Celebrating Women in Science

Context

The Municipality of Ecublens has asked EPFL to meet the cantonal standards, which require that each building on the campus have its own address with a street name and number.

This has been a great opportunity to feminize the campus with names of famous women.

Objective

Initially, four streets had to be named. A fifth could be added to the list (near the EPFL marsh, but not mandatory because no building entrance is located there).

It was also possible to rename the so called “Place Nord”, which had no official name, as well as the Esplanade of SwissTech Village.

Having two squares counterbalance the fact that the five streets are relatively secondary to the major avenues named after men.

Community participation

Members of the EPFL community (students, faculty, administrative and technical staff) were invited to propose one or more names between January 10 and 20, 2022. Over 400 propositions were made and a hundred women nominated, sometimes several times.

A selection committee, made up of people representing the units concerned by the theme or by the location, examined the proposals and arbitrated the choices with a view to making a proposal to the EPFL Management and the Municipality of Ecublens.

Inauguration

The official naming ceremony took place on the 8th of March 2022, International Women’s Day.

> More information about the 7 selected pioneering women

> Press release

More about the project

  • Female scientist who was a pioneer or has made a major contribution in a field relevant to EPFL
  • Possibly having had a link with EPFL or Switzerland
  • Person non longer alive
  • Not too long name, easy to pronounce in English and French
  1. Prof. Carlotta Giuducci, co-vice-chair Women Professors Forum (STI IBI CLSE)
  2. Prof. Anne-Clémence Corminboeuf (SB ISIC LCMD
  3. Prof. Jérôme Baudry, science historian (CDH DHI LHST)
  4. Helene Fueger, Equal Opportunity Delegate (VPT-EGA)
  5. Maureen Decosterd, Head of Mediacom Event
  6. Julianne Jammers, STTC director
  7. EPFL Innovation Park: Aurélie Schick, Head of VPI communication
  8. Philippe Pichon, infrastructure project manager (VPO-DC)
  9. AGEPoly: Manon Boissat and Jeanne Estienne, co-presidents
  10. Jean-Louis Radice, Municipal d’Ecublens (urbanism, mobility, constructions, cadaster)

A little history on the great names that make up the current topography: