April 2014

The Wolfgang Pauli Lectures, which will be hosted next week at ETH Zurich, will discuss the discovery of the Higgs particle. Three CERN scientists who were instrumental in the project will explain the work that went into this scientific sensation.

Michael Triantafyllou is a pioneer in the development of robots inspired by fish and other marine life. The MIT professor will present the Aurel Stodola Lecture this coming Monday in Zurich.

A selection of nature-inspired works of art by Basel-based artist Mireille Gros will go on display in ETH Zurich’s Collection of Prints and Drawings from 7 May to 6 July.

Die UNO-Klimaberichte informieren detailliert, sind aber schwer verdaulich. Gibt es eine Nische für multimediale Kommunikation, die Film, Visualisierung und fundierte Information verbindet, so dass Laien Klimaforschung verstehen können? Wir meinen ja. Wir wagen den Spagat zwischen Unterhaltung und Fakten in einem Projekt von Kurzfilmen zur Klimaforschung.

The Academic Sports Association Zurich (ASVZ) is celebrating its 75th anniversary and is staging a university duel to mark the occasion. In an interview with ETH News ASVZ Director Lorenz Ursprung talks about how the association has grown, what its main focus is today and who will emerge victorious from the duel.

With the first ever production of synthesized “solar” jet fuel, the EU-funded SOLAR-JET project has successfully demonstrated the entire production chain for renewable kerosene obtained directly from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide (CO₂), therein potentially revolutionizing the future of aviation. This process has also the potential to produce any other type of fuel for transport applications, such as diesel, gasoline or pure hydrogen in a more sustainable way.

In the framework of the EU-project Solarjet, scientists demonstrate for the first time the entire production path to liquid hydrocarbon fuels from water, CO₂ and solar energy. The key technological component is a solar reactor developed at ETH Zurich.

When an explosion occurred in an ETH laboratory in 2012, an ETH member was wearing his normal spectacles instead of safety glasses. It was only by great good luck that he escaped without serious eye injuries.

Presidents of ten of the world’s leading research universities talked about how research institutions both influence and bring value to society. One way that the IARU member universities have contributed value in their regions is through the IARU Sustainable Campus Initiative.

Lehmhaltige Erde ist weltweit verfügbar, billig und daher ein ideales Baumaterial insbesondere für Länder der Dritten Welt. Dort aber gilt das Material als rückständig und unmodern. Dieser Ruf verhinderte bis anhin, dass lehmbasierte Bautechniken in diesen Gebieten weiterentwickelt werden und so neues Wissen entstehen kann.