What data reveal – Scientifica 2017
How our world will look in the future? What does digital change means for our society? These are questions of broad interest. More than 30,000 visitors came on the weekend of 1–3 September to immerge at the University of Zurich and at ETH Zurich in the world of data — and to get inspired by science.
Some 300 researchers presented their projects during the external pageZurich Science Days, gave short lectures or workshops and discussed in Science Cafés. Also the presentations and short presentations by members of the Department of Physics highlighted the importance of Big Data in research — from the smallest scale to the biggest.
The National Research Center "Quantum Science and Technology" (NCCR QSIT), in which ETH Zurich is the Leading House, provided insights into external pageLicht – Quanten – Daten (light — quanta — data), through experiments and a video.
That the visitors were during these three days so curious to learn about quantum mechanics came as a positive surprise to the researchers presenting at the event. The external pagevideo on quantum research at ETH Zurich also sparked lively discussions about the future of quantum technology and the impact on our everyday lives.
The dialogue with the audience was a joy for everyone involved. Fresh perspectives from outside the researchers' typical environment provided new outlooks on their own work.
Professor Christoph Grab presented, in collaboration with the University of Zurich, external pageNeue Welten entdecken – Big Data in der Teilchenphysik (Discovering New Worlds — Big Data in Particle Physics).
Discovering new worlds is also a topic in astrophysics: external pageGibt es Leben auch auf andern Planeten? (Is there life on other planets?). Five ETH astrophysicists showed how they work to uncover the mysteries of the Universe with Big Data.
Scientifica offers many possibilities for exploring new things in a playful manner. But how can the fundamentals of physical concepts such as energy, vibrations and radiation be understood from scratch? At the Department of Physics, there is also research on learning. Visitors could try themselves to learn efficiently — guests of all ages took part in the external pagelearning experiment of the group of Prof. Andreas Vaterlaus and saw how gratifying a positive learning experience can be.
The presentations were accompanied by four short lectures by members of the Institute for Particle and Astrophysics:
- external pageAstronomische Datenverarbeitung: Suche nach Leben
(Astronomical data processing: search for life) - external pageUnsere Zukunft im Universum
(Our future in the Universe) - external pageBig data in the invisible radio universe
- external pageIlluminating the dark universe with Big Data