Helmer Fjellvåg's talk
The first part of the seminar was letting Helmer tell his story - with no set time limit.
So with a powerpoint of 150 slides (very classic for Helmer) he told us the decadeslong story of a young man and his passion for inorganic chemistry, family, colleagues, sport and more, showing how one person can make a great difference in the world of science through curiousity, ingenuity and perseverance. That young man is still very much present. The calendar just happens to say he's "technically" 70 years ord now - though that's just a detail.
The talk was full of science, insight, jokes, and personal anecdotes, captivating the audience of old and new co-workers of NAFUMA.
And as Helmer kept saying "I'm going to wrap up now" and immediately realizing there was a lot of good knowledge on the next slides also that should be talked about, tricking the audience and making everyone laugh intensely, it became crystal clear...
.... this is definitely not the end. And thank goodness for that!
Anja Olafsen Sjåstad's talk
As Helmer's colleague of many years, former PhD student, friend and successor as NAFUMA section leader, Anja shared many pictures and stories about Helmer from a less scientific side. With help from Helmer's wife Åse, they had lots of photos from all of Helmer's 70 years on planet Earth.
The last photo shows that Helmer also had a Anja-slide on his presentation, underlining all the adventures they've shared over the years.
And yes, Helmer was the face of the Lano soap - a so-called LANOBABY!
Asbjørn and Øystein Slagtern Fjellvåg's talk
They shared personal insight for the reasons they both ended up as inorganic chemists (heredity or enviorment? Both?), memories, Helmer's records in their annual family decathlon, why Helmer's boundless optimism can sometimes be slightly annoying when going on hiking trips, photos, and much more.
Henrik Hovde Sønsteby's cola blindtest
Helmer is famously a huge coca cola fanatic, and is often accompanied by a coca cola bottle during workdays. Astonishingly enough, Helmer managed to place all the different colas correctly - even the caffeine free coca cola!
Ola Nilsen's Chemistry Challenge
The Helmer Fjellvåg Summer Lecture part 5 was Ola giving all of us a brainteaser; Helmer vs. Everyone - chemistry edition!
By mixing the mother solution in glasses with "unknowns" we got a range of different colors, a classic setup for inorganic chemistry! Both Helmer and "Everyone" got the answers mostly right, and the mistakes we can blame on Summer vacation or standard deviation - or both!
The Chemistry Show by Helmer Fjellvåg, Amalie Skurtveit, Ola Nilsen and Veronica Killi
As the final part of proving himself as a complete professor of inorganic chemistry, Helmer and friends held a blasting show of chemical experiments and fun! See the instagram for a video summary!
