Miscellaneous

The art of engineering means, first of all, the skill required to design and manufacture devices that enable top technical performance. This gallery shows, in five pictures, that this term can also be understood differently if the devices are regarded as works of art with their very own aesthetic, apart from their actual function.

In view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Paul Scherrer Institute changed to the extraordinary situation in spring 2020. By then, only a maximum of 20 percent of all PSI employees work at PSI. Five pictures show how research and operations at PSI nevertheless continued.

For the construction of the SwissFEL facility in 2013, around five hectares of forest were cleared and transformed into a new habitat for flora and fauna. Biologists and forest engineers have now assessed the results of the renaturization project and are excited about the progress to date.

Ceremony with invited guests from politics, business and sciencePSI held its 30 Years of PSI ceremony. The PSI showed guests what it has achieved over the past three decades, with results that could be of benefit to everyone in Switzerland.

In medicine, industry, and research as well as in power generation radioactive waste occurs. In Switzerland, there are currently two central interim storage facilities. The Federal interim storage facility for waste stemming from medicine, industry and research is located on the grounds of PSI.

Physics isn't everyone's favourite subject. At the iLab of the Paul Scherrer Institute, students experience the material in a different way: with experiments instead of memorising formulas.

Last summer a violation of research integrity was reported to the Paul Scherrer Insitute PSI. The results of the investigation are now available. PSI has taken several measures as a consequence.

The PSI radiation protection service is responsible for missions not only at the Institute, but throughout the canton of Aargau. Four times a year the unit practises for an emergency.

They have two e-mail addresses, two offices, and two filing cabinets in two locations: Around 60 of the researchers at PSI are at the same time professors or lecturers at a Swiss university. PSI and the universities also profit from these researchers with double affiliations.

This year’s Nobel Prize for Physics goes to David Thouless, Duncan Haldane, and Michael Kosterlitz. The Academy also cited, in its background report, experiments carried out by Michel Kenzelmann, who today is a laboratory head at the PSI. He and other researchers at the PSI continue to do experiments based on the theories now honoured by the Nobel Prize.

Start of the public examination period for decommissioning of the nuclear facility Proteus at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSIThe nuclear research facility Proteus is a so-called zero-power reactor. In service, the thermal output of the reactor was limited to a maximum of 1 kW. That means this is an experimental reactor that was run at a power level so low that it did not require cooling. Proteus went into service in 1968. The PSI would like to decommission the facility. The decommissioning project is now being publicly announced in the legally prescribed, official publications.

Start of the public examination period for renewed authorization to operate the research facility hotlab at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSIThe hotlab at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI is a facility, unique in Switzerland, where researchers study highly radioactive materials in specially shielded chambers called hot cells. It serves the needs of applied materials research on highly radioactive samples from core structural components and fuel rods from nuclear power plants, research reactors, and the PSI radiation facilities. Through its operation of the hotlab, the Paul Scherrer Institute also contributes to the safety of the nuclear power plants in Switzerland. Around thirty staff members attend to the hotlab's safety technology and analysis infrastructure.

PSI-Direktor Joël Mesot hat sich heute in der Aargauer Zeitung mit einem Gastkommentar zur Debatte um die Ecopop-Initiative geäussert. Lesen Sie hier seinen vollständigen Text.This news release is only available in German.

This year, Rebekka Liefert completes her four-year training as an engineering apprentice at PSI. What she liked about the research institute was that it almost only makes prototypes. The components for the research facilities are usually individual pieces at PSI. Series production didn’t appeal to her; she quickly got bored. I can’t sit still. That’s why the variety here is perfect for me.

Interview with Beat Henrich.Physicist Beat Henrich is head of the iLab, the lab school at the Paul Scherrer Institute. In an interview, he explains how he gets young people interested in physics.

Sabine Mayer has been Head of the Division for Radiation Safety and Security (ASI) since the beginning of the year. Hence, she is responsible for security at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), from its in-house fire brigade over occupational health and safety to radiological monitoring. Nonetheless, the importance of the Division extends far beyond PSI: the Swiss authorities have confidence in its pool of experts and she, therefore, plays an active role in shaping safety policy in Switzerland. The interview.