ETH News

Each year, the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich analyses key geopolitical trends. Oliver Thränert, head of the think tank at the CSS, explains which new developments will impact global affairs. A conversation on European security and China as a challenge to the transatlantic alliance.

Why researchers should not only draw on reason but also on their emotions. An essay by Michael Hagner.

At ETH Week, more than 130 students devoted last week to looking into the subject of Urban Futures. In the video, they share their experience.

Nature is not a ‘nice to have’ – it’s our life support system. Dwindling biodiversity endangers the very foundation of our existence. A turnaround is possible, but only if we all want it, says Christoph Küffer.

Translating research results for society requires resources. Either we pay someone to make it work – or we pay as a society if it turns out not to work.

With the world facing enormous challenges, the need for innovation has never been greater. But how can we design universities to deliver the kind of knowledge we need for the future? And how do we deal with the ever-increasing pace of change?

The Student Project House offers a model of what learning might look like in the future. With no course credits on offer, students are encouraged to develop critical thinking skills and to venture into unknown territory.

ETH researchers have performed an experiment to find out how the liability of physicians is viewed by a jury trial when the physicians concerned have made use of artificial intelligence.

Collegium Helveticum is the joint think tank of ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Leadership of the organisation is set to change hands in January 2021, with ETH professor Sebastian Bonhoeffer taking over the reins. A biologist and musician, Bonhoeffer has long pursued his passions for science and art. We sat down with him to talk about how he sees his new role. 

Anna Jobin has investigated together with researchers from the Health Ethics and Policy Lab which ethics guidelines for artificial intelligence already exist, and finds that ethical AI is by no means merely a technical matter.

Gerd Folkers was the first head of Critical Thinking ETH (CTETH) and left an indelible mark on the initiative. After retiring from his professorship last year, he has now handed over leadership of CTETH to the next generation. As one of ETH’s most multifaceted intellectuals, Folkers could always be counted on to hold up a mirror to the scientific community.

At the sixth Times Higher Education (THE) World Academic Summit, experts from the research community and higher education explored and reflected on how digitalisation is changing higher education and on nurturing of talent. ETH Zurich hosted the conference.

She was involved in developing the world’s most accurate clock, and now she helps companies adopt more sustainable business practices: Petrissa Eckle, Executive Director of the Sustainability in Business Lab at ETH Zurich.

Time is a fundamental dimension of human existence and comes in many forms. Using a comparative approach, philosopher and physicist Norman Sieroka looks at what distinguishes them, using time travel and music.

Outgoing President Lino Guzzella led ETH for four years. We asked politicians, business representatives and ETH members what he was like as a president and how he shaped our university.

Philosophy of science in medical research: pharmacy students are learning how theory, methods and experiments affect scientific results and how to assess the significance of the results.

Science is never truly objective. Charles Darwin and his failed theory on the Parallel Roads of Glen Roy can provide an excellent role model, writes Jaboury Ghazoul.

As the digital revolution transforms society, what is the role of universities as “intelligent” machines begin to ask and answer the questions of the universe?

New research findings from biology and chemistry are a blessing for the world of medicine. However, if they are misused for military purposes, they can reveal a darker side. How to deal with the “dual-use dilemma”? This was the subject of a course aimed specifically at biology and chemistry students.

What if you had the chance to complete your own research project at ETH over the summer and to join in discussions about the university’s future? Two students, Katherine Bancroft and Siqi Liu, seized this opportunity, made possible by a new student programme at ETH’s Department of Computer Science.

Travel and happiness have a complicated relationship – even the Stoics were aware of this. An interview with philosopher Michael Hampe on the opportunities and risks that come with travelling.

Riding the Polybahn from Central up to ETH Zurich with Gerd Folkers: the former director of the Collegium Helveticum tells us in a new Polybahn Pitch why, as head of the Critical Thinking Initiative, he is questioning existing structures in the academic world.

Design Thinking is an innovation method that puts people centre stage when developing new ideas. For the first time, ETH Zurich is offering master’s students in any field a course on this approach to innovation.

A very special kind of course catalogue has just been released. The first ever Critical Thinking annual programme presents ETH (teaching) events that focus on cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary skills.