École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

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École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
EPFL Logo
Established 1853, Opened 1869
Type Public
President Patrick Aebischer
Undergraduates ~ 5,000
Postgraduates ~ 1,400
Location Lausanne, VD, CH
Campus Urban
Nationalities 100+
Website www.epfl.ch

The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne in Switzerland. The EPFL is in the heart of Europe and is one of Europe's leading institutions of science and technology.

The school was founded by the Swiss Federal Government with the stated mission to:

  • Educate engineers and scientists
  • Be a national center of excellence in science and technology
  • Provide a hub for interaction between the scientific community and industry

A similar institution in the German-speaking part of Switzerland is the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zürich or ETHZ, also EPFZ in French).

Presentation movie

Contents

[edit] History

Image:Welcome to EPFL.jpg
Entrance of the EPFL. The picture is of Auguste Piccard, after whom the main avenue of the EPFL is named.

Founded in 1853 as a private school under the name École Spéciale de Lausanne, it became the technical department of the public Académie de Lausanne in 1869. When the latter was reorganized and acquired the status of a university in 1890, the technical faculty changed its name to École d'Ingénieurs de l'Université de Lausanne. In 1946, it was renamed the École Polytechnique de l'Université de Lausanne (EPUL).

In 1969, the EPUL was separated from the rest of the University of Lausanne and became a federal institute under its current name. The EPFL, like the ETHZ, is thus directly controlled by the Swiss federal government. In contrast, all other universities in Switzerland are controlled by their respective cantonal governments.

The EPFL operates a nuclear reactor, Crocus, a Tokamak fusion reactor, and P3 bio-hazard facilities. Following the nomination of Patrick Aebischer as president in 2000, EPFL has started to develop into the field of life sciences. It will absorb the ISREC (Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research) by 2008.

[edit] Campus

Aerial view of the EPFL campus
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Aerial view of the EPFL campus

Originally, the EPFL was in the center of Lausanne. In 1978, the EPFL moved to its new campus in Ecublens a suburb south-west of Lausanne on the shores of Lake Geneva. In 2002, the department of architecture also moved to the campus in Ecublens. This united all departments of the EPFL on the same site.

[edit] Buildings

The campus consists of about 65 buildings on 136 acres. Built according to the growth of the school, the campus includes different types of architectures:

  • Late 70s-80s: modularized building, used today by the Schools of Basic Sciences and Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • 90s: buildings with institutes from the Schools of Engineering Sciences and Techniques, Computer and Communication Sciences, and the Scientific Park (PSE)
  • Modern: new buildings (2002-2004) with Microengineering, Communications and Architecture institutes and the School of Life Sciences

The EPFL and the nearby University of Lausanne share an active sports center five minutes away from the EPFL campus on the shores of the Lake Geneva.

[edit] Facilities

Facilities are available on the campus for the students and staff:

[edit] Organization

The EPFL is organised into seven schools, themselves formed of institutes that group research units (laboratories or chairs) around common themes.

The EPFL is constituted of the following Schools:

The Tokamak à configuration variable (TCV): inner view, with the graphite-claded torus. Courtesy of CRPP-EPFL, Association Suisse-Euratom
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The Tokamak à configuration variable (TCV): inner view, with the graphite-claded torus. Courtesy of CRPP-EPFL, Association Suisse-Euratom
  • SB (Sciences de base – Basic Sciences) mathematics, physics and chemistry
    • Institute of Analysis and Scientific Computing (IACS, Jacques Rappaz)
    • Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering (ISIC, Hubert Girault)
    • Institute of Mathematics (IMA, Stephan Morgenthaler)
    • Institute of Geometry, Algebra and Topology (IGAT, Jacques Thévenaz)
    • Institute of Physics of Energy and Particles (IPEP, Minh Quang Tran)
    • Institute of Complex Matter Physics (IPMC, László Forró)
    • Institute of the Physics of Nanostructures (IPN, Jean-Philippe Ansermet)
    • Institute of Physical Sciences (SPH-GE, Jean-Philippe Ansermet)
    • Institute of Quantum Electronics and Photonics (IPEQ, Benoît Deveaud-Plédran)
    • Institute of Theoretical Physics (ITP, Alfonso Baldereschi)
    • Institute of Computational Condensed Matter Physics (IRRMA, Alfonso Baldereschi)
    • Institute of Mathematics B (IMB, Eva Bayer Fluckiger)
    • Interdisciplinary Center for Electron Microscopy (CIME, Philippe Buffat)
    • Center for Research In Plasma Physics (CRPP, Minh Quang Tran)
    • PRN Quantum Photonics (PRN-QP, Benoît Deveaud-Plédran)
    • Bernoulli Center (CIB, Tudor Ratiu)
  • STI (Sciences et techniques de l'ingénieur – Engineering Sciences and Techniques) Mechanical engineering, Microengineering, Materials Science and Engineering
    • Institute of Energy Sciences (ISE, Daniel Favrat)
    • Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IGBM, Nikolaos Stergiopulos)
    • Institute of Systems Engineering (I2S, Dario Floreano)
    • Institute of Microelectronics and Microsystems (IMM, Mihai Adrian Ionescu)
    • Institute of Materials (IMX, Karen Scrivener)
    • Institute of Imaging and Applied Optics (IOA, René Salathé)
    • Institute of Manufacturing Systems and Robotics (IPR, Jacques Jacot)
    • Institute of Transmissions, Waves and Photonics (ITOP, Juan Ramon Mosig)
    • Institute of Signal Processing (ITS, Murat Kunt)
    • Center of MicroNanoTechnology (CMI, Philippe Renaud)
    • Space Center (CTS, Juan Mosig)
  • ENAC (Environnement naturel, architectural et construit – Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering) architecture, civil engineering, Environmental Sciences and Engineering (agronomy)
    • Institute of Architecture (IA, Claude Morel)
    • Structural Engineering Institute (IS, Ian Smith)
    • Institute of Urban and Regional Planning & Design (INTER, François Golay)
    • Institute of Infrastructures, Resources and Environment (ICARE, Jean-Louis Scartezzini)
    • Environmental Sciences and Technologies Institute (ISTE, Marc Parlange)
  • I&C (Informatique et communications – Computer and Communication Sciences) computer science and telecommunications
    • Institute of Core Computing Science (IIF)
      • Distributed Information Systems Laboratory (LSIR, Karl Aberer)
      • Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (LIA, Boi Faltings)
      • Distributed Programming Laboratory (LPD, Rachid Guerraoui)
      • Programming Methods Laboratory 1 (LAMP1, Martin Odersky)
      • Distributed Systems Laboratory (LSR, André Schiper)
      • Algorithmics Laboratory (ALGO, Mohammad Amin Shokrollahi)
      • Database Laboratory (LBD, Stefano Spaccapietra)
      • Systemic Modeling Laboratory (LAMS, Alain Wegmann)
      • Operating Systems Laboratory (LABOS, Willy Zwaenepoel)
      • Models and Theory of Computation Laboratory (MTC, Thomas Henzinger)
      • Laboratory of Theory and Applications of Algorithms (LTAA, Monika Henzinger)
      • Networked Systems Laboratory (NSL, Dejan Kostic)
      • Dependable Systems Laboratory (DSLab, George Candea)
    • Institute of Computing and Multimedia Systems (ISIM)
      • Computational Neuroscience Laboratory (LCN, Wulfram Gerstner)
      • Peripheral Systems Laboratory (LSP, Roger Hersch)
      • Processor Architecture Laboratory (LAP, Paolo Ienne)
      • Computer Networking Laboratory (LTI, Claude Petitpierre)
      • Virtual Reality Laboratory (VRLAB, Daniel Thalmann)
      • Computer Vision Laboratory (CVLAB, Pascal Fua)
      • Integrated Systems Laboratory (LSI1, Giovanni De Micheli)
    • Institute of Communication Systems (ISC)
      • Nonlinear Systems Laboratory (LANOS, Martin Hasler)
        • Swarm Intelligent Systems Research Group (SWIS, Alcherio Martinoli)
      • Computer Communications and Applications Laboratory 1 (LCA1, Jean-Pierre Hubaux)
      • Computer Communications and Applications Laboratory 2 (LCA2, Jean-Yves Le Boudec)
      • Computer Communications and Applications Laboratory 3 (LCA3, Patrick Thiran)
      • Computer Communications and Applications Laboratory 4 (LCA4, Matthias Grossglauser)
      • Mobile Communications Laboratory (LCM, Bixio Rimoldi)
      • Audiovisual Communications Laboratory 1 (LCAV1, Martin Vetterli)
      • Information Theory Laboratory (LTHI, Emre Telatar)
      • Communication Theories Laboratory (LTHC, Rüdiger Urbanke)
      • Security and Cryptography Laboratory (LASEC, Serge Vaudenay)
      • Information and Communication Systems Laboratory (LICOS, Suhas Diggavi)
    • Center of Mobile Information and Communication Systems (MICS, Karl Aberer)
    • Center for Advanced Digital Systems (CSDA, Paolo Ienne)
    • Center for Neural Information Processing (CTIN, Wulfram Gerstner)
    • Center for Global Computing (CGC, Martin Rajman)
  • SV (Sciences de la vie – Life Sciences) life sciences
    • Brain Mind Institute (BMI, Pierre Magistretti)
    • Integrative Bioscience Institute (IBI, Alan Hubbell Jeffrey)
    • Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC, Michel Aguet)
    • Center for Neuroscience and Technology (CNT, Henry Markram)
    • Center for the Study of Living Systems (CAV, Marcel Gyger)
  • CDM (Collège du Management de la Technologie et Entrepreneuriat – College of Management of Technology)
    • Program of Management of Technology and Entrepreneurship (CDM-PMTE, Christopher Tucci)
    • Institute of Logistics, Economy and Management of Technology (ILEMT, Dominique Foray)
    • Management of Technology EPFL - UNIL (CMT, Francis-Luc Perret)
  • CdH (Collège des humanités – Sociology and humanities)
    • Human and social sciences teaching program (CDH-SHS, Eric Junod)

[edit] Students and traditions

Several music festivals are held yearly at EPFL. The most important one, Balelec, organised in May, proposes about 30 concerts and welcomes 18,000 visitors.

Sysmic, a smaller festival, is organised in April by the students of the Department of Microengineering. Sysmic hosts two stages for local and national bands.

[edit] Statistics

Crocus, the only nuclear reactor of the French-speaking part of Switzerland
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Crocus, the only nuclear reactor of the French-speaking part of Switzerland

In 1946, there were 360 students at the EPUL. In 1969, the EPFL numbered 1,400 students and 55 professors. The university continued to grow rapidly, and in 2002, there were 5,872 students enrolled.

In 2004 there are more than 9000 people at the EPFL. About 6000 of these are students, with the remainder consisting of professors, assistants and even entrepreneurs located in the Parc Scientifique of the EPFL. There are over 80 nationalities at the EPFL, with over 50% of the teaching staff coming from outside of Switzerland.

The EPFL have acted as advisors for the Alinghi project, leading to a success at the America's Cup in New Zealand in 2003. The EPFL is also developing a sun-powered glider, Solar Impulse, designed to be completely autonomous (capable of circumnavigation). Bertrand Piccard is the intended pilot for the demonstration of the glider. There is also a sensor network installed in the I&C building called SensorScope which reports live temperature and light measurements.

The EPFL holds the only nuclear reactor of the French-speaking part of Switzerland, Crocus.


[edit] External links and references

[edit] Photographs

A view of the Piccard Avenue.

Inner corridors in the East Center

SG Place

SG Place

the "Biowall"

Aerial view

BC Building

BC Building Inside

The Esplanade

Follow this link for a live panoramic view taken with a 360° camera mounted on the I&C building.

[edit] See also

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