ETH News

ETH spin-off Scanvio is developing an algorithm that can be used to analyse ultrasound images of the womb on an automated basis. This should enable doctors to diagnose endometriosis more quickly in the future.

Nothing less than the future of the democratic world was the topic of the visit of Moldovan President Maia Sandu to ETH Zurich. Together with Alain Berset, President of the Swiss Confederation, she took part in a panel discussion in the Audi Max yesterday.

ETH spin-off Gaia Tech transforms waste from olive oil production into high-quality antioxidants for use in cosmetics or food. This turns waste into valuable raw materials.

From diagnostics to treatment, the biochemical method developed by Daniel Richter, Edgars Lakis and Jörn Piel paves the way for a diverse range of applications in research and medicine. The researchers received the ETH Zurich Spark Award 2022 for their innovative solution.

Load-bearing, lightweight and now also recyclable: researchers led by Professor Paolo Ermanni were presented with the Spark Award in recognition of an innovative process for production of sustainable composite materials. ETH Zurich awarded the prize to their promising invention, with this year marking the tenth time the award has been given.

From genetics and personalised medicine to health insurance and climate change: at ETH Week 2021, 120 students from all degree programmes and from 31 countries grappled with the topic of “Health for Tomorrow”.

A team led by Christian Pohl received the KITE Award 2020 for the course “Tackling Environmental Problems”. The course allows Bachelor’s students at the Department of Environmental Systems Science to begin acquiring skills to deal with complex sustainability issues in their first year of studies.

Research and family belong together for Sebastian Schemm. The father of two small children leads a research group at ETH Zurich which is investigating atmospheric circulation and its effects on weather and climate dynamics.

Making tumours visible so that surgeons can cut only as much as necessary: this is the goal of an invention by chemical biologists Helma Wennemers and Matthew Aronoff. For their achievement they have received the Spark Award, with which ETH recognises the most innovative invention with the most commercial potential of the past year.

A team of students has been developing and building a rocket for nearly a year. This week they will be competing against some 50 other teams at the Spaceport America Cup 2019 in New Mexico. It’s time to see whether all their dedication pays off as they attempt to shoot their rocket to a height of three kilometres.

Whether building an exoskeleton for paraplegics or an autonomous construction robot, the Focus projects are a chance for mechanical engineering students to solve a complex technical challenge. Besides acquiring new knowledge, they also gain soft skills and practise teamwork and work organisation.

Molecular and structural biologist Manuela Hospenthal is researching the spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. She wants to discover how bacteria exchange and take up genetic information. Her research focuses on understanding how DNA uptake and translocation across bacterial membranes is achieved.

Raffaele Mezzenga, Sreenath Bolisetty and Qingrui Zhang have been awarded the Spark Award 2019 for their filter, which removes harmful fluoride from drinking water. Their invention gives people all over the world access to clean drinking water.

In honour of the 200th birthday of Zurich visionary Alfred Escher, ETH Zurich awarded the first Alfred Escher Prize for innovative pupils and university students yesterday. The two winning ideas both encourage playful learning.

Assistant Professor Andrea Burden investigates the safety of medications to improve patient care. For her research, the scientist also uses her expertise in criminology.

ETH Fellow Marie Bocher develops at the Institute of Geophysics computer models of seismic cycles. The 30-year old scientist hopes this will help to improve earthquakes risk assessment.

How will digitalisation change medicine and healthcare? At ETH Zurich’s Digital Health event last weekend, more than 150 guests got an exclusive insight into new technologies and had the chance to discuss the opportunities and risks with experts.

For ETH Fellow Cody Ross Pitts, creativity is what inspires his research in making molecules. His ideas will contribute to the field of medicinal chemistry.

Until you've lost your reputation … Unlike the saying, you do have something left to lose. On the contrary, reputational loss is costly. Students have proved that through business-based risk analyses.

Some hundred mechanical engineering students working in teams took ideas for new products and developed them from concept to finished product. This year’s focus projects include jumping robots for use in space, medical devices and solutions for tomorrow’s e-mobility.

The 2018 KITE Award has been presented to Lukas Fässler, Markus Dahinden and David Sichau for their e-tutorials, which teach programming to students from all departments. ETH Zurich awards the prize for pioneering teaching concepts.

A research team led by microbiologist Tomas de Wouters has won the Spark Award 2018 for the development of artificial intestinal flora. With their ETH spin-off Pharmabiome, the scientists want to further develop their invention so that it can be used in the treatment of inflammatory intestinal diseases and infections.

Chiara Gattinoni’s specialism is the surface properties of materials. In ETH’s Materials Theory Laboratory, her research focuses on bismuth ferrite, an extremely promising new material.

ETH Fellow Kunaal Sharma researches the relationships between elite politics and religious extremism. Working in crisis-hit regions of South Asia, he seeks out the causes of conflicts as well as pathways towards achieving greater tolerance.

Even when studying to be an architect, designing attractive buildings wasn’t satisfying enough for Estefania Tapias. Today she is an expert in urbanisation and climate change, specialising in the research of outdoor thermal comfort.

At the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Irene Pereira de Sousa is researching new ways to administer medicines orally. Currently, many substances can only be introduced into the body via painful injections. It is her aim to change that.

How can students from a wide range of departments grow as a team and work together to solve a problem in six days? ETH News shadowed a student at this year's edition of ETH Week, entitled "Manufacturing the future".

Ingo Scholtes from the Chair of Systems Design has developed an analytical method that takes account of the chronological order of connections within networks. This not only makes it possible to more accurately identify links between topics on the internet, but also makes it easier to predict the spread of epidemics, for example.

Simone Schürle likes to get to the bottom of things. Since August, the micro- and nanotechnology expert and fellow of the «Society in Science» , has been working as Assistant Professor of Responsive Biomedical Systems at ETH Zurich to develop tiny machines for medical applications in the human body.

Will the reinforced concrete bridge still be standing for years to come, or has corrosion already set in? ETH scientists have discovered that previous concrete samples were too small to allow a reliable statement on the condition of reinforced concrete.

In the focus projects, teams of mechanical engineering students can put their theoretical knowledge into practice and develop new technological solutions independently over the course of two semesters. ETH News caught up with two teams that are developing an innovative wind power plant and an incubator for skin cells.

Developing new things together and effecting change – that's what gets Moritz Mussgnug out of bed in the morning. The mechanical engineer manages to juggle his doctoral thesis with a startup and a project to optimise the production of walnut oil for people in Nepal.

ETH Professor Sabine Werner and her team won the Spark Award 2017 yesterday for their groundbreaking new approach to combating viral diseases. If their results can be confirmed, they could lead to the development of better treatments for viral diseases such as herpes.

ETH President Lino Guzzella welcomed Alexander van der Bellen to the University on Friday, where the Austrian President was shown how ETH is encouraging innovation.

How will digitalisation, artificial intelligence and robotics change the world of work? This question was discussed by numerous experts from business and academia at the “Global Talent Summit” before an audience of more than 300 in the Audi Max room at ETH Zurich.

On Friday, ETH President Lino Guzzella received the President of Slovakia, Andrej Kiska, and Swiss Federal President Johann N. Schneider-Ammann at the Hönggerberg campus. The Slovak president was accompanied by a science and business delegation.

More than 70 teams from 25 countries will compete in the Cybathlon tomorrow, Saturday 8 October. The competitors are gradually arriving in Zurich, armed with high-tech gadgets and full of energy and excitement. In addition to victory at the Cybathlon, all are hoping that the assistive technology will soon be further improved.

What role does technology play in equality for people with disabilities? Experts and scientists have been discussing this question in the run-up to the world’s first Cybathlon at ETH Zurich.

At first glance, exoskeletons conjure up images of futuristic robots from science fiction films. But the exoskeleton from the ETH team VariLeg is a real-life aid that could allow people with paraplegia to walk again.

Water was the focus of ETH Week 2016. For the second edition of this week-long event, ETH Zurich called on bachelor's and master's students from all departments to approach a subject creatively and develop collective solutions.

A record number of visitors attended this year’s Industry Day. Around 550 representatives from industry and business met with scientists for a lively debate on the Hönggerberg. New research findings and networking were the order of the day.

They have big ambitions: nine students from ETH Zurich and ZHdK are preparing to take on developers from renowned manufacturers and universities from around the world with their "Scewo" wheelchair at the Cybathlon.

Creativity, skill and most of all team spirit are what matter in the innovation and focus projects undertaken in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich. Students spend months working on their technical innovations, which they will present today in the main ETH building.

Thirty architecture students from ETH Zurich’s Studio Tom Emerson have made their first venture into a large-scale project. After ten months of intensive work, the Pavilion of Reflections is ready on time for the opening of the Manifesta 11 European Biennial of Contemporary Art in Zurich.

For the first time, ETH Zurich has presented its KITE Award for innovative teaching concepts. The university recognised ETH Professor Mirko Meboldt for his “Innovation Project” and “Leading Engineering Projects and Coaching Design Teams” courses.

A radiation-free and painless ultrasound method instead of a mammogram is how Orçun Göksel and Sergio Sanabria would like breast cancer screens to be carried out in the future. The technology developed by the two ETH researchers, which can also detect other diseases, was yesterday awarded the Spark Award 2016.

How can public opinion be influenced in favour of climate protection? ETH political scientist Thomas Bernauer explored the question in a recent study. His sobering answer is that there is no magic formula.

Seven promising start-ups, over 100 domestic and international investors, and four hours to shine: this was the first Investor Summit at Zurich Airport. To see how start-ups use the event to their benefit, ETH News accompanied the team from ETH spin-off Archilogic to the event.

A lot of practice and a different approach to theory were on show during the first ETH Week. Over the course of the week, about 130 students from 15 departments developed proposals for a sustainable food system. The event forms part of the Critical Thinking initiative, in which ETH Zurich promotes creative and inter-disciplinary thought.

Nicola Spaldin, Professor for Material Theory at ETH Zurich, is being awarded the Körber Prize in Hamburg today. In this interview, the British scientists explains what fascinates her about materials science and why she loves unanswered questions.

Faster, more global, more complex – innovation and product cycles are constantly changing. A study conducted by the Chair of Strategic Management and Innovation at ETH Zurich found that the best way to keep up with the competition is sharing knowledge within a business cluster.

The use of 3D printing continues to rise among students and researchers. ETH Zurich has set up a special web platform so people will be able to find the right printer faster in future. At the same time, the ETH Additive Manufacturing Community has also been created, forming a place where researchers can exchange ideas on the various applications of 3D printing.

Professor Bernhard Plattner, one of the fathers of the Swiss internet and a pioneer in computer networks is set to retire at the end of July 2015. The Computer Engineering and Networks Laboratory, which he co-founded, will simultaneously celebrate its 25th anniversary with an open day.

Horse whinnies are made of two different fundamental frequencies. This particularity allows horses to express both positive and negative emotions, and at the same time convey the strength of these emotions. This is what researchers at ETH Zurich learned in the course of a research project that seeks to understand the evolution of emotion expression. Until now, it was not known that horses whinny in two voices.

When researchers from abroad move to ETH Zurich, their partners often try to find a new job in Switzerland as well. In order to be able to help them more with their job search, ETH Zurich has recently joined the International Dual Career Network (IDCN).

Need an optical or electron microscope for your research? Look no further than ScopeM. The Hönggerberg campus has been home to this technology platform since 2014.

It rains in summer most frequently when the ground holds a lot of moisture. However, precipitation is most likely to fall in regions where the soil is comparatively dry. This is the conclusion reached by researchers at ETH Zurich following an analysis of worldwide data. Their study contributes to a better understanding of soil moisture, a little explored climatic factor.

The new MSc programme in Science, Technology and Policy offered at ETH Zurich aims to equip natural scientists, engineers and architects with the necessary skills in order to provide academic support for and help shape political, economic and social decision-making processes.