D-INFK news channel

Georgette Weingärtner was always enthusiastic about computer science. But at ETH she was confronted by situations involving a multitude of challenges. In the video she tells us what helped her to overcome these.

Damla Ortac already had a job as a software engineer when she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. But she began to have doubts about her chosen career and decided to do something totally different. Watch the video here.

Studying Data Science at ETH Zurich means being part of one of the most exciting driving forces of today’s Information Age. To gain deeper insights into the field, we have talked to various students, professors, and an alumna. In these video conversations, the interviewees elaborate on the growing need and importance of data science – both now and in the future.

The “Student stories” video series gives a somewhat different insight into everyday life as a student: Eren Akbiyik worked as a software developer at IBM and is now pursuing a Master's degree at ETH Zurich in the Department of Computer Science. In this video, he talks about how he finds relaxation in his packed daily study routine.

The Morphs are here! The smart, eager-​to-learn creatures are now waiting in the ETH main building for players to train them. "Morph Tales - Exploring Artificial Intelligence" is a new game from ETH Zurich that is fun to play and shows how humans and AI master tasks together.

Given the sharp rise in security attacks on systems, networks and programs, cyber security has become a crucial topic. In response to this phenomenon, the joint-degree Master’s programme in Cyber Security was established in 2019 by ETH Zurich and EPFL. We spoke with both professors and students who have first-hand knowhow of the programme, gaining insights into their experiences and perspectives.

The new Internet protocol SCION, developed by our Professor Adrian Perrig among others, solves the fundamental problem of meeting the security demands of the modern digital economy. The technology is currently being used by the Swiss National Bank and the financial industry to secure data communication.

The "International Day of Women and Girls in Science" was launched in 2015 and is celebrated annually on the 11th of February. It aims at raising awareness of the crucial role played by girls and women in science and technology. As part of this day, ETH drew attention to the many exceptional female scientists who study, teach and research at ETH Zurich.

In the latest episode of the “Student Stories” series, Jan Blum talks about his everyday life as a hard-​of-hearing Bachelor’s student, the difficulties he faced when he started studying computer science and what helped him combat the feeling of being the odd one out.

Are we witnessing the rise of a different, adaptive artificial intelligence (AI) that works with humans and supports them with smart decisions? Computer scientist Niao He is investigating how this kind of AI can be theoretically underpinned so that it really does provide benefits.

Scanning the environment with a camera and interactively creating a virtual 3D model? Researchers from the Computer Vision and Geometry Group at D-INFK receive funding from the Sony Research Award Program to advance their pioneering computer vision methods.

Did you miss an important moment? Professor Christian Holz and his postdoc Andreas Rene Fender have developed a system that can record and later replay events in a room in 3D.

The Computer Graphics Laboratory, led by Professor Markus Gross, is working with Align Technology to advance the field of digital dentistry.

In this video, postdoc Ece Özkan Elsen talks about her return to research, why she loves medical data science, and how she works to support other women in computer science.

Insight into everyday life as a student: In the first episode of this video series, computer science student Selin Baris talks about how she moved from Turkey to Zurich, how she got over her homesickness and how she learned to strike a balance between her studies and free time.

In the last part of this video series, Niklaus Wirth tells us what doors the Turing Award opened for him and how he got one step closer to perfection with each programming language.

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.

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 significantly.

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 the benefits of associations, how not to lose touch in a fast-moving field and why openness is of great importance for computer scientists.

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.

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.

Professor emeritus Walter Gander was a strong advocate for computer science since the 80s. He was committed to independent computer science teaching in Swiss schools, supported women in CS and participated in development projects abroad. In the second part of this interview, Walter Gander tells us about his work as head of department, his long-term book projects and how copy & paste was done in the 80s.

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, high above the rooftops of Zurich, he talks about the beginnings of the Department of Computer Science and about a career that stretched from St. Gallen to Hong Kong.

How transparent are decisions that are based on artificial intelligence and machine learning? Professor Andreas Krause, Chair of the ETH AI Center and head of the Learning and Adaptive Systems group, shares his thoughts on trustworthy artificial intelligence.

Under the direction of D-INFK Professor Juraj Hromkovic, the ABZ trained children for the robotics competition entitled "First Lego League". Two teams made it to the finals, one of which was received by ETH Rector Sarah Springman for a visit.

In 1981, ETH Zurich launched its new computer science degree programme and 110 students started their first semester. 40 years later, the Department of Computer Science is the academic home of over 2500 students and enjoys growing interest worldwide.

Styrofoam fascinates with its many possible applications. Complex, curvy shapes, however, are difficult to produce with conventional cutting tools. For this, Simon Dünser puts a robot to work that efficiently and precisely wields a hot wire.

Bühler AG and the Swiss Data Science Center have collaborated to establish a new approach for the design of cooling, in order to further increase the process performance and still maintain high part quality.

ETH News takes a look back at 2020 and the highlights that emerged amidst difficult and unsettling times. Among them are exciting ideas and projects from our department.

Katja Wolff, a doctoral student at the Interactive Geometry Lab, has developed an algorithm that aligns textile patterns along seams.

Virtual assistants cannot understand Swiss German. The ETH Media Technology Center is working to change that by teaching machines to speak and understand different Swiss German dialects.

Join doctoral student Oliver Glauser from the Interactive Geometry Lab in this video as he introduces a data glove which can capture accurate hand motions in real time.

Prof. Kenny Paterson, head of the Applied Cryptography Group, explains the secret behind prime numbers and how they matter to our daily lives.

On March 19, 2019, ETH Zurich presented the Spark Award 2019. The award recognizes the most promising invention that ETH transfer filed for a patent in 2018. Two of the nominated projects came from D-​INFK.

D-INFK is headed to Davos during the World Economic Forum, January 22-25. A visit to ETH Zurich's Pavilion will have you RETHINKING DESIGN in an entirely new context: design your own robot, meet SAM the soft robotic hand, and play a video game you built yourself.

Producing realistic animated film figures is a highly complex technical endeavour. ETH researchers have now shown how drones can be used to greatly reduce the effort required in the process.

Debopam Bhattacherjee and Professor Ankit Singla explore the design of an internet that operates at the speed of light.

Fuelled by a recent surge in artificial intelligence technologies, robotics is on the verge of taking centre stage in our society. Nevertheless, before robots can assist us with everyday chores at work and at home, they will need the skills to perform an increasingly diverse array of tasks. Professor Stelian Coros, leader of the Computational Robotics Lab within the Department of Computer Science, is developing the mathematical foundations for new algorithms that address this fundamental challenge.

So called dark data are documents that machines cannot read. In cooperation with Zurich Insurance, Professor Ce Zhang brings light into the dark. 

The 2018 KITE Award has been presented to Lukas Fässler, Markus Dahinden and David Sichau for their e-​tutorials, which teach programming to students from all departments. ETH Zurich awards the prize for pioneering teaching concepts.

Researchers from ETH Zurich and Disney Research have developed a software that makes it easier to animate characters in the entertainment industry. In the future, the software could also allow inexperienced users to design compelling motion cycles.

Filming of spectacular action scenes is expensive and the creative possibilities are often limited. A D-INFK doctoral student has developed an algorithm that allows drones to implement the desired picture compositions independently.

Researchers at ETH Zurich, Disney Research Zurich, and Carnegie Mellon University have developed a software tool that empowers average users to design custom robotic creatures and their movements.

Riding the Polybahn from Central up to ETH Zurich with Ueli Maurer: the computer science professor and head of ETH Zurich’s Institute of Theoretical Computer Science tells us in a new Polybahn Pitch what he’s doing to contribute to internet security.

Professor Otmar Hilliges and his staff at ETH Zurich have developed a new app enabling users to operate their smartphone with gestures. This development expands the range of potential interactions with such devices.

Manipulating 3-​dimensional animated characters on a 2D screen is challenging and requires years of training. ETH researchers now make animation artists’ life a little easier with a new input device they can assemble into a shape similar to the virtual character.