D-BAUG News
“Switzerland’s glaciers could vanish completely by 2100”
Switzerland’s glaciers are in increasingly poor shape. If greenhouse gas emissions are not cut drastically soon, they could cease to exist by 2100 – so says ETH Professor Daniel Farinotti in this ETH News interview to mark the first World Day for Glaciers.
Maps as instruments of power
Lorenz Hurni considers what constitutes maps and why they are also instruments of power – and reveals how the Swiss World Atlas deals with disputed names and unilateral name changes.
ETH Zurich ranked 2nd worldwide in Civil & Structural Engineering
The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering at ETH Zurich is one of the best in the world: in the latest QS World University Rankings 2025, ETH is ranked second in Civil & Structural Engineering, marking a steady rise from 9th place in 2021.
Professorship of Hydrology: New appointment and retirement
At the meeting on 5 and 6 March 2025, the ETH Board appointed numerous professors at the request of ETH President Joël Mesot, including Paola Passalacqua for the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering. She succeeds Professor Paolo Burlando, who will retire at the end of July 2025.
International Women's Day
For more than 100 years, International Women's Day has been celebrated on March 8. The day is intended to celebrate the achievements of the women's rights movement to date, to draw attention to existing discrimination and inequalities, and to encourage people to work for gender justice, including at ETH Zurich.
“Studying together makes everything more manageable”
What’s life like as a student at ETH Zurich? In the latest episode of the “Student Stories” video series, Marcel Walter provides us with a glimpse into his life as a civil engineering student.
Artificial intelligence helps with the design and maintenance of bridges
To extend the lifespan of existing railway bridges and conserve resources, ETH researchers are working with Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) to develop new prediction models using machine learning algorithms. An AI assistant also helps civil engineers with the design of new bridges.
Shaping the Living Environment of Tomorrow
ETH Zurich Master’s programme in Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems provides a strong academic and interdisciplinary foundation in urban planning, mobility, and infrastructure management. Combining expert-led lectures with hands-on projects, it enables students to develop practical and sustainable solutions to real-world challenges. It prepares graduates for careers in spatial, mobility, or infrastructure planning, as highlighted in a newly released video on the degree programme.
The next stage in the revolution
Founded with a view to boosting the lifespan and reliability of wind turbines, the ETH spin-off RTDT is now improving the devices’ electricity production and performance – all with the help of an intelligent plaster for rotor blades.
Eco-friendly and ‘fast’ concrete put to the test
A construction industry without concrete seems impossible. However, due to the huge volumes of concrete production globally, its massive carbon footprint makes it a major environmental concern. D-BAUG researcher Arnesh Das and his team have developed a solution, which is now being tested with an industrial partner.