We Are ETH – Details, episodes & analysis

ETH alumnus and computer scientist Myke Naef shares his journey from founding Doodle to pioneering investments in climate tech, blending innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.

What sparked the idea for Doodle, the tool we all love for scheduling? How did an ETH alumnus go from building a game-changing startup to leading investments in climate tech? Myke Naef, founder of Doodle and Übermorgen Ventures, shares his journey of innovation, reveals the surprising origin of Doodle, and explains how his unique mix of computer science and didactics shaped his path to champion sustainable innovation in climate tech.

This is his story.

books mentioned in this episode:

Good Strategy, Bad Strategy - Richard Rumelt

Fahrenheit 451

(01:01) Educational Background: Didactics and Computer Science

(03:03) Early Career: From Commodore 64 to Cybersecurity

(09:16) The Doodle Journey: From Hobby to Success

(14:28) Life After Doodle: Business Angel and Übermorgen Ventures

(16:57) Focus on Climate Tech: The Mission of Übermorgen

(21:51) Reflections and Personal Insights

(25:05) Closing Thoughts

ETH alumna Alexis E. Block and assistant professor at the Case Western Reserve University discusses her HuggieBot research, designed for high-quality hugs, highlighting its emotional benefits, design process, and her journey from grief to innovation.

Discover Alexis' heartfelt journey with her HuggieBot, a robot crafted to deliver meaningful hugs based on eleven guiding principles. She shares the profound emotional and physical benefits of hugging, emphasizing its role in enhancing social support and reducing stress.Through her personal experiences, Alexis illustrates the power of interdisciplinary research in creating emotionally intelligent robots. Tune in to hear how her time at ETH Zurich shaped her path and her secret tip about her favorite spot on campus, plus enjoy the unforgettable musical serenade with Susan!

This is her story.

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Nightingale by Kristen Hanna

The Dutch House by Anne Patchett

Chapters:

(00:18) Meet Alexis Block: Robotics Expert and Hugging Enthusiast

(00:42) The Science of Hugging Robots

(02:18) Experimenting with Hugging Robots

(05:05) Changing Perceptions of Robotics

(07:30) The Journey to HuggieBot

(08:09) The Importance of Hugs

(08:59) Personal Motivation and Academic Journey

(18:18) From ETH to Case Western: A Career in Robotics

(19:49) Reflections and Future Directions

(22:27) Closing Thoughts and Personal Insights

Meet Christophe Chautems, CTO of Nanoflex Robotics, bridging Mars rover expertise to medical robotics, revolutionising stroke treatment with magnetic technology.

Christophe Chautems, CTO of Nanoflex Robotics, talks about the breakthrough medical robotics technology that uses magnets to navigate catheters in the treatment of strokes. With 15 years of experience in robotics, including at NASA, Christophe emphasises the importance of combining research with practical applications, underlining Nanoflex's commitment to advancing healthcare. Nanoflex's magnetic system is not only promising for strokes, but could revolutionise various medical procedures through the integration of AI.

This is his story.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction to Medical Robotics

(08:24) Navigating the Vasculature

(13:31) Time-Sensitive Stroke Treatment

(24:21) The Importance of Integration and Learning

Join us on an inspiring journey with Etienne Jeoffroy, CEO of ETH spin-off FENX, as he shares insights into sustainable materials innovation and its potential impact on reducing carbon footprints.

Etienne Jeoffroy, co-founder and CEO of FENX, talks to Susan Kish about his journey in sustainable materials innovation. He recalls how his grandmother, a farmer, instilled in him a deep appreciation for materials and the importance of longevity. Looking back on his diverse academic and professional career, Etienne explains the genesis of FENX's pioneering mineral foam insulation technology and emphasises its potential to significantly reduce building emissions and emphasises the paramount importance of collaboration between stakeholders. You can also find out more about Etienne's diverse interests, such as his unwavering love of basketball,

This is his story.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction and Background

(03:05) Journey from France to Switzerland

(06:15) Development of FENX's Mineral Foam

(09:32) Challenges of Scaling Up in the Construction Industry

(10:26) Collaboration and Stakeholder Involvement in Construction Innovation

(12:47) The Influence of ETH Zurich

(13:43) Curiosity, Learning, and Running a Startup

Links mentionned:

Books:

1. 'The Mamba Mentality' von 'Kobe Bryant'
2. Show Dog: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_Dog

Podcast

1. Nota Bene

According to ETH Alumni Daniel Naeff, it is important to strike a balance between leveraging the positive aspects of AI and understanding the potential challenges.

In this episode, Susan Kish interviews Daniel Naeff, an entrepreneur and one of the leads at the ETH AI Center. They discuss angel investing, the inspiration behind starting companies, and Switzerland's potential in AI. They also touch on an exciting new development at the ETH Alumni Association, where Daniel is a Member of the Board: the ETH Knowledge Network, an AI-powered platform where members can connect and interact with each other.

This is his story.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction and Switzerland's Potential in AI

(01:13) The Role of Angel Investors in Startups

(08:28) The ETH Alumni Network: Connecting and Sharing Knowledge

(11:46) Navigating the Opportunities and Risks of AI

(14:02) Insights from Newsletters and Podcasts

Here’s how to put the ‘fabric’ into fabricate, as ETH Zurich alumna and TU Delft Assistant Professor of Digital Fabrication Mariana Popescu explains.

Could a knitting machine revolutionise construction? 

For her PhD, ETH Zurich alumna Mariana Popescu worked with the Block Research Group to show that it’s possible to use lightweight knitted textiles as a mold for concrete. Mariana discusses knitting machines, complex geometry, and why her PhD project needed two suitcases to get to Mexico.

This is her story.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction to the Knit Candela project

(01:18) Using fabric formwork for casting concrete

(04:08) Construction of the Knit Candela structure

(04:32) Computation and modeling in the project

(05:26) The Swiss influence on the project

(06:21) Applicability of the project beyond Switzerland

(07:21) Scaling up the project and future developments

(08:18) Improving the design for reusability and waste reduction

(08:48) The multidisciplinary skills required for the project

(09:12) Choosing ETH Zurich for further studies

(10:40) The process of selecting the thesis topic

(11:39) The role of collaboration and openness in the project

(12:33) Mariana's knitting and programming skills

(13:01) Understanding parametric design and computational design

(14:24) Setting up a group focused on fabrication

(15:20) The potential impact of the projects on architecture and construction

(16:18) Mariana's curiosity in fabrication and materials

(18:08) Closing remarks and podcast outro

ETH Alumna Sandra Herrmann is an oceanographer, a geologist, a paleontologist, a pilot… and member of NASA's Analog Astronauts.

Sandra Herrmann studied geology and palaeontology at TU Bergakademie Freiberg and completed her doctorate in natural sciences at ETH Zurich. She subsequently emigrated to the USA and spent 12 years working for the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) in various posts. Since October 2023, she has been conducting research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego.

 Sandra explains what an analog astronaut is and shares her experience of spending 45 days in a space capsule as part of NASA's research on human behavior in stressful situations. She discusses the qualifications and application process to become an analog astronaut, and highlights the importance of cohesion, sleep, and hobbies on such missions. All of this makes her a strong candidate for future space missions…

This is her story.

Links:

“Catucation” Catboss & Furrfriends, Cat talk Radio

Globe article: https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2023/12/globe-modern-adventurer.html

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction and analog astronaut

(01:15) NASA's analog astronaut program

(02:39) Experiences in the space capsule

(03:36) Becoming an analog astronaut

(05:05) Experience as an oceanographer

(08:17) Cohesion, sleep, and hobbies

(11:29) Applying the three Key observations

(15:12) Academic background and PhD

(20:50) Commercial pilot's license

(22:46) Childhood aspirations and curiosity

(24:51) Favorite places in Zurich

Anne Scherer, co-founder of Delta Labs AG and author of the book You and AI, explains why trust and comfort are crucial in human-machine interaction.

The development of AI has sparked a lot of interest and enthusiasm, and Anne Scherer thinks its rate of development is expected to continue to surprise us. Anne is co-founder of Delta Labs AG and author of the book You and AI, in which she tries to make people more aware of what's going on in this field by reducing fear of that technology. Before founding Delta Labs, she was an Assistant Professor of Quantitative Marketing at the University of Zurich, a researcher at ETH Zurich, and completed her PhD at the Technical University of Munich. 

Anne shares her experience at ETH Zurich and how it influenced her entrepreneurial spirit, and discusses the intersection of AI and creativity. She explains why increasing AI literacy in society is important to have more informed discussions about AI.

This is her story.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction and Personal Background

(02:00) The Connection Between Travel and Technology Exploration

(03:21) Taking Different Perspectives and Exploring New Things

(04:15) The Impact of AI and the Rate of Development

(05:41) The Hype Cycle and the Potential of AI

(07:02) Generative AI and its Ease of Use

(08:21) The Book 'You and AI'

(10:42) Trust and Comfort with AI

(12:31) The Design of Technology and Human Interaction

(14:44) ETH Experience and Research

(17:36) Becoming AI Literate

(18:33) Recommendations for Learning about AI

(19:59) AI and Creativity

(20:28) Conclusion

Olivier de Weck is a leading systems engineering expert, which he describes as “the art and science of building, implementing, and operating complex systems.” Born in Switzerland, he holds degrees in industrial engineering from ETH Zurich (1993) and aerospace systems engineering from MIT (2001), where is now Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems.

In this episode of the We Are ETH Podcast, he compares ETH Zurich and MIT, highlighting their similarities and global impact. He explains the concept of “ilities” (as in reliability, flexibility, etc.) in systems engineering and its importance in designing and maintaining complex systems. He shares his fascination with space, and explains the potential for Mars settlement.

This is his story.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction and ETH-MIT comparison

(01:10) Founding of ETH and MIT

(02:07) Definition of systems engineering

(03:00) Origins and growth of systems engineering

(03:57) Interdisciplinary research and systems science

(05:39) Importance of illities in systems

(06:35) Interest in space and Mars settlement

(11:50) Excitement in the field of space exploration

(13:41) Exploration of lagrange points

(15:06) Mars as a potential settlement

(17:15) Long-term vision for Mars settlement

(18:10) Educational background and journey to MIT

(21:28) ETH's space program and future opportunities

(22:45) Childhood dreams and current curiosity

(26:03) Reading preferences and interest in science fiction

(27:03) Favorite places in Zurich

(28:23) Closing remarks

Georg Polzer went straight from completing his studies at ETH Zurich to co-founding Teralytics, an official Spin-Off company of ETH Zurich. An AI-powered platform providing mobility data solutions, Teralytics collects and analyzes large amounts of location data to improve transportation efficiency and equity.

Georg highlights the importance of designing transportation systems based on recent and all-encompassing data. He also emphasizes it is essential to incorporate the needs of all citizens, including vulnerable populations. With this information, he canhelp understand emerging trends, and advise how they impact people’s mobility choices.

This is his story.

(06:40) Starting Terralytics and Addressing Transportation Inefficiencies

(09:28) Using Data to Design Transportation for All Citizens

(12:42) Addressing Data Privacy and Protection in Transportation Data

(14:39) Designing Transportation for Different Groups of People

(17:53) The Role of AI and Machine Learning in Transportation Data Analysis

(19:43) How ETH Prepared Georg for His Work at Terralytics

(21:26) Georg's Childhood Aspirations and Current Curiosity

(23:28) Georg's Reading List and Hobbies

(24:39) Favorite Places in Zurich