May 2017

Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani hasn't just written definitive reference works on urban planning and shaped a generation of ETH architects; he has also run numerous projects of his own. Now, the charismatic Chair for the History of Urban Design is about to retire.  

A research project by ETH Zurich, MIT with other US universities will receive 15 million US dollars in funding from the New York-based Simons Foundation. Over the next five years, researchers will investigate how microbial communities are organised and function, with a focus on the oceans.

Transport proteins in the cells of our body protect us from particular toxins. Researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Basel have now determined the high-resolution three-dimensional structure of a major human transport protein. In the long term, this could help to develop new medications.

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.

Accurate measurements of the frequencies of weak electric or magnetic fields are important in many applications. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now developed a procedure whereby a quantum sensor measures the frequency of an oscillating magnetic field with unprecedented accuracy.

The ETH spinoff MaxWell Biosystems AG develops microelectrode platforms for electrophysiological tests on nerve cells, opening up new possibilities for pharmaceutical research. Now, the company received CHF 130,000 in starting capital from the Venture Kick initiative

On behalf of CERN, researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a high-tech device for the production of extremely precise, high voltage pulses that could be used in the next generation of particle accelerators.

The key instrument in the protection of species – the red list– is a register of particularly rare species. The principle is that the rarer a species, the more urgent are the measures to prevent its extinction. However, this distracts from the fact that Nature should be rich in common species.

ETH Meets New York to explore Blockchain technologies, machine learning, and artificial intelligence with academia and industry. In two public symposia, we discovered how these disruptive technologies change the way we engage an increasingly digitalised world.

The ETH Board appointed 15 new professors upon application of ETH President Lino Guzzella.