Making music with transformers. Developing robots that dive and wheelchairs that climb stairs: studying at ETH has many aspects and learning is not confined to the lecture theatre. This quiz gives you a few insights into studying at ETH.
Would you have believed it? In the summer quiz series, we take you on a tour of discovery through remarkable, peculiar and fun facts from ETH Zurich’s research and teaching. This edition addresses studying and students at ETH.
Summer quiz: Studying at ETH
- Question 1 of 8
1. More than two dozen electrical engineering students at ETH developed a "musical Tesla coil": this transformer shoots out metre-long lightning bolts that dance to music. Different lightning patterns are formed depending on the music; i.e. a pop hit such as "Narcotic" by Liquido generates different lightning patterns than the Baroque "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" by Johann Sebastian Bach (see video). How did the ETH students do this?
✓ Correct The musical Tesla coil generates a high-frequency AC voltage of nearly half a million volts and shoots out metre-long lightning bolts that are generated in sync with a specific frequency, allowing it to play any melody. This is the result of a "technology fusion": it combines the traditional Tesla transformer (Nicola Tesla, 1856–1943) with modern power semiconductors (find out more in the video with explanation). A similar approach is also used in the latest energy research: a compact high-frequency transformer connects voltages of different magnitudes (as with the Tesla transformer), and power semiconductors are used to control the flow of electrical energy from the high-voltage side to the low-voltage side (and vice versa). By the way, schools can visit the ETH High Voltage Laboratory. (Video: ETH Zürich / High Voltage Laboratory)
✘ False The musical Tesla coil generates a high-frequency AC voltage of nearly half a million volts and shoots out metre-long lightning bolts that are generated in sync with a specific frequency, allowing it to play any melody. This is the result of a “technology fusion”: it combines the traditional Tesla transformer (Nicola Tesla, 1856–1943) with modern power semiconductors (find out more in the video with explanation). A similar approach is also used in the latest energy research: a compact high-frequency transformer connects voltages of different magnitudes (as with the Tesla transformer), and power semiconductors are used to control the flow of electrical energy from the high-voltage side to the low-voltage side (and vice versa). By the way, schools can visit the ETH High Voltage Laboratory. (Video: ETH Zürich / High Voltage Laboratory)
- Question 2 of 8
2. New subject areas keep emerging in science and technology. This is also reflected in education. Which new Master’s programme will ETH run for the first time in the autumn semester (AS19)?
✓ Correct In 2019, ETH is introducing the Master’s in Quantum Engineering. This will teach knowledge at the interface of quantum physics, electrical engineering and information technology, in order to develop new quantum technologies. The Master’s programme in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel is also relatively new. It has been running since 2017 with the universities of Basel and Zurich. Since 2014, Human Movement Sciences and Sport has been integrated into the Health Sciences and Technology programme. Find out more under Master's degree programmes. Photograph: ETH Zurich / Gian Marco Castelberg)
✘ False In 2019, ETH is introducing the Master’s in Quantum Engineering. This will teach knowledge at the interface of quantum physics, electrical engineering and information technology, in order to develop new quantum technologies. The Master’s programme in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel is also relatively new. It has been running since 2017 with the universities of Basel and Zurich. Since 2014, Human Movement Sciences and Sport has been integrated into the Health Sciences and Technology programme. Find out more under Master's degree programmes. Photograph: ETH Zurich / Gian Marco Castelberg)
- Question 3 of 8
3. ETH students are often innovative. Which of the following inventions was not developed by ETH students?
✓ Correct In April 2019, France introduced a new standard for computer keyboards. It was developed primarily by Anna Maria Feit – in Helsinki. In any case, the postdoctoral researcher at ETH’s Department of Computer Science is no longer a student. A team of ETH undergraduate students built the diving robot Scubo 2.0. Chiron is a construction robot developed by students at ETH and Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) as part of a focus project. Scewo (formerly known as Scalevo), the wheelchair that can climb stairs, was developed by ETH students as a focus project. Scewo is now an ETH spin-off. Find out more about these developments in ETH News. (Images: Scubo, Team Chiron, Cherry, Scevo)
✘ False In April 2019, France introduced a new standard for computer keyboards. It was developed primarily by Anna Maria Feit – in Helsinki. In any case, the postdoctoral researcher at ETH’s Department of Computer Science is no longer a student. A team of ETH undergraduate students built the diving robot Scubo 2.0. Chiron is a construction robot developed by students at ETH and Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) as part of a focus project. Scewo (formerly known as Scalevo), the wheelchair that can climb stairs, was developed by ETH students as a focus project. Scewo is now an ETH spin-off. Find out more about these developments in ETH News. (Images: Scubo, Team Chiron, Cherry, Scevo)
- Question 4 of 8
4. Anyone who studies at ETH has to sit exams. These are known to be rigorous. But how fair are they from the students’ perspective?
✓ Correct For more than 20 years, ETH Zurich has surveyed its students about teaching and examinations. Their feedback serves to improve the teaching. The assessment of the fairness of examinations is mainly positive (mean average 3.9 on a scale of 1 to 5); i.e. the majority of students feel that the exams allow them to show what they have learned. Find out more about studying at ETH Zurich. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Alessandro Della Bella)
✘ False For more than 20 years, ETH Zurich has surveyed its students about teaching and examinations. Their feedback serves to improve the teaching. The assessment of the fairness of examinations is mainly positive (mean average 3.9 on a scale of 1 to 5); i.e. the majority of students feel that the exams allow them to show what they have learned. Find out more about studying at ETH Zurich. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Alessandro Della Bella)
- Question 5 of 8
5. When people study for a degree, they attend many lectures that teach basic knowledge. Which ETH lecture attracted the most students in the 2018/19 academic year?
✓ Correct The most highly attended ETH lecture in the 2018/19 academic year was "Introduction to Machine Learning", which was attended by 944 students in spring semester 2019. The second most attended lecture was "Mechanics 1", with 748 students in autumn semester 2018. Previously, the mechanics lecture held the top spot for several years. There is no lecture on humour. The students bring that along themselves. Find out more about Bachelor degree programmes. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Alessandro Della Bella)
✘ False The most highly attended ETH lecture in the 2018/19 academic year was "Introduction to Machine Learning", which was attended by 944 students in spring semester 2019. The second most attended lecture was "Mechanics 1", with 748 students in autumn semester 2018. Previously, the mechanics lecture held the top spot for several years. There is no lecture on humour. The students bring that along themselves. Find out more about Bachelor degree programmes. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Alessandro Della Bella)
- Question 6 of 8
6. ETH Zurich doesn’t have a superman. It has students who confront challenges – and triumph every now and then in a wide range of championships. Which of the following competitions was won by an ETH team of students?
✓ Correct The first Swiss football champions was the Anglo-American Football Club in 1899. In fact, nearly all the players in the winning team (nine out of eleven) were students who were enrolled from 1895 to 1900 in what was then the Federal Polytechnic. They studied at the chemical engineering school and knew each other from lectures. Since most of them came from the UK, the Anglo-American FC soon disbanded. Find out more in the ETHeritage blog. The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is a competition for individual students under the age of 20. To date, Switzerland has won one gold medal. ETH Zurich supports the Swiss qualification campaign. (Photograph: ETH Zurich)
✘ False The first Swiss football champions was the Anglo-American Football Club in 1899. In fact, nearly all the players in the winning team (nine out of eleven) were students who were enrolled from 1895 to 1900 in what was then the Federal Polytechnic. They studied at the chemical engineering school and knew each other from lectures. Since most of them came from the UK, the Anglo-American FC soon disbanded. Find out more in the ETHeritage blog. The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is a competition for individual students under the age of 20. To date, Switzerland has won one gold medal. ETH Zurich supports the Swiss qualification campaign. (Photograph: ETH Zurich)
- Question 7 of 8
7. On 16 October 1855, teaching began at ETH Zurich (at that time the Federal Polytechnic). Sources from the time are scarce. A few sentences can be found in the diary of the then director. Which of the following quotes can be found written in his journal?
✓ Correct The third statement comes from the diary entry of the first director, Joseph Wolfgang von Deschwanden, on the day before 16 April 1855. On the day, 68 students from Switzerland, Germany and the UK took up their studies at the Federal Polytechnic – and in the evening several were indeed drunk (find out more in the ETHeritage blog). The other quotations also come from old ETH documents, but not from the pen of the first director. (Photograph: ETH Bibliothek / Johannes Ganz, Künzli-Tobler & Co.)
✘ False The third statement comes from the diary entry of the first director, Joseph Wolfgang von Deschwanden, on 16 April 1855. On the day, 68 students from Switzerland, Germany and the UK took up their studies at the Federal Polytechnic – and in the evening several were indeed drunk (find out more in the ETHeritage blog). The other quotations also come from old ETH documents, but not from the pen of the first director. (Photograph: ETH Bibliothek / Johannes Ganz, Künzli-Tobler & Co.)
- Question 8 of 8
8. As well as facilities for learning and teaching, students also have access to various opportunities for music, sport, art, leisure, etc. Which of the following organisations has no direct connection with ETH?
✓ Correct STA Travel AG has no direct connection with ETH Zurich, even though the former Swiss student travel office (SSR-Reisen) was acquired by STA Travel shortly after the turn of the millennium. SOS ETH is a student club that offers access to various media services, such as a radio station, digital lab and CD recording, and also organises photo exhibitions and film screenings. Musikplattform is an association that connects students and staff at ETH and the University of Zurich who play music, and organises several concerts each semester. Student Project House offers ETH students from all disciplines the opportunity to try out their project ideas. (Photo: SOS ETH)
✘ False STA Travel AG has no direct connection with ETH Zurich, even though the former Swiss student travel office (SSR-Reisen) was acquired by STA Travel shortly after the turn of the millennium. SOS ETH is a student club that offers access to various media services, such as a radio station, digital lab and CD recording, and also organises photo exhibitions and film screenings. Musikplattform is an association that connects students and staff at ETH and the University of Zurich who play music, and organises several concerts each semester. Student Project House offers ETH students from all disciplines the opportunity to try out their project ideas. (Photo: SOS ETH)
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