Course
NanoBioPhysX course
Interdisciplinary fundamental science and outreach course activity
linked to the NanoBioPhysX club
Course outline
The course will consist of interdisciplinary seminars, preceded by a meet-the-speaker session reserved for course attendees. Complementary to the scientific seminar, the meet-the-speaker session gives the course attendees the chance to discuss science, research, the academic system, diverse career paths etc. in a much broader sense, and in this way, profit from the extensive experiences of the international guest speakers.
As part of the course, participants will organize one meet-the-speaker session, be the chair of the meeting, and write a small popular science feature about the seminar. Scientific Communication (SciComm) to non-experts has become an important transferrable skill that every scientist should master. The popular science feature is therefore aimed at the general public, and it will communicate the research presented by the invited speaker in an accessible way. It will be sent to Resource for publication, posted on the NanoBioPhysX club website and further publicized via social media. Furthermore, a workshop popular science communication is organised once per year. Succesful completion of the course is based on the active participation in seminars and meet-the-speaker sessions, the organization and chairing of meet-the-speaker sessions, and the written feature.
Course aim
This course aims to:
- Immerse participants in an interdisciplinary scientific environment and widen their scientific horizon.
- Foster scientific discussion and develop an interdisciplinary fundamental scientific community.
- Gain societal outreach experience and improve popular science writing targeted at the general public.
Target group
PhD candidates working on fundamental topics (experiment or theory) within the crossover field of nanotechnology, biology, physics and chemistry, interested in broadening their academic scope and societal reach.
Programme topics
The course is linked to the monthly sessions of the NanoBioPhysX Club. The NanoBioPhysX Club aspires to bring together ALL scientists at WUR who work in the broad areas of the Molecular Life Sciences / Biochemistry / Biophysics and adjacent fields like Bioinformatics and more (specifically invited as the 'X').
In other words, everyone who shares the enthusiasm for fundamental and interdisciplinary biomolecular research down to the nanoscale.
Course participants join the monthly seminars organised by the NanoBioPhysX Club and participate in the associated meet-the-speaker sessions which are open to attendance for course participants only.
More information on the specific topics will follow as soon as possible. The topics are introduced by excellent speakers and professors at the forefront of their field, who bridge at least two classical science disciplines, and who can engage a broad audience with an attractive talk.
Schedule
The seminars organised by the NanoBioPhysX Club are held every last Wednesday of the month throughout the year (except Dec, July, Aug). The seminar series will be kicked off on Wednesday, September 28, with the fantastic Prof. Jan Lipfert (UU), for which more promotion will follow soon.
The course comprises nine seminars/year. Meet-the-speaker sessions will be 1 hour, followed by 1 hour of seminar and questions. Drinks will be organised after the seminar to provide ample opportunity to network.
Organisation
The course is organised by the Biophysics and the Physics and Physical Chemistry of Foods groups at Wageningen University in cooperation with the Graduate School VLAG. The course is related to the ongoing NanoBioPhysX Club, initiated by dr Sonja Schmid and dr Jasper Landman.
Course coordinators
For information about the course contents please contact the course coordinators Dr. Sonja Schmid (Schmid@nanodynlab.org) or Dr. Jasper Landman (Jasper.Landman@wur.nl).
For organizational matters please contact Jochem Jonkman (jochem.jonkman@wur.nl) from the graduate school VLAG.
Date & duration
Course registration is initially for the duration of 1 year. Course participants will attend the meet-the-speaker sessions and NanoBioPhysX Club seminars organised every last Wednesday of the month (except in December, July, and August), starting at 16.00h.
In the future, up to three years of participation to the NanoBioPhysX course could be combined.
Study load
The study load for full participation in the course during one year is 1 ECTS, depending on the number of sessions attended throughout the year. This includes your participation to the sessions, preparing a meet-the-speaker session and writing a popular science feature on one of the sessions.
Language
The course language will be English.
Contact information
For information about the course contents please contact the course coordinators Dr. Sonja Schmid (Schmid@nanodynlab.org) or Dr. Jasper Landman (Jasper.Landman@wur.nl).
For organizational matters please contact Jochem Jonkman (jochem.jonkman@wur.nl) from the graduate school VLAG.
Location & accommodation
The course intends to take place at the campus of Wageningen University & Research.
Wageningen is located 5 kms from the train station of Ede-Wageningen. This railway station can be reached by train from the airport Schiphol in about one hour. Accommodations in Wageningen should be arranged separately, more information will follow shortly, but you can already have a look at the options listed below:
Hotels:
Other accomodation:
Corona provisions
We assume the course can be offered on campus.
Registration & course fee
For registration, click here to go to the registration page
We aim for an initial number of 15-20 participants, with a maximum of 30. Applicants will be informed of acceptance of their registration within two weeks of the final registration date. They will then receive instructions for payment, a letter of acceptance and further course details.
Course fee
The course fee includes access to all course sessions and related downloadable materials. The fee depends on the participant's status:
| WUR* PhD candidates with approved TSP | € 125 |
| All other PhD candidates | € 275 |
*VLAG/EPS/PE&RC/WASS/WIAS/WIMEK PhD candidates with an approved TSP.
Cancellations policy
Registration closes 1 September 2022. Participants will receive information about the program shortly after this date.
Cancellations may be made free of charge until 1 September 2022. After this date the charge will be 25% of the course fee paid or due.
No refund for cancellations after 20 September.