May 2014

The Federal Council intends to make the support for the next generation of scientists at Swiss universities even better and is putting forward proposals to make it easier to plan a career in science.

When crude oil is refined to fuels and chemicals, help is at hand – in the form of so-called catalysts. Scientists now provide a reference parameter for the performance of an important class of catalysts for petrochemical production.

In der Stadt der Zukunft wird die Entsorgung zur Versorgung – dieser These gehen wir seit einiger Zeit an unserem Lehrstuhl für Architektur und Konstruktion am Future Cities Laboratory in Singapur und Zürich nach. Wir haben so ein weites Feld entdeckt, das alternative Perspektiven für unsere Disziplin eröffnet.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have isolated a protein from a fungus of the spruce which combats nematodes. The scientists hope that toxins of this kind will become the basis for the vaccination of livestock or domestic animals against zooparasitic nematodes.

The second transitional measure, launched by the SNSF to replace research funding at European level for a limited period, has met with a great response, as did the first. A total of 111 researchers have sub-mitted proposals for SNSF Consolidator Grants.

More than 2,500 New Yorkers joined ETH Zurich professors and other well-known international personalities from U.S. research and industry for 12 awe-inspiring events as part of the Zürich Meets New York festival.

Mehr als 85 Prozent der ländlichen Bevölkerung in Subsahara Afrika hat keinen Zugang zu Elektrizität. Um den Menschen in den betroffenen Gebieten zu ermöglichen, selber Strom zu erzeugen, haben wir – fünf Maschinenbaustudierende der ETH Zürich – eine neuartige Windturbine aus leicht verfügbaren Materialien konzipiert und gebaut.

A robot that can create works of art in the sand and a ski-touring boot that facilitates natural movement: these are just two of eleven innovative ideas being presented by engineering students from ETH Zurich at the launch of this year’s focus projects.

The ETH Board reiterated that it regards the participation of donors in the filling of endowed professorships as useful. It emphasised, however, that appointments must be made strictly according to academic principles and that donors would not be granted a veto.

At its meeting of 21 and 22 May 2014, the ETH Board appointed ten professors at ETH Zurich in accordance with the applications submitted by the President of ETH Zurich.