ETH Podcast episode 20 to 29

While Domenico Giardini, Professor of Seismology and Geodynamics, already has his hands on Mars, Adrian Glauser, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Astronomy, has to be patient. Among many others, Adrian worked on the James-​Webb-Telescope that shall finally launch this fall, with a delay of many years. Both researchers talk about their work in the ETH Podcast and contemplate the universe's dimension to time on planet earth.

For Claude Nicollier, the dream of flying to space came true four times. Judit Szulágyi - a professor in computational astrophysics at the ETH-​ has never left the earth's atmosphere so far. She is applying to become one of the next ESA astronauts. We talk to Claude about what planet earth looks like from space, and we ask Judit about her experiences working at NASA and what she thinks it takes to reach for the stars.

Helga Nowotny is an internationally recognized researcher on Social Studies of Science. She is professor emerita from the ETH and is on many advisory boards. Eric Burns just finished his Ph.D. at ETH and is pursuing a career in Switzerland.

In the last episode of the Uncertainty-​Series, we talk to Helga and Eric about why uncertainty in research is eminent but at the same time increases pressure on researchers regarding their position.

An episode of different generations on one subject.

"Uncertainty is something that makes people uncomfortable. At the same time, it is the only chance for learning", Nadine Bienefeld says. She is the Senior Researcher & Lecturer at the Department of Management, Technology, and Economics at the ETH. Nadine works in the team of Professor Gudela Grote, who is particularly interested in unlocking people's potential by increasing Uncertainty. At the same time, she points out: "Uncertainty is hard for people right now. And it is also a question of what resources you have to deal with the uncertainty".

In the ETH Podcast, both Scientists tell us about their research and talk about how important it is to speak up in teams in stressful working environments.

ETH senior lecturer Myriam Dunn Cavelty never imagined that cybersecurity would evolve from a niche subject to a big thing. Today, the topic is on everyone’s lips - and it is an important research field at ETH Zurich. Myriam is a highly respected researcher in the area and talks about how cybersecurity and uncertainty come as a pair.

In the third episode of the uncertainty series of the ETH podcast, we also meet student Karin Holzhauser. She decided to go back to university after having had a career in the business world and having stayed home with her family for a while. Out of all subjects, she chose Computer Science at ETH Zurich as, after all, she wanted to get involved and shape the future.

The threat of climate change is similar to the corona pandemic. Covid-​​19 and climate evoke uncertainty on many levels and are both global problems that affect every single one of us. In the second episode of our uncertainty series, we talk to the renowned ETH professors Reto Knutti and Tony Patt and student and climate activist Annabelle Ehmann. In this episode of the ETH podcast, everyone reveals how he or she deals with uncertainty in climate change.

In the December episode of the ETH-​Podcast, we talk to Tierry Hörmann, the old, and Luca Dahle the new president of VSETH, the umbrella organisation of all students, and how they reach out to fellow students. ETH-​Rector Sarah Springman joins the talk and compares this phase with competing in a triathlon without the finishing line in sight. All three guests also talk about the few positive aspects of the crisis.

Sometimes it only takes a few seconds to separate life into a before and an after. Joachim Schoss talks about such a moment when he had a horrible motorcycle accident. He lost his arm and shoulder as well as a part of his leg 18 years ago. Joachim is the president of Myhandycap, a Foundation for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, and he is also an ambassador of the Cybathlon. ETH-​​Robotics Professor Robert Riener joins the Cybathlon-​​Episode of the ETH-​​Podcast and talks about how he came up with the idea of a competition for people with physical disabilities and how the competition fuels scientific progress.

At the moment, nothing seems to be the way it was. There is a „before" and „during" regarding the pandemic. Many people in the world are impatient while waiting for a COVID-​19-vaccine. Why is it taking so long, and because of the pandemic, might it be smart to get a flu shot this fall? In the ETH-​Podcast, we talk to two immunologists about these questions: Professor Emma Slack from ETH and Johannes Trück, a pediatrician from Kinderspital Zürich.

Poverty has many faces. The question of affordable nutrition, water, housing, and energy are just some factors poor people face in their everyday life. The initiative ETH for Development (ETH4D) wants to tackle poverty not by “saving” people from a bad situation but by improving certain circumstances, such as access to off-​grid electricity. The Executive Director of ETH4D, Adina Rom, and Ph.D. student Churchill Agutu are guests of the ETH-​Podcast and talk about how research and practice can make a difference in fighting poverty.