MAVT@Home
As is the case throughout ETH Zurich, Switzerland and around the world, the professors, researchers and staff of the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering have been working from home since mid-March. We provide an insight into the new daily routine at D-MAVT.
Professor Outi Supponen
New D-MAVT Professor for Multiphase Fluid Dynamics Outi Supponen says hello from her empty apartment. While waiting for the arrival of her furniture from Canada, she imagines the new lab she will build upon her return to the ETH buildings.
Study Coordinator Maddalena Velonà
Study Coordinator Maddalena Velonà is answering your phone calls and emails from home. “I get many calls and emails and I’m always happy to help (also outside office hours). It is incredible how well we can work even under these circumstances and how positively the students handle this extraordinary situation and new learning experience. Students usually contact me to ask about the study plan during the military/civil service, the delay in projects, opportunities for laboratory practices and what will happen with the exams. We try to help and support them. Working from home has the advantage of being able to enjoy the garden and the house during office hours!”
Assistant Maria Halbleib
Maria Halbleib, new assistant to professors Patrick Jenny and Thomas Rösgen, picks up the mail in the ML building weekly to ensure that all invoices are paid on time. On her way, she just met one single person from the Betrieb in the hallway. All the buildings are really empty.
Professor Thomas Schutzius
Professor Thomas Schutzius is greeting everyone from his home office: “My wife, daughter, and I are all at home now. The shift to online teaching went well, especially with a ‘MAVT-style’ home-built document camera (Thorlabs to the rescue). My group and I were really worried about losing face-to-face contact, so we do ‘coffee meetings’ each morning – no work, just to catch up. And my 19-month old daughter and I cope by drawing and building spaceships.“
SV employee Mirjana Bulatovic
Mira, with full name Mirjana Bulatovic, normally sells bakery products and lunch meals for the SV Group in the CLA building. We found out that she’s a passionate baker herself: "As I spend most of my day at home alone, I really like baking for my family. I bake everything from savory to sweet.“
Doctoral student Marianne Aellen
Marianne Aellen, doctoral student in the lab of Professor David Norris, describes her home office situation as follows: “I use this time to do some modelling and writing. In between, I enjoy our coffee room zoom meetings. This is currently the best way to exchange some gossip with my colleagues. Some more experiments are also happening in my kitchen. Since the dining halls are closed, we need to prepare all our meals at home. I especially like experimenting with desserts. Doing sports outdoors helps me to relax and compensates for all the dessert eating.”
Professor Christoph Müller
“With the shutdown of ETH Zurich some of my group members had the opportunity to focus exclusively on the analysis of their data and writing up papers or theses”, says Professor Christoph Müller (and can’t help to smile a bit). “However, for several members, in particular new doctoral students, not being able to enter the lab was tough. In addition to research zoom meetings in small groups, we organized a weekly virtual coffee meeting, though I definitely prefer the face-to-face coffee breaks. As all indoor climbing gyms are closed, my kids and I came up with some alternatives at home to train our finger strength. Most family members enjoy the new set-up in our living room - only one argues about its ‘bulkiness’”.
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