Globe: Hot spot in the field of medicine
For the last two years, ETH Zurich has been working closely with the University and the University Hospital in the field of medicine under the umbrella of Hochschulmedizin Zürich. The idea: to exploit the enormous potential that the three institutions have at their fingertips and catapult Zurich onto the world stage as a hotbed of medicine. The latest issue of Globe, the magazine of ETH Zurich and ETH Alumni, reveals exactly what this means.
Three of the most important institutions on Switzerland’s university medical research landscape are within walking distance of each other: the University of Zurich, which boasts the largest faculty of medicine in the country; ETH Zurich, a world-class technical university; and, just over the road, the University Hospital Zurich, which unites over forty clinics and institutes under one roof. And not all that far away, there are four other university hospitals, too.
No question: the prerequisites are so unique that Zurich could also become one of the world’s leading locations for medical research. With this in mind, the aforementioned institutions joined forces to form the organisation Hochschulmedizin Zürich. They are looking to pool their strengths in the field more strongly and boost joint research. The researchers tackle a remarkable array of topics together. Whether it be an artificial heart, imaging techniques used in Alzheimer’s research or fresh results on infectious diseases: what doctors, engineers and scientists jointly develop here should find its way to the patients as quickly as possible.
Understanding clouds
The environment Larissa Lacher works in couldn’t be more different: the doctoral student from Ulrike Lohmann’s group at the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science is researching how clouds form on the Jungfraujoch. After all, these are one of the main sources of uncertainty in climate models. Therefore, if we want to predict the future development of the climate more accurately, it is important to improve our understanding of how clouds form.
ETH-Zurich computer scientist Francisco Fernandez’s company Avaloq has grown rapidly. Today, the Zurich-based company is one of the leading providers of software solutions in the banking sector. Despite quadrupling the company’s turnover and staff since the beginning of the financial crisis, he refuses to rest on his laurels. His mission: to totally reinvent banking and develop the best solutions for the industry.
And finally, Giovanni Salvatore from ETH Zurich’s Wearable Computing Lab is also involved in a promising field. He is working on the next generation of wearable computers, which could not only be components in our clothing soon, but also revolutionise contact lenses and implants. In February, Salvatore will be presenting his results at the renowned AAAS Conference in California.