A few days ago, we celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary while on ETH secondment to Singapore. This unique opportunity gave us the perfect excuse for a short escape from the megacity, which we hoped to find a boat ride away at a small, sustainably managed island resort (ecologically conscious as we are, of course). And indeed, a few hours later we arrived on a small speck of land in the seemingly endless turquoise sea, with gorgeous bamboo guest houses, palm trees, white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, exotic wildlife and the tropical ocean breeze playing in our hair. Ahh, paradise!

Or so we thought. After not even 10 minutes on the beach, we had collected a sizable amount of all kinds of plastic items, ranging from small chips of Styrofoam to children’s toys, innumerable plastic bottles and containers (including lab vials!), and straws, straws, straws. A century of waste from our oh-so civilized modern world. Approximately five collection walks later, each time returning with a fully filled bag, we decided then and there to stop buying – as far as possible –  “disposable” items made from plastic, including lighters, cups, bottles, bags, string, straws, ballpoint pens and other office items, and to avoid “single use” plastic whenever possible (this specifically will be a challenge living in Singapore). The phrase “think globally, act locally” came to mind again. Consumer sovereignty.

Has this decision eased our conscience? Will it make a difference? Possibly a teeny-tiny bit. Most of all, it feels like a relief. We don’t really need this stuff anyway. After all, it’s a matter of changing one’s mindset and adjusting one’s habits and behavior accordingly. Less is more.

Strolling through this tropical world, we found an incredibly rich abundance of life, including hatching sea turtles (well-guarded by local wildlife rangers), numerous animals, and plants we had never seen before. It made us realise once again that we don’t know what we don’t know, and we cannot value what we don’t know. Scientific research helps us map, understand and protect life on our planet. The various environmental DNA (eDNA) collections that are currently ongoing worldwide enable noninvasive sampling of genetic information from a small probe of seawater, air, soil and other sources. These activities include a UNESCO initiative to collect eDNA across marine world heritage sites and study biodiversity of underwater life. With a similar goal in mind, we hosted the phenomenal ETH’s BiodivX Team at the Singapore-ETH Centre a few weeks ago for the semi-finals of the XPRIZE Rainforest competition for biodiversity assessment and enhancing our understanding of rainforest ecosystems.

Science will help us meet the environmental challenges of our time. The Singapore-ETH Centre develops sustainable solutions to global challenges in Singapore, Switzerland and the surrounding regions. The Centre offers unique opportunities for future-oriented research and connecting with amazing Southeast Asia. We’re ETH Ambassadors.

by Felix Moesner, Science Consul and CEO of Swissnex in China, and Nils Feldmann, project coordinator at Swissnex in China, 27 May 2021

As governments increasingly seek to implement sustainable, carbon-neutral energy solutions to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, ecosystem degradation and pollution, two things have become clear: First, education, research and innovation will play a key role in laying the foundation for future green energy systems, and second, no nation will be able to solve these global issues alone – as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is clearly showing.

Spurred on by the daunting projections of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the quest for climate neutrality – Switzerland by 2050 and China by 2060 – the two countries will require significant investment and coordinated efforts to fulfill their commitment. Both, however, are unquestionably capable of rising to the challenge.

Thanks to its world-class research institutions, an active startup ecosystem and ability to attract top talent, Switzerland consistently ranks among the most innovative countries in the world and is uniquely positioned to offer cutting-edge solutions for a sustainable future. Similarly, China’s Climate Change Special Envoy recently estimated that China needs to invest US$ 21 trillion over the next 30 years to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 – and this has propelled the country into a huge investment boom to achieve its green future. Today, China is already the global leader in the production of hydroelectricity, solar power and wind power, and in the construction of ultra-high voltage power lines.

Recognising this potential, Swissnex in China – the Science Consulate of Switzerland – in partnership with the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, Swiss Engineering, the Shanghai Energy Research Society and Presence Switzerland initiated the first Sino-Swiss Energy Innovation Forum. The forum seeks to create a collaborative platform that connects Switzerland and China through research, technology, business exchanges and partnership. China’s immense scale and rapid technological development across all fields of research offers exciting opportunities for Switzerland, the world leader in ground-breaking innovation executed at the highest international quality standards. The inaugural forum sowed the seeds for connecting some of the brightest minds in energy innovation in order to grow bilateral partnerships. The fast-paced four-hour forum was held in digital format from 6-7 May 2021, and hosted 27 high-caliber energy innovation experts from academia and industry in Switzerland and China, and 8 game-changing Swiss startups in the power grid and renewables fields. A wide-ranging audience of some 330 participants showed keen interest in the future of energy innovation and potential collaborations and partnerships.

Thanks to the input of Dr Christian Schaffner, Executive Director of the Energy Science Center, researchers and startups from ETH Zurich figured strongly among the presentations. While Professor Domenico Giardini and Dr Christian Schaffner highlighted the crucial role that energy scenario and system modelling play in facilitating the energy transition in Switzerland, Dr Petrissa Eckle provided practical illustrations of the opportunities and obstacles for carbon capture and storage. In addition, three ETH Zurich spin-offs – Adaptricity, Gilytics, and Exnaton – each delivered a captivating 2-minute pitch to present their innovative solutions for a sustainable electricity infrastructure.

To wind up the forum, the Sino-Swiss Energy Innovation Reception showcased numerous Swiss energy and cleantech champions in spectacular fashion on the world’s second tallest building – the Shanghai Tower – to an exceptional audience of diplomats, C-level executives, opinion leaders, media and representatives from government, academic institutions and industry. The reception also featured several premieres in China – the cleantech exhibition “Can Tech save the World?” and another on the “Watt d’Or” Swiss Energy Prize Projects. The latter highlighted ETH Zurich’s “anergy grid”, which transports renewable energy between several 200-metre-deep geothermal probes and the Hönggerberg energy distribution centres. The grid is key to achieving the university’s goal of cutting CO2 emissions by 80% by 2040, despite the planned expansion of the campus.

Taking centre stage at the reception was the driverless electric racecar “Gotthard”. This state-of-the-art EV was built by ETH Zurich students at AMZ, the Academic Motorsports Club Zurich, which made international headlines after its electric racecar “grimsel” set a new Guinness World Record by accelerating from zero to 100km/h in only 1.513 seconds. The second-generation driverless “gotthard” is another shining star among the AMZ record-breakers.

With the forum and reception successfully concluded, the real work now begins – leveraging the fresh cooperation and synergies between Switzerland and China to help drive the transition to a greener, more sustainable energy system. This inaugural forum will be followed by a workshop led by Dr Schaffner, and prepares the ground for an in-person Sino-Swiss Energy Innovation Forum in 2022.

Swissnex in China

Swissnex in China is the Science Consulate of Switzerland for China. Its mission is to connect Switzerland, China and the world in research, education and innovation and to support the outreach and active engagement of its partners in the international exchange of knowledge, ideas and talent. Swissnexes are established in some of the world’s most innovative regions – Brazil, China, India and the USA (Boston & San Francisco) – and located in 20 Swiss Embassies around the globe. Swissnex is an initiative of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation of Switzerland and embedded in the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs network abroad.

Links

Website: https://www.sseiforum.org/ and https://swissnex.org/china/
Twitter: @swissnexChina and @FelixMoesner
LinkedIn: @Swissnex in China, @Dr. Felix Moesner, MBA MIT (孟善能)

About the authors

With a PhD in robotics, MBA and MSc from ETH Zurich, MIT and the University of Tokyo, Dr. Felix Moesner acquired professional experiences in governmental, private and academic sectors at Swissnex China, Swissnex in Boston, the Embassy of Switzerland in Tokyo, Credit Suisse Life Insurance Japan, Synpulse, the Kanagawa Academy of Science & Technology, Toshiba Corporation Japan, and Egon Zehnder International Zurich. Dr. Moesner is currently the Science Consul and CEO of Swissnex in China, the Science Consulate of Switzerland in China, where he supports the mobility of talent, research collaboration and exchange of expertise between Switzerland and Greater China.

Nils Feldmann is a project coordinator at Swissnex in China, where he helps to identify, compile and communicate the most exciting scientific developments, emerging trends and collaborative opportunities in Switzerland and China. Nils previously obtained a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Geneva, as well as a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from the Paris School of International Affairs.

by Petra Schneider, International Relations Officer Asia, 18 March 2021

Since beginning of this year, I have a new job at the Office of the President. My designated work place is Singapore, a beautiful city I had only visited twice in my life, each visit only lasting a couple of days. Over Christmas, I watched the third season of the “Westworld” series which was almost entirely shot in Singapore. In the “Making of” featurette, the movie producers stated that they searched for filming locations that looked like “the city of the future” and came to the unanimous conclusion that Singapore is it. Singapore is not only a city with many high-rise buildings, but it brings together nature and city developments in a unique way (for example the FCL Global Program at the Singapore ETH Centre SEC).

So, in January I applied for entry to Singapore. A week later my request was granted and a packing frenzy began. It is always hard for me to pack for a different season than I am currently in. With the record snow in Zurich at the end of January, it was really trying to imagine a life with daytime temperatures at a constant 31°C (and in the context of work, not on a beach). The first two weeks I would be quarantined in a “surprise” hotel room that I would not be allowed to leave. I searched the internet and talked to a couple of colleagues about what to expect, and what others recommended. Since I am a real coffee junkie, and everything is better with a nice cup of hot steaming coffee, I stuffed my Nespresso coffee maker (with plug adapter) including packs of coffee capsules in one bag… along with my Swiss army knife. (Would it be okay to also pack a few bottles of Merlot from Ticino? I decided “no”). Now I was all set and ready to go!

Departure from Zurich

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I had not travelled overseas. I had heard of some mixed experiences from a colleague who voyaged to the US in autumn with fellow travelers in full-on disposable jumpsuits, so I was not sure what to expect on my SWISS flight to Singapore. At Zurich Airport, there were even fewer travelers around compared to September when I visited my mom in Berlin for her birthday. The E Gate which usually facilitates intercontinental flights at ZRH was closed. My flight departed from Gate D. Only 14 Passengers showed up, and we all got on a bus to our freezing cold plane (morning temperatures that day were below -10°C). The crew on the plane was super nice and relaxed. This felt very pleasant and comforting.

Arriving in Singapore

My plane touched down in Singapore at 5.20 a.m. local time. Disembarking was a breeze, with people in protective wear greeting us in a friendly manner and showing us the way. To my surprise, the immigration process went very smoothly. I got to pick up all of my luggage and proceeded to the arrival COVID test, which was located in a tent (tennis court size) with loud disco music playing, and the people administering the COVID test almost seemed to have a good time. This made me feel at ease. At the Exit we were directed to a bus which would bring us to our designated SHN (SHN = Stay Home Notice) hotel. Even my luggage was carried to the bus for me (and unloaded at the hotel), which was a really nice gesture.

The quarantine in hotels is mandatory even for Singapore residents. Besides better compliance with the rules of the quarantine, the hotels are kept in business. My fellow passengers and I got lucky and were assigned the Swissotel, where all the rooms have small balconies which we are permitted to use while wearing a mask, and many rooms have a view (mine with a full frontal Marina Bay view). One should always focus on the positive.

Day 5

At the hotel, we are provided with food three times a day – local cuisine, mostly Indian, Chinese or Thai, all of which I love. Everything is prepared fresh and always tasty. Though I am not a health nut, after three days I was really craving something fresh. So, I decided to order some groceries online: fruits, vegetables, milk and cereal. Merely half an hour later everything was delivered to my room, including a Swiss style müesli brand name “Alpen”. Tasty!

For exercise I brought a foldable yoga mat and exercise bands. With ASVZ@home, I try to work out. But with the very limited space not all programs really “fit” space-wise, and also my coordination skills are not what I hoped they would be. Today I tried to go for a walk, which I had adopted as a routine back home in Zurich (but not in my apartment). I felt really silly walking back and forth in my hotel room, with the Aircon “on”, for crying out loud (maybe I do Monty Python style silly walks tomorrow). Not entirely sure how things will look in the remaining nine days to go. I will get back to you on that. Or maybe not. Asia is calling.

About the author

Petra Schneider studied Chemistry at the TU Berlin, worked for Roche Pharmaceuticals, and founded two start-up companies. In 2010 she became a member of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at ETH Zurich. This year she joined the Office of the President at ETH to foster institutional relations with Asia. She has recently moved to Singapore.

by Rob Nuguid, Doctoral Student at PSI, 4 March 2021

Under normal circumstances, I would have been unconditionally ecstatic to receive an email stating that my application to the Korean–Swiss Young Researcher’s Exchange Programme was successful. But when this happened in mid-February 2020, I found myself in a quandary. As much as I wanted to go to Korea immediately as planned, I simply could not do so due to the looming threat of a COVID-19 pandemic. And so I waited out for months.

When summer came and the situation improved, I started to plan again for my departure. Thanks to the tremendous help that I received from the Leading House Asia and the Science & Technology Office Seoul, I managed to comply with all the requirements despite the difficulties.

I arrived in Korea with the full knowledge that I had to undergo 14 days of strict quarantine in a government facility. I had already prepared myself mentally for this challenge, but it turned out to be not as trivial as I expected. Indeed, my room felt claustrophobic at times. Fortunately, my quarantine period allowed me to catch up on some manuscripts that needed my attention. I also found myself looking forward to the dosirak (see picture) that would wind up in front of my doorstep three times a day. Before long, two weeks had passed and I proceeded directly to my main destination in Korea: Hanyang University.

Upon my arrival, my research supervisor and colleagues welcomed me with much enthusiasm: our whole laboratory even went to dinner together at a traditional restaurant! It was at this point that I learned about a curious drinking etiquette in Korea: after clinking glasses and saying geonbae, the young people must turn away from the elders before drinking. This is but one of the ways that Koreans show filial piety – a Confucian notion that they hold dear.

The research culture in Korea could not have been more different from the system that I was accustomed to, but I managed to adapt in no time due to the support of my labmates. Despite my short stay, I learned atomic layer deposition from scratch and managed to implement it in my research, which has the overarching goal of promoting environmental sustainability.

Just as the taegeuk symbol in the flag of Korea represents balance in the universe, my research exchange turned out to be not just academically stimulating, but also culturally enriching. Interspersed between my scientific experiments are occasional excursions to Korea’s well-preserved heritage sites, that allowed me to understand the country’s history and customs deeply.

Looking back now, I feel that I would have missed out on an incredible adventure if I had not pushed through with the exchange. The most important thing that I took away from my experience is this: from the people who helped me comply with the necessary pre-departure formalities, to the labmates who assisted me every step of the way, the virtue of jeong pervades universally in such a way that not even COVID-19 can dampen it.

About the author

Rob Jeremiah G. Nuguid is a PhD student at Paul Scherrer Institute, where he investigates the structure-activity relationship of heterogeneous catalysts for environmental applications. Aside from pursuing research, he enjoys traveling the world and reading international classics.

Link to Rob’s profile

by Irina Ritsch, PhD in Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, 17 December 2020

2020 is certainly a year that will be remembered by the global community. And while times have been grim and brought many challenges, I hope with this post I can restore a bit of positivity. Incidentally, 2020 was going to be special for me, even before it became so for everybody. I had just graduated with a doctoral degree in Physical Chemistry in late 2019, and was selected as a candidate for the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) short term strategic partnership for academic exchange with Japan. My destination was the group of Professor Masahiro Shirakawa at Kyoto University, and I was scheduled to begin in March, which turned out to be just when the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic hit Europe.

Already arriving at Osaka International Airport as one of the few foreign nationals, it was clear that this was not entirely going to be your regular Japan experience. Face masks, hand disinfectant, and social distancing measures were immediately the norm of the day. I cannot stress enough how incredibly thankful I am for the warm welcome I nonetheless received by the fantastic researchers and staff at Kyoto University! In their capable hands, language and cultural barriers quickly began to melt away.

I had expected no less, but it was fascinating to experience first-hand that after flying around the world, and entering a completely different society and culture, I found myself in a scientific community of people with a familiar attitude and interests. Except that all the software, labels of chemical bottles and instruction manuals were entirely in Japanese! Despite some previous warnings about the potentially strict and hierarchical Japanese culture and work ethics, I was fortunate to work in a supportive and collaborative environment to develop my research at Kyoto University. Eventually, due to pandemic countermeasures, laboratory work was reduced, but again, some good came with the bad. The resulting boost in online conferencing was indeed a valuable extension for global co-working, and continues to be so after my return.

This post is now already as crammed as my wonderfully compact Kyoto apartment, so let me reach my personal conclusion from the experience of Kyoto in 2020: looking out for one another, the way that my host group did for me when I arrived in a completely foreign environment in the middle of a global crisis, was a powerful example of openness and mutual goodwill to build strong trust, the basis of collaboration in modern science. If we manage as a scientific community to encourage each other to keep up and appreciate this mindfulness in all aspects of science, we will be able to extend and maintain a sustainable, inclusive and healthy global scientific community. Scientific excellence will be the natural consequence.

About the author

Irina Ritsch studied Interdisciplinary Science at ETH Zurich, where she continued her education with a PhD in Electron Paramagnetic Resonance in the group of Prof. Jeschke. Her focus is on how site-directed spin labelling and pulsed dipolar spectroscopy can be used to (un-) structurally characterise highly dynamic protein domains. In her free time she enjoys ballroom dancing and photography.

Links

https://equipsent.org/

http://www.moleng.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~moleng_01/

https://epr.ethz.ch/

Personal website/blog:
https://irinaritsch.com/