Open Campus

Group: Palacci Group

Description: Our research group (the Materiali Molli group) is exploring the novel properties of materials powered from within—it is like playing with motorized Lego pieces that are almost invisible to the naked eye. During this tour, we will guide you through our lab and let you use a microscope to observe a tiny car (100 times smaller than a hair) or a rubber band that can function as an artificial muscle.

Group: Lab Support Facility

Description: Discover the zebrafish. With its close genetic resemblance to mammals, the zebrafish is becoming increasingly vital in research. These fascinating fish, whose transparent embryos quickly develop into small fish up to 5 cm in size, have been part of ISTA for over 15 years. Thanks to a range of beneficial traits, this striped fish has transformed from an obscure species in the 1970s to a global superstar in basic research.
Our zebrafish facility consists of approximately 2800 tanks and has a total water volume of over 12,000 liters. Here, both wild-type fish and genetically modified lines are cared for, maintained, and raised from the larval stage to adulthood. Health monitoring, species-appropriate nutrition, constant and controlled water quality, and high hygiene standards are essential for a successful and well-functioning research operation.

Group: Nanofabrication Facility

Group: de Bono Group

Description: Our lab researches the tiny but mighty worm C. elegans. We will bring you into our lab and, after explaining the basics of how we use worms in our day-to-day work, you will get to interact with them under the microscope and see how they grow and glow. Join us and become a worm researcher yourself!

Group: Preclinical Facility

Description: On this guided tour through our animal facility for rodents, you will get insights into how laboratory mice and rats are bred and kept according to the latest international standards.
We will start our tour with some short theoretical information about the purpose and special features of the building, and later we will also provide a few important facts about the requirements for keeping laboratory animals.

Group: Sixt Group

Description: On this guided tour through our animal facility for rodents, you will get insights into how laboratory mice and rats are bred and kept according to the latest international standards.
We will start our tour with some short theoretical information about the purpose and special features of the building, and later we will also provide a few important facts about the requirements for keeping laboratory animals.

Group: Imaging & Optics Facility

Description: The team of the Imaging & Optics Facility demonstrates how microscopes are used to answer research questions here at ISTA. First, we show the concept of flow cytometry, a method that enables the isolation of specific cell populations from a mix of cells (e.g. blood). In the second part, we demonstrate some of our most modern imaging systems.

Group: Katsaros Group

Description: More than a hundred years ago, physicists realized that matter behaves very differently at low cryogenic temperatures. At the “Nanoelectronics” group at ISTA, we explore how electronic devices exhibit quantum phenomena when cooled down. We will show how one can levitate objects or change the color of light by using liquid nitrogen. To the most attentive listeners, we will show professional cryogenic equipment and how cryogenic experiments are performed.

Group: Katsaros Group

Description: Climate change is not only altering temperatures but also diminishing the biodiversity of our natural surroundings. A diverse range of species is a sign of a healthy environment and essential for sustaining thriving ecosystems. During a walk around the campus, we will explore various plant and animal species and discuss their significance to the ecological balance.
In a collaboration with Isa Klee from “Ökocampus Wien”—artist, citizen scientist, spatial planner involved in many different projects, who also organized produced an exhibition at this year’s Klima Biennale.

Group: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility

Description: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy is a technique similar to Magnetic Resonance Imaging used in hospitals, but here instead of people, we put small molecules into the magnet and study their structure, dynamics, and interactions.

Group: Scientific Computing

Description: An exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of a high-performance scientific computing facility. Discover how massive data, advanced hardware, and innovation come together to drive discovery forward in various fields of science.