Former US Ambassador Suzan LeVine delivered the honorary speech.
Suzan LeVine illustrated the importance of forward-looking teaching and committed teachers in her keynote speech. The former US ambassador to Switzerland described a teacher who made a decisive impact on her life. This teacher’s interactive lessons, she said, inspired a love of science that later led her to study mechanical engineering.
LeVine emphasised that the focus of today's teaching should be on equipping students with the necessary skills for the 21st century. “In future, we’ll need to think more and know less.” Knowledge is available online, she said, but we have to learn how to find the information we need. LeVine, who previously worked for Microsoft, considers core competences to include communication, collaboration, cultural awareness, critical thinking and digital skills.
Mirko Meboldt, Professor of Product Development and Construction at ETH, who won the inaugural KITE Award in 2016, also stressed the importance of teaching. At the request of the KdL, he produced a gift for all four of the shortlisted teams at the event: each member received a Möbius strip. “For me, it symbolises Humboldt’s model of higher education and demonstrates that research and teaching are inextricably linked,” explained Meboldt.
