New president of the Lecturers’ Conference elected

In early May 2020, the General Conference of the Faculty Members elected the professor of experimental atmospheric physics as President of the Lecturers¡¯ Conference (KdL) for a two-year term. The decision was passed unanimously at a meeting of 107 attendees, which took place via Zoom due to the coronavirus situation. Ulrike Lohmann will succeed Edoardo Mazza, who has headed the KdL since 2016. Mazza is a professor of mechanics at the Institute for Mechanical Systems at D-MAVT and a member of the management team for the external page Zurich Heart and Skintegrity medical projects.

Important and challenging projects realised

Looking back, Mazza views his tenure as a ¡°hugely enriching experience¡± that has allowed him to see ETH from new angles. He describes the KdL analysis of the first year of studies, which was based on interviews with lecturers, as a highlight. ¡°Numerous colleagues became involved spontaneously and contributed useful ideas,¡± he says. Equally important ¨C but also challenging for the committee ¨C were the discussions surrounding shortcomings in the mentorship of doctoral candidates and the reforms that this made necessary.

¡°It was a great pleasure to organise the KITE Award, which was an opportunity to experience the ETH lecturers¡¯ enthusiasm and capacity for innovation first-hand,¡± says Mazza. ¡°I¡¯m particularly proud that the KdL has become a go-to place for open, critical discussion about fundamental questions and core issues affecting our university, and that this always takes place in a friendly and professional atmosphere.¡±

Lecturers learn from each other

For the new KdL president, the ETH-wide rETHink reorganisation presents the ideal opportunity to address the perspectives and concerns of lecturers. According to Lohmann, the fundamental question is: ¡°How can we best live up to ETH¡¯s values and thus attain excellence in teaching and research?¡± Due to the coronavirus crisis, another clear focus is of course digital and hybrid teaching formats: ¡°I want the KdL to work towards developing solutions that allow our students to learn in the most effective way possible.¡±

To achieve this goal, Lohmann would like, among other things, to build on a voluntary pilot project started during her predecessor¡¯s term in office: peer review in teaching. ¡°It may be unusual for some to have their teaching evaluated by colleagues. But everyone who participated in this pilot project was very grateful for this opportunity,¡± says the new KdL president. ¡°I¡¯m convinced that as teachers, we can learn a lot more from each other than we think.¡±

Last but not least, she will begin organising the nomination for the successor to the Rector, who is responsible for teaching activities ¨C one of the main tasks of the KdL. ¡°It¡¯s really important that we design this process well,¡± explains Lohmann, ¡°because this role is the only position on the Executive Board that professors can help fill."