The ETH medal is awarded by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH Zurich) to outstanding Master's and doctoral theses. The number of bestowals is capped to 2.5% of the Master's theses and 8% of the doctoral theses per field of study. In addition to the

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be in ...

, the award includes a cash prize.

History

Awarding prize medals at ETH Zurich was proposed in 1866. However, the original

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

en medal from medalist Antoine Bovy was never bestowed. Instead, the first silver medal was awarded in 1870 for a thesis on

centrifugal pump Centrifugal pumps are used to transport fluids by the Energy transformation, conversion of rotational kinetic energy to the hydrodynamic energy of the fluid flow. The rotational energy typically comes from an engine or electric motor. They are ...

s together with a cash price of 130

Swiss franc The Swiss franc, or simply the franc, is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) iss ...

s. The first version of the medal was replaced in 1955 for the 100th anniversary of ETH by a new design from the Swiss artist Franz Fischer. Again in 1980, for the 125th anniversary of ETH, the third and current version designed by engraver Hans Erni was introduced.

Versions

# The first version (1870–1955) of the medal was created by Antoine Bovy with support from

Gottfried Semper Gottfried Semper (; 29 November 1803 – 15 May 1879) was a German architect, art critic, and professor of architecture who designed and built the Semper Opera House in Dresden between 1838 and 1841. In 1849 he took part in the May Uprising in ...

. The backside depicts the ETH main building and the

engraved Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an inta ...

name of the prize recipient. On the front face, the Swiss coat of arms is shown surrounded by 22 stars symbolizing the

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, th ...

. Standing on the side are two female

allegories As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory throughou ...

signifying

liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

and

authority Authority is commonly understood as the legitimate power of a person or group of other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' may be practiced by legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government,''The New Fontana Dictionary of M ...

. The header reads the Latin words ''STUDIO'' and ''LABORI'' honoring the recipients dilligence. Although the medal was originally designed in gold, only silver medals were awarded. # The second version (1955–1980) was designed by Franz Fischer. The revers shows a broadleaf tree with the inscription ''STUDIO'' and ''LABORI.'' The

obverse The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''obverse'' ...

features a

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with No ...

held by a

forearm The forearm is the region of the upper limb between the elbow and the wrist. The term forearm is used in anatomy to distinguish it from the arm, a word which is used to describe the entire appendage of the upper limb, but which in anatomy, techn ...

. # The third version (1980-today) was designed by Hans Erni. On the revers, the Swiss cross is surrounded by stylized

alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

and the recipient's name is engraved below. On the obverse, the

fertilization Fertilisation or fertilization (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences), also known as generative fertilisation, syngamy and impregnation, is the fusion of gametes to give ...

of an

ovum The egg cell or ovum (: ova) is the female reproductive cell, or gamete, in most anisogamous organisms (organisms that reproduce sexually with a larger, female gamete and a smaller, male one). The term is used when the female gamete is not capa ...

next to a creative observer is depicted. The medal is not perfectly circular.

Notable recipients

Recipients of the ETH medal include: * Richard R. Ernst, 1962 *

Friedrich Hirzebruch Friedrich Ernst Peter Hirzebruch ForMemRS (17 October 1927 – 27 May 2012) was a German mathematician, working in the fields of topology, complex manifolds and algebraic geometry, and a leading figure in his generation. He has been described as ...

, 1950 *

Konrad Osterwalder Konrad Osterwalder (born June 3, 1942) is a Swiss mathematician and physicist, former Undersecretary-General of the United Nations, former Rector of the United Nations University (UNU), and Rector Emeritus of the Swiss Federal Institute of Techno ...

, 1970 * Hugo Tschirky, 1968

References

{{reflist Awards established in 1870 Swiss awards Medals Academic awards