March 2020

In the latest round of prestigious ERC Advanced Grants, ETH Zurich has secured two of the awards – one in the area of biology and the other in pharmacy. The grants will see ETH receive around 5.16 million Swiss francs in funding.

Participate in containing coronavirus: medical informatics specialists at ETH Zurich have developed a monitoring system to complement corona tests and track how the virus is spreading in Switzerland. All residents of Switzerland can take part in the online survey.

Viola Vogel talks to the ETH Podcast about how soap, ginger, rinsing our mouths and gargling can make us more resistant against viruses.

ETH students have launched a new web platform, “Students4Hospitals”. Students of all disciplines from across Switzerland can register there to be placed on a relief mission in a healthcare institution. The platform also lets hospitals register their need for volunteers.

Shuttered buildings, empty auditoriums: classroom teaching at ETH Zurich has been suspended since 16 March. Thanks to online teaching, however, students can still attend their lectures virtually.

In view of the global Covid 19 crisis, the Botnar Research Center for Child Health is launching an emergency initiative to develop approaches to deal with the situation.

How is teaching at ETH dealing with the explosion of information in research and technology? Besides developing specialist knowledge, teaching is increasingly concerned with interdisciplinary skills such as critical thinking and the ability to filter, understand and apply relevant information.

With many of us thrown into an unusual work situation, now’s a good moment to think about boundaries, says Gudela Grote.

In response to these exceptional times, the monthly ETH Podcast will appear as a series of short items dealing with various aspects of the novel form of coronavirus and all its ramifications. We’ll be starting with ETH President Joël Mesot.

The expected surge in coronavirus patients is pushing Swiss hospitals to the very limits of their capacity. Equipment, consumables and other resources are desperately needed. Researchers right across Switzerland can provide valuable support through pooled resources. The ETH Domain has set up a dedicated platform “Academic Resources for COVID” to coordinate their efforts.