Chemical Instrumentation-A
Course in Applied Sales Resistance
The realization that many chemists at bath the B S e . and PhD level lacked the training to judge the merits of one instrument versus another, and as a result, left the instrument salesmen with the upper hand, resulted in our samewhat unique Chemical Instrumentation Course, described by some as a course in "Applied Sales Resistance." It is oriented not only toward the chemist having to use a particular type of instrumentation, but equally a t the chemist being the person involved in the purchase of instrumentation. The unioue feature of this course is that eaeh student receives an individual ~ r o,i e e tassienment. based on his or her interesrs. ~nvolv~no h ) p b t h e t d emplovmmr in indusrn ur an educsr~cmali,r research instuurmn, and a partrrular prchlem ineulving the uir and purchow uf chemcnl instrumentotwn. The prublrm. frlr example, ma) ~ n w l v can acadcmw, ind~striulur govrrnmentsl rracnrrll lnb, or tmchind or quality control laor. and each itudrnt i i ai\igned a hypothetical sum of money to spend. This amount is usually chosen to present the dilemma of quality versus quantity, one basic instrument type versus another, or the lower price range instrument plus full accessories versus a stripped version of a more expensive item. Problems have varied from buying pH meters or balances for a teaching lab to an nmr spectrometer for a research lab and the establishment of a water quality control lab. Students have then to decide on the type of equipment that will do the job, and then determine who manufaetures instruments of this type. They are free to consult other faculty members and the senior shop technicians, but both groups take care not to specify what they would buy until the student has gathered all his information. It is quite legitimate far the technicians to eive their ooinions on reliabilitv and servieeabilitv of a oarticular item if the" are fam h r u,irh i t . cjr w r h a company's rrputatiun The studenti nrv rxpertrd to contact rhe rnsnulacrurers to gcr trchnlral speri and prmng infurmatim for all mbdeli that inrtt thrir requ:rmtent~ E w n thuwh they all .tress :n thwr Icrters that they are writing as a class project, we do in fact get, on occasion, a phone call from a salesman wanting to fly in a demonstrator. If a company does not respond to a student, this is considered valid grounds for eliminating their product. As well as this being painted out in class, sueh companies may receive a letter from the instructor pointing out their shortsightedness. At this point eaeh student must prepare his report showing all products considered and after giving brief reasons for his short listed choices, followed by a detailed comparison of these and an explanation of "What they would buy, and why!". They must also defend their choices, positive and negative, in class, to which the senior instrument technicians are invited. Questions such as mice.. oerformance soecifications. real ~erformanceiif information is available). . rrlinhilit). rrput.xinrl of the compnnv. a v a ~ l a h i l ~01) s e r v i ~~ ~ h a r hst plarr 5.1 ernpln\mmr ann f m w the rnanufncturer,. ruitahilitv fur sperif~eprohlem. general applicaldlty ro i,thrr proldcms hkely t c , be enmuntered in place oi employment, other uses, etc., are most often raised. Although there are no right or wrong answers as sueh, the most common mistake is to specify the unit we have in our labs, even though it may be obsolete, or we may have made a mistake, or price considerations not applicable to the student's project led to our choice. One of the main aims of the course is t o get students to take a critical look a t what is available and not to automatically buy what they used in their undergrad or graduate labs. Most manufacturers have responded favorably and think the course a good idea, far preferring to sell their equipment an its merits rather than color, though a small minority take great offense. Prospective employers of our students have commented most favorably.
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Broek University St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada
J a c k M. Miller
Volume 50.Nurnber3. March 1973
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185
