Environmental Engineering Institute – IIE

IIE research units pioneer adaptation to environmental changes as part of sustainable design. Our emphasis is on translational science based upon rigorous understanding our environment, seamless integration of data and models, humans as integral parts of environmental systems, and development of novel, leading-edge technologies. More…

The field team climbs to the Dart Glacier near Wanaka, New Zealand © SBER Laboratory/EPFL

Scientists unlock the secrets of glacier-fed streams

EPFL

EPFL scientists have been busy over the past two years collecting and analyzing samples from streams fed by the world’s biggest glaciers. We spoke with some of the researchers on the project about their globe-trotting adventure. Find out more about it on our brand new longreads website.

The Arctic is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the planet© Istock

Better understanding the reasons behind Arctic amplified warming

EPFL

EPFL professor Julia Schmale is calling on scientists to conduct dedicated process studies and to share their data and research findings on Arctic warming. She stresses the importance of studying how aerosols and clouds interact, as these highly complex and poorly understood mechanisms play a key role in climate change, but are also strongly affected by it. According to her, the region is in rapid transition and scientists need to act to not run behind.

Parkinson's disease affects some 15,000 people in Switzerland © Stock

Geospatial data helps to better understand Parkinson's disease

EPFL

In a new paper, a team of EPFL spatial-analysis experts and neurologists from Geneva University Hospital (HUG) show that the probability of developing Parkinson's disease is higher in the canton of Geneva's urban centers than in its rural areas. This constitutes an important contribution to the study of the causes of this neurodegenerative disease, which are still poorly understood.

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