University Research Priority Programs

19 article

Article list University Research Priority Programs

31.03.2023 Neuroscience

Scallop Eyes as Inspiration for New Microscope Pbjectives

Neuroscientists have developed new objectives that enable high-resolution imaging of tissues and organs in a much wider variety of immersion media than with conventional microscope lenses.

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21.09.2022 Art of learning

Workouts for the Brain

While learning new things seems to come naturally to children and young people, the older we get the more difficult we find it to acquire new skills. But it’s like sailing – you can make progress even with a headwind, you just have to know how.

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24.08.2022 Portrait

Catching Butterflies

Church membership is declining, but there is a proliferation of religious themes and practices in the online space. Theologian Thomas Schlag heads up the new University Research Priority Program Digital Religion(s), which examines faith in the digital realm..

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03.08.2022 Plant Biology

Global Spread of Powdery Mildew through Migration and Trade

The worldwide distribution of one of the most important cereal pathogens is the result of human activity. Researchers at the University of Zurich have traced the history and spread of wheat powdery mildew along wheat trade routes and found that mixing of genetic ancestries of related powdery mildew species played a central role in the evolution and adaptation of the pathogen.

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25.08.2020 University Research Priority Programs

“An ideal funding instrument”

Starting in 2021, UZH will be launching five new University Research Priority Programs (URPP), bringing the collaborative interdisciplinary initiative into its third generation. We sat down with Vice President Medicine Beatrice Beck Schimmer to learn more about the success of the program.

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20.02.2020 Biodiversity

The Underestimated Threat

While the threat posed by climate change is well recognized, the loss of species diversity is less so. The neglected issue takes center stage, however, at the World Biodiversity Forum, organized by UZH, in Davos next week.

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18.12.2019 Saving the World

The Hydrogen Society

Hydrogen is a clean source of electricity, fuel and fertilizer. The problem is that hydrogen still isn’t produced very sustainably. This could change – thanks to artificial photosynthesis.

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29.10.2019 Plant Biology

Fading Petunias

Through heat, saline soil or aridity, the environment can directly influence the activity of genes. As the biologist Ueli Grossniklaus has demonstrated, in plants these epigenetic changes can sometimes be inherited.

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15.10.2019 The Abundance of Nature

Fertile Ground

We have to make use of the abundance of nature, says Bernhard Schmid. The environmental scientist is calling for more biodiversity in agriculture, as crop mixtures produce better yields and are more sustainable than monoculture farming practices.

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02.07.2019 Artificial Photosynthesis

Splitting Water

UZH chemist Sandra Luber has set her sights on achieving artificial photosynthesis. A successful outcome could enable major climate issues to be solved in one fell swoop. However, there are still many hurdles to overcome.

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22.05.2019 Ecology

Opening our eyes to nature

With a range of grasslands, wetlands and woods, Irchel Park is rich in ecosystems and is habitat to a host of plants and animals. A new trail has been designed to give visitors to Irchel Campus the chance to discover the park’s natural environment. Marking International Day for Biological Diversity, the Irchel Nature Trail officially opens today.

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19.03.2019 Linguistics

How Big Data Is Transforming Linguistics

The University of Zurich is investing in research into human languages. In the next few years a great deal of equipment will be bought and labs built as part of the LiRI project. With the help of IT specialists, it will be possible to process and analyze large volumes of data.

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14.03.2019 World Kidney Day

Kidneys’ Balancing Act

Our kidneys filter all the blood in our body 36 times a day. How on earth do the kidneys manage this herculean task? That is the question being researched by the National Center of Competence in Research Kidney.CH, for which UZH is the home institution. On World Kidney Day, we take a brief glimpse behind the scenes of Swiss kidney research.

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18.09.2018 Biodiversity

Biodiversity from Above

Remote sensing expert Michael Schaepman wants to use a new aerial sensing method to investigate the complex interplay between ecosystems, species and genes. It could help measure global biodiversity. His research project is supported by the NOMIS Foundation.

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16.08.2018 Ethics

Rethinking Our Relationship with Nature

Should we protect nature because it provides us with resources, or do so simply for its own sake? Philosopher and biologist Anna Deplazes Zemp wants to look at this question from a new point of view using an argumentation of environmental ethics. Her research project is made possible thanks to the generous funding of the NOMIS Foundation.

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21.06.2018 Medicine

The Secrets of Kidneys

The National Center of Competence in Research Kidney.CH, with UZH as its leading house, is highly successful. Its kidney research is now entering its third funding period.

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08.05.2018 Research Expedition to Greenland

Researching Arctic Vegetation

Gabriela Schaepman-Strub of the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies and a research group are set to travel to Greenland on a mission to strengthen cooperation between Switzerland and Greenland in the area of ecological Arctic research.

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02.06.2017 Campus

UZH collaborating with Asia Society

The global non-governmental organization Asia Society has opened a European Center in Zurich and works together with the University of Zurich. A joint event held yesterday was attended by Japanese art historian Princess Akiko of Mikasa.

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16.02.2017 Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

Understanding Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the topic of a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) by the Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies. It starts on February 27.

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