LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Nanowires may hold the key to vastly cheaper solar-powered electricity, researchers at EPFL, working with scientists at the Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark say. The group published a paper in late March in Nature Photonics, that is getting the attention of world solar power experts. “Solar technology integrating nanowires could capture large [...]
The beauty and (for some of us) mystery of sea salt
April 8, 2013 by
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Coarse sea salt, in particular fleur de sel, is what the Swiss Heart Association tells us we should be using, while of course being sensible about the limiting the quantity of salt in our food and using herbs and spices more often to flavour foods. Strangely enough, having read the web site [...]
Swiss polytechnics’ fees increase delayed
March 7, 2013 by
Board of EPFL and ETHZ agrees to wait, to review parliament’s bid ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Students at Switzerland’s two federal polytechnic institutions, EPFL in Lausanne and ETHZ in Zurich will not see fees double in 2015, the board for the two said Wednesday 6 March, but fees are nevertheless likely to go up. The board [...]
Aebischer taking sabattical from EPFL
February 20, 2013 by
Philippe Gillet named temporary head from 1 August LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Patrick Aebischer, whose has led EPFL, the federal polytechnic institute in Lausanne, through 13 tumultuous years of expansion and growing international recognition, will be taking a six-month leave of absence from 1 August to 31 January 2014. Philippe Gillet, vice-president for academic affairs since [...]
EPFL wins top EC prize, Human Brain Project creates “Cern for the brain”
January 28, 2013 by
EPFL-led project gets euros 1 billion award LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The Human Brain Project (HBP) under the direction of Henry Markram at EPFL in Lausanne has just become reality: The European Commission announced that the HBP is one of its two FET Flagship projects. “The new project will federate European efforts to address one of [...]
TEDx Lausanne speaker offers solutions to youth unemployment
January 21, 2013 by
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Training youth “to become job creators instead of job seekers” through short- and long-term solutions is the key to tackling future unemployment, an international labour market expert says. Youth unemployment has risen to record levels in many European states since the beginning of the economic crisis, Peter Vogel points out. One solution [...]
Swiss loved by everyone but the media, studies show
December 20, 2012 by
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland’s image abroad is both terrific and terrible, data gathered by Presence Switzerland shows. For the second year in a row foreign media lambasted the country, mainly over financial matters, while Switzerland otherwise remained popular and well-liked by the public at large, with stability and neutrality viewed as positive factors. The image [...]
EPFL completes “massive online course”: 53,000 students
December 14, 2012 by
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Scala is a computer language designed by EPFL professor Martin Odersky, and while it may sound obscure if this is not your field, think again: Odersky just finished teaching the first-ever “Mooc” course, part of EPFL’s fall term, where he had 53,000 students. Many were working on getting their certification, and 9,700 [...]
Vaud opposes Bern’s decision to increase EPFL fees
December 7, 2012 by
LAUSANNE / ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - Vaud’s head of education, cantonal counselor Anne-Catherine Lyon said Friday that education should not be restricted by financial obstacles, in response to a decision 7 December by the Council of Federal Polytechnical Schools to double fees for students at Lausanne’s EPFL and Zurich’s ETH. Lyon says she regrets the lack of [...]
EPFL students hold sit-in to protest suggested fees hikes
November 22, 2012 by
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Up to 300 students gathered Thurdday afternooon 22 November in front of the Rolex Learning Center at EPFL, the polytechnic institute in Lausanne, to protest proposed increases in fees. The current CHF1,260 a year could double, to CHF2,500, if measures under consideration for EPFL and ETH in Zurich are approved. The two [...]
