Strengthening the Nano Community at Chalmers

The annual Community Building Activity is organized by the Nano Area of Advance and this year the event were held at Vann spa Hotel in Brastad. The three days were filled with inspiring lectures, workshops, and activities, but also networking and inspiration.

Approximately 180 people were present during the three days, including both junior and senior researchers in the field of Nanoscience. Throughout the event, several researchers presented and held lectures about ongoing research related to Nanoscience at Chalmers.

The Arne Sjögren Prize Winner, Daniel Erkenstan held a presentation about Close Encounters of the Exciton Kind: The Role of Exciton-Exciton Interactions in 2D Materials. Several other lectures were held, Seed Project talk, ERC talk and also workshops for both PhD students, Post Dok and PI:s. External guest lecturers were also invited to present, one of them were Professor Heiner Linke, former director of NanoLund, he talked about Nanotechnology enabled by protein design.

“It is really a unique opportunity that so many people from complementary fields meet and actually bring the time for discussions! I think that it is also a great opportunity for all the “new” ones to get to know other people working in Nano at Chalmers”, says Janine Splettstösser, Director of Nano Area of Advance.

Four posters awarded for outstanding communication and design

Many of the participants presented their posters in the poster session! A prize was awarded to the four best posters. Among all of the great posters, the winners of the poster prize were Felix Simon, Eric Nilsson, Luis Mario Leal Garza and Elin Persson.

“In the poster prize award, we did not only focus on the content and design of the poster, we also looked at how clearly it communicated the goals and results, and how visual attractive it was, we also asked the participants to give us a one minute pitch of their poster”, says Alexandre Gil Gouveia Maia Barbosa, PhD Excellence student and part of the poster jury.

“The jury was particularly impressed with how the presenters raised to the challenge and successfully motivated their research and clearly explained their own contributions to a jury of non-experts in just under a minute”, says Alexandre.

In addition to the scientific program, participants also had the opportunity to explore the beautiful surroundings, enjoy the spa or try out the kayaks.

Great opportunity for PhD students and Postdocs

For many PhD students and Postdocs, this was a perfect opportunity to network and to get inspiration. Jyoti Swami, PhD student in Chemical biology, attended the conference for the first time this year.

“I come here to get inspired and to meet other researchers in similar fields. What I think is specifically good is that PhD students get the chance to first ask the questions after the lectures”, says Jyoti.

The Excellence PhD students from last year play an active role in the event by arranging activities for the participants. They also act as chairs, presenting the speakers and moderating the Q&A sessions. Michaela Hosková, an Excellence PhD student at MC2, shares her experiences.

“It is a great chance to help with the CBA, to be the chair and practice speaking in front of people in the different sessions. It contributes to a lot of things, such as organizing skills and teambuilding”, says Michaela.

“I hope that everybody brings with them motivation and enthusiasm for getting involved in new research questions. I definitely do. And it is great that one gets to know so many people at the CBA with whom one can actually discuss these question in the future!”, says Janine.

” For me it is very important to speak to different people in different departments, and the level of the presentation is suited to fit all the levels and fields in Nano. I also like that students are encouraged to ask the questions and that the event is held in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere”, says Michaela.