Große Halle mit vielen weißen Bögengängen

ETH Zurich

Zürich

Three letters stand for ‘the’ university of Switzerland: ETH, short for the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. It is one of the best universities worldwide and, along with some British universities, one of the top universities in Europe. In 2021, more than 23,400 people from 121 countries are studying at ETH. More than half of the new bachelor’s students start in the degree programmes in mechanical engineering, computer science, architecture, health sciences and technology, and physics. The university is firmly rooted in cutting-edge research: members of the university have received a number of prestigious science prizes: 21 Nobel Prizes, two Fields Medals (mathematics), two Pritzker Prizes (architecture) and a Turing Award (computer science). ETH was founded in 1855 as the ‘Eidgenössisches Polytechnikum’ (Swiss Federal Polytechnic Institute), which is why it is often referred to as ‘Poly’.

ETH Zurich website: https://ethz.ch/en.html

Photo: The university’s main hall. Credits: ETH Zurich / Gian Marco Castelberg

More from Switzerland

Icon Switzerland
Ein Arbeiter auf gelbem Kran werkelt an einem riesigen roten Tunnelgebilde herum
Science Sight
Large Hadron Collider at CERN
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Large Hadron Collider at CERN
The world’s largest particle physics research centre, CERN, is located near Geneva, partly in France and partly in Switzerland. The name is an acronym for ‘Conseil européen pour la recherche nucléaire’, the European Council for Nuclear Research, which was commissioned to found the organisation. The European Organisation for Nuclear Research operates, among other things, the […]
Das markante Matterhorn unter dem Sternenhimmel. Foto: Unsplash/Huper by Joshua Earle.
Science Sight
Matterhorn
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Matterhorn
It is said to be the most photographed summit in the world: the Matterhorn. The triangular summit rises 4,478 metres above sea level. It is Switzerland’s emblem, the seventh highest mountain in the Alps and the model for the chocolate, Toblerone. On 14 July 1865, the Horn was climbed for the first time via the […]
Previous Article
Next Article

More about Science

Icon Science
Science Sight
Esplora Interactive Science Centre
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Esplora Interactive Science Centre
Ever burped? Or passed wind? Normally, these are both topics that we feel embarrassed about. But at the Esplora Interactive Science Center in Malta you do not have to be ashamed. Here, you can learn how passing wind or burping happens in the body. Also you can learn about the physiological processes that happen in […]
Science Sight
National Museum of Natural History 
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
National Museum of Natural History 
Travelling through Europe with camels? Sounds unusual. But in Bulgaria, researchers from the National Museum of Natural History have actually discovered a very well-preserved camel skeleton. This is a unique find in Europe. The remains date back to the Roman Empire, as Romans imported and bred camels in Europe to transport goods and military equipment. […]
Science Sight
The Maritime Museum
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
The Maritime Museum
A maritime underground museum? What sounds inappropriate at first has long been an attraction in Helsingør, 40 kilometres north of Copenhagen. The submarine-shaped museum was built in the harbour town back in 1915. And it is located right next to the World Heritage Site Kronborg Castle. The museum is located there because it was not […]
Science Sight
Arktikum 
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Arktikum 
The home of Santa Claus is… yes, where actually? In the heart of Finland near the Arctic Circle is the town of Rovaniemi. It is home to Santa Claus Village, the official home of Santa Claus – on the edge of the Arctic. The Arktikum, a museum and science centre in one, is a great […]
Science Sight
Oceanographic Museum Monaco
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Oceanographic Museum Monaco
The white stone palace clinging to a Monegasque cliff is known as the Temple of the Sea. Just as if the ancient city of Atlantis had emerged from the depths of the ocean, only a stretch of cliff separates the Monaco Oceanographic Museum from the Mediterranean sea. Over 6000 sea creatures can be found in […]
Science Sight
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences
A romantic evening stroll along the Danube is a must for almost every visitor to Budapest. Among the many magnificent buildings on the banks, two stand out in particular: the majestic Parliament building, the symbol of the Hungarian capital, and the particularly artistically designed Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Inaugurated almost 160 years ago, it is […]
Science Sight
The Vjosa – the last wild river in Central Europe
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
The Vjosa – the last wild river in Central Europe
The untamed Vjosa rushes through the landscape, meandering as it pleases, changing its course here and there. It overcomes gorges, flows down hills as waterfalls, washes around rocks that stand in its way. It spreads out as a torrent in the valley or ripples through white pebbles. In the process, sediment is transported, causing sand […]
Science Sight
Nobel Roundabout
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Nobel Roundabout
There is no other place in the world where you can meet nine Nobel Prize winners at any given time. Only in Göttingen this is possible because so many Nobel Prize winners have studied or worked here. Some of them are even buried in the Göttingen City Cemetery. In their honour, the ‘Nobel Roundel’ was […]
Science Sight
Struve Arc
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Struve Arc
What connects the cities of Hammerfest in Norway, Tartu in Estonia and Stara Nekrassiwka in Ukraine? It is not too obvious, but in fact the so-called Struve Geodetic Arc runs through these cities – and several countries between them. The German astronomer Wilhelm Struve wanted to determine the exact shape of the Earth by using […]
Science Sight
Collegium Maius
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Collegium Maius
What do astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and former Pope John Paul II have in common? They are the two most famous graduates of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. For centuries, knowledge has been preserved and passed on within the old walls. The Jagiellonian University is the oldest university in Poland. It was founded in 1364 by […]
Science Sight
Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam
‘On the construction of the two vases on the shoulders of the elephant, the hanging cymbal and the preparation of the water clock’. With this chapter, the scholar Al-Jazari ends his instructions for building an elephant water clock. The hands of the clock are driven by a buoy that sinks in water. Al-Jazari probably came […]
Science Sight
Nikola Tesla Memorial
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Nikola Tesla Memorial
In the night between 9th and 10th July 1856, Nikola Tesla was born in the tiny village of Smiljan. However, the world-famous inventor, engineer and physicist did not stay in his home village for long and went to school in another town. Today, the Nikola Tesla Memorial is located in Smiljan. The historic buildings, such […]
Science Sight
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
Futuristic-looking white buildings, large pools of water and parkland all around: this is the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. In addition to impressive architecture and nature, there are three different ways to learn more about science here.In the middle of the building complex is the […]
Science Sight
Musée Curie
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Musée Curie
Curie is a name that is associated with scientific excellence and female emancipation like no other. Marie Curie is so far the only woman to have received two Nobel Prizes. No man has yet managed to be honoured with the most prestigious prize in two different natural sciences. She discovered the chemical elements radium and […]
Science Sight
National Archaeological Museum Athens
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
National Archaeological Museum Athens
Greece, the land of philosophy, sculpture and – the first computer? That is what the Antikythera mechanism is sometimes called. After 2,000 years in the sea, only corroded fragments remain, but from these, researchers have been able to reconstruct an impressive piece of machinery. A total of six dials could be used to read various […]
Science Sight
Museo Leonardo Da Vinci
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Museo Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci is known as one of the greatest and most significant thinkers in the history of mankind. He was a painter, sculptor, engineer, natural philosopher, architect and a very industrious inventor. The largest collection of his devices is in the Leonardo da Vinci Museum in the heart of Florence. There, you can admire […]
Science Sight
Royal Greenwich Observatory
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Royal Greenwich Observatory
Changing from west to east in just one step. This is only possible in a few places in the world. One of the most beautiful and significant is the historic Royal Observatory at Greenwich in London. The equator is the axis that divides the Earth into north and south. The equator lies on the middle […]
Science Sight
L’Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
L’Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
Do hospitals have to be white, sterile and boring? Think again – in the middle of Barcelona stands L’Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. This translates as: Hospital of the Holy Cross and Saint Pau. The world’s largest Art Nouveau building complex takes up almost an entire block and looks nothing like a […]
Ein prunkvolles Gebäude steht in einer grünen Parkanlage im Sonnenschein.
Science Sight
Pius’s cottage
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Pius’s cottage
Do you think that religion and science don’t go together? If you do, you might be surprised during a walk through the Vatican Gardens: you might sit on the same bench that Max Planck (founder of quantum physics) or Ernest Rutherford (experimental physicist; Rutherford’s atomic model) once sat on, or you might walk through a […]
Haupteingang des Nobel Prize Museums. Foto: © Nobel Media. Alexander Mahmoud.
Science Sight
Nobel Prize Museum
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Nobel Prize Museum
From the Stockholm ‘Konserthuset’, where the new winners of the Nobel Prizes are honoured every year, it is not far to the Nobel Prize Museum, which is dedicated to all those who have been honoured before. In addition to the Nobel Prize and the numerous previous winners, the museum’s exhibitions also focus on Alfred Nobel, […]
Futuristische, quadratische Häuserfronten
Science Sight
University of Luxembourg
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
University of Luxembourg
This university in Luxembourg is one of the youngest in Europe. It was founded on 12th August 2003, making the University of Luxembourg the first and so far only state university in the Grand Duchy. Since then, only three private universities have been added. At the university, you can also study Luxembourgish studies. Apart from […]
Eisige Landschaft mit einigen Metallgebilden
Science Sight
University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) on Spitsbergen
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) on Spitsbergen
Anyone studying or conducting research at UNIS needs to wrap up warm: the University Centre in Svalbard, or UNIS for short, is the northernmost educational institution in the world. It is located in Longyearbyen, the capital of the Norwegian archipelago of Spitsbergen – at 78° North. Accordingly, teaching and research are focused on Arctic studies. […]
Viele hohe Bäume stehen im Regen, der Boden ist unter Wasser
Science Sight
CosmoCaixa
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
CosmoCaixa
The CosmoCaixa science museum in Barcelona is appropriately located on ‘Carrer d’Isaac Newton’, Isaac Newton Street. The museum and its exhibitions cover a wide range of scientific topics. Those who want to learn more about the universe and evolution can take an interactive tour that begins with the Big Bang and ends with research into the human […]
Science Sight
Klementinum: Medieval observatory and weather station
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Klementinum: Medieval observatory and weather station
After climbing 172 steps and narrow spiral staircases, you are rewarded with a breathtaking view over Prague’s Old Town. The Klementinum, a huge baroque complex with a 68 metre high astronomical tower, is enthroned directly on the famous Charles Bridge. The Klementinum offers more than just a magnificent view. It was already the centre of […]
Article
AI takes the lab by storm, but should it really? 
Article-Symbol
Article
AI takes the lab by storm, but should it really? 
By now every student has at least once used ChatGPT, and their teacher as well. But using the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in homework or using it for your scientific publishing are two different pairs of shoes. The heated debate over AI-generated research comes to a climax with a paper published at the Dutch publishing house […]
Ein Mann im wei´ßen Kittel sitzt an einem Tisch. Darauf liegt ein großer Knochen. Am Tisch stehen vier weitere Menschen.
Article
Natural history with a twist: Research to touch and watch
Article-Symbol
Article
Natural history with a twist: Research to touch and watch
At the Naturalis museum in Leiden you can watch scientists at work, even as they dissect animals for the public eye.
Im Vordergrund ein Mikrofon, im Hintergrund ein abstraktes Kunstwerk
Science Fact
Science Talk on North Macedonia: Missing funding, missing scientists
Science Fact-Symbol
Science Fact
Science Talk on North Macedonia: Missing funding, missing scientists
Science in North Macedonia faces several obstacles. Science journalist Goran Lefkov gives his personal view on what the most pressing challenges are for his country.
Gebäude der Lettischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Riga. Credits: Lettische Akademie der Wissenschaften.
Science Sight
Latvian Academy of Sciences
Science Sight-Symbol
Science Sight
Latvian Academy of Sciences
It is literally Latvia's highest scientific institution, housed in the country's frist skyscraper overseeing the historic capital.
Im Vordergrund ein Mikrofon, im Hintergrund ein abstraktes Kunstwerk
Science Fact
Science Talk on Bosnia and Herzegovina: Shadows of the past, chances for the future?
Science Fact-Symbol
Science Fact
Science Talk on Bosnia and Herzegovina: Shadows of the past, chances for the future?
What's the state of science in Bosnia and Herzegovina? What's unique? What are the biggest challenges? Science journalist Jasmin Alibegović gives his view.
Im Vordergrund ein Mikrofon, im Hintergrund ein abstraktes Kunstwerk
Science Fact
Science Talk on Albania: Communist studies and brain drain
Science Fact-Symbol
Science Fact
Science Talk on Albania: Communist studies and brain drain
Albania has one of the weakest research perfomances in Europe. Anthropologist Ani Bajrami gives her vie on the state of science in her country.
Previous Article
Next Article