The latest edition of the Swiss research magazine Horizonte is out. It presents a wide selection of projects supported by the SNSF. The focal point of this edition is "use-inspired basic research". Horizonte is published in German and French.
The November study week of "Schweizer Jugend forscht" (Swiss Youth in Science) is dedicated to the humanities and social sciences: its topic is "(Un-) Freiheit" (Freedom/lack of freedom) and it takes place from 13 to 19 November. Young researchers of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "Democracy – Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century" are involved in the study week.
The latest edition of the Swiss research magazine Horizonte is out. It presents a wide selection of projects supported by the SNSF. The focal point of this edition is "We are water". Horizonte is published in German and French.
Women's lib anniversaries are gaining a lot of attention these days, but what has happened to men over the last forty years? As society develops and gender roles change, they too are faced with new challenges related to male self-definition, educational and career decisions, and forms of family life.
Electromagnetic fields and radiation produced by radio antennae or mobile phones can influence biological processes, for instance electrical brain activity during sleep, as researchers from the National Research Programme "Non-Ionising Radiation - Health and Environment" (NRP 57) have shown. However, they have not been able to establish any links between everyday exposure to radiation and health problems.
Nanomaterials are causing a revolution in fields as far apart as medicine, energy systems and consumer products. Despite their enormous potential, the production, use and disposal of these materials can entail risks for humans and the environment. The National Research Programme "Opportunities and risks of nanomaterials" (NRP 64) aims to identify both the risks and the opportunities of nanomaterials for human health, the environment and natural resources.
The latest edition of the Swiss research magazine Horizonte is out. It presents a wide selection of projects supported by the SNSF. The focal point of this edition is "Art and Research". Horizonte is published in German and French.
The National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "LIVES – Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives" began its research activities at the end of last year. The NCCR examines how postindustrial economies and societies contribute to the development of social exclusion and precariousness.
The National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "Robotics – Intelligent robots for improving the quality of life" aims to develop robot technologies for the benefit of human beings. The programme has recently got underway, with the ETH Lausanne as its headquarters.
How democratic is Switzerland? And how does its democracy compare with other established democracies? What factors actually distinguish a democracy? Researchers at the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "Democracy" have developed a new Democracy Barometer that provides answers to these and other questions.
The increasing use of technology in medicine presents new challenges for doctors. “But the relationship with the patient remains at the core of our work,” says Hans-Florian Zeilhofer, researcher of the NCCR “CO-ME - Computer Aided and Image Guided Medical Interventions”.
Switzerland deals flexibly and pragmatically with plurilingualism. It does this successfully. Nevertheless, immigration and increasing international integration are posing new challenges to schools, economy and administration. If the potential of multilingualism can be tapped, it will be beneficial to the community. These are some of the conclusions of the National Research Program 56 “Language diversity and language skills in Switzerland.”
The recording of the presentations for the press conference on the conclusion of NRP 56 “Language Diversity and Linguistic Competence in Switzerland“ can be found here (duration: 32 minutes).
Using methods from the field of cultural studies, the Zurich-based science historian Marianne Sommer examines how the natural sciences go about explaining the history of man. There is growing public interest in such explanations, which delve deep into the body to tell us who we are and where we come from.
As part of the National Research Programme “Benefits and Risks of the Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified Plants” (NRP 59), the mature wheat plants were harvested last week in the experimental field in Reckenholz. Thanks to favourable weather conditions, the genetically modified wheat in the trial field in Pully could already be harvested at the end of July. In the process, it became apparent that the act of vandalism committed at the end of June only reached the border of the field and did not compromise the tested plants.
The National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) “Climate – Variability, Predictability and Climate Risks” is the scientific partner of the “2 Degrees –Weather, Humans and their Climate” exhibition. It is the largest exhibition on weather and climate ever to be staged in Switzerland. The brainchild of the renowned German Hygiene Museum in Dresden, the NCCR Climate assisted in its adaptation for Switzerland.
The World Trade Institute (WTI) and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) “Trade Regulation –Framework Conditions of International Trade: from Fragmentation to Coherence” are currently implementing a cooperation project with three advanced developing countries, aimed at sharing and jointly developing trade policy expertise.
At the end of June vandals destroyed part of a test field where the safety of genetically modified wheat is being researched as part of the National Research Programme “Benefits and Risks of the Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified Plants” (NRP 59). Shortly afterwards, unknown persons defaced the house and car of one of the NRP researchers. The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) regrets and particularly deplores actions directed at individual persons.
How much is the hotly debated banking secrecy actually worth to Swiss banks? A study conducted within the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "FINRISK - Financial Valuation and Risk Management" suggests that some Swiss banks could continue to thrive even if they are not allowed to keep their secrets.
For the first time, Swiss HIV Cohort Study researchers have reconstructed on a molecular basis how the AIDS agent HIV has spread in Switzerland over the past 30 years. Data shows that the distribution of sterile needles to drug addicts, introduced in 1986, also protected many non-drug addicts against the disease. This is of relevance especially for those countries, in which needle distribution programs have still not been introduced.
Only a limited number of referendum campaigns end up swaying opinion in Switzerland. However, they do significantly influence the electorate, according to political scientist Hanspeter Kriesi, Head of the National Centers of Competence in Research (NCCR) in an interview with the latest edition of the research magazine “Horizons”.
The digital future of forensics is in Switzerland. Researchers from the National Centers in Competence in Research (NCCR) “Co-Me – computer-aided and image-guided medical procedures” have developed a robot that for the first time allows autopsies to be performed in a contact-free manner . Find out more in the latest edition of the research magazine “Horizons”.
The Swiss Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations gave the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) a clean report on its handling of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) “sesam”, which was discontinued at the end of September 2009. It concluded that there were no grounds for the allegation that the SNSF violated statutory regulations within the framework of the NCCR, as a group of interests from Basel asserted in its complaint filed with the Supervisory Board for Foundations.
In its constant endeavour to supply information targeted to needs, the SNSF now offers a news-service. Researchers and others can build their own personal information menu made up of SNSF scientific and foundation news topics, and then subscribe to it.
As part of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) “Mediality”, Martina Stercken from the University of Zurich has reinterpreted the first map of the Swiss Confederation, which dates from 1480. The historian has shown how Albrecht von Bonstetten, Dean of Einsiedeln Monastery, attempted to establish the still very heterogeneous Swiss Confederation as a politically uniform area within the Concert of Europe. He did so by following the tradition of the mappae mundi, the maps of the world produced during the High and Late Middle Ages. These represent the inhabited world as a circle with Jerusalem – the centre of Christianity – in the middle. By replacing Jerusalem with the Rigi, the three-peaked queen of mountains, and the world with the Swiss Confederation, he gives the country salvation-historical significance: its existence is obviously the will of God.
Should imams and Muslim religious teachers be allowed to train at Swiss universities in future? The majority of Muslims living in Switzerland advocate the idea, as do Swiss authorities, universities and legal experts. This is the result of a religious studies survey conducted as part of the National Research Programme “Religious Communities, State and Society” (NRP 58).
SNSF issues public call for pre-proposals for the National Research Programme «New Urbain Quality» (NRP 65). The funding of the programme is CHF 5 million. Pre-proposals must be submitted via the SNSF Web platform mySNF by October 5, 2009.
In its Lesson Learned report just published, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has drawn its conclusions from the discontinuation of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) SESAM in January. Based on the experience gained, it provides conclusions and findings that can be applied to comparable large-scale projects in the future. In particular, the SNSF intends to demand more extensive preliminary feasibility studies.
Between 1993 and 2003 the number of journeys by commercial vehicles within the Swiss conurbations rose by half. The volume of freight, however, has not risen. The number of trips by vans and trucks is having an adverse effect on the quality of life. Half of the nitrogen dioxide emissions by road vehicles are generated by freight traffic. Moreover, mutual obstruction of passenger and freight traffic flows is increasing. A growing number of vans and trucks are involved in accidents (approximately 30% of cases in 2003). As part of the National Research Council's programme on "sustainable development of the built environment"(NFP 54), the freight transport situation in urban areas was analysed and a package of suitable measures prepared. Concrete plans of action have thus been worked out for the Zurich, Lugano and Chur agglomerations.
SNSF issues public call for pre-proposals for the National Research Programme "Gender Equality" (NRP 60). Pre-proposals must be submitted via the SNSF Web platform mySNF by August 10, 2009. NRP 60 will operate with CHF 8 million. An informative meeting about the programme will not be provided.
Launched in 2003, the National Research Programme “Right-wing extremism – causes and countermeasures” (NRP 40+), has now been completed. One conclusion is that the way liberal societies see themselves departs from many of their citizens’ need for a national identity and for the rejection of anything that is unfamiliar. Right-wing extremism is either ignored or exaggerated. Both are a hindrance to objective discussion.
A district typology developed as part of the National Research Programme “Sustainable Development of the Built Environment” (NRP 54) makes it possible to depict districts of Swiss urban centres in a similar way to municipalities and observe demographic trends and urban development. Analysis reveals significant differences between Switzerland’s urban centres as regards utilization density and sociocultural mix. The concentration of certain nationalities in individual districts of Lucerne, Basel and Berne is particularly striking. There is also pronounced segregation as regards population age structures in these cities.
The temperature at the heart of a town or city is generally higher than in its surrounding areas: this is called the urban heat island effect. The degree to which this phenomenon occurs is dependent on several variables of urban life, but the difference in temperature can be as high as ten degrees Celsius. As part of the National Research Programme “Sustainable development of the built environment” (NRP 54), researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) are trying to find a better way to deal with this situation. Their model acts as a basis for the creation of built environment development scenarios – the virtual transformation or construction of areas of towns or cities – and the study of the environmental consequences of such work, with the aim of reducing the amount of energy used on maintaining the level of thermal comfort in buildings.
The Bernese environmental historian Guido Poliwoda has investigated the Elbe floods that occurred in Saxony in the 18th and 19th centuries and shown how the people affected learned to cope with them. His investigation has now been published as a book. The Elbe floods became more frequent during the period under investigation, resulting in a system overhaul, a flattening of hierarchies, the involvement of all tiers of society and ultimately in efficient bottom-up disaster management. Guido Poliwoda is now comparing his results with other countries and periods in the National Centre of Competence in Research "Climate". Switzerland's current approach to managing natural disasters emerges creditably from the comparison.
