Student numbers exceed 20,000 for the first time. A new Master’s programme offered in data sciences and a Bachelor’s course in medicine. An artificial heart made from silicone by a 3D printer, and an ingenious suspended concrete roof, planned with algorithms and built by robots. And not to forget: a futuristic transport capsule designed by a team of students for the mobility of the future.
These are just some of last year’s highlights at ETH Zurich. More information – including a wealth of figures, reports and portraits of university members – can be found in the Annual Report 2017 just published.
The report also presents detailed annual financial statements for the university. It shows where the ETH expanded and how it wants to grow in future. It also sets out the main features of the ETH organisational and leadership structure, its risk management procedures and its efforts in the area of sustainability.
In focus: data is king
More than ever before, 2017 has been a year dominated by the digital transformation of industry and society. Data science is also a strategic focus for ETH Zurich, and digitalisation was therefore a major theme for the university over the past year. For example, ETH joined forces with EPFL to launch the Swiss Data Science Center. There was also a series of events focusing on digitalisation: Scientifica, Treffpunkt Science City, the Cyber Risks Summit and Digitaltag (Digital Day).
The Annual Report includes a photo series over ten pages dedicated to the topic of data: four infographics on data science, cyber security, machine learning and technology transfer vividly illustrate ETH’s commitment to education in a data-driven world in a state of flux.