The biennial international graduate summer school Biophotonics ’07 is over. It is the third of its kind and has already been recognized internationally. Therefore Journal of Biomedical Optics (JBO) has decided to make a recurring special section, only on this topic, with Peter E. Andersen from Risø DTU as one of the guest editors.
Over the past decade, lasers, optical methods and instruments based on light interaction with tissues have emerged as powerful techniques for medical diagnostics, monitoring wide spectra of tissue and pathology together with therapy. These techniques are also used in basic research in order to create a better understanding of cells. This field is called: biophotonics.
”In the late nineties I began collaborating with Stefan Andersson-Engels from the university in Lund. We soon discovered the void within the teaching of biophotonics, both in our own countries and at an international level. Therefore, we began developing the idea of creating a summer school which was to be held every second year, focusing on this unique topic, a topic in an interdisciplinary field between technique, medicine and science,” says Professor Peter E. Andersen from OPL.
Swedish-Danish cooperation
The summer school is a cooperation between the University of Lund and Risø DTU and proves how useful the Ørestad cooperation can turn out to be for both countries.
The main purpose of the graduate summer school at Ven is to offer education within biophotonics at a high international level to students and young scientists from all over the world. Renowned scientists are teaching and giving lectures in basic knowledge and in the latest news from their speciality. During one week the students and the teachers spend all their time together. Another purpose of the summer school is to stimulate networking across the frontiers.
This year 57 persons from 19 different countries participated. The school offered 11 lectures held by different unpaid lecturers, who, however, got free transport and stay with means from sponsors from Sweden and Denmark (see the sponsors here). The participants bring posters, describing their current or future work within the field, and an annual prize is awarded for best contribution.
International teaching material
The idea is that JBO’s special section is going to comprise two review articles and several other articles reflecting the material that has been taught at the summer school. The special section will be published in July/August 2008. In the future JBO hope to use this reoccurring material from the school for international teaching and in this way benefit the greater scientific society.
As this was their intention when they started the project, the founders of the international graduate summer school at Ven: Peter E. Andersen from Risø DTU and Professor Stefan Andersson-Engels from Lund University in Sweden are very satisfied.
The next summer school is scheduled for 2009. Because of the positive feedback this year and the fact that approximate 20 % of the applications had to be refused this year, the participation for the next summer school seems promising. At www.biop.dk/biophotonics07 you can follow the topics of the next graduate summer school as they are found and join an e-mail list in order to receive the newsletter.
Katrine Krogh-Jeppesen |