ETH News

Digital fabrication techniques for buildings and breathtaking concrete roofs, a heart made of silicone, and a new degree programme in medicine; in 2017, teaching and research at ETH Zurich were characterised by new ventures and a pioneering spirit.

ETH Lausanne and ETH Zurich’s Swiss Data Science Center is off to a successful start. In September, scientists at the Center launched their open source platform Renga. First research projects have been chosen.

The playroom is about to acquire a virtual dimension thanks to a new app. Researchers at ETH Zurich’s Game Technology Center want to use the app to inspire children’s imaginations and encourage creativity. It is now available in app stores to coincide with today's Digitaltag.

The Swiss World Atlas has been published in a completely revised new edition. In addition to the usual topographic relief maps, it also contains maps on current global issues such as the environment, energy and conflicts.

At the symposium “The Global Energy Challenge – A Corporate View”, representatives of international companies will present their energy strategies and visions for the future, while researchers from ETH Zurich evaluate the strategies from a scientific point of view. Christian Schaffner, Executive Director of ETH Zurich’s Energy Science Center and organiser of the symposium, explains this novel format.

Rolf Reitz is a pioneer when it comes to internal combustion engines. The foundations he has laid have led to cleaner, more efficient engines. The Professor Emeritus from the University of Wisconsin will be giving this year's Aurel Stodola lecture.

ETH Zurich's Collection of Prints and Drawings is currently exhibiting drawings from the 1950s that were discovered in Andy Warhol’s estate. These early works reveal unexpected sides of the famous artist, providing a glimpse into his unique approach, the so-called “blotted line” technique.

At Scientifica 2015, everything revolves around the theme of light. This weekend’s event will feature 300 researchers from ETH and the University of Zurich presenting their work and explaining how they use light to observe and understand the world.

Researchers at ETH Zurich's Criminological Research Unit have examined the evolution of violence among youths in the canton of Zurich. Their study shows that the propensity towards violence is clearly decreasing within this age group.

Cold snaps like the ones that hit the eastern United States in the past winters are not a consequence of climate change. Scientists at ETH Zurich and the California Institute of Technology have shown that global warming actually tends to reduce temperature variability.

ETH Zurich and EPFL are jointly entering into a new research partnership with Microsoft Research. Over five years, Microsoft Research will provide five million Swiss francs of funding to support IT research projects. Microsoft researchers will also work closely with the scientists at the two universities.

Lino Guzzella’s research group has won the Watt d’Or 2014 energy prize for development of a natural gas-diesel hybrid engine. The innovative combustion engine system emits up to half as much CO ₂ as conventional engines and with the same performance.

Scientists from the Computer Vision and Geometry Lab of ETH Zurich developed an app that turns an ordinary smartphone into a mobile 3D scanner. Instead of taking a normal photograph, a user simply moves the phone around the object of interest and after a few motions, a 3D model appears on the screen.

The ETH library archives countless historical scientific photographs tracing various periods in the history of ETH Zurich. A new illustrated book shows how researchers use photography in their day-to-day work.