Adolphe Merkle Institute Professors Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser and Alke Fink have been awarded the 2017 CUSSTR Prize for helping improve nanosafety. Along with their colleagues Amela Groso, Thierry Meyer, and Professor Heinrich Hofmann of Lausanne’s Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), they were recognized for their development of a nanomaterials decision tree. Their work was first published in 2016 in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology. The researchers adapted and developed an intuitive method for nanomaterial risk management in laboratories. Activities related to nanomaterials are classified into three levels, along with concrete preventive and protective measures, and associated actions.

The CHF 2,000 prize is awarded by the workplace health and environmental protection commission of western Switzerland’s higher education and research institutions (CUSSTR).

Article: Groso, A., Petri-Fink, A., Rothen-Rutishauser, B., Hofmann, H. & Meyer, T. Engineered nanomaterials: toward effective safety management in research laboratories. Journal of Nanobiotechnology 14, 21 (2016).