Following Sohail Siddiqui's attendance at the Nano-Tribology school in 2015, two iT-CDT students recently attended the 2016 Nano-Tribology course at the Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen. CDT students were funded by European COST for the two week course, which covered eight diverse subjects within tribology such as biotribology, quartz crystal microbalance, tribocorrosion and contact mechanics. Each topic was assessed with a 2–3 page assignment as well as a viva at the end of the course, allowing participants to gain five ECTS credits and a certificate of completion.
The course also taught a number of practical skills, such as laboratory sessions on small desktop AFM's, surface characterisation measurements and data processing, and group work to solve various problems. The purpose of the course was to develop a wider appreciation of tribology outside of a regular PhD, with the intention that a student might apply what they've learned in Denmark to their own projects. Importantly, the course also allowed students to network internationally, gaining a wider understanding of other universities and researchers methods, as well as an appreciation of other cultures.