT IN SWITZERLAND | Zürich.

What is your background?

André | I started out as a food and wine journalist, became a cocktail columnist and then owned my own bar. A few years ago, we decided to pitch a book together and now we’ve written three! It’s been an amazing journey.

Tenaya | By day, I am an English professor at Saint Joseph’s University, by night I write a cheese blog called Madame Fromage (madamefromageblog.com). I always like to tell the story about how our mother made a Swiss cheese board every Sunday when we were young – that’s why I love cheese. We always had Gruyere and Emmentaler, and it was very celebratory. We always had family friends over, and André and I were allowed to drink a little wine. The cheese board always included charcuterie, pickles, a baguette, and a bar of Swiss chocolate. Those Sundays started us off in hospitality and solidified our love of cheese and drink, for sure.

André | We grew up in Madison, WI and there you will find a Swiss community. When we moved to Madison there was still a radio station broadcasting in Swiss German. You will still find rösti and yodeling. And lots of brown cows. It’s heaven.

Tenaya | Our grandparents lived in Cleveland. They were part of the Swiss community and they only spoke Swiss German to each other at home. So, we grew up hearing a lot of Swiss German, always having raclette and fondue dinners around the holidays, and knowing all of our grandparents’ Swiss friends.

André | There was lots of yodeling and singing! My grandfather loved yodeling, and he could play the accordion pretty well.

Tenaya | So it was definitely in our blood. Both the food and the culture.

You’re hosting a dinner party for close friends, what will you serve? André | One of the things we talk about in our books is always making people comfortable right when they arrive by giving them their first drink. And usually that first drink would be something bubbly. It can be non-alcoholic, too, but we always serve something that is effervescent. Either champagne or Crémant de Bourgogne, or something like that. But French 75 is our go to, which is gin, lemon juice, and champagne together. Try it at the next party!

Tenaya | André and I love nothing more than having a party and serving French 75’s, but also a cheese plate. I think the French 75 is the most cheese appropriate cocktail, so I always make that for guests. I also love hosting raclette parties, and my friends ask for it any time of year, but usually I do it around winter. We grew up sitting around the table-top of oven and grilling cheese and potatoes all night. I have all my friends bring a different condiment, a different mustard or pickle, and then we play a game at the end that involves dice and Swiss chocolate that we learned from our grandparents. In fact, the next book I’m working on has a whole raclette party as one of the chapters on entertaining with cheese. We were very much influenced by our Swiss upbringing.

Has a favorite or most inspirational food/drink in Switzerland influenced you? André | Well, if we’re sticking to cocktails, it’s probably absinthe. Although, as a child I remember my parents having a bottle of William’s Pear with the pear in it, and I thought it was fascinating that a pear could get inside a bottle. So maybe that is the deep psychology behind why I now write about drinks. Because that was like having a preserved animal or organ in this jar -- but it's an edible fruit! Years later, my friends and I broke open one of those jars and we ate the pear -- so it came full circle, eventually. I would say, influences would have to be the raclette, fondue, and Gugelhupf. But also, every holiday our grandmother would send a full box of probably 12 different types of Swiss cookies. So, I always remember that as really the centerpiece of every holiday.

Tenaya | Definitely for me it’s been raclette. Really getting to understand through the cheese world the history of raclette (both the Swiss and the French). There’s also a wonderful Swiss cheese importer named Caroline Hostettler in Florida who I’ve gotten to know through attending cheese conferences and she has a very cool Adopt-an-Alp program that she runs through various cheese shops in the United States. Through cheese, I have become more connected to my Swiss heritage -- and for me that translates into a love for stinky cheese that melts well.

When and how did you start writing books? André | I was writing mostly about wine, and I had a wine column. And Tenaya was writing about cheese.  So we pitched a wine and cheese pairing book. Our publisher came back and asked us to write about cocktails instead. They liked our voice, they liked our sense of humor, but they wanted a cocktail book. From that, we were asked by Turner Classic Movies to write their entertainment guide. Afterwards, we pitched Booze and Vinyl, a book pairing music and cocktails. From an unlikely start it’s been a whirlwind 3 or 4 years.

Tenaya | I went to graduate school for writing, and in 2013 I published a book called House of Cheesewith the cheesemongers of Di Bruno Bros., the local specialty foods shop in Philadelphia. After that, I was hooked, so André and I pitched a wine and cheese pairing book together.

André | We both ended up in food & beverage, and then collided. I was living in the Midwest, and she was living in Philadelphia. This was like a hobby that exploded into a career. How long did it take to develop and write your books? André | The first book was a beast. That was 2 years in the writing. We started ‘The New Cocktail Hour’ in 2013-14 and it came out in 2016. That was our biggest book by far. It ended up being a bible for the industry and started the whole ball rolling. The other 2 books each took about 9 months to 1 year. Which is a really hectic schedule even with 2 people.

Tenaya | The brilliant thing about working together is that we work twice as fast. Which we are both discovering now working on our own books, how much work it is and how much work the other person was doing.

What are you currently working on? André | I’m working on a new global cocktail book. It will be 44 locations around the world. It’s a big project. Its working title is Booze Cruise. This fall, I’m traveling to 11 cities: Berlin, Kiev, Athens, Beirut, Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, and Tokyo. Quite an undertaking!

Tenaya | I’m finishing a book called, 'The Milky Way: A Cheese Lover’s Guide to The Galaxy’, which will be published by Workman Publishing in Spring 2021. I’ve just spent the last year traveling to France, Switzerland, and England – all in the name of cheese!

For further information, please visit: https://www.withthedarlingtons.com/

We welcome your comments at philadelphia@honrep.ch

Thank you!

[swissimpact]

FRANCESCA PFISTER  |  MAY, 2019

From | Born in St. Gallen to a Swiss-Italian mother and a Swiss-German father. Grew up in Switzerland, moved to New York in 1989, and since 1996 lives and works in Philadelphia

Work | Artist/Educator

Hobbies | Traveling, taiji, swimming, skiing, and the community garden

Recent books | The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy; Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Sun Gardens: Cyanotypes by Anna Atkins by Larry J. Schaaf

Favorite food from Switzerland | Formaggino from the Val di Muggio in Ticino

Favorite spot in Switzerland | Swiss/Italian border region of Ticino during the summer; the mountains around Flims in Graubünden in the winter.

What is your background?

After my art history studies in Lausanne I moved to New York for a post graduate program in Museum Studies. I completed a number of internships in art museums in New York and then at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. My general fascination for the city and its diversity, the prospect of a myriad of professional options in the arts, and my now husband, who I had met by then, made me decide to stay in New York. I worked in curatorial research for a few years, first out of City Hall for the Health and Hospitals Corporation Public Art Program, surveying its art collection, which is dispersed around the city hospitals. I helped to catalogue the gallerist Ileana Sonnabend’s personal collection housed in a storage space in Soho, and I finally got my dream job working at MoMA, researching the beginnings of conceptual art for three curators.

My husband’s academic appointment at Penn brought us with our two children to Philadelphia, where I got into photography and decided to take my new passion further. I got a Master of Fine Arts at PennDesign and taught in its Fine Arts Department for a few years. I now divide my time between my studio practice and teaching residencies. Exhibitions and artist residences also aliment my work. This setup provides an ideal framework for me, as I alternate between periods of intense immersion in teaching and on my own projects. Two recent, satisfying residencies were with RAIR (Recycled Artist in Residency), during which I worked with materials sourced from the waste stream in an active recycling plant in North East Philadelphia, and a Caravanserai residency in Cambridge UK, where I printed with bicycle parts collected from bike shop recycling bins, working out of a caravan connected to a women’s art cooperative.

What does your work aim to say?

Using photography, with and without a camera, I explore places and things that are on the verge of losing or have lost their original function. I also collect found objects I run into - examining them like specimens or archeological artifacts to be reevaluated - and I experiment with how to make physical imprints of and with them. To me, discarded or forgotten things and spaces in transition are precious witnesses of human existence. I hope that through my work I can add to seeing beauty and potential in the process of their transformation and help illuminate the archeological treasures of the future.

What inspires you on a daily basis?

The happy encounter of opposites, communing in affinities, the nuances of light, infinite renewability of materials such as metal, the miraculous cycle of nature, small everyday things, and of course my family.

Has a favorite or most inspirational place in Switzerland influenced your artwork?

I marvel at the summers spent in the Swiss-Italian border region of the Mendrisiotto, in what I remember as a paradise-world where my four siblings, cousins and I would roam around woods and fields, seeing no dangers, with plenty of time left for me to retire with a good book in a large fireplace niche. This sheltered and open-ended time - both immersed in nature and in fictive worlds of my choosing - has marked me, and so has the exposure to different cultures within Switzerland, the cumulative learning-thinking-feeling experiences in German, Italian and French, before I moved into the East Coast melting pot of the US. My work is influenced by the intersection of multiple realities, from the encounter of cultures.

How is photography similar or different in Switzerland compared to the US?

I believe that photography today tends to address the same, basic concerns in both Switzerland and the US. We need to engage with a more globally oriented world. An increased tendency to transgress the boundaries between categories and applications within and beyond the medium of photography is noticeable. I relate to work that conveys an emotion and am sensitive to the intermingling of local and global perspectives, personal voices within our multi-cultural world. I have found these qualities in work exhibited in museums and galleries both in the US and in Switzerland.

Are you working on any project right now?

I just finished wrapping up a teaching residency in a public high school in South Philadelphia, making sun prints with a group of teenagers on the school’s roof. In my own practice I work, usually at the same time, on several interconnected series that focus on different aspects of my ongoing interests as an artist. I shift from visually exploring defunct manufacturing facilities around Philadelphia to recording found objects with my camera, to making cyanotypes using objects that interest me, to experimenting with physical imprints of inked objects that I run through an etching press. I have mostly focused on the urban environment until now. In a couple of new projects, my ‘garden trophies’ and ‘ocean rejects’, I am moving my attention to intersections of culture and nature.

If you could buy any work of art in the world, what would it be?

I admire the work of many artists. Since relocating to the US, I was first interested in Robert Rauschenberg’s combines, prints, screens, theater props, and travel photography. Gordon Matta Clark’s interventions in buildings about to be destroyed also fascinate me. In terms of artists who are more strictly photographers, I have always felt an affinity with Bernd and Hilla Becher’s industrial typologies of Europe and the US. I also find a kinship of spirit with the video installations by Swiss artists Pippilotti Rist and Beat Streuli, Rist for her refreshing and funny takes on the self and beyond, and Streuli for his humanistic voyeurism that addresses individualism and anonymity at once.

What do you miss most about Switzerland?

I most miss my family, but I am fortunate to be able to go back and spend time with my parents, siblings, and their families on a regular basis. I sometimes also miss the outdoors in Switzerland, and being more physically active, which seems to be a more natural and fluid part of everyday life there than here in the frenetic urban areas of the East Coast.

Gray Brushes A, North Philadelphia (from Obsolete Objects), 16 x 16 inches / 40.6 x 40.6 cm, archival pigment print, 2018

Additional information on her work:

http://rairphilly.org/francesca-pfister

http://printcenter.org/2012comp/FrancescaPfister/francescapfister2.html

E  |  frapfis@hotmail.com

We welcome your comments at philadelphia@honrep.ch Thank you!

[swissimpact]

LUZI HAIL  |  MARCH, 2019

From | Chur, Graubünden

Work | Professor of Accounting at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Hobbies | Skiing, hiking (how typical Swiss), reading, soccer (but only watching)

Recent music | Udo Lindenberg, Urchig von Göla

Favorite food from Switzerland | Schnipo (veal cutlet with french fries), Maluns (local dish made of potatoes), Gipfeli (croissant), Wähe (fruit or chesse pie)

Favorite spot in Switzerland | On top of a mountain (ideally when there is a cable car or gondola leading up to it)

How did you get started in teaching, specifically what drew you to the field of accounting?

It all starts with a good instructor. I had a great professor back at the University of Zurich, and so I got hooked. I got interested in the topic, and the more I learned about it I started to realize: “Hey, this is not just about numbers and bookkeeping, this is about information, decision making, and human behavior.” Accounting – as boring as it may sound – is actually quite interesting. I see it as economics, but using accounting numbers to explain what firms, managers or investors do. So, typically, when I get asked, “What do you do?”, my answer is “I am an economist and analyze the use of accounting numbers.” This better describes my work.

What was the biggest obstacle in your career and how did you overcome it?

Breaking out of the comfort zone of daily life in Switzerland. I went to school there, I went to college there, and I am sure, I could have pursued many interesting careers in Switzerland. I would be perfectly happy. Several times when I was working during my college years or afterwards when I was an assistant professor at the University of Zurich, I had to say to myself: “You have to change gears, else you will end up here.” Don’t get me wrong here, not that this would have been a bad outcome. I would have loved it, but I always felt that there must be something else I wanted to explore. I got this probably from my dad. This inner urge is what led us to uproot our family and move to the United States for a change. I am very lucky to have a wife who supported me in all these endeavors.

Why did you choose Pennsylvania?

In our profession, it typically works the other way around. It is not that I chose Pennsylvania, but that the University of Pennsylvania offered me a job when I was on the rookie accounting market back in 2004. This was a big opportunity for me, one I never would have dreamt of. If you want to pursue an academic career in accounting, then there are not that many places that can top Wharton. So, in a way it was luck and coincidence that we ended up in the Philadelphia area. I remember, when I was in Philly for my job interview (we were living in Seattle at the time), I was not overly impressed by the city. I sat in a rundown cab from the airport to University City, passing by the refineries and industrial complexes. But the city and the area definitively grow on you and I very much appreciate what it has to offer and how lively and livable it is. I now understand why many people who grew up here – very atypical for the U.S. – hardly ever move or often come back to their childhood roots to raise their own family.

What do you believe is the most important quality to have as a professor in accounting?

Again, it goes back to my days when I was a student. I had no clue what accounting was, and was not very interested in the topic. But somehow the professor pulled me in. I try to do the same with my students now. I know they are not coming to Wharton to become a bookkeeper or CPA, and they see my class rather as a burden than something they take out of self-interest (I am currently teaching an introductory accounting class to undergraduate students). So, I try my best to overcome this reluctance towards the topic and show them how useful it can be. On the first day of class, I tell them that, invariably, in one shape or form they will be exposed to accounting information in their future career. So, they better know what they will have to deal with. They look at me with big eyes. However, at the end of the semester, when a few of the students write in their course evaluations that the course was much more interesting than what they thought, or even better, when sometimes I receive an email from a former student telling me that accounting turned out to be the most useful topic they had learned in college. This kind of feedback makes my day.

What do you miss most about Switzerland?  

Family, of course, the scenery, some food items like the bread, yogurt, or the sausages. Oh, I almost forgot, the public transportation system. Whenever we go to the city to catch a show or for dinner, we end up watching the timetable. Do we make the 10.15 pm train, or do we have to wait for another hour? Uber has made life easier in that regard. More seriously, the typical Swiss way of organizing things or the reliability, almost predictability, are qualities we sometimes miss. Just think of when you last had to deal with your cable guy or a handyman. On the other hand, the Swiss could benefit from a bit more openness and willingness to take chances. This can-do attitude we often see here in the U.S. would sometimes be helpful.

E | lhail@wharton.upenn.edu

We welcome your comments at philadelphia@honrep.ch Thank you!

[swissimpact]

SUZANNE GAUCH  |  JUNE, 2018

From | Born in Quebec of Swiss parents who are from Niederwil, Aargau, Switzerland.

Work | Professor of English at Temple University, Philadelphia.

Hobbies | Gardening (permaculture), cooking, cycling (road and mountain), Nordic skiing.

Recent books | James McBride's Kill'em and Leave, and a graphic novel by Thi Bui, We Did the Best We Could.

Favorite food from Switzerland | Vermicelles, a Swiss dessert.

Favorite spot in Switzerland | Any place in the Alps. I love hiking and biking above the tree line.

How has your Swiss background made an impact on your perspective on the world and it's many cultures?

I've always been struck by how the Swiss instill a sense of social responsibility. When I was young, I saw this as a kind of demand for conformity. This made me uneasy because I was a kid raised in the individualistic US. Over the years, though, I've seen how this Swiss social responsibility cultivates a respect for everyone in society, though it can sometimes lead to exclusion or xenophobia. Still the Swiss don't write off segments of society as worthless, as you see here. There's a sense of cohesiveness and working together that I try to bring to my perspective here.

What brought you to Philadelphia?

My job at Temple University, in the spring of 2000. I was delighted to discover a real city that I had never before visited.

Can you discuss the many courses you teach at Temple University, and which one is your favorite to educate the students about?

Broadly speaking, I teach classes in film, gender, and postcolonial studies. What that means more concretely is that I teach classes in the literature and film of Africa, transnational feminisms, postcolonial theory, and general education courses in food cultures. I enjoy teaching all of them. I'm always thrilled to see students discover the rich literatures and cultures of the world beyond the US. It's also interesting to see the diverse cultural backgrounds, experiences, concerns, and ideas that Temple students bring to the classroom.

What do you think your most important work has been and why?

They're all important when you're working on them. As long as I'm still working, the answer to this question will always be the work I'm currently working on both in the classroom and in my research. Overall, I'd say my most important work is exploring and exposing the culturally conditioned assumptions that have structured our relationships with those whose cultures are deemed different from "ours". Lately, I've been trying to do different styles of writing such as blog posts, or video essays in order to broaden my audience beyond the academic world.

Would you say your biggest passion is writing, teaching, or researching?  

They're not distinct pursuits! What goes on in the classroom influences my research as much as the other way around.

What got you interested in North African film and literature?

There's no simple answer to that. In 1989, an eventful year, I was living in Geneva. I met people from all over Africa and the Middle East who opened my eyes to all kinds of literature and culture that I'd never encountered during my undergraduate education. I started reading, and found familiar and new themes, concerns, and language among them. Film only came later, a natural development in light of my longstanding interest in the visual arts.

What was your biggest setback when conducting research?

I'm not sure there's anything I would call a setback. There may be challenges, but challenges are always productive in making you reassess the presuppositions and the premises of my work.

If you could summarize the most important aspects to your work, what would you say? Where can we find your books?  

My recent work has been about how writers and filmmakers from North Africa engage popular themes and tropes, like the figures of Shahrazad, or down and out or dangerous youth. They do this to explode stereotypes from within and challenge preconceptions of what is possible. My present work examines how the kinds of images that North African, Middle Eastern and African films are expected to show today were determined over a century ago by early films whose characterizations of those regions were problematic at best. This project explores how silent film adaptations of the Thousand and one Nightsused those stories as a pretext for innovation in film form, language, and technique. You can find my books at the usual sources like Amazon and for academic publications, the publisher's websites (U of Minnesota Press, Oxford U Press).

Do you have anything to say about contemporary film makers of North Africa?

There are many interesting and different kinds of films being made at the moment. A big obstacle for film makers in the Maghreb has been exhibition spaces. Morocco has more and more megaplexes, but are expensive for most people, and show primarily if you can work with T.V. stations you can get some exposure, but you also have to cut down and censor for television. So some filmmakers are doing interesting work with genre films, whether it's romantic comedy or film noir, while engaging political issues. Others are making more experimental films or documentaries. It has become more difficult to categorize Moroccan, Tunisian, or Algerian films because filmmakers are more flexible, and mobile and their financial supports comes from a range of institutions around the world.

Will you return to Switzerland anytime soon?

I'm heading there next month for a family event!

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS WRITTEN BY SUZANNE GAUCH

Maghrebs in Motion: North African Cinema in Nine Movements. (Oxford University Press, 2016)

Liberating Shahrazad: Feminism, Postcolonialism, and Islam. (University of Minnesota Press, 2007)

E | sgauch@temple.edu

We welcome your comments at swissinpa@gmail.com Thank you!

[swissimpact]

HANS-ULRICH ALLEMANN  |  MAY, 2018

From | Laupersdorf (SO), Switzerland. A small farm village in the Balsthal valley, canton Solothurn where he spent his childhood.

Work | Allemann Almquist & Jones Design Consultants & the University of the Arts. Since his retirement from Allemann Almquist & Jones Design Consultants, and his teaching at the University of the Arts, he works in his home studio to draw and paint. He still gets involved in design or education consulting work.

Hobbies | Swimming, biking, hiking, photography and reading.

Recent books | Fiction: A new German translation of Illusions perdues (Lost I Illusions) by Honoré Balzac. History: Die Geburt eines Stils (The Birth of a Style – the influence of the Basel education model on Swiss Design) by Dorothea Hofmann.

Favorite food from Switzerland | Solothurner Weinsuppe (wine soup), Bratwurst, Rösti and Salad.

Favorite spot in Switzerland | The top of the Rinderberg in Zweisimmen, overlooking the Bernese alpine mountain region.

How much of your design and work in education was influenced by Swiss culture? Everything! It all began in 1960, with my education at the School of Design Basel, where Armin Hofmann, Emil Ruder, Donald Brun and Walter Bodmer were my teachers. The teaching philosophy of the Basel program was also the foundation for the graphic design program we built and shaped, over five decades, at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. What was your first break? After the completion of my studies, my first break was finding employment at Halpern advertising agency in Zurich. The design office of the agency had a legendary reputation and the transition from school to practice for me was almost seamless. What inspires you on a daily basis? A bike ride, or a walk through nature, listening to music, reading, a good discussion. How is design similar and different in Switzerland compared to the U.S.? The difference is that Switzerland has a longer history which, related to education, can be traced back to the Renaissance. But in general design in Europe grew out of the Arts and Crafts movement in the 19th century. In the 20th century the De Stijl movement in Holland, the Bauhaus in Germany, were other major influences. However, the roots of the Swiss design movement can be found at the turn of the 20th century. While trade schools and crafts programs were founded earlier, the Zurich school offered the first Foundation program for art and design in 1887 and Basel followed in 1908. By contrast, in the U.S.A. design grew out of printing and advertising. Even in the mid 60s, educational programs for design were all focused on advertising. The influence of European designers who migrated to the U.S. in the 50s and 60s brought changes about by helping to shape fundamentally different educational programs at various institutions and by working and practicing design in this country. These days, mainly due to the digital technology, the differences in design between Europe, the U.S. and the rest of the world are not as great any more. The digital media has revolutionized the profession and it has leveled the playing field. It’s a completely different time and a new era. Are you working on any projects right now?   Occasionally, if my former office calls on me or if an upstart company or a non-profit organization is seeking help, I may get involved in design consulting work. But with my retirement the creative focus has shifted to doing figure- and landscape drawing and painting studies. It’s where it all began and it’s an old passion of mine. I’m doing this to satisfy my own curiosity, to make discoveries and to continue my own learning. Since I'm hardly ever satisfied, it is a never-ending process. Do you have any advice for young people starting out? They are now entering a profession that has radically changed since my beginnings. The boundaries between different design disciplines are blurred. Communication these days happens in different media and across multiple platforms. All this opened more opportunities and options of specialization then we used to have in our time. My advice to a young person entering the field would be: keep your eyes open, explore, follow your instincts and find what you would love to do. Dream big, work hard, be passionate about what you do and never stop learning. What do you miss most about Switzerland? I miss the beautiful landscape and above all the magnificent mountains.

We welcome your comments at swissinpa@gmail.com Thank you!

[swissimpact]

YANN PFITZER  |  APRIL, 2018

From | Geneva, Switzerland

Study | Student/Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Mechanical Engineering major

Hobby | Skiing

Recent book | East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Favorite food in Switzerland | Raclette

Favorite spot in Switzerland | La Barillette, Vaud

What drew you to the University of Pennsylvania? In my case I was really interested in VIPER, a dual degree program focused on energy research. I applied to a few schools in the U.S., as an alternative to Swiss schools, that held equal credibility. Considering the excellent options in Switzerland, my parents did not recommend that I go study in the US unless it was for a top tier school. What is the biggest misconception about engineering? I’m technically not an engineer yet, but a common misconception is when friends assume that I’m somehow qualified to fix their toaster or help restart their cars. 95% of the time we’re doing math, it’s more theoretical, and not very applied. Another misconception is that engineering is one dimensional. Realistically you are getting exposure to many outside influences such as economics and humanity needs. For engineers to develop a product you have to take in more than just science. Minimizing costs, how to produce a product, and design. It is not just technical and requires awareness in many fields. Where can people find your work and how can they get involved?  You can find a few articles on me and my focus. I am working on a publication I hope to finish within the year. I think for students getting involved, it is important to ask professors to participate in research or ask if they can help in the lab. To be able to do work that you feel is on the cutting edge is exciting, I recommend to any students to participate in research. Do you have any advice for young students in Switzerland or the U.S. studying engineering?  It’s very easy to get lost in the technicalities, it’s important to remember the bigger picture on why you are doing that work. That’s true in research as well, it’s so easy to get sucked in to one tiny aspect. Remind yourself why you like engineering and broaden your view. The U.S. is slightly different, there’s a bit more personal feel here, you can talk to professors easily through things like office hours. I think those resources are very important here, and they often go unused. I would suggest students to take advantage of them. What do you think had most influence on you growing up? I spent most of my time outdoors in my childhood. Skiing, hiking, so from a young age I wanted to do something that has an impact on the natural world. Ski racing was an activity I enjoyed and my favorite spot was skiing on the glaciers. Due to this I have a very personal connection to climate change and that inspired my interest to contribute to helping the environment. Growing up I was always using my hands, and found a passion for engineering. The way the two worlds come together for me is new energy research. There’s a demand for people who know the energy world. What does success mean to you? At 20, you aren’t fully aware of what it is. How I would define it, when you reach the end of your career, you’ve made some type of lasting impression on the world. Also, being able to achieve professional success, allowing you the flexibility to do the things you enjoy. I think for a Swiss person in America, the idea of success is different. People here are very career driven, focused on things like climbing corporate ladders. Swiss people are more worried about personal growth and happiness. What do you miss most about Switzerland? The food. I miss having access to good bread and cheese, the mountains, and nature. What struck me in Philadelphia is that it was more difficult to get out and be around nature like back home.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Penn Today  | "Shrinking Swiss Glaciers Inspire Undergraduate Student’s Energy Research at Penn".  LINK To ARTICLE

Yann Pfitzer, C’19  | “Understanding Trends and Variability in Ocean Phytoplankton from Satellite Data”.  LINK to VIDEO

E | ypfitzer@seas.upenn.edu

We welcome your comments at swissinpa@gmail.com Thank you!

[swissimpact]

PASCAL HOFER  |  MARCH, 2018

From | Fehren (SO), Switzerland

Work | General Manager, DECTRIS USA, Philadelphia

Hobbies | Hiking, skiing, diving, and soon sailing

Recent book | Algorithms to Live By  - Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths

Favorite food from Switzerland | Raclette

Favorite spot in Switzerland | The forest

How and why did you chose Pennsylvania? As you just opened your U.S. office in Philadelphia in 2017. There were three factors that brought us to Philadelphia. Minimal time difference to Switzerland headquarters was important. This is our first office outside of Switzerland, and we wanted to stay in close contact. Therefore the East Coast was a given. The next point was convenience of travel, our customers are spread out and we have to get to them easily. I analyzed locations of airports, delays due to weather conditions, and proximity to the airport. From our office to the Philadelphia airport, driving time is only 15 minutes. The third one was living quality and affordability. Other cities like New York and Boston were more expensive for myself and our employees. This all came together and narrowed down the choice to Philadelphia.

What has surprised you most working in your field? The U.S. was not new to us, we were already present with about 20% of our business in the country. The difference was not worrying about jet lag, and to make sure we were in the same time zone as our customers. What was a bit surprising was the amount of positive responses we received from our customers. They are accustomed to receive great customer services, but coming to the U.S. is a step up and it emphasizes how much we value them.

What do you think are the major things changing in your field within the next 5 years? Our biggest field is X-ray detectors for Synchrotrons*. One of the biggest Synchrotrons in the world is located near Chicago. Another is in Long Island, NY, and some more in California. Some of them will go through major upgrades in the coming years. This will create demand for even faster detectors. The proximity to these Synchrotrons in the U.S. will help us to meet bigger demands of this core market. Another area of changes is electron microscopes*. We are entering this field now. Adapting our successful technology for electron microscopy has the potential to change that field in the same way it changed the Synchrotron market in the past.

What is a quality, trait, or practice you would implement from Switzerland to the U.S.? In Switzerland, you work hard while at work and when you are done, you go home. I find people in the U.S. being more distracted at work. This adds longer unproductive hours at the office. Being dedicated to your task while at the office is a Swiss value. This is an impression I got when interacting with service providers while setting up our office and my own living arrangements. I would greatly appreciate more focus and dedication.

Does the same line of work vary in the U.S. compared to Switzerland? Is it the same? How so?   It is a global niche market that is well connected. There are some cultural differences but science connects everything fittingly. Our U.S. customers are efficient in implementing new products, which works well with our Swiss work ethics.

How does your Swiss culture impact and contribute to your work? I love punctuality. For example, being at a meeting 3 minutes early. If I’m not there before the meeting time I feel uncomfortable. I expect people to be on time, just like I am. I think that’s Swiss etiquette. Another Swiss etiquette: you do what you say, and when you promise something you stick to it. This makes you think more clearly about what you are promising. Our customers value it.

What do you miss most about Switzerland? My wife who is still in Switzerland working, but she will join me very soon. I also miss my family and friends. On the other hand, we are lucky to live in this century; I can get to Switzerland in 8 hours. I can always travel home when I want to. There is not much to miss if you can get the best of both countries.

You lived in multiple countries, what challenges did you face when you opened your company in the U.S.? Cultural shock is always a concern when people move to a new country. I thought I was exempt due to my time living briefly in the United Kingdom and two years in China. That wasn't true! There were still situations that challenged and surprised me. For example, setting up bank accounts, writing checks (which we don’t do in Switzerland), filing taxes and leasing apartments are different. When establishing my business here, I went to several advisors. I was sent along various paths because the advisors had very particular knowledge. In hindsight, it would have been helpful to find one person who had a broader overview. When it comes to business in the States, legal regulations are different. You have to be particularly vigilant when protecting yourself and your business.

SUCCESS STORIES: DECTRIS X-ray detector helped finding an antibody that can fight the Zika virus. DECTRIS holds the world record in calculating the number Pi to the most digits. Additional success stories can be found here.

To find out more about Pascal Hofer, please visit his website. E | pascal.hofer@dectris.com

Synchrotron* - A circular particle accelerator that produces strong focused X-rays. These X-rays are used to analyze samples in biochemistry research and material science. X-ray detectors are an important part of the entire installation.

Electron Microscope* - A type of microscope that uses a beam of electrons to create an image of the specimen. It is capable of much higher magnifications and has a greater resolving power than a light microscope, allowing it to see much smaller objects in finer detail.

We welcome your comments at swissinpa@gmail.com Thank you!

[swissimpact]

ANDRÉ KURMANN  |  FEBRUARY, 2018

From | Willisau (LU), Switzerland

Work | Associate Professor of Economics (LeBow College of Business, Drexel University, Philadelphia)

Hobbies | Running, soccer, eating (good food)

Recent book | Endurance by John Kelly (Astronaut)

Favorite food from Switzerland | Raclette

Favorite spot in Switzerland | Zermatt

How did you get started in teaching, specifically what drew you to the field of Economics? I got my start in teaching while doing my PhD in the U.S. at The University of Virginia. What drew me to economics was my interest in trying to understand how the world works. What was the biggest obstacle in your career and how did you overcome it? I have been lucky in the sense that I have not experienced major obstacles as some people have had in their lives. My biggest “obstacle” — but I think this applies to many people doing a PhD — was having to learn on how to focus on one particular question and to become as proficient as possible in that subject. This is difficult when you are interested in many different areas of economics. Why did you choose Pennsylvania? It was random. My first job as a professor out of graduate school was in Montreal. I moved to Philadelphia for a sabbatical at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania for what was supposed to be 9 months. But then I met my future spouse in Philadelphia and we ended up making it our permanent home after a couple of years in Washington, D.C. What drew us back to Philadelphia was the density of Center City with its many cultural attractions as well as the many friends we have here. What do you believe is the most important quality to have as a professor in economics?   To be a professor in economics you must be able to abstract from details that, while really interesting, are not imperative for the big picture. I am saying this because the world is incredibly complex with many factors influencing economic outcomes. But we think there are some key driving forces and zeroing in on these drivers can be very hard. It takes experience and the ability to step back and ask big questions. What was the best piece advice you ever received?   I’ve received a piece of advice recently by reading a book called Deep Work by Cal Newport. The advice is not to get distracted, to do what the author calls “deep work." This is especially true in the current world of social media in which news arrive incessantly, pulling our attention away from what we have set out to accomplish. Not to get distracted is really important to do good work. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Although people in my profession move quite frequently, I see myself still in Philadelphia and still being a professor. My wife is also a professor and we have a 6-year old who just started kindergarten. Once you have a family with two careers in the same place, moving becomes more complicated. But you never know…perhaps we’ll even move back to Switzerland! Professionally I hope to continue doing research that impacts policy makers and helps them make more informed decisions. That may mean to become more involved with giving actual policy advice — something that I am interested in and was able to experience firsthand while working for the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C..   What do you miss most about Switzerland? I miss the excellent public transportation system. Trains and buses are on time, they run frequently, and they are modern. This makes it easy for people to travel to work and it improves productivity. It is a far cry from the infrastructure here in the U.S. of which certain parts have come to a breaking point. What can the U.S. learn from Switzerland? Apart from better appreciating the value of a good public transportation system in high density places such as the East Coast, the U.S. could learn from Switzerland’s apprenticeship system. It is an excellent way of inserting young people into the workforce and equip them with the necessary skills. Switzerland also has great options for continuing education, which is very important in today’s fast-changing world of international competition. What can Switzerland learn from the U.S.? Swiss people could learn from the enthusiasm that Americans have. Americans are not afraid to fail, they just go for it. In Switzerland, I feel, people are more afraid of the unknown, which prevents them from exploring new opportunities. To find out more about André Kurmann, please visit his website.

 E  |  kurmann.andre@gmail.com

We welcome your comments at swissinpa@gmail.com Thank you!