stay connected The magazine of ETH Zurich and ETH Alumni No. 4, December 2013 Focus Control Everything under control page 16 Expedition to the Monte Rosa Hut page 12 Swiss Re head Michel Liès page 42 Science in focus page 46 No. 4, December 2013 Editorial Dear readers These days, vacuum cleaners hoover our flats while we are This is where the culture of enablement and trust at ETH out and cars can drive into parking spaces all by them- Zurich comes in. It creates room for creativity and encour- selves. These are just two of the most noticeable new ap- ages innovative ideas born at the frontier of current knowl- plications made possible through the rapid development edge. The departmental organisational structure is flat and of control engineering. Here at ETH Zurich, engineers from can quickly be adapted to the fresh demands of dynamic a wide range of different departments work on control sys- science. A subsidiary management culture enables the effi- tems for devices and vehicles, but also robots and complex cient handling of the variety that is essential for the long- social networks. Some of these projects are featured in this term success of a university. issue of Globe. This culture is only possible thanks to the foresight of its Control systems for machines and networks are based on backer, the Swiss Confederation: the government’s frame- constantly reconciling the goal and the status quo and thus work conditions allow ETH Zurich to hold its own in the regulate progress – a topic that is also close to my heart as international competition for the best researchers and President of ETH Zurich. How can I take our university Master students, and enable its members to deliver top- forward successfully together with all its members? What flight teaching and research. Its major competitive advan- is the best way to regulate a university? tages here are the initial endowment and the teaching and research infrastructure it can offer its researchers and stu- A conductor leads an orchestra along the path laid down dents – coupled with a high degree of institutional auton- by the composer. Universities have no such path. Science omy, an autonomy based on trust. is meant to find and research virgin ground. But how do you find your way to new places on a blank map? The most I am delighted by the level of faith that you show our insti- promising strategy combines concrete goals with an open- tution as readers of Globe and, as always, I wish you much ness for fresh knowledge. After all, Columbus discovered enjoyment when reading this issue! America, even though he had a different goal. Ralph Eichler Minds are crucial to a universities success. Just as a football President of ETH Zurich coach selects the right players, a university president guides the institution by choosing the right professors. ETH Zurich’s “team” is a complex, autonomous system, and it only needs intervention if it is unsuccessful for a Open Systems gehört mit seinen Mission Control Security Services im Bereich IT-Sicher- longer period of time. heit zu den europaweit anerkannten Anbietern. Wir arbeiten von Zürich und Sydney aus in einem dynamischen Umfeld in über 175 Ländern. Bei uns kannst Du Dein Wissen in einem jungen Team in die Praxis umsetzen und rasch Verantwortung übernehmen. Infos über Einstiegs- und Karrieremöglichkeiten sowie Videos findest Du auf unserer Website. www.open.ch 2 3 No. 4, December 2013 Contents Now also available in a free tablet version in German and English Impressum Globe is the magazine of ETH Zurich and the official organ of the ETH Alumni 6 34 42 Association. Publisher: Flashlight Zoom Profile ETH Alumni Association/ETH Zurich Editorial team: Bizarre blossoms Getting closer to reality Mathematician of the world ETH Zurich, Corporate Communications: Roland Baumann (head), Christine Mathematical statistics helps Heidemann, Martina Märki, Felix Würsten Collaboration: researchers from a wide range Andrea Lingk (picture editing), of disciplines to identify Angela Harp, Florian Meyer, Peter Rüegg, the data that really counts. Samuel Schläfli, Norbert Staub 9 Advertisements: Administration: Focus Control ETH Alumni Communications, globe@ Ticker alumni.ethz.ch, +41 44 632 51 24 Management: News from ETH Zurich print-ad kretz gmbh, 8708 Männedorf, [email protected], +41 44 924 20 70 36 Design: TBS & Partner, Zurich Inside Proofreading and printing: 16 Everything under control Neidhart + Schön AG, Zurich Singapore-ETH Centre: Circulation: 12 25 200, issued four times a year “ETH Zurich has made the right Michel Liès studied mathematics Subscription: Report choice with Asia” at ETH Zurich and is now CEO Globe is available in a printed version in German by subscription for CHF 40 a The polished “Crystal” Real estate: building for the future of the world’s second-largest rein- year (four issues). Full membership of the surance company, Swiss Re. ETH Alumni Association includes an annual Globe subscription. Send orders and 18 24 changes of address to [email protected] “Control engineering Pinpointing tumour or, for ETH Zurich alumni, go directly to www.alumni.ethz.ch/myalumni. has come on in leaps treatment Further information and contact: www.ethz.ch/globe, [email protected], and bounds” Using micro and nanorobots, 40 +41 44 632 42 52 46 ISSN 2235-7289 drugs could soon be transported More and more systems come Connected Globe is also available in a free tablet to exact points in the body. Anno version (iPad and Android) in German with sophisticated controls and English. these days. This has been made Science in focus possible in part thanks to ever- better calculation methods, as For almost a century, the Photo- graphic Institute has been cap- Picture credits: ETH Zurich expert Manfred Cover: IDSC, ETH Zurich; Editorial: turing the work of ETH Zurich Giulia Marthaler; Table of contents p. 4: Morari explains in an interview. 26 (bottom left) Peter Rüegg, (top right) IDSC, Four years after opening its doors, researchers on film. ETH Zurich; p. 5: (bottom left) Oliver Robots in control Bartenschlager, (top right) Tom Kawara; the new Monte Rosa Hut has Flashlight: Vahid Hosseini, ETH Zurich; during sleep Ticker p. 9: (centre left) Hansmeyer/ overcome its teething problems, Dillenburger, ETH Zurich, (top right) ETH as Globe author Peter Rüegg Sophisticated devices are per- Zurich; p. 10: (centre left) Peter Rüegg, ETH discovered when he visited the site. Zurich, (top right) Michael Ristow, ETH 20 forming an increasing number Zurich; Reportage pp. 12–15: Peter 48 Rüegg, ETH Zurich; Focus pp. 16/17: IDSC, of tasks in medicine; in future, When machines learn ETH Zurich; p. 19: Tom Kawara; p. 20: they might even help us to get Alumni life Oliver Bartenschlager; p. 22: IDSC, ETH Robots developed by researchers Honorary titles awarded at ETH Zurich; p. 25: Oliver Bartenschlager; p. 27: a better night’s sleep. Oliver Bartenschlager; p. 28: Oliver Bar- in their labs at ETH Zurich fly Day Thanks to alumni donations, ETH tenschlager; p. 31: iStockphotos.com/José breath-taking manoeuvres and Zurich can realise strategically L. Gutiérrez; Zoom p. 35: Detlef Weigel, VIPs at the KOF anniversary Max Planck Institute for Developmental teeter on only one corner. important projects more rapidly. Biology; Inside p. 37: Norbert Staub, ETH Star director visits robotics lab Zurich; p. 38: ETH Zurich; Connected However, their ability to learn Agenda p. 40: (top) Oliver Bartenschlager, (bot- is no less impressive. Top-class Alumni business events tom) Tom Kawara; p. 41: (top left) Peter 31 Rüegg, (top right) Monika Estermann, (bottom) Oliver Bartenschlager; Profile Power system under Strong partners p. 43: Tom Kawara; Anno p. 46: ETH Library Zurich, Image Archive, p. 47: ETH transformation Library Zurich, Image Archive; Alumni life p. 48: Monika Estermann; p. 50: Collec- In order to keep the power tion of Prints and Drawings, ETH Zurich. grid stable, consumption will have to be controlled. 4 5 No. 4, December 2013 Flashlight Bizarre blossoms Flowers – not exactly what Vahid Hosseini had been expecting. When this doctoral student from the Labo- ratory of Applied Mechanobiology removed the hydrogel samples he was using for his cell studies from the refrigerator and examined them un- der the microscope, they “burst into bloom”. Some of them had dried out by accident and he was greeted by various micro-flowers around fifty micro-metres in diameter. As soon as he watered the polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel again, however, it re- turned to its original flat form in the blink of an eye. Having grown curious, the ETH Zurich scientist attempted to create the same flowers with other dried- out hydrogels, but to no avail. Only PEGs with a high molecular weight sprouted the peculiar flowers, the reddish colour of which is actually down to the microscope filter. Although the image has no scien- tific use, it is certainly pretty to look at – which is why Hosseini entered it in the photography competition at ETH Zurich’s Materials Research Centre. While it was not chosen as the win- ning photo by the judging panel, the Globe editorial team didn’t have to think twice before selecting it for this issue’s Flashlight. www.appliedmechanobio.ethz.ch ➔ 6 7 No. 4, December 2013 Ticker Therapy module consists of several biological components of the human organism, Feeling happy which are combined to form an artifi- cial signal cascade. In response to an reduces blood increase in the “happiness messen- pressure ger” in the blood, the module pro- duces an antihypertensive substance. A team of researchers headed by Mar- The treatment has already worked in tin Fussenegger from the Department an experiment with male mice suffer- “The Holcim Awards is a of Biosystems in Basel has discovered ing from high blood pressure, where The new natural gas and diesel engine on the test unique platform to show a way to use the body’s own happi- the presence of a female triggered the bench.