ETH Board
“The magic of 8 and 24”
Research
ETH Board
Professor of number theory Maryna Viazovska has solved a mathematical problem that has stumped researchers for centuries. Using a creative approach and the knowledge gained in her dissertation work, she demonstrates how spheres can be optimally and symmetrically packed into multidimensional space in a manner that fills all available space. This achievement brought her recognition with the Fields Medal, which is something like a “Nobel Prize for Mathematics”.
Research for crisis management
Politics
ETH Board
Species decline, increasing extreme weather events as a fallout of global warming and, on top of it all, the war in Ukraine, which has also brought about uncertainties regarding energy supply and digital transformation: We are living in a challenging time in which several crises are being felt at once. Meanwhile, scientists from the ETH Domain are faced with a lot to tackle. They are investigating a diverse range of issues. Drawing on the expertise they have acquired, they are developing proposals for solutions to assist citizens, the authorities and politicians with advice and support.
Start-ups worth a billion
TechTransfer
ETH Board
The institutions of the ETH Domain produce around 60 spin-offs each year. Among them, five are valued at over one billion dollars. Here is an introduction to these five “unicorns”.
“Carbon dioxide can be turned into a valuable resource”
Research
ETH Board
The Swiss energy system is expected to be climate-neutral by 2050. The key to this is science: CO2 can be converted by electrolysis into raw materials for chemicals or synthetic fuels and the cost of a fossil-free energy system can be calculated using modelling.
Parliament wants to secure funding for international research
Politics
ETH Board
Switzerland is still not associated with Horizon Europe. In addition to the loss of international networks and attractiveness, this may also result in financial losses for Swiss ERI actors. The Committees for Science, Education and Culture now want to ensure that the funds that Parliament had allocated for Horizon Europe actually benefit research – and are not used for other purposes.
Talented mathematician and cycling sensation
Teaching
ETH Board
Anna Kiesenhofer has a doctorate in mathematics and was doing research as a postdoc at EPFL on partial differential equations when she qualified for the cycling road race at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and won the gold medal in sensational fashion. She sees parallels between mathematics and cycling which were instrumental in her success.   
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