Based in Basel, Switzerland

01/06/2010
We arrived by train in Basel, Switzerland. We checked in to a very nice Ramada Hotel, which we later learned from our tour guide is the tallest building in all of Switzerland.
In the morning we walked to the headquarters of Novartis, a pharmaceutical company which makes many drugs and CIBA contact lenses. I like how they have their own strict rules, so they do not have to worry about laws when introducing products to new countries. The building had very nice laboratory facilities and we learned about the process of drug development and marketing. We then boarded a large van and traveled an hour to their research station. After a lovely lunch that included a local pastry dish, we took a tour of their parasite breeding facilities, animal housing, and research rooms. I was very impressed. There is an artificial cat that was developed to raise fleas, which are needed to test flea protection products. This is a great substitute to replace the need for a live cat in the rearing of fleas.
We began the next day with a tour of Basel. It was great to have the opportunity to observe another culture. When the tour ended, my classmate Kat and I visited a natural history museum which contained Roman and Egyptian remains. I had never seen an actual preserved mummy before and it was very exciting.

-Knut
(a blog by Greg Hoyt)