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© 2023 EPFL

Paolo Perona promoted as Adjunct Professor

— Paolo Perona, currently Academic Director in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering at EPFL (ENAC) and honorary visiting professor at the University of Edinburgh (UK), was promoted as Adjunct Professor of Water and Hydraulic Engineering at EPFL.

Prof. Battin heads EPFL’s River Ecosystems Laboratory (RIVER) at Alpole in Sion. ©Alain Herzog, EPFL

Prof. Tom Battin receives European Geosciences Union award

— EPFL Prof. Tom Battin has been awarded the 2023 Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal for his pioneering research on biofilms in streams. The awards ceremony was held in Vienna on Wednesday, 26 April 2023.

© 2023 EPFL Alain Herzog

"Studying environmental science clearly influenced how I snowboard"

— Mathieu Schaer, an EPFL alumni and scientific collaborator at MétéoSwiss, is also a professional snowboarder who shows that mountain sports don’t have to be bad for the environment. Learn more about this athlete, who combines the thrill of adventure with a love of nature.

© 2023 EPFL

Promotion at ENAC

— Tamar Kohn and Dimitrios Lignos, currently associate professors at EPFL, are promoted as full professors.

Tamar Kohn. © Elisabetta Citterio

A passion for science through the eyes of women

— The STEM passion exhibition, on view until March 19, 2023 at the Rolex Learning Center, features portraits of international women researchers, including seven female EPFL professors chosen as role models. For ENAC, Tamar Kohn talked about her passion for her research and work.

© 2023 EPFL Alain Herzog

Jean-Louis Scartezzini: a life devoted to the sun

— “I can’t even offer you a cup of coffee – I already packed up my coffee machine!” Prof. Jean-Louis Scartezzini, who has headed EPFL’s Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory (LESO-PB) for the past 30 years, doesn’t seem fazed by his upcoming retirement. We spoke with him about his long, successful career and some of the twists and turns along the way.

Estefania Mompean Botias in front of a global map of disasters and emergencies © 2022 EPFL, Alain Herzog - CC BY-SA 4.0

“Emergencies are becoming increasingly common”

— Architect and urban planner Estefania Mompean Botias is writing her thesis on architecture in the context of emergency situations. As part of her work, she’s developing a global atlas of local emergency management practices.

The new building houses the Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Centre. © Olivier Maire

EPFL plans new research center in Valais on the energy transition

— Ten years after signing the agreement to open its Valais Wallis campus in Sion, today EPFL opened a new building on the campus: Alpole, which will serve as a research center on alpine and polar environments. EPFL also took the opportunity to unveil plans to create another research center in Sion – one focused on the energy transition – and has obtained preliminary approval from the Valais cantonal government.

Prof. Fernando Porté-Agel is doing a minature wind turbine demonstration.© Alain Herzog

“Fluid mechanics is a fascinating field because it's very visual”

— EPFL professor Fernando Porté-Agel has won the ENAC Polysphère Award for the second time in under a decade. He uses concrete examples and novel teaching methods to make fluid mechanics a fun, interactive topic to study. 

René Vittone - 2007 © Mirjana Rittmeyer

Remembering René Vittone

— Professor Emeritus René Vittone taught at EPFL from 1976 to 1992 and is the author of the university textbook Bâtir – Manuel de la construction. He passed away on 31 October 2022.

Cyril Veillon © 2022 EPFL / Alain Herzog - CC BY-SA 4.0

“We hope people will come and put our architects on the spot”

— Cyril Veillon has been the director of Archizoom, EPFL’s cultural center for architecture exhibitions and conferences, for nearly 15 years. He helps drive change by fostering dialogue between architects and the general public.

© 2022 EPFL

EPFL pays homage to Prof. Mario Bevilacqua

— Prof. Mario Bevilacqua sadly passed away on 2 October 2022. He taught at EPFL’s architecture department from 1974 to 1997.

© 2022 EPFL

EPFL pays homage to François Iselin

— François Iselin sadly passed away on 11 October 2022. He worked as an expert advisor, researcher and teacher at the institute of architectural engineering, within EPFL’s department of architecture, until 2005.

Raphaël Ahumada is rowing on Lake Geneva.©Alexia Ferri

Raphaël Ahumada juggles architecture and rowing

— The 21-year-old student, who’s on EPFL’s specialist track for elite athletes, splits his days between virtual classes, intensive training sessions and international races.

© 2022 EPFL

Appointment of two professors at ENAC

— Professor Martin Ackermann, currently Full Professor at ETH Zurich, is additionally appointed as Full Professor of Microbial Systems Ecology in the ENAC School. Professor Jérôme Chappellaz, currently Director of Research at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France, will join the ENAC School as Full Professor of Environmental Engineering (Environmental Observation under Extreme Conditions), in Sion.

© 2022 EPFL

ENAC celebrates its 20 years and three disciplines in style

— On 2 September 2022, EPFL’s School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC) celebrated its 20th anniversary at a high-energy event featuring expert perspectives on the challenges lying ahead.

© 2022 EPFL

EPFL pays homage to Silvia Hostettler

— Dr. Silvia Hostettler passed away on 16 August 2022. She served as teacher and researcher at EPFL, ENAC.

Elena Cogato Lanza has been teaching at EPFL for about 20 years. © Alain Herzog / EPFL

Elena Cogato Lanza awarded the title of Adjunct Professor

— Elena Cogato Lanza is a leading researcher in the history and theory of urban planning. The ETH-Council has awarded her the title of Adjunct Professor.

© 2022 EPFL

“Using our skills to restore people's dignity“

— Robert Mardini has been the director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) since 2020. In this interview, Mardini – who holds a civil engineering degree from EPFL – gives us an overview of the ICRC’s work and discusses the links between science and humanitarian action. He touches on topics like the Ukraine crisis, the impact of global warming, and the growing role of technology in armed conflict.

© 2022 EPFL

“I've always dreamt of contributing to a more sustainable future”

— Jérémy Fleury is a doctoral assistant at EPFL’s Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory (LESO-PB). He hopes that in the future, he’ll be able to keep combining his love of the mountains with work on renewable energy.


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