Editorial
Dear colleagues and nanoenthusiasts,
As the year draws to a close, I’m delighted to present another SNI INSight packed full of information on research from our network.
Using artificial intelligence to create three-dimensional structures
Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of AlphaFold
This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry went in part to Demis Hassabis and John Jumper from Google’s DeepMind research center. The two scientists were instrumental in developing AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence (AI) that allows researchers worldwide to predict the three-dimensional structure of proteins based on the sequence of amino acids. This AI is also being used by several teams in the SNI network. To find out more about AlphaFold and its applications, we spoke to Dr. Janani Durairaj from the group led by Professor Torsten Schwede (Biozentrum) and Professor Timm Maier (Biozentrum).
“Nano” in the environmental sciences
Examples of nanotechnological applications
In the past, SNI publications on the nanosciences have primarily reported on topics in the fields of nanophysics, nanochemistry, nanobiology or nanomedicine — but there are also growing nanoscience applications in the environmental sciences.
Nano Image Award
Congratulations to the winners and many thanks to everyone who participated!
Guest article by Gregory Zaugg
Master’s thesis at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (CA, USA)
The time I was able to spend at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is something that will stay with me forever.
Guest article by Alexa Dani
Master’s thesis in Groningen (NL)
My placement at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) in the Netherlands was an incredible experience — both professionally and for me on a personal level.
Funding of SNI members
In recent months, numerous SNI members have been awarded grants for research projects from wide-ranging sources.
SNI startup workshop
“From Lab to Startup”
Doctoral students from the SNI PhD School generally work on questions of basic research. Sometimes, however, the prospect of an innovative application is not that far removed from their work.
Awards and honors
Prof. Dr. Murielle Delley and Prof. Dr. Christoph Gerber were honored.
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