Nano-World

The Virtual Nanoscience Laboratory

Chef du projet

Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Güntherodt
Hans-Joachim.Guentherodt@unibas.ch
Institut für Physik
Universität Basel
Klingelbergstr. 82
4056 Basel

Coordinateur/trice du projet

Dr. Martin Guggisberg
Martin.Guggisberg@unibas.ch
Universität Basel
Basel

Dr. Tibor Gyalog
Tibor.Gyalog@unibas.ch
Universität Basel
Basel

Partenaires du projet

Résumé

The project Virtual Nanoscience Laboratory plans the realization of a virtual nanoscience laboratory consisiting of three virtual experiments to give an insight into the methods of nanophysics and nanotechnology to undergraduate students of different disciplines. The virtual experiments are presented within the scope of a co-operative learning environment.

In recent years nanometer-scale science and technology has gained a lot of interest among researchers and the public. Boosted by the development of scanning probe methods by Nobel laureates Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer at the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory in Rüschlikon, it has become an active field of research and technology. The fascination of investigating, and manipulating, matter in very small dimensions has attracted a large number of research groups, and pictures showing how matter is built up from atoms and molecules regularly make it to the broadcast and printed news. The prospect of nanotechnology is extremely bright, since it promises higher integration, increased functionality, lower-cost and better environmental compatibility of future processes and devices. Numerous applications are already visible.

Science on the nanometer scale naturally touches on conventional disciplines such as physics, biology, and chemistry. Therefore, training in this new field is not only highly important for the relevance of the field for the merging technologies, but it is also very demanding for its high level of interdisciplinarity. Future nanotechnologists will have received training in solid-state physics, molecular chemistry, analytical chemistry, and engineering. The University of Basel, such as many other institutions of higher education in Switzerland, does not yet account for these new needs. The present proposal intends to make a contribution in this respect by offering virtual university-level experiments of nanoscale science and technology.

Studies on learning behavior show that small teams reach higher training efficiency than large groups or individuals. The reason for that is the importance of discussing individual approaches in order to find solutions, and thus to develop new strategies. Therefore the proposed virtual laboratory is a interactive lab ("Praktikum") with experiments from state-of-the-art nanoscience. A cooperative learning environment supports the work in small teams.