Physics and cultural heritage – on 3 June 2018
On 3 June, Switzerland celebrates the national Cultural Heritage Day 2018. The library of ETH Zurich hosts a broad programme. And although the topic is not one where we first think about research or physics, when it comes to cultural heritage, researchers at ETH Zurich and the Department of Physics have influenced and do influence Swiss culture in many ways.
The connection between physics and Swiss culture is immediately obvious when it comes to Albert Einstein. But also today, graduates are constantly bringing their knowledge into society and helping to shape it. Researchers are developing products and theories that strongly influence society, such as the Internet, GPS, self-driving vehicles, tomography and touchscreens.
Here we would like to draw your attention to the physics-specific offerings during the Cultural Heritage Day at ETH:
Atoms do not lie! Laboratory for Ion Beam Physics at Hönggerberg
When did Ötzi die? How old is the founding document of the Swiss Federation? Is there a fake Mona Lisa? Get insights into radiocarbon dating on the open day, with individual lab tours in small groups. Have a look at the measuring equipment and laboratories where samples for radiocarbon dating are processed and analyzed.
12:00–14:00 h, ETH Hönggerberg. More information.
Einstein, Pauli and Co. — Highlights from the archives of the ETH library
When was ETH Zurich founded? Was Albert Einstein a good student? What does the Eiffel Tower have to do with ETH? How does a Nobel Prize certificate look? These and many more questions are answered in the exhibition on the basis of historical original documents from the ETH Zurich University Archives.
10:00–16:00 h, ETH Center Campus. Find out more here and on the Einstein Online portal of the ETH library.
Exhibition "Expedition Solar System"
focusTerra has followed researchers from the ETH and the University of Zurich and tells in entertaining comics how and why they are traveling to space, what fascinates them, how they look into the early days of our solar system and hear signals from the beginning of time.
10:00–16:00, ETH Center Campus. More information.
Unless noted otherwise, the offerings are free. We look forward to your visit!