Advent calendar - December 13th - The basis for everything: Education

In the Zernike Institute Advent Calendar, we are presenting 24 short spotlights in December. In these specials, we highlight PhD students, postdocs, and technicians of our research groups - providing a glimpse into their typical day at work. In Episode 13 we will deviate from this and put the spotlight on education.

Training the next generation (you!) of researchers to use cross-disciplinary approaches (in their research) is a central part of the Zernike Institute’s mission. To realize this mission, a team requires people with diverse (scientific) backgrounds. We are pleased to say that we have created such a team: our professors, postdocs, PhD students, and technicians have backgrounds in physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, biology, computer science and other disciplines. Bringing this group of scientists together in an educational context breaks the traditional boundaries between disciplines and allows us to equip students (like you!) with the diverse skills required by modern science and society: Keeping an open mind to other approaches is key.

Not to worry though! Using cross-disciplinary approaches within education does not mean that you need to become an expert in every field of science – Not at all. In fact, the first step towards developing a strong cross-disciplinary team starts with disciplinary excellence. Therefore, we participate and train students in the disciplinary bachelor’s and master’s programs of:

• Physics (BSc/MSc)

• Applied Physics (BSc/MSc)

• Chemistry (BSc/MSc)

• Chemical Engineering (BSc/MSc)

But also, interdisciplinary programs like:

• Top Master Program Nanoscience (MSc)

• Biomedical Engineering (BSc/MSc)

• Industrial Engineering and Management (BSc/MSc)

• Life Science and Technology (BSc)

If you are reading this and you are currently enrolled in one of those programs or planning to enroll for one (which we can strongly recommend :-)), it might be you who we see featured in the future advent calendar as a proud PhD student, postdoc or technician. We, at the Zernike Institute (not that we are strongly biased ;-)), do believe that studying any of the programs is worth it and we hope that the examples of the advent calendar will convince you of this fact as well. Thus, if you are not there yet, join us at the Faculty of Science and Engineering.