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Exploring minuscule worlds
As part of its programme to support gifted students, the Swiss Study Foundation invites its scholarship holders to conferences—and encourages them to organise their own events. Rafael Eggli and Patrick Weber took advantage of the offer and held a two-day seminar in Basel on the topic of nanotechnology.
It’s no light fare that has been served to the eighteen attendees this Sunday morning in the conference room of a Basel hotel: speaker Rafael Eggli is introducing quantum technology and the world of quantum computers. The first part of his talk covers general aspects: How does a normal computer work? What is a quantum computer based on? What is a quantum?
Things get much more complicated when the topic shifts to qubits, the basic units in quantum information that can exist in different states at the same time, and that can interact with each other across great distances. Because they’re connected by a kind of “spooky action at a distance”, a change in one of the paired qubits immediately effects a change in the state of the other. Eggli also discusses his own research at the Quantum Coherence Lab at the University of Basel, where his aim is to use highly sophisticated methods to attract qubits to chips and control them.
Attend conferences—and organise them
Not only is Rafael Eggli a speaker at the event: he co-organised it. The PhD student is a former recipient of a Werner Siemens Fellowship, which the Swiss Study Foundation awards every year, generally to ten outstanding students in STEM subjects, medicine or pharmaceutical sciences. The scholarships make it possible for talented and ambitious junior academics to dedicate their time to developing their interests and completing their studies. In addition, the Fellowship holders are given the opportunity to attend talks and conferences—or even to organise them.
Rafael Eggli, who earned a bachelor’s degree in nanoscience and a master’s in physics before embarking on his PhD studies, says he had already attended several conferences and weeklong courses offered by the Swiss Study Foundation. “All these experiences broadened my horizons, and I especially enjoyed talking with other participants during the breaks about our own projects.” That’s how he hit upon the idea for a conference on “nanomachines and nanotechnology”. He teamed up with Patrick Weber, another alumnus of the Swiss Study Foundation who also studied nanoscience in Basel, and who is now a PhD student at ETH Zurich.
“We knew the Study Foundation welcomes these ideas,” Patrick Weber says, adding that many of the foundation’s events have been organised by scholarship holders for their peers. The foundation provides administrative support to lower the organisational hurdles, Weber explains: “The Swiss Study Foundation is responsible for announcing the event, registration procedures and reserving the venues. Our job is to prepare the programme and invite speakers.”
Nanotechnology—a multi-faceted discipline
The weekend conference in Basel is already the second event that Weber and Eggli have organised together. Weber, who held his talk on Saturday, says nanoscience is an excellent topic for a conference: “It’s an extremely broad, interdisciplinary area of research, and everyone has their own take on it.” Unlike Eggli, who studies quantum computers, Weber’s PhD thesis focuses on tissue engineering. Specifically, he’s researching ways to deposit polymers on damaged cartilage in osteoarthritis patients with the aim of slowing the progression of tissue decay. While working on his master’s thesis, he experimented with micelles—tiny fat cells that could potentially be used to transport medications to the exact right location in the body.
When organising an event or holding a talk for other Swiss Study Foundation scholarship holders, it’s critical to know a few facts about the target audience. The participants in the nano-conference are from every academic area imaginable: they study interdisciplinary natural sciences, computer science, economics or even art history. As such, the topic of a conference—nanoscience, for instance—will be more familiar to some than to others. The common denominator is that all have many different interests and all are very talented. To make sure there’s something for everyone, Rafael Eggli quickly shifts from his general introduction to a more complex topic.
Learning for the future
It becomes very clear that the participants are on top of their game. They ask Eggli so many, often highly detailed questions—revealing their deep knowledge of the topic—that his talk lasts longer than planned. By a lucky chance, guest speaker Ilaria Zardo, professor at the University of Basel, is a little late to present her research specialisation: nanowires. It’s believed that these incredibly tiny structures could one day be used in building quantum computers.
The lively discussions continue during the coffee breaks and lunch. But nanoscience isn’t the only topic: the students also discuss the distribution of research funding, the pressure to publish, bitcoins and Formula 1 racing. Without a doubt, it’s a meeting of multi-talented, multi-interested young minds.
Patrick Weber and Rafael Eggli are clearly enjoying themselves. “These events are always a chance to break out of our own research bubbles,” Weber says. And Eggli stresses the educational value of holding a talk for such a diverse audience: “You’re forced to reflect on your own area of research and find clear words to describe what you do.” It’s a skill that will certainly stand them in good stead in their later careers.