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Nanonews May 2007
Words from the Director
Dear colleagues
End of April, our NCCR was reviewed by the SNF and its scientific panel. And I am proud to say that we presented ourselves perfectly!
Prof. Boris Altshuber, the speaker of the review panel, summarized at the end of the two days visit, that all panel members were impressed by the high scientific level, the visibility of our science and its breadths. All five modules do cutting-edge research at the forefront of science. The panel sees the NCCR Nano as a strong centre that is playing and should play a leading role in nanoscience. The reviewers and the Swiss National Science Foundation were also pleased that we have recognized the importance of Nano hazard and have included new projects in this direction.
I would like to thank all of you for your excellent contributions during recent years and in particular during the review meeting last months. We can be proud, you should be proud!
I wish you all the best, a lot of excitement and satisfaction in science.
Kind regards
Christian Schönenberger
Recently, the NCCR Nanoscale Science advertised for the first time a “Best Paper Award for Women”. During the Review Panel Meeting end of April, Christian Schönenberger honoured the three winners selected by the NCCR Board: Natalija Backmann, Anisoara Socoliuc and Meike Stöhr. They all received the price of 500.-CHF.
Natalija Backmann from Martin Hegner’s group received the award for her PNAS paper
A label-free immunosensor array using single-chain antibody fragments.
Anisoara Socoliuc from Ernst Meyer’s group was honoured for her Science paper
Atomic-scale control of friction by actuation of nanometer-sized contacts.
Meike Stöhr from the Nanolab received the award for her publication in Angewandte Chemie
Controlling molecular assembly in two dimensions: the concentration dependence of thermally induced 2D aggregation of molecules on a metal surface.
The prize will be awarded each year and will honour the best publications to which female researchers made a major contribution.
Events
Review Panel Site Visit
On 25th and 26th of April 2007, the Review Panel of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) visited the NCCR Nanoscale Science. The members of the review panel had a look at the scientific performance and achievements of the NCCR, its efforts in respect to education, know-how and technology transfer, PR and management.
After an overview presentation given by Christian Schönenberger, presentations on research projects by young scientists, and a comprehensive and lively poster session, the speaker of the panel, Prof. Boris Altshuber from Columbia University (New York, USA), summarized that the whole panel was extremely pleased with the achievements of the NCCR Nano. Each of the panel members learned something and everyone was impressed by the high scientific level of NCCR Nano research. They were happy to see the large number of young enthusiastic scientists within the NCCR. The reviewers also stressed that the Nanocurriculum is an excellent course that should be seen as an example for other universities and that should be fully supported by the University of Basel. Altshuber also mentioned that the NCCR is perfectly managed and that know-how and technology transfer, PR and advancement of women are very well done. He pointed out that the NCCR Nano is something vital and unique. In his view the University of Basel has a strong obligation to prolong the NCCR in the future.
Industry Day at the Swiss Nanoscience Institute
In order to boost the collaboration between the Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI) and industrial partners, the SNI has organized an Industry Day at the University of Applied Sciences in Windisch on 10th May 2007. Around forty representatives from different companies followed the invitation from the Chamber of Commerce of the canton Aargau.
Christian Schönenberger and Hans-Joachim Güntherodt, the present and former directors of the SNI, gave an overview over the recent progress in Nanoscience and Technology and presented a variety of possible future collaborations between industry and academia. Peter Lüscher, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce of the canton Aargau, underlined the importance of this knowledge and technology transfer for local High-Tech enterprises and Alexander Hofmann, representative of the government of Aargau reminded the audience of the economical potential of this kind of collaborations.
New in the SNI
Prof. Dr. Peter Gehr, from 1st June 2007 Project Leader in Module S “Supplementary Research Activities”
Dr. Bernd Braunecker, since 1st April 2007 Postdoctoral Student in Module 2
Roman Huber, since 1st April 2007 Doctoral Student in Module 4
New Safety project in the SNI
From 1st June 2007, a new group from the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Berne will join the NCCR Nanoscale Science in order to add another research project in the field of safety and risks in nanoscience to the NCCR portfolio.
Prof. Peter Gehr and his team will have a look at the fate of nanoparticles after their interaction with biological membranes. They will analyze the mechanism of cell penetration through membranes and the intracellular movement of nanoparticles. Another focus of their research is the effect of nanoparticles in mitochondria and the nucleus.
Peter Gehr has an excellent, longstanding reputation as expert in the field of nanosafety. Recently, he gave a talk during the NCCR Nanosafety Workshop.
More about his talk at the workshop...
Dates for your calendar
Nanotechnologie – Schlüsseltechnologie des 21. Jahrhunderts und ihre Auswirkungen auf Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft, Gesundheit und Gesellschaft
28/29th June, 2007 Kurssaal Bern, Switzerland
Part I: Introduction to Applied Ethics and
Ethics of Science
June 20th 2007, 14.15 – 18.00
Hotel Bildungszentrum 21, Missionsstrasse 21, Salamat-Saal (Ground Floor)
Nanomechanics in Life Sciences
Nanotechnology in the pharmaceutical practice
Diagnostic and therapeutic Nanotechnology on the brink of clinical application
18th June 2007, 17.5 – 19.30
Institute of Physics, University of Basel, Hörsaal 1
Developing scanning probe based nanodevices - stepping out of the laboratory into the clinic
Martin Stolz, PhD, Ueli Aebi, PhD, Daniel Stoffler, PhD
Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine 3 (2007) 53– 62
Spin qubits with electrically gated polyoxometalate molecules
Jörg Lehmann, Alejandro Gaita-Arin, Eugenio Coronado & Daniel Loss
Nature Nanotechnology 2, 312 - 317 (2007)
Force microscopy: Magnetic tips probe the nanoworld
Ernst Meyer & Simon Rast
Nature Nanotechnology 2, 267 - 268 (2007)
Controlled formation of metallic nanowires via Au nanoparticle ac trapping
L Bernard, M Calame, S J van der Molen, J Liao and C Schönenberger
Nanotechnology 18 235202 (6pp) 2007
Rotation–libration in a hierarchic supramolecular rotor–stator system: Arrhenius activation and retardation by local interaction
Markus Wahl, Meike Stöhr, Hannes Spillmann, Thomas A. Jung and Lutz H. Gade
Chem. Commun., 2007, 1349 - 1351, DOI: 10.1039/b700909g
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