(2 X 1000) + 11
Welcome to 2011 – another year in the Gregorian calendar. A year that we hope brings you success and happiness from a scientific, academic and personal point of view.
Let’s remind ourselves that although 2010 was indeed a successful year for the school, the coming year is also full of promise for our institute of technology. With 7700 students, and 5000 scientists and other employees, the school has grown to twice its size in 1990 – effectively doubling its numbers in only twenty years! And its academic and scientific reputation has reached new heights, occasionally surprising even ourselves . Quite normal then that its visibility has increased, for it reflects, to a certain extent, the dynamism of the small but lively and cosmopolitan town that is EPFL.
2011 will be ushered in by a fascinating natural phenomenon – a partial solar eclipse on January 4 (see article). Other events on the campus this year are Balelec on May 13, and Vivapoly on May 26. From an international perspective, 2011 will mark a variety of symbolic moments; for example, we will see changes in space exploration, with the ending of some of the shuttle programs. It has also been named as the International Year of Forests and the Year of Chemistry by the United Nations General Assembly: this will allow us to highlight the significant work undertaken at EPFL in terms of the environment and in particular in building with wood.
This year will also see developments in transport infrastructure, with the completion of the cantonal road 1, the lakeside road, which should confer a more definitive aspect to the south side of the campus. The “new” road will be wider and safer with three new roundabouts and more greenery . The development of the school will continue apace: 2011 will begin with the announcement of the results of the architectural competition for the extension of the mechanical engineering halls , to the north of the Rolex Learning Center, and will also see the start of the building work on the Congress Center, also on the north side of the campus . The Center will be a unique example of its kind, serving as a working tool for the whole EPFL community, and able to host both small and big events, thereby making scientists throughout the world aware of this little corner of Switzerland.