Magazine N°04 DÉCEMBRE 2016

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Magazine N°04 DÉCEMBRE 2016 EPFL Magazine N°04 DÉCEMBRE 2016 POINT FORT > P. 4 LE DÉPART D’UN VISIONNAIRE ACTUS > P. 13 INTERVIEW > P. 16 OFFRES CAMPUS > P. 43 PRIMATES REGAIN JIANG XIAOHUA NOUVEAU BLOG POUR CONTROL OF SCANNE LE SUCCÈS UN BAIN DE CULTURE PARALYZED LIMB DE L’EPFL EN 2017 EPFL MAGAZINE N°04 — DÉCEMBRE 2016 1 ÉDITO Journal de l’EPFL Madeleine von Holzen Editeur responsable Mediacom Mediacom Madeleine von Holzen, Contact de la rédaction [email protected] mediacom.epfl.ch/ epfl-magazine 021 693 21 09 L’ambition comme Ambition as a measure Suzanne Setz, Secrétariat de rédaction, mesure de l’impact of impact mise en page et production Corinne Feuz, Cheffe d’édition Parfait timing : vous trouverez dans cette Perfect timing: on pages 16 to 21 of this Frédéric Rauss, édition en pages 16 à 21 l’interview de edition, you’ll find an interview with a young Responsable de la Chinese researcher who, for the past six communication interne cette jeune chercheuse chinoise qui arpente Rédacteurs les couloirs de l’EPFL depuis six mois months, has been roaming the corridors of Emmanuel Barraud Sarah Bourquenoud pour l’analyser. Plus précisément, pour our campus – to analyze it. More precisely, Anne-Muriel Brouet comprendre les raisons du succès de la jeune she would like to understand what drives Cécilia Carron Sandy Evangelista école polytechnique qui a enregistré la plus the success of our young School, which Nathalie Jollien forte croissance au monde ces dernières over the past years has been growing faster, Nik Papageorgiou Sandrine Perroud années. Promis juré, c’est une coïncidence, worldwide, than any other of its kind. It’s just Laure-Anne Pessina mais en effet le parallèle est trop beau pour a coincidence, we promise, but the parallel Sarah Perrin is so good that we had to highlight it: 2016 Lionel Pousaz ne pas être souligné. L’année 2016 s’achève, Correction et avec elle la présidence de Patrick is coming to an end, and with it, Patrick Marco Di Biase Photographies Aebischer. Moment choisi par l’institut Aebischer’s presidency. That makes it just Alain Herzog, Jamani Caillet, produisant un des rankings renommés pour the right time for the research institute Murielle Gerber Infographies envoyer une doctorante afin de comprendre behind one of the renowned university Pascal Coderay les ingrédients de la recette EPFL. « Le rankings to send a PhD student to study Comic the ingredients of EPFL’s recipe for success. Nik Papageorgiou secret », dit-elle elle-même. Jiang Xiaohua Adresse fera du cas EPFL son sujet de thèse. Le but “The secret,” as she herself calls it. Jiang EPFL Magazine Mediacom – Station 10 étant d’aider les universités chinoises à Xiaohua is making her case study of EPFL CH-1015 Lausanne se réformer. the topic of her thesis. Its goal is to help Délais rédactionnels N° 5 : 30 janvier 2017 à 14h En tête des questions qu’elle pose, alors Chinese universities undergo reform. N° 6 : 27 février 2017 qu’elle va entamer la rédaction de la At the top of the list of topics she is N° 7 : 27 mars 2017 Parutions synthèse, figure celle de la créativité. D’où interested in, as she starts to write the N° 5 : 15 février 2017 émerge-t-elle ? Comment le président synthesis, is creativity. Where does it come N° 6 : 15 mars 2017 from? How does the president spot new N° 7 : 12 avril 2017 repère-t-il les nouvelles tendances, où Contributions trouve-t-il les idées, comment choisit- trends? Where does he find the ideas? And Ce journal est ouvert aux membres actifs de l’EPFL. il les personnes à l’origine de cette how does he select the people behind this Les propositions d’articles créativité ? Vous qui avez « propulsé cette creativity? All of you, who “propelled this doivent être discutées avec la rédaction une semaine jeune école dans le peloton de tête des young School to the lead the pack of the au plus tard avant les délais meilleures universités mondiales » (dixit best universities in the world” (says Patrick rédactionnels. La rédaction fixe le lignage. Patrick Aebischer, en page 11), vous avez Aebischer on page 11) certainly know a part Merci de nous faire parvenir certainement tous une partie de la réponse. of the answer. And you will probably notice ensuite les articles avec un titre et signés (nom, prénom, Et vous remarquerez peut-être le sourire the smile on the president’s lips on most of fonction, unité, section) aux lèvres du président sur la plupart des the pictures that trace his journey. dans les délais rédactionnels ci-dessus. images retraçant l’épopée. Patrick Aebischer has led the School at full La rédaction se réserve Patrick Aebischer a mené l’Ecole au pas de throttle for the past 17 years. And now, the le droit de raccourcir les articles trop longs. Elle charge pendant 17 ans : les résultats sont results are in; the quality has been translated assume la responsabilité des là, la qualité est traduite en faits et chiffres. into facts and figures. The press has been titres et de la mise en page. Conception graphique La presse en fait état depuis quelques covering it for the past weeks, and the Bontron & Co, Genève semaines, les commentateurs apprécient. commentators are pleased. At a time when Impression PCL Presses Centrales SA, A l’heure où le président passe le témoin et the president is handing over the baton and Renens la responsabilité que donne cette nouvelle the responsibility that comes with the new Papier Cyclus Print, 80 g, position d’école globale à Martin Vetterli role of leading a global school to Martin 100% recyclé et son équipe, force est de constater son Vetterli and his team, the impact he has had could be no clearer. EPFL has become a case Image de couverture impact. L’Ecole est devenue un sujet d’EPFL Magazine : Mise à l’eau de d’étude en Chine, poussant notre région et study in China, stoking the ambition of our l’Hydroptère, le 8 octobre 2010. © Alain Herzog notre pays à changer d’ambition. region and our entire country. 2 SOMMAIRE INTERVIEW > P. 16 JIANG XIAOHUA : « L’EPFL N’EST PAS LE PANTIN DU GOUVERNEMENT » POINT FORT > P. 4 L’ALBUM DE SOUVENIRS CODEV > P. 28 DE PATRICK AEBISCHER SWISS SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATION WITH LATIN AMERICA ACTUALITÉS SCIENTIFIQUES > P. 12 P. 13 – Primates regain control of paralyzed limb P. 15– Une université éphémère sur l’océan VU ET ENTENDU SUR LE CAMPUS > P. 22 CAMPUS > P. 23 P. 24 – Une personne de confiance à l’EPFL GYMNASIENS > P. 34 CULTURE > P. 43 P. 33 – Agir face à l’urgence climatique TROIS JOURS DES OFFRES LECTURE > P. 42 POUR DÉCOUVRIR CULTURELLES SUR CULTURE > P. 43 LES ÉTUDES À L’EPFL UN PLATEAU NEUF AGENDA > P. 46 EPFL MAGAZINE N°04 — DÉCEMBRE 2016 3 Le 3 novembre dernier, Patrick Aebischer accueille le conseiller fédéral Alain Berset pour l’inauguration d’ArtLab. A ses côtés, Daniel Borel, fondateur de Logitech. © Murielle Gerber 4 POINT FORT Dix-sept ans d’audaces : merci Monsieur le Président ! Alors que Patrick Aebischer insi donc, Patrick Aebischer prend sa retraite. Ou s’apprête à passer la main à son plutôt, il quitte la présidence de l’EPFL. Annoncé en mars 2015, le moment approche à grands pas. successeur, Martin Vetterli, Qu’allions-nousA faire pour le saluer, lui rendre hommage… votre magazine a choisi de revenir Un bilan ? Une grande interview ? Beaucoup a déjà été dit sur quelques temps forts de son sur l’homme qui a propulsé l’école d’ingénieurs qu’elle était dans les meilleures universités scientifiques au niveau mon- impressionnant parcours à la tête dial, comme en témoignent les rankings internationaux. de l’EPFL. Récit en images. Corinne Feuz, textes Illusoire, et un peu peau de banane, de retracer en quelques Alain Herzog, Murielle Gerber, photos lignes ces dix-sept ans à la tête de l’Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne. Dans un pays qui n’aime pas les têtes qui dépassent, Patrick Aebischer n’a cessé de dé- tonner et d’étonner. Il est devenu, particulièrement en Suisse romande, une figure presque mythique. Et, comme le Cenovis, il laisse rarement indifférent. Que dire sans faire son hagiographie ? Alors, en fouillant dans les images argentiques, puis nu- mériques, nous avons décidé de ne pas bouder notre plai- sir et de retracer quelques-uns des moments qui ont rythmé son mandat. Mais aussi de lui offrir une page blanche, en fin de ce « Point fort », pour qu’il livre aux étudiants, professeurs, chercheurs, à l’Ecole et à ses col- laborateurs – en un mot, à ceux qui la font – un mot plus personnel. Place aux souvenirs ! Au fil des images, des réalisations et du nombre incroyable d’événements qu’il a souvent initiés, avec un sens politique et médiatique rare, on repense à cette citation d’Abraham Lincoln: « In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. » A n’en pas douter, Patrick Aebischer l’a intégrée. EPFL MAGAZINE N°04 — DÉCEMBRE 2016 5 POINT FORT La crise initiale Nommé à la tête de l’Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne en juin 1999, Patrick Aebischer est censé en reprendre les rênes le 1er mars. Il commencera son mandat par 17 jours de grève. A son arrivée, tout n’est en effet pas aussi calme que les eaux du Léman, en ce 26 janvier 2000 lors de la première photo officielle prise sur la jetée à Lutry. La réorganisation fondamentale de l’EPFL qu’il propose fait des vagues et inquiète le corps professoral.
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