40 Years D-INFK
It was exactly 40 years ago, in 1981, when ETH Zurich introduced its own computer science curriculum and laid the foundation for the Department of Computer Science. Like the science it is dedicated to, the department has grown and developed in the last forty years.
A look back at the history illustrates an interesting transformation into a cutting-edge department. What began with five professors teaching a little more than a hundred students is now a world-class institution with around 1,400 Bachelor's and 800 Masters's students, 300 doctoral students, 110 post-doctoral and senior researchers and over 40 renowned faculty members.
We are taking this opportunity to shine a spotlight on the history and on the diversity – human as well as scientific – at our department by introducing a series of articles, interviews, and hopefully events. Get to know the department better and celebrate with us – happy anniversary!
What are the career opportunities in academia? What stages can you expect to go through and what qualifications do you need to achieve? Almost 70 D-INFK researchers and students attended a talk and Q&A session on October 28 to learn about the complex process of applying for – and getting – faculty positions. Read the article here.
On October 12, a small get-together was held in the CAB building in honour of D-INFK founders Niklaus Wirth and Carl August Zehnder. Alumni, former employees and professors from the founding period of the department 40 years ago attended the event. Read the article here.
03.12.2021 - In 1970, Prof. em. Niklaus Wirth developed the programming language Pascal and became world-famous with it. In this conversation with Prof. em. Friedemann Mattern, Wirth talks about the beginnings of computer science and how he influenced them. Watch the video here.
17.12.2021 - In this continuing conversation, Niklaus Wirth talks about the hurdles he had to overcome when introducing computer science to Switzerland and why the label "made in the USA" was absolutely necessary at the time. Watch the video here.
21.12.2021 - 1984: Apple introduces the Macintosh, IBM introduces its IBM Personal Computer/AT and the Swiss computer scientist Niklaus Wirth is awarded the Turing Award. In the last part of this video series, Niklaus Wirth tells us what doors the award opened for him and how he got one step closer to perfection with each programming language. Watch the video here.
27.09.2021 - Professor emeritus Carl August Zehnder is one of the founders of the Department of Computer Science. In this video, he talks about how his research field developed out of practical necessity, the competitive pressure against other departments, and the importance of infrastructure at ETH Zurich. Watch the video here.
27.10.2021 - Carl August Zehnder's work not only shaped the Department of Computer Science, but also the Swiss state and society. In this continuing conversation, the founder of D-INFK explains what associations bring, how not to lose touch in computer science and why openness is of great importance for computer scientists. Watch the video here.
28.07.2021 - Prof. em. Walter Gander helped Switzerland acquire a high-performance computer, promoted the implementation of e-mail at ETH Zurich, and wrote the first book using LaTeX. In this interview with Lukas Fässler, he talks about the beginnings of D-INFK and about a career that stretched from St. Gallen to Hong Kong. Watch the video here.
16.08.2021 - Prof. em. Walter Gander was an advocate for computer science since the 80s, supporting computer science in schools, women in CS, and development projects abroad. In the second part of this interview, Walter Gander tells us about his work as head of department, his books, and how copy & paste was done in the 80s. Watch the video here.
22.10.2021 - What was the first computer at ETH Zurich? When did ETH students get e-mail accounts? Who founded the Department of Computer Science? From 1947 to 2021, this timeline represents some of the most important events that led to the founding of D-INFK in 1981 and that have influenced its development since, as well as some significant computing and information technology milestones. View the timeline here.
23.06.2021 - On June 23, 1970, the SRF programme Antenne reported on the installation of a new large-scale computer system in the purpose-built computing centre of ETH Zurich. Today, the 60-ton mainframe is outperformed by a 50-gram smartwatch. Watch the broadcast here.
26.08.2021 - As the computer science programme at ETH Zurich turns 40, we explore what made the world go round in 1981. Enjoy browsing our selection here!
02.07.2021 - The SRF programme Mensch, Technik, Wissenschaft from September 9, 1988, reported on the supercomputer Cray X-MP/28, which can still be found at ETH Zurich today – albeit in a somewhat different function. Watch the broadcast here.
31.05.2021 - The programme Karussell, broadcast by SRF on September 6, 1983, presented the novel computer Lilith that had been developed by Professor Niklaus Wirth and his team at ETH Zurich. It was one of the first computers to have a graphical user interface and a mouse. Watch the broadcast here.
20.4.2021 - Over 50 years ago, Professor emeritus Niklaus Wirth designed the programming language Pascal. It became one of the most popular teaching languages and shaped programming languages to come. Read the full article here.
25.3.2021 - Forty years ago, ETH Zurich launched its computer science degree programme. But the history of computer science at ETH began even earlier. Our professor emeritus Carl August Zehnder tells the story of rejection, misunderstanding and strict rules that had to be overcome before the first computer science students could enroll in 1981. Read the article here.
10.12.2021 - Remo Gisi studied computer science at ETH Zurich from 2005 to 2012. A few years later, he founded the spin-off Tastelab, which operates at the intersection of food, science and sustainability. His knowledge of computer science also helps him with tasks and hobbies that have nothing to do with programming. Read the interview here.
23.11.2021 - Cornelia Haldemann was one of the first computer science students at ETH Zurich. She graduated in 1987 and now heads the product data management of an internationally active Swiss company. After many years of work, she meets change with serenity. Read the interview here.
01.11.2021 - Christian Plattner completed his diploma in computer science at ETH Zurich in 2002. Already a coder while at secondary school, he worked in industry while studying at ETH and founded his own company while still a doctoral student. Read the interview here.
4.10.2021 - Fredi Schmid was a co-founder and the first President of the Association of Computer Science Students at ETH Zurich (VIS). In the interview he remembers the founding, the parties, and studying computer science in the 1980s. Read the interview here.
7.9.2021 - Stefan Nägeli completed his Master's degree in computer science at ETH Zurich in 2006. As co-founder and CTO of swisspeers AG, he now uses his skills to solve complex business problems in the finance software industry. Read the interview here.
25.08.2021 - Sarah Hauser completed her Master's degree in computer science at ETH Zurich in 2008. As a professor and Vice Dean at the computer science department at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, she now shapes the next generation of computer science students. Read the interview here.
10.08.2021 - Urs Hölzle studied computer science at ETH Zurich from 1983 to 1988 and gained his doctorate at Stanford University, before joining Google in 1999 as employee number eight. As a top manager at Google, Urs Hölzle not only shapes the global technology landscape but also affects the lives of millions of people through his work. Read the interview here.
26.07.2021 - Daniel Schenker received his diploma in computer science from ETH Zurich in 1988. Afterwards, he turned his hobby into his job and vice versa: today, he is a jazz musician and music professor who enjoys coding in his free time. Read the interview here.
12.07.2021 - Gabriela Keller studied computer science at ETH Zurich from 1988 to 1993. Today, she is the CEO of Ergon Informatik, where she started working as a software developer shortly after graduating. She feels connected to the department to this day. Read the interview here.
11.06.2021 - Florian Hanke studied computer science at ETH Zurich from 1997 to 2004. He especially appreciates his discipline’s universal applicability, which has taken him as far as Papua New Guinea. Read the interview here.
17.5.2021 - The Zurich City Councillor Michael Baumer studied computer science at ETH Zurich from 1994 to 1999 and was president of the Association of Computer Science Students (VIS). Today, he is applying the skills and experiences he gained during his studies on the political stage. Read the interview here.
23.4.2021 - In 1981, ETH Zurich launched its computer science degree programme and 110 students started their first semester. 40 years later, the D-INFK is the academic home of over 2500 students. In this video, computer science students and alumni explain why they chose this course of study and what they love about it. Watch the video here.
Browse current research news from the department here.
Our anniversary logo exists in 40 different-coloured versions to illustrate the diversity of people, research topics and study programmes that compromise D-INFK today.