2010 in the rear-view mirror
© Alain Herzog
2010 will certainly go down in history as an important year for the school. News worthy events, both big and small, have come and gone at an unheard of rhythm – some of them spread around the world while others went unnoticed. All of these news items make up EPFL’s identity; an educational motor for young engineers, an important player in international scientific research and a living entity in constant contact with the surrounding world. With this “Best Of 2010” we wanted to trace an otherwise disparate continuity of events and, at the same time take the opportunity to wish you an excellent end of the year holiday season. We look forward to seeing you next year to continue the adventure.
EDUCATION
L’EPFL "europeanizes" its Master Degrees
14.09.10 - EPFL has been awarded the EUR-ACE label for 13 of its engineering master degrees. This European accreditation is designed to improve the match between training and industry needs, as well as encouraging the free movement of graduates on the continent.
More than 7500 students this year
21.09.10 - Back to school in a climate of growth! Whether it’s in the preparatory year, in the first year of BA or Master, the influx of students is as expected, with EPFL welcoming more than 7500 students in 2010-2011. The future development of the campus and the recurring problem of accommodation remain crucial questions. An extensive survey is being conducted for an ambitious project to create 500 new dwellings on campus.
EPFL Middle East opens Master Program
09.11.10 - EPFL’s campus in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has opened registration for Switzerland’s first ever Masters program in a campus abroad.
Harvard and EPFL announce joint program in neuroengineering
29.10.10 - Bertarelli Foundation brings together Harvard Medical School and EPFL to create joint neuroengineering program.
RESEARCH
EPFL becomes world center for tuberculosis study
16.03.10 Tuberculosis still affects thousands of victims worldwide. And with the inauguration of a laboratory specializing in air-borne pathogens Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has become one of the world centers for research in the domain one week before the World Tuberculosis Day, organized by the WHO.
New Swiss Research Centers - NCCR
15.04.10 - Among eight new national projects, four are shared between institutions along the lake from Geneva to Lausanne. UNIGE, UNIL, and EPFL will benefit from around 58 million Swiss francs over the next three years from this collaboration that supports excellence in chemical biology, neuroscience, robotics, and social sciences.
A galaxy magnified by quasar
16.07.10- The EPFL’s Laboratory of Astrophysics has, for the first time ever, observed a quasar that is located between the earth and a more distant galaxy. Acting as a gravitational lens, it makes new kinds of observations possible.
A 360° camera that sees in 3D
02.12.10 - Surround sight has come to the camera. Inspired by the eye of a fly, EPFL scientists have invented a camera that can take pictures and film in 360° and reconstruct the images in 3D. Over 70,000 views on YouTube!
CAMPUS
Rolex Learning Center opens its doors on February 22nd
22.2.10 The Rolex Learning Center, designed by the architecture firm SANAA, opens its doors today, the 22nd of February, to EPFL students and the public. Stunningly designed and painstakingly engineered, the new campus hub is a social microcosm including a library, a lab for learning as well as several EPFL’s departments and accommodations.
EPFL welcomes President of Germany
09.09.10 - The campus was visited by the President of the German Federal Republic and the President of the Swiss confederation. On the occasion of his state visit to Switzerland, Christian Wulff took the opportunity of his stopover at EPFL to attend a demonstration of dye-sensitized solar cells, presented by Michaël Grätzel.
A french-speaking catalyst for technological innovation
19.10.10 - A unique program of cooperation, including the best French-speaking technology universities is currently being created under the auspices of EPFL and its partners, with the name “RESCIF – Réseau d’excellence des sciences de l’ingénieur de la Francophonie”.
CULTURE
Venice Biennale Top Award for EPFL Designed National Exhibit
07.09.10 - The Kingdom of Bahrain’s first National participation at the International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, has been awarded the Golden Lion. The exhibition design was conducted by Prof. Harry Gugger and Leopold Banchini from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). An interview with Professor Gugger.
Article
A cube materializes in the curve of the Rolex Learning Center
17.11.10 - The Module, a very unusual structure, offers an astonishing experience to visitors to the EPFL library
Montreux Jazz archives go digital
09.12.10 - More than 5000 hours of video recordings of the Montreux Jazz Festival, including artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Phil Collins and David Bowie, are to be digitally archived as part of the Montreux Sounds Digital Project. The watchmaking company Audemars Piguet, Montreux Sounds SA – the company that manages the festival’s audio-visual archives – and EPFL are joining forces to convert this heritage into digital media.