News from the Executive Board 2021 / 7

Change concept on desk sharing: Results of the consultation process

In December 2020, the Swiss Federal Council instructed the ETH Domain to introduce flexible remote working and desk sharing for standard office workplaces in Switzerland that are not tied to a specific technical or structural infrastructure. An overarching change concept is to be developed for this purpose by the end of 2021.

At the end of September, the ETH Board submitted an initial version of such a concept to the institutions of the ETH Domain (ETH Zurich, EPFL, PSI, Empa, Eawag, WSL) for consultation. The challenge here was that the change concept should describe only general principles for desk sharing and general procedures for implementation. Specific analyses of the situation at ETH Zurich were not part of the concept, nor was there to be any concrete planning on questions of space utilisation or on designs for new or conversion projects.

The consultation process at ETH saw the university groups, various departments, Executive Board domains and administrative departments each submitting their comments on the concept. Their feedback included the criticism that the concept was heavy on administrative activities but too light on teaching and research at a university, and that it was too comprehensive overall.

The Executive Board is grateful for the open and constructive discussion and will now report the criticisms expressed back to the ETH Board.

New Geomatics degree programme starting in autumn 2022

Geomatics is the engineering science that models spatial data and studies spatial information. Up to now, ETH Zurich has offered a Master's programme in Geomatics, which builds on the former Bachelor's programme in Geomatics and Planning (more on studying at D-BAUG). Because the demands on geomatics have evolved, D-BAUG has revised the degree programme.

The latest revisions to the curriculum and the programme regulations modernise geomatics studies at Master¡¯s degree level and adapt them to these new conditions: in particular to the preparatory Bachelor¡¯s programme in Geospatial Engineering, introduced in 2018, and to the strongly increased number of Master¡¯s students holding Bachelor¡¯s degrees from other universities.

D-BAUG involved stakeholders from ETH Zurich, industry and the authorities in this revision process. As requested by students and lecturers, the new programme will have an even stronger focus on more flexible, project-based, research-oriented and interdisciplinary learning and teaching. Students will benefit from more elective options and a tutoring system starting in 2022 (more on this in D-BAUG News). The Executive Board has now approved the 2022 D-BAUG programme regulations and the revised 2013 programme regulations for the Master¡¯s degree programme in Geomatics, and has put them into effect from the start of the 2022 Autumn Semester.

Prize Committee: New president and new committee member elected

The ETH Zurich Prize Committee advises the Executive Board on science prizes. To this end, the committee monitors national and international developments in this area and proposes suitable ETH candidates to the Vice Presidency for Research for nomination.

The Executive Board elects the members of the committee as well as its president. At the Executive Board meeting of 26 October 2021, Prof. David Norris (D-MAVT) was elected as the committee¡¯s new president. Prof. Norris was already a member of the committee and succeeds the outgoing president, Prof. Martin Quack, as of 1 November 2021.

Prof. Angelika Steger (D-INFK) also joins the committee as a new member starting on 1 November 2021.