Archive All Articles 2014

Article list All Articles

• 23.12.2014 Review

  Highlights of 2014

  Almost every day throughout 2014, UZH News reported on events at Switzerland’s largest university. We’d like to close the year with a review of some of the highlights. We’ll be back in January 2015 with more news items, reports and interviews – continuing the recent tradition of publishing articles in English as well as German. Happy holidays!

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• 19.12.2014 Wyss Translational Center Zurich

  Accelerated Translation

  Patron Hansjörg Wyss has donated USD 120 million to promote research in Zurich. UZH and ETH will use this money to found the Wyss Translational Center Zurich. The aim is to accelerate the development of innovations in areas such as regenerative medicine and robotics. Co-director Simon Hoerstrup explains the potential of the new center.

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• 12.12.2014 Neurosciences

  How blood vessels grow in the brain

  Thomas Wälchli’s goal is to curb the growth of brain tumours. In his doctoral thesis at the University of Zurich, the ETH and the University Hospital, the physician examined how blood vessels develop in the brain, as this process also promotes tumour growth.

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• 11.12.2014 Computers for Research

  University of Zurich takes a stake in CSCS supercomputer

  The University of Zurich is entering into a research partnership with ETH Zurich and CSCS to make supercomputer Piz Dora available to its researchers.

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• 09.12.2014 Executive Board of the University

  Inspiring the Spirit of Discovery

  In February, Christoph Hock will succeed Daniel Wyler as Vice President for Medicine and Science. The Alzheimer’s researcher will be working to promote basic research and innovative medicine.

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• 08.12.2014 Physiology

  No Appetite in the Alps

  Veterinary physiologists are investigating the effects of altitude on the human body. This involves climbing to 4,559 meters above sea level. The insights this is giving a group of researchers around Professor Max Gassmann into the supply of oxygen to organs and cells will potentially also benefit seriously ill people in hospital.

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• 05.12.2014 Molecular Biology

  Spätzle Responsible for Death of Weak Cells

  Stefanie Meyer at the UZH Institute of Molecular Life Sciences has already landed a real scientific coup with her doctoral thesis. She and her partners in America have become the first researchers to show how weak cells are eliminated in the tissue.

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• 04.12.2014 Cancer Research

  Genetic Snapshots

  Many anti-cancer drugs aim to prevent cells from dividing further. But when attacked, these cancer cells have a sophisticated mechanism for defending themselves. Assistant Professor Massimo Lopes has worked out how this cell repair mechanism functions.

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• 01.12.2014 Neurosciences

  How early trauma influences behaviour

  Traumatic and stressful events during childhood increase the risk to develop psychiatric disorders, but to a certain extent, they can also help better deal with difficult situations later in life. Researchers have studied this phenomenon in mice to learn how these effects could be transmitted to the next generation.

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• 25.11.2014 Student Exchange

  Tianjin University and UZH Join Forces

  At the start of the year, UZH chemistry professor Jay Siegel embarked on a venture at Tianjin University in China, where he will be active member of the teaching staff until 2017. He sees himself as a liaison between China and Switzerland, as Jay Siegel explains in an interview with UZH News.

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• 21.11.2014 Ancient Greek Verse Inscription Unearthed

  124 Lines of Hitherto Unknown Poetry and History

  Christian Marek, an expert in ancient history at UZH, has made a sensational discovery. Close to a tomb in Milas in Turkey he found a stone stela inscribed with poetry. At 124 lines, this is the longest classical Greek verse inscription carved in stone that has so far come to light.

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• 21.11.2014 Anatomy

  Pigeons and their Sixth Sense

  How do carrier pigeons find their way home? Hans-Peter Lipp and Nicole Blaser at the UZH Institute of Anatomy had birds fly over a meteorite crater in Ukraine. Their experiment shows that pigeons can sense the subtlest differences in gravity and use them for navigation.

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• 19.11.2014 Medicine

  “We still have much to achieve”

  “Hochschulmedizin Zürich”, a partner association of the University of Zurich, ETH Zurich and the university hospitals, was founded three years ago. At its annual conference, the partners presented the achievements of their strengthened collaboration, along with some promising new projects for the future.

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• 12.11.2014 ThinkSwiss

  Young Scientists Come to Switzerland

  The ThinkSwiss program run by the Swiss embassy in Washington, DC, enables students from the US and Canada to visit a Swiss university. Emily Raubach is one of the ThinkSwiss scholars. She has just finished three months doing research at the University of Zurich’s Institute of Computational Linguistics.

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• 05.11.2014 Asia Science Day

  Research in the Fast Lane

  Many countries in Asia are booming on both the economic and the scientific fronts. This is creating interesting opportunities for cooperation, including partnerships with Swiss researchers. The Asia Science Day at the University of Zurich was a chance for them to find out more.

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• 22.10.2014 Organizational Development project

  "Take Responsibility for the Whole Picture"

  The University of Zurich’s highest academic body, the Extended Executive Board, is to be given a broader base, and the administrative and technical staff is to be recognized as the University’s fourth body (Stand). These are some of the innovations proposed by the University’s Executive Board in connection with UZH’s Organizational Development project. In this interview, UZH President Michael Hengartner explains the ideas behind these proposals.

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• 14.10.2014 Biochemistry

  Martin Jinek Wins Ernst T. Jucker Award

  Martin Jinek, Assistant Professor at UZH’s Department of Biochemistry, has won this year’s Ernst T. Jucker Award for groundbreaking insights in the field of cancer research. This year’s award comes with a prize of CHF 10,000.

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• 01.10.2014 Grant from the US BRAIN Initiative

  Watching Neurons Think

  The US National Institute of Health (NIH) has awarded neuroscientist Fritjof Helmchen a USD 750,000 grant under the US BRAIN Initiative for his innovative approaches to brain research. Helmchen and his team are developing new methods of microscopy for investigating the way information is exchanged between different regions of the brain.

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• 25.09.2014 Internships abroad

  Global Ambassadors for UZH

  Graduates from UZH holding a Master’s degree can represent their alma mater around the globe – as a paid intern at a Swissnex office. Michelle Hufschmid, Elias Blum, and Niklaus Waldvogel report on their experiences.

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• 17.09.2014 Medicine

  New Competence Center for Personalized Medicine in Zurich

  DNA sequencing has revolutionized life sciences. Now it’s medicine’s turn: Thanks to genetic analysis, treatment tailored to individual patients will be a standard feature in the future. With a new competence center, the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich plan to lead the way in personalized medicine.

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• 15.09.2014 Human and Veterinary Medicine

  North-South-Alliance for Health

  As part of its North-South Cooperation, the University of Zurich collaborates with Makerere University in Uganda. At the beginning of July, researchers from both universities convened at a symposium in Uganda, where they discussed existing and potential new projects in the fields of medicine and veterinary medicine. Jan Fehr, attending physician at UniversityHospital Zurich, reported on a study geared to improving the treatment of tuberculosis.

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• 15.09.2014 National Centre of Competence in Research Democracy

  When Influence Migrates

  The National Center of Competence in Research «Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century» is investigating how globalization and the media affect democracy. Current research by the Center’s political and communication scientists reveals: Nation-states are losing influence as the media gains in importance. 

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• 15.09.2014 Biochemistry

  A Molecule Like a Swiss Army Knife

  Biochemist Martin Jinek is currently conducting research on a bacterial molecule that could revolutionize genetic engineering. As a sign of success, the UZH researcher and his team have just published their third article in a row in a world-renowned journal, in this case «Nature».

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• 08.09.2014 Zurich’s University District

  Once-In-A-Lifetime Project Starts to Take Shape

  Today, the Government Council of the Canton of Zurich and the Zurich City Council presented a master plan for Zurich’s central university district. The plan shows how the University of Zurich can continue to develop in the city’s center ‒ which augurs well for UZH’s goal of consolidating its teaching and research activities at its City and Irchel campuses.

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• 04.09.2014 Bitcoin app

  «Menu 2, Please. I’ll Pay with Bitcoins»

  No change? No problem in the cafeteria on Binzmühlestrasse, where students can pay with the Internet currency bitcoin. A new app developed by three students in the IT Master’s degree program makes it possible.

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• 30.07.2014 Internationalization

  New Strategy for UZH’s Global Presence

  UZH is looking to step up its international networking and become more visible on the global stage. Vice President Andrea Schenker-Wicki took the initiative to develop UZH’s internationalization strategy.

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• 19.02.2014 Immigration Initiative

  «Scholars from All Over the World Are Welcome at UZH»

  In an interview with UZH News, President Michael Hengartner discusses the EU’s suspension of research agreements. Hengartner urges researchers to not throw in the towel, and advises them to keep applying for EU funding.

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