Teaching

In 2018, EPFL introduced a program whereby highly motivated Master’s students can create a startup for their Master’s projects. We spoke with two recent graduates who used the program to launch their own businesses.

The VIEshunt student team aims to benefit patients by developing an intelligent shunt able to regulate the intracranial pressure.

Research within reach, on the pulse of the time: On 15 May 2022, the new exhibition in the Visitor Centre of the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI will be opened to the general public. It shows how the biggest research institute in the ETH Domain – and in Switzerland – addresses the important questions that society is facing, from the energy transition and the fight against cancer to the development of new technologies.

EPFL startup School Rebound has developed a revolutionary application that uses artificial intelligence to help students improve their handwriting in a fun and personalized way. Nearly 15,000 students in Switzerland, France, and Italy are already putting it to work.

The new mechanical and electronic prototyping Discovery Learning Lab – known as the Student Prototyping and Outreach Tank, or “SPOT” for short – opened its doors on 25 March. The building houses all the resources students need to work on their projects.

Ultra-fast capsules in vacuum tubes: All around the world, companies and research institutes are working on "Hyperloop" concepts. Swissloop Tunneling, a student initiative, is developing a drilling machine for underground transport tubes. The first reward for their efforts: a second place in an international competition in Las Vegas.  

Through its new doctoral programme, the MaP Doctoral School, ETH Zurich plans to train specialists in materials and processes who will work across disciplines to tackle the big challenges of our time, such as climate change, sustainable development and personalised medicine.

Usually, failure is something shameful, or at least it used to be. Nowadays, people rather talk about how crucial failure is for success.

The outgoing Rector, Sarah Springman, reflects on where and how promoting women makes sense and what it means to be successful in this area.

ETH’s Student Project House is a dream come true for young inventors. It's a space where flashes of inspiration can materialise - or not and a place where students can implement their ideas without the pressure of succeeding.

Manuel Mathis is doing an internship at a composting plant in Nairobi as part of his Master’s degree programme. He is now in charge of a 20-strong team of workers – and, thanks to his improvements, the business is back in profit.

EPFL’s newest postdoc fellowship program – EPFLeaders4impact – will fund innovative research projects that address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Funded in part by the EU, the program is designed to encourage joint R&D among EPFL laboratories, businesses and non-profit organizations.

Switzerland’s two federal institutes of technology have teamed up to offer a new joint doctoral programme in the learning sciences. It aims to train experts to draw on their technological and scientific knowledge in the interests of forwarding the research, teaching and learning.

Jupyter Notebooks are digital tools that have become indispensable in a number of disciplines taught at EPFL. Both students and teachers alike appreciate the Notebooks’ flexibility and interactive features.

Work is underway at the Ecublens campus to install gender-neutral bathrooms designed to protect people’s privacy. In addition, menstrual products are now made available free of charge.