thumb The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...

Gian-Reto Plattner (10 December 1939 – 7 December 2009) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

and politician of the

Social Democratic Party of Switzerland The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz; SP; rm, Partida Socialdemocrata da la Svizra) or Swiss Socialist Party (french: Parti socialiste suisse, it, Partito Socialista Svizzero; PS), is a polit ...

. The son of chemist Placidus A. Plattner, he was born in Zurich. He studied physics at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universit ...

, where he received his doctorate in 1967 and habilitated in 1972. From 1984 he was an associate professor of experimental physics at the University of Basel. From 2000 he was also Vice-Rector for Research, before retiring in 2005. From 1984 to 1992 he was a member of the Grand Council of the

canton of Basel-Stadt Basel-Stadt or Basel-City (german: Kanton ; rm, Chantun Basilea-Citad; french: Canton de Bâle-Ville; it, Canton Basilea Città) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of three municipalities with Basel as t ...

. From 1988 to 1992 he presided over the Socialist Group. He later represented the canton of Basel-Stadt in the Senate and served as President of the Council of States (2002-2003). He died on 7 December 2009 in Basel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plattner, Gian-Reto 1939 births 2009 deaths Members of the Council of States (Switzerland) Presidents of the Council of States (Switzerland) Swiss physicists Academic staff of the University of Basel Social Democratic Party of Switzerland politicians