News EPFL

Dean of EPFL Middle East honored by Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi

Published:20.10.17 — Dr. Franco Vigliotti, Dean of EPFL Middle East, was recognized as the Swiss Business Personality of the Year 2017 by the Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi. His dedication has made EPFL Middle East and EPFL a catalyst for Swiss-UAE cooperation since 2009.

Hydroelectric power plants have to be adapted for climate change

Published:19.10.17 — Of all the electricity produced in Switzerland, 56% comes from hydropower. The life span of hydroelectric plants, which are massive and expensive to build and maintain, is measured in decades, yet the rivers and streams they depend on and the surrounding environment are ever-changing. These changes affect the machinery and thus the amount of electricity that can be revised. EPFL's Laboratory for Hydraulic Machines (LMH) is working on an issue that will be very important in the coming years: the impact of sediment erosion on turbines, which are the main component of this machinery. The laboratory’s work could help prolong these plants’ ability to produce electricity for Switzerland's more than eight million residents. 

EPFL presents an underground gallery at the Seoul Biennale

Published:18.10.17 — In an exceptional showcase for EPFL, the model underground gallery developed by Professor Dominique Perrault's architecture students is on display at the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. The project was conducted in partnership with students from Ewha Womans University in Seoul and received support from Archizoom.

EPFL researchers defy the limits of streaming

Published:17.10.17 — Given the growing number of users and the widening range of devices, streaming is no longer viable in its current form owing to the substantial amount of power and storage capacity it requires. But researchers at EPFL’s Embedded Systems Laboratory (ESL) have found a way to reduce those requirements without impacting the quality of the video itself. 

The Swiss Team wins the Solar Decathlon competition

Published:15.10.17 — The Swiss team and their solar house, the NeighborHub, has won the prestigious Solar Decathlon 2017 competition in the Unites States. The Swiss Living Challenge and its multidisciplinary team - 4 schools, 250 students (44 in Denver), 150 supervisors from the professional and academic sectors, and close to 50 sponsors - received the highest award. This unique experience is not only an important victory, but also an unforgettable and educational human adventure.

Self-healing materials inspired by plants

Published:12.10.17 — Scientists at EPFL’s Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites (LPAC) and the University of Freiburg’s Botanical Garden have studied how the flax plant heals itself after it has been wounded. As part of a cross-disciplinary EU research project, they measured changes in the plant’s mechanical properties, like stiffness and damping, and examined the plant’s self-repair mechanisms. Because natural fibers are being increasingly used to make composite materials, understanding how such mechanisms work can help scientists develop self-healing materials with better performance, drawing on methods inspired by nature. The research was recently published in PLOS ONE.

Database clarifies bottom-up design of cement

Published:11.10.17 — An international team of researchers from EPFL, ETHZ and Rice University in Houston creates a database tool for the design of cement, a component of concrete, the most-used construction material in the world and a significant source of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The database contains validated atomistic models for molecular modeling that could help fine-tune cement and curtail emissions. This could make cement manufacture greener and more efficient.