Dear colleagues, We are nearing the end of this highly unusual year, which has been full of challenges and created huge problems for many people. At the same time, 2020 was also a year in which we learned a great deal. Never before have teams of scientists around the world generated so much knowledge about […]

Plastics have something of an image problem at the moment. Vast amounts of artificial packaging litter the world’s oceans, and there is no question that we need to reduce the amount of marine rubbish we create. But packaging our food is by no means all that plastics are good for. They offer innovative solutions for […]

Once again, you sent us a selection of beautiful images from the micro and nano worlds, and we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Nano Image Award. We’re delighted to be able to use many of the images in our various communication materials.

Rafael Eggli, who has been studying nanosciences at the University of Basel since 2016, has been awarded a fellowship by the Werner Siemens Foundation. Hailing from Switzerland, the 22-year-old has also held a scholarship from the Swiss Study Foundation since 2017. He is an enthusiastic participant in the broad program opened up to him by […]

Starting university is an exciting time. With their school days behind them, the students are beginning an important new stage of their lives, one that is filled with new experiences and new friends — and often takes place in an unfamiliar city. Those starting their courses in 2020, however, had a vastly different experience than […]

As part of the Nano Argovia program, the SNI Board recently approved nine new projects which will get underway in January 2021. The new projects once again deal with a wide range of topics, and three relate to medical applications. In one case, researchers are investigating a way to cross the blood-brain barrier in order […]

Early career researchers can still apply for the new projects at the SNI PhD School until the end of the year. The program website provides not only descriptions of the projects, but in some cases also short videos produced by Dr. Michèle Wegmann in collaboration with the various project leaders. Information and videos about the […]

In spring and summer, the SNI outreach and communication team filmed numerous experiments for children to encourage them to try their hand at experimenting at home. Children, young people and adults were called upon to submit photos and videos of their own attempts in order to inspire as many families as possible to join in. […]

The twentieth anniversary of the annual Science Days event at Europa-Park in Rust (Germany) was not what the organizers had originally planned. Like so many other events, this year’s edition had to be held digitally. From 19 October to 29 November, research institutions, associations and companies put on a diverse program of activities aimed at […]

The SNI’s communications team helps SNI members draft media releases about their research projects and results. In order to appeal to as broad an audience as possible, powerful and intriguing images are especially important. The SNI’s Nano Imaging Lab is a valuable asset in this regard, reliably delivering breathtaking snapshots of the micro and nanoworld […]