The Swiss Science Center Technorama in Winterthur has recently acquired a scanning electron microscope (SEM), which can be used to view tiny surface structures in fine detail. With this new device, seemingly smooth surfaces become wild mountain ranges and dust mites and ants are transformed into terrifying monsters. This purchase was made possible by a […]

Last year, the two most important events in the SNI network – the Annual Event and the Nano Tech Apéro – were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As both events hinge not only on the pure exchange of information, but also on personal introductions, discussions and networking, the SNI management decided against holding either […]

This year, we were finally able to hold an apéro to celebrate the graduation of our master’s nanosciences students from the past two years. In November, the Study Coordination team led by Dr. Anja Car and Simone Chambers invited over 30 master’s graduates to attend a party held at the Wildt’sche Haus. The trio of […]

Following an extended break, the SNI’s Outreach team is back to meeting with children and students live and in person. Alongside TecDays, the SNI team primarily focused on the events planned in collaboration with Museum Burghalde in Lenzburg, where team members engaged in experiments and activities designed to spark children’s interest in the natural sciences. […]

Every year, bachelor students from the nanosciences program organize their own small-scale conference, known as “SmallTalk.” This event provides an opportunity to present the results they’ve obtained as part of the block courses. This year, SmallTalk was once again a real highlight — and not only because the small group size meant that the meeting […]

While last year’s Swiss NanoConvention (SNC) was canceled entirely due to the pandemic, the event returned this year. The difference between SNC 2021 and previous years’ events, however, was that the participants met online rather than in person. Thanks to the numerous sponsors and excellent organizational work, the SNI team laid the foundations for a […]

Doctoral dissertations at the SNI largely revolve around questions of fundamental science, but potential applications are sometimes just around the corner. Topics such as innovation and the founding a start-up are therefore of great interest to doctoral students. With this in mind, Dr. Andreas Baumgartner, coordinator of the SNI PhD School, worked closely with the […]

The Swiss Nanoscience Institute’s first ever virtual conference was held on May 13. As in previous years, students from the nanoscience program organized the “SmallTalk” conference, in which they reported on two block courses they had attended. However, as the customary large-scale event at the Center for Pharmaceutical Sciences was out of the question this […]

In September each year, SNI members come together for the Annual Event at Hotel Schweizerhof in Lenzerheide. This year’s occasion once again provided an excellent platform for learning about interdisciplinary research supported by the SNI, as well as for strengthening existing contacts and forging new ones. Insights into research After a short welcome address by […]

Before the SNI Annual Event began, Dr. Andreas Baumgartner, coordinator of the SNI PhD School, invited the SNI’s PhD students to an innovation workshop. Here, Dr. Alessandro Mazzetti from the Innovation Office of the University of Basel introduced the young scientists to the world of innovation. He explained how academic work at the SNI can […]