SNI Director Martino Poggio (left) with nanoscience bachelor’s graduates of 2023. Having successfully com- pleted the 昀椀rst key step in their scienti昀椀c careers, the students can now look forward to continuing their stu- dies in this fascinating 昀椀eld as part of the master’s pro- gram. (Image: A. Car) Insights into various areas Block courses are a real highlight When we ask our students about the highlights of their studies, many point to the block courses that students complete in the 昀椀fth and sixth semester of the bachelor’s program. As part of these courses, they work on their own small-scale projects in di昀昀erent research groups, gaining insights into current research topics, learning about scienti昀椀c work, and developing contacts with research groups at di昀昀erent institutions. The courses also provide another opportunity for students to identify the subjects they are particularly inter- ested in so that they can then choose the most suitable specializations in the master’s program. In 2023, students had the choice from 45 di昀昀erent block courses at various departments of the University of Basel, the FHNW School of Life Sciences, Empa, EPFL, the PSI and the Adolphe Merkle Institute. At the end of the sixth semester, the students present results from the block courses at the Small Talk conference, which is organized by the students themselves. Here, each student gives a talk to an interdisciplinary audience and presents another topic in the form of a poster. At each year’s Small Talk conference, the students present results from the block courses – and design their own 昀氀yer for the event. SNI Annual Report 2023 15