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.

Marita Berger, a Bachelor's student from the Department of Computer Science, spent her last semester in Beijing, China. For the ETH Ambassadors Blog, she  looks back on her transformative journey. 

Three Master's graduates from the Department of Computer Science have been awarded the ETH Medal for their outstanding performance. Congratulations!

Computer science student Constantin Pinkl embarked on a unique adventure from Zurich to NYC with TIE-INTERNATIONAL: Exploring landmarks, navigating work life, and embracing the vibrant energy of the Big Apple.

On Monday, 18 September, the autumn semester begins at ETH Zurich and many new students experience their first day at university. Once again, the numbers of first-semester students in our department show an upward trend.

Five Master's graduates from the Department of Computer Science have won prizes for their outstanding performance. Three have received the ETH Medal and two the Willi Studer Prize. Congratulations!

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.

Four Master's graduates from the Department of Computer Science have been awarded the ETH Medal for their outstanding performance. Congratulations!

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.

Tamara Gini, D-INFK Master’s student, joined a group of apprentices as a supervisor for 4 weeks thanks to TIE International as part of the ETH Zurich Studios project. For ETH Ambassadors she wrote a blog post about her expierence in NYC.

A team of three ETH computer science Master’s students won a silver medal at the World Finals of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) and became European Champions – the best placement by an ETH team in the history of the contest.

D-INFK students Jan Schnyder, Nicolas Muntwyler and Konstantin Wohlwend teamed up with UZH computer science student Kyrill Hux to launch "Generai", a platform that creates works of art from text prompts.

Being able to try on an outfit virtually to see if it fits would result in fewer returns. Fayçal M'hamdi, Master's student at the Department of Computer Science and Pietro Zullo, Master's student at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering are working on making this possible.

Daniel Yang always planned to go on an exchange semester. In this article, the Bachelor’s student details his experiences at Princeton University and explains why he would strongly recommend an exchange to his peers.

Four Master's graduates from the Department of Computer Science have won prizes for their outstanding performance. Three have received the ETH Medal and one the Willi Studer Prize. Congratulations!

Founded by students, the ETH organisation Cyber Group ETH Student Initiative is dedicated to cyber security. Its co-founder and former president, Karin Holzhauser, and current president Christian Knabenhans explain where Cyber Group came from and where it’s headed.

Thirty international teams competed virtually in the Geneva Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge 2022, including two teams of ETH students. Both made it all the way to the finals, winning second and fourth place, and a special prize. Before the competition, all students went through a rigorous two-month training programme provided by the student organisation Cyber Group.

In an interview with EPFL, Adalsteinn Jonsson, Master’s student at the Department of Computer Science and recipient of the seventh CYD Master Thesis Fellowship, talks about his current project and the advantages of conducting his thesis at the CYD Campus.

At the VIS Kontaktparty, students of computer science meet potential employers. Clemens Bachmann, president of the OC for the Kontaktparty 2022, answers the eight most frequently asked questions about the event.

Postdoc Moritz Geilinger visited the Pestalozzi School Camps to show children what a robotics researcher does and how robots can be used in the real world.

Professor Ueli Maurer was Director of Studies at the Department of Computer Science (D-INFK) from January 2020 to December 2021. In his farewell interview, he looks back on an intense but rewarding time.

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.

When algorithms reinforce biases: doctoral student Afra Amini is studying automated human language processing and its pitfalls.

David Dao, a doctoral student in the DS3Lab at the Department of Computer Science, visited the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference and explains what computer science can do to help.

Alexandre de Spindler was an active VIS member from 2001-2003 and is the founder of the Snowdayz. Visionen editor Ricardo Heinzmann asks him in an interview about his time in VIS 20 years ago.

Björn the Polar Bear has been the unofficial mascot of the Association of Computer Science Students (VIS) since the turn of the millennium. Happy Birthday!

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.

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.

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.

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.

From June 13 to 19, 2021, the first European Olympiad in Informatics for Women, EGOI, took place in Zurich. The organising committee and the participants look back on instructive, intensive, and unforgettable days.

Next week, the first European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics will take place in Zurich. The competition, which will have around 160 participants from 43 countries, is organised with a strong involvement from students of the Department of Computer Science.

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.

How does one find what one is looking for among the numerous publications and research areas of ETH Zurich? To answer this question, ETH staff teamed up with students from the Master’s in Data Science.

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.

Forty years ago, ETH Zurich launched its computer science degree programme. However, the history of computer science at ETH began even earlier. Our professor emeritus Carl August Zehnder reveals how he and the other founders of the department fought for their own degree programme.

In the third episode of the uncertainty series of the ETH podcast, senior lecturer Myriam Dunn Cavelty and D-INFK student Karin Holzhauser talk about cybersecurity and its role in computer science.

Gifted children are often not challenged enough at school. As a result, their motivation and love of learning suffer. The Centre for Gifted Education at the Department of Computer Science aims to counteract this with extracurricular courses.

Computer science is a young science that builds on old ideas. Friedemann Mattern has taught this for more than seven years in his computer science lecture for electrical engineering students. With his retirement, an era comes to an end.

Computer science student Johan Stettler got elected as the new president of VIS, the official association of computer science students at ETH Zurich. In his new role, he is responsible for representing, coordinating and supporting VIS, its board, its committees and its members in all their various fields and tasks

Cybersecurity is important in our increasingly digitised society. Cyber Group ETH Student Initiative, a student-founded organisation, works to educate and inspire students about cybersecurity, for instance by hosting events such as the virtual Meet & Greet.

VIScon Digital is set to take place in ETH’s main building from 5 to 10 October, and will be streamed online. All ETH employees are invited to attend. The talks, presentations and events will offer insights into current trends in and around the field of computer science, including developments relating to the coronavirus pandemic.

As the coronavirus pandemic exploded in March 2020, students at ETH Zurich founded two online platforms that assigned volunteers to healthcare institutions in need: Students4Hospitals and Care Now. After six months of living with the virus, where are these platforms now?

From an early age, Patrice Becker had an interest in computer science. He was fascinated by the idea of being able to reach the whole world with just a laptop and some programming skills. Today, the computer science student successfully combines studies and entrepreneurship at ETH Zurich.

Twenty international teams competed in the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge 2020, including five teams from ETH Zurich. In an unprecedented winning streak, the ETH Zurich teams not only took the top five places, but also won all the special prizes. The thorough preparation by the student organisation Cyber Group was one of the reasons for their success.

The Cyber Group – ETH Student Initiative prepares ETH Zurich students taking part in the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge, where participants need to respond to a realistic cyberattack scenario using not only computer science, but also political and oratory skills.

Entrepreneur, app developer, ESOP scholarship holder: at the age of only 24, Larissa Laich has already achieved a lot. Her curiosity and enthusiasm for her field have shaped the young computer scientist’s career from her first programming attempts at school to her Master’s degree at ETH Zurich.

Julia Gschwind, BA-​student at the department of computer science, is one of the two winners of the Alfred Escher Prize 2020. This year, the "Swiss Youth in Science" competition provided the framework for the award.

Nicola Rüegsegger and Pascal Wacker are studying computer science at ETH Zurich as a second career path. With their know-how, they helped set up two platforms that help place students and personnel in the most affected hospitals.

VIScon, the largest student-organised conference at ETH Zurich, continues to grow. The next edition in October 2020 invites students to dive deeper into topics from academia and industry. Labs, institutes and professors can now submit proposals to participate.

Video conferences instead of social coffee breaks and a very short commute to work. In order to slow the rapid spread of the coronavirus, most members of the Department of Computer Science are now working from home. Read how they are experiencing their new reality.

To slow down the spread of the coronavirus, most ETH staff had to move their teaching duties and research to their home offices. However, collaboration and communication must be re-invented and everyone needs to adapt to the new routine. Alexander Viand, president of the association of scientific staff at D-INFK, is now working from home, too. Read his estimate of the current mood of the scientific staff and his recommendations for how to work from home successfully.

Like many other students these days, VIS President Jonathan Chen is working from home. In this interview, he talks about his new routine, the positive effects of the coronavirus and how VIS supports all students at the Department of Computer Science.

The Coronavirus pandemic affects us all and we need to adapt almost daily to new changes and rules. For students from abroad, these times are even tougher since their families and long-time friends are far away. Michael Aerni is the president of MoEB and knows what particular challenges international students encounter during this intense period.

As Director of Studies, Professor Ueli Maurer is responsible for teaching at the Department of Computer Science. When ETH Zurich discontinued all classroom teaching on March 16, he, too, was faced with the challenge of ensuring that the department’s more than 1'000 Bachelor's and Master's students could continue their studies.

In light of International Women's Day 2020, ETH Zurich puts successful women centre stage. Read about Prof. Julia Vogt, tenure track assistant professor of medical data science, in this article.

During the CSNOW taster week, 37 young women visited the Department of Computer Science for a week. They coded their own app, met students and researchers and created a basis for choosing a field of study.

The CSNOW (Network of Women in Computer Science) supports and connects women the Department of Computer Science. At the turn of the year, the organisation’s leadership changed.

Professor Peter Müller, the retiring Director of Studies of the Department of Computer Science, looks back on two and a half years in office and takes stock. In this interview, he talks about the highlights of his job and how teaching has changed at D-INFK.

Marina Draskovic came to us from the University of Novi Sad, Serbia, and spent her Student Summer Research Fellowship (SSRF) as part of Professor Friedemann Mattern’s team, where she helped develop an app that measures fatigability in patients with multiple sclerosis.

They are lecturers, scientists, software developers and innovators: the Senior Scientists Focus Education at the Department of Computer Science are responsible for teaching computer science at other departments. But they also do much more than just teach.

Six students of the Department of Computer Science were awarded with an Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP) scholarship. Congratulations!

For the second time, computer science students at ETH Zurich are organizing VIScon – a unique combination of a symposium and a hackathon. The three-day event, packed with talks, workshops and coding, enables students to get a deeper insight into computer science, engineering and entrepreneurship.

Can you turn a semester project into a business idea? Yes, of course! The video game Unrailed!, developed by Hendrik Baatz, Thomas Lang, Lukas Rahmann and Thomas Wolf as part of the Game Programming Laboratory course, has garnered worldwide interest at trade shows and in the media. On 9 September 2019, it became the first game developed at the Department of Computer Science to be commercially available.

Universities play an increasingly important role in society creating an environment where talents, like graduate student David Yenicelik, thrive. A co-​founder of Skilllab, Yenicelik develops artificial intelligence to uncover roadmaps that guide refugees on how to integrate into local labour markets.

As a female computer scientist, Julia Chatain has experienced many conscious and unconscious biases. With her work at ETH Zurich’s Game Technology Center, she aims to refute such prejudices for future generations and to show everyone – not least the women themselves – that yes, women can code!

20 international students explore their favourite research topic while working within a research group at the Department of Computer Science.

Congratulations to Team Kassiopeia, who took home the prize for “Most Creative Policy Response Alternative” during this year’s Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge.

Professor Juraj Hromkovic explains what language and programming have in common and what makes a good programming language for computer science education.

Juraj Hromkovic has over 15 years of experience in teaching children computer science. He explains the approach we should take.

After launching the School for Continuing Education with Einstein in April, ETH is presenting another new course: the Diploma of Advanced Studies ETH in Data Science. 

ETH computer scientist Bernd Gärtner explains why even youngsters should get to grips with computer science.

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.

Think girls aren’t interested in computers? Think again! ETH Globe accompanied schoolgirls for a week as they took part in a computer science taster course.

As part of today’s Digitaltag event, 180 children are visiting ETH Zurich to attend a programming workshop organised by the Centre for Computer Science Education. ETH professor Juraj Hromkovic explains why good computer science education is so important for young people and what is currently going wrong in schools.

What if you had the chance to complete your own research project at ETH over the summer and to join in discussions about the university’s future? Read more about Katherine Bancroft and Siqi Liu. 

Out of a pool of over 1’200 applicants, fifteen highly talented computer science students from all around the world were chosen to participate in ETH’s first Student Summer Research Fellowship (SSRF) program.

Mirroring the international spirit at the Department of Computer Science, our students share their points of view and describe their impression of ETH, their studies and future personal as well as professional goals in Switzerland.

Professor emeritus Carl August Zehnder recounts the early history of computer science in Switzerland that lead first to the creation of a computer science curriculum and finally to the founding of the Department of Computer Science in 1981. (German)

Knowledge is not only a privilege but also a responsibility. Prof. Bernd Gärtner, Dr. Petra Adamaszek and their "Kinderlabor" (Laboratory for Children) bring scientific MINT subjects closer to individuals at the ETH hosted event "Treffpunkt Science City". Through the laboratory’s dedication towards young learners, disciplines such as computer science become both distributed and accessible. The benefits reach far into business, industry, and society.

Google honours the Centre for Computer Science Education (ABZ) of ETH Zurich, which promotes computer science skills at primary schools by offering programming courses. Now, the programme leaders can extend their efforts onto other parts of Switzerland. (German)

The VIS contact party is for students and companies what 'speed dating' is for singles: a chance to get to know the other party personally and to assess the possibility of a future together. (German)

In this interview, AdNovum CEO Ruedi Wipf talks about why his company supports ETH’s Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Program by a donation into ETH Zurich Foundation, why businesses should build bridges to today’s students and what qualities they need to succeed in a technology-​driven 21st century.

Last week, the second Informatics Cup (I-Cup) took place in Davos, alongside the annual training camp of the informatics olympiads, with international teams from Switzerland, Hong Kong, Romania, Russia and Slovakia. (German)

Alumni and current students discuss the opportunities of the joint Master in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CBB) offered by ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich.

According to ETH's latest gender monitoring report, around 12% of students at D-​INFK are women, while the share of females at ETH level is almost three times higher (30.6%). So, it is vitally important that the department has promotion processes for female students with aspiration, knowledge and skills. I have talked to Christina Poepper and Adrian Altenhoff about the future of the "Frauenfoerderung" (FF).

Professor Friedemann Mattern, Department Head of the Department of Computer Science, introduces the Kontaktparty 2011. (German)

Master's student Simona Constantinescu and her seven fellow students won the first prize in the category Information Processing at the iGEM 2010 with their project “E. lemming”.

Professor Friedemann Mattern, Head of the Department of Computer Science, welcomes first-year Bachelor's students to ETH Zurich. (German)