June 2016

Experts see great opportunities in the field of personalised medicine, but it will require the widespread exchange of patient data. This is one of the key lessons to emerge from this year’s Latsis Symposium at ETH Zurich. The researchers called on politicians to formulate data protection legislation so that it does not hinder progress in the field of personalised medicine.

She connects electricity networks and people: Gabriela Hug is Professor of Electric Power Systems – and a sought-after woman. Her research helps make existing electricity infrastructure fit for the energy transition.  

Fest installierte Batterien können die Energiewende unterstützen, doch sind sie oft nicht profitabel. Eine techno-ökonomische Studie zeigt nun, wie Batterien durch geschickte Kombination verschiedener Anwendungen wirtschaftlicher und in manchen Fällen sogar heute schon profitabel werden könnten.

Plant scientists at ETH Zurich have recently celebrated a world first at the ETH Zurich’s research station in Lindau-Eschikon: the launch of the ETH Field Phenotyping Platform (FIP), a unique crop phenotyping system. This gives researchers an incredibly accurate tool for measuring and monitoring the health and performance of field crops.

Die Energiewende tritt in eine neue Phase. Es geht nicht mehr nur um den Ausbau erneuerbarer Alternativen, sondern um das Überleben oder den Niedergang bislang dominierender Akteure und Technologien. Dieser Phasenübergang fordert Wirtschaft, Politik und Forschung.

Behaviors caused by traumatic experiences in early life are reversible. Researchers from the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich could demonstrate that environmental enrichment allows trauma-related symptoms in mice to be reversed. This is the first evidence that positive environmental factors can correct behavioral alterations which would otherwise be transmitted to the offspring. 

The grimsel electric racing car broke the world record for acceleration by an electric car today. The vehicle accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in 1.513 seconds over a distance of less than 30 m. The record-breaking car was developed by students at ETH Zurich and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

From next semester, undergraduate students in four departments will be able to take their first-year exams in two separate blocks as part of a pilot project. For the first time, students will be able to sit exams after their first semester and will therefore find out sooner whether they are suited to their course of study.

As of 20 June, users can access the Atlas of Switzerland online and free of charge. For the multi-award-winning map series, this marks the end of the era of offline media.

In an age of lifelong learning, returning to the classroom over and over is the norm. ETH is no exception, which is why continuing education will be accorded more importance here in future.