puce European School On Nanosciences & Nanotechnologies

 

August 22nd - September 11th 2010 / Grenoble - France

Scope
Scientific Situation (context)
Organization


   ORGANIZED BY :
      - UJF, Université Joseph Fourier
      - Grenoble INP, Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble

   DIRECTION OF THE SCHOOL:
     - Hervé Courtois, UJF, Director
     - Didier Delabouglise, Grenoble INP, Associate Director


  Co-ORGANIZED BY :
      - CNRS, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
      - CEA, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique


SCOPE

This 3 weeks course is aimed at providing training for graduate students, postdoctoral and junior scientists from European universities and laboratories in the field of NANOSCIENCES and NANOTECHNOLOGIES in Physics, Biology and Chemistry.
The academic and practical courses cover the elaboration, functioning and characterization of nano-objects. The program emphasizes the role of laboratory courses (half of the program is devoted to practical work).


SCIENTIFIC SITUATION

The aim of today's research in Nanosciences is to develop basic knowledge on elementary, nanoscale-sized building blocks, in order to form physical, chemical or biological systems, which, on a macroscopic scale, will have new properties and new functions.

On a world-wide level, Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies constitute an important, fast growing field both in fundamental research and at the industrial level, because of the considerable potential of these new applications for economic development. Progress in Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies is characterised by the concomitant interplay between fundamental research on, and mass production of nano-objects. Around the world, many research centers have developed large-scale facilities, which are either suited for basic science or for mass production. Among them, the Grenoble area offers a remarkably rich array of research facilities (academic and industrial) which can be used for a practical training of young researchers in many fields of the physics, chemistryand biology.

In this context, we would like to promote an European School in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology for advanced learning based on leading-edge research. In collaboration with National and European university partners, we set up, on a yearly basis, a 3 weeks-program during which the students attend both lectures and laboratory courses. The aim of this training is to offer young researchers a structured view of the principles involved in the elaboration and in the functioning of nano-structures, nano-components and nano-machines. This program addresses in particular graduate students and post-doctoral scientists entering the field. Students from various universities spend three weeks together, participating in an intensive learning experience, thus forming long-lasting friendships that will promote their work beyond the PhD.

The program we propose is endowed with two key points. The first is interdisciplinarity, since research in Nanoscience demands a combination of various skills in physics, chemistry and biology. Learning the basic knowledge necessary to communicate with other scientific communities is a determining ingredient to create new nano-objects and to connect them to the macroscopic world. The second point emphasises the role of laboratory courses. In general, summer schools do not address this issue which is, however, of fundamental importance both for basic science and for applications. Practicals are held in clean-room facilities and research laboratories in Grenoble. They adress a complete set of aspects, such as nanofabrication for top-down approach as well as the chemical/physical mechanisms of nano-elaboration involved in the bottom-up approach, the techniques of nano-measurements, nano-characterization and the physical principles behind them, as well as other experimental methods and instrumental skills necessary for research in the nano-world.


ORGANIZATION

Direction of the course :
First session of ESONN : Catherine Dubourdieu and Bertrand Fourcade.
Second and third sessions of ESONN : directed by Hervé Courtois and co-directed by Catherine Dubourdieu.
Since 2007: directed by Hervé Courtois and Didier Delabouglise
.

This seventh session of this European school will be held from August 22nd to September 11th 2010, in Grenoble, France.

Two parallel sessions will be organized (A and B sessions). Each of them will enrol about 27 participants (54 in total).

The program is structured to highlight the fundamental and technological advances in Nanoelectronics (session A) and at the interface between Physics and Biology (session B).

The two sessions will run in parallel but they will share common lectures and praticals, as interdiciplinary is a clear objective of this school.

Applicants to this school are :
Students enrolled in a doctoral program of an university
Postdoctoral and junior scientists from academic or industrial laboratories

Applications through an European network of excellence are encouraged.