News EPFL

A waffle-mold for improving Grätzel cells

Published:14.02.11 — A new process, developed and refined at Stanford University, and based on work performed by Michael Grätzel at EPFL, will result in improvements in the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells.This method could also enable reductions in manufacturing costs.

Streetcar lines that widen the social gap

Published:11.02.11 — An astonishing conclusion has resulted from Hanja Maksim’s thesis work: public transport expansion policies can actually reinforce certain inequalities.

Mobility grants boost academic careers

Published:09.02.11 — 16% of doctoral students who were granted fellowships for prospective researchers by the Swiss National Science Foundation (FNS), giving them the possibility to do research abroad, have obtained a professorship, some of them at EPFL.

Using cell phone signals to measure rainfall

Published:08.02.11 — Mobile telephone relay antennas can be used for measuring rainfall, according to an innovative idea from EPFL’s Environmental Remote Sensing Laboratory (LTE) and EAWAG, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.

Lightning does actually strike in the same place twice!

Published:07.02.11 — A scientist at EPFL has developed a sensor that he subsequently fitted in the radio-TV tower at the top of the Säntis mountain, one of the places in Europe most affected by lightning. The goal is to better understand this phenomenon, which is still shrouded in mystery.

Another famous architect stamps his mark on EPFL

Published:04.02.11 — The project to transform the former mechanical engineering halls and the central library of EPFL has been awarded to the Karl Steiner company. The architect is Dominique Perrault, who was responsible for France’s National Library, among other works. This building will house, in particular, the Center for Neuroprosthetics, which was launched at the end of 2008 and co-financed by the Bertarelli Foundation, the Defitech Foundation, the International Foundation for Research into Paraplegia (IRP) and the Sandoz Family Foundation.

A New Model for Studying Parkinson's disease

Published:03.02.11 — Swiss researchers develop new, working model to combat genetic causes of the disease.