In the world of journalists, press conferences are all too frequent and time-consuming, so there is a tendency to rush in late and rush out early, rude as that may be. The group of journalists is rarely large, even if the story is a locally important one.

Photographers dash to shoot Dona Bertarelli Spaeth at EPFL (click on image to view larger)

So imagine my surprise Tuesday when I went to EPFL in Lausanne to hear about the new centre for neuroprostheses and found a crowd of photographers, who had clearly made a point of getting there on time. This is indeed an important story, but one that requires a journalist who can write. Photos? Okay, there was Ernesto Bertarelli, he of Alinghi fame, not to mention that he’s classed by Fortune and Forbes magazines as Switzerland’s richest man. And Daniel Borel of Logitech, another multimillionaire. Jeffrey Hubbell, American professor, talked about the new centre, Patrick Aebischer, president of EPFL spoke and then Bertarelli.

And then, oohlala, the lean and long-legged, blond-haired and immaculately dressed (not to mention rich)  Dona Bertarelli Spaeth, sister of the mega-rich former head of Serono, took the podium to talk about the family foundation. The clicking and flashing of the photographers who suddenly bolted to the front of the group drowned out most of what she said.

So much for the appeal of neuroscience. Here’s what at least one of them got.

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