Hosted by Frédéric Grouiller, CIBM MRI HUG-UNIGE Section head, we are pleased to invite you to attend the CIBM 7T MRI Seminar on April 21st at 10:00 CEST by Caroline Le Ster from the CEA Neurospin, Paris who will be sharing on “Leveraging the potential of UHF scanners for fMRI studies”.
\r\nAbstract
\r\nThere is a growing availability of 7T scanners, with approximately 100 systems currently installed worldwide. These ultra-high-filed (UHF) scanners are particularly relevant for neuroimaging, where anatomical and functional images can be acquired with higher spatial and temporal resolution than on conventional scanners. However, UHF scanners remain difficult to operate, and understanding their specific limitations is essential. These systems indeed face several challenges arising from MR physics and biological effects that must be addressed within engineering constraints. Leverage the potential of UHF scanners, for instance through field monitoring, is therefore important to make the most of these scanners and benefit from the intrinsic SNR gain.
\r\nfMRI particularly benefits from the increase in magnetic field strength, enabling studies to be performed at higher resolution than at lower fields. In order to maintain reasonable acquisition times despite larger imaging matrices, several acceleration strategies have been developed, e.g. multi-slice EPI (SMS-EPI), three-dimensional EPI (3D-EPI) and non-Cartesian sampling schemes. In addition, functional contrasts also benefit from the field increase, including improved spatial localization of the BOLD contrast and the possibility to exploit VASO contrast.
Hosted by Solange Denervaud, CIBM Flagship Project Officer, we are pleased to invite you to attend the CIBM Visitors Talk on April 24th at 13:00 CEST by Mary Helen Immordino-Yang from the University of Southern California who will be sharing on “Longitudinal neurodevelopmental correlates of mid-adolescents’ psychosocial processing: A path to young adult wellbeing?”.
\r\n
\r\nAbstract
\r\nCombining open-ended interviews (outside the scanner) with structural, trial-by-trial, and resting-state functional MRI neuroimaging, we examined real-time functional neural dynamics underlying diverse urban mid-adolescents’ cognitive and emotional engagement with compelling social stories at two time-points, two years apart. We found that the patterns of longitudinal change in neural network dynamics predicted psychosocial outcomes five years later in young adulthood.
\r\nWe found that “transcendent thinking” – seeing situations not just in terms of X happened to person A, which makes me feel thusly, but in terms of the larger societal and contextual forces that shaped how Person A was treated and how Person A reacted, the broader implications and lessons one can draw from that situation, and the larger issues it exemplifies or reveals—correlated with a particular set of neural activity dynamics and predicted future structural and functional neural development across the subsequent two years, controlling for the starting state of neural development, and independent of IQ and SES. Transcendent thinking also countered negative effects of exposure to community violence on structural brain development.
\r\nThe neural development predicted by transcendent thinking (the changes in the brain across the 2-year period) in turn predicted young adult identity strength, self-liking, relationship satisfaction, and achievement 5 years later.
\r\nThese findings reveal a novel predictor of neural development across mid-adolescence, and underscore the active role adolescents play in their own brain development through the meaning they make of the social world. Implications for secondary education and pedagogy will be discussed.
\r\n
\r\n
Extreme speed, millimeter precision, cutting-edge engineering, split-second strategic decisions — a world where every detail counts and performance is everything.
\r\nBut behind this high-tech spectacle, one question remains:
\r\n
\r\nWhere are women?
\r\n
\r\nIn 2026, while F1 embodies innovation and excellence, it remains one of the most male-dominated professional sports.
\r\nCoincidence… or a reflection of deeper, systemic mechanisms?
\r\n
\r\nThe EPFL Alumni Women Club, in partnership with EPFL Alumni, invites you to go beyond the surface, to understand the forces holding women back in F1.
\r\n
\r\nIn this open discussion, we will tackle the real questions:
\r\n— Is Formula 1 truly accessible to everyone?
\r\n— Are the barriers cultural, educational, physical… or systemic?
\r\n— Who decides today who gets to join the grid?
\r\n— And what role do the media, sponsors, and public play in maintaining—or challenging—this imbalance?
\r\n
\r\nA high-level exchange at the crossroads of sport, technology, and societal issues. This event offers a deep dive into the backstage of an iconic sport, decoding its codes and structures.
\r\nThe goal: to understand, but also to explore concrete levers for change.
\r\n
\r\nWe are honored to welcome key figures from the paddock:
\r\n
\r\n- Mattia Binotto EPFL engineer, Head of Audi F1 Project: Audi officially enters the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 2026
\r\n- Laura Villars First woman candidate for FIA presidency 2025, and racing driver
\r\n- Vita Marina Project Manager of Power Unit Mechanical Systems at Audi Revolut F1 Team
\r\n- and other exclusive guests !
\r\n
\r\nAnd to cap it off:
\r\nExperience the new EPFL Racing Team car in an exclusive first look, followed by a guided tour of their workshops and laboratories.
\r\n
\r\nEvent in English
A hands-on introduction to the key concepts in image analysis for your everyday research!
\r\n
\r\nOpen to PhD students from all doctoral programs at EPFL, Swiss academic institutions and ETH domain.
\r\n
\r\nJune 8 to 12 2026
\r\nPalace de Caux, Montreux
\r\nPre-summer school Workshop will take place on June 4, 2026 (afternoon)
\r\n
\r\nMore info
\r\nApplication Deadline: March 1, 2026
\r\n
\r\nAre you a PhD student at EPFL, at another swiss academic institution or within the ETH domaine who regularly faces questions regarding the analysis of your images ? Do you want to learn more about practical concepts and tools to help you in this endeavor? Then our summer school in image analysis is for you! Throughout the week, a series of lectures will provide you with the essential concepts in image analysis – from the nature of digital images through the physics of image acquisition to the basics of deep learning, and more. In addition to these lectures, you will learn to use some popular image-analysis software during practical sessions.
In a global investment landscape increasingly driven by technology, automation, and scale, EHL has chosen to anchor its Summit in what has always defined its community: the power of human experience.
\r\n
\r\nThe Investor Track on Day 2 (May 20th) is designed as a curated gateway into Europe’s most promising human-centric innovation — ventures that use technology to elevate people, not replace them. These startups operate at the intersection of Hospitality and service industries, including food&beverages, travel and tourism, luxury and retail, education, nutrition and wellbeing and more.
\r\n
\r\nThe audience will be a diverse coalition of seed and Series A investors, including business angel networks, VCs, corporate VCs, family offices, and individual investors who believe that the future will be shaped by purpose-driven technology that enhances human potential.
\r\n
\r\nFull agenda available here
We can build the perfect pedagogical tool. But will students actually use and benefit from it?
\r\n
\r\nThis session explores a question at the heart of the integration of new technology into education: How can a well-designed pedagogical tool be ideally leveraged to truly make a difference in student learning?
\r\n
\r\nFares Fawzi from the ML4ED lab at EPFL will present his development of a GenAI-powered formative feedback tool that is pedagogically aligned, contextually grounded, and interactive.
\r\n
\r\nDeployed during an in-class session as well as for exam preparation in a computer science course at EPFL, the tool performed as intended: responses were relevant, accurate, and aligned with pedagogical frameworks for feedback delivery.
\r\n
\r\nHowever, during this session, we want to invite you to look beyond the pedagogical sophistication of the tool itself, and ask how integration context shapes student engagement and beneficial learning impact.
\r\n
\r\n- - - - - - - - - - - - -
\r\n
\r\nlunch&LEARN sessions are intended for anyone who teaches at EPFL.
\r\nThis session is hybrid and can be attended in person or followed via zoom.
\r\nMost sessions are recorded and can be found on the Center LEARN's YouTube channel.
\r\nTo get in touch with the team, to suggest a session or make inquiries, please send an email on lunchLEARN@groupes.epfl.ch
For more than two decades leading professional organizations have called for a reform of the mathematics education of biology and life sciences students. Reflecting the growing importance of mathematics in life sciences research, such reform should bridge the gap between the mathematics students learn and the mathematics used in research.
\r\n
\r\nIn this talk, Steve Bennoun, UCLA, will present how the study of modeling and dynamical systems can be used to create a first-year course that introduces mathematical concepts used in life sciences research in a contextualized way.
\r\n
\r\nStudents first learn to write models for important biological systems such as hormone levels, epidemiological models, and predator-prey models.
\r\n
\r\nTaking a geometrical approach, students learn how to determine the long-term behaviors of models by studying phase plane trajectories and the stability of equilibrium points.
\r\n
\r\nThis enables the study of the concept of “biological switch” or how a cell can start or stop the production of a protein. This is followed by the important notion of qualitative change in a biological systems, or bifurcation.
\r\n
\r\nStudents learn in particular about Hopf bifurcations or how a system can start or stop oscillating. The second part of the course moves somewhat away from the geometrical approach and focuses on how to determine the stability of equilibrium points using the linearization of a model, motivating the study of the necessary notions from linear algebra by studying discrete-time models.
\r\n
\r\nThis talk will end with a discussion focusing on research by Sanders et al. (2021) suggesting that such a course supports students success and can reduce equity gaps.
\r\n
\r\n- - - - - - - - - - - - -
\r\n
\r\nlunch&LEARN sessions are intended for anyone who teaches at EPFL.
\r\nThis session is hybrid and can be attended in person or followed via zoom.
\r\nMost sessions are recorded and can be found on the Center LEARN's YouTube channel.
\r\nTo get in touch with the team, to suggest a session, or to make inquiries, please send an email to lunchLEARN@groupes.epfl.ch
The MARVEL Junior Seminar series is continuing in hybrid mode, in order to maintain in-person contacts and allow off-campus attendees to follow the seminars remotely! The MARVEL Junior Seminars aim to intensify interactions between the MARVEL Junior scientists belonging to different research groups. The seminar consists of two 25-minute presentations, followed by time for discussion.
\r\n
\r\nZacharie Waysenson
\r\nLaboratoire de Physique de l’École Normale Supérieure, Sorbonne Université
\r\n
\r\nMaria Andolfatto
\r\nLaboratory for Materials Simulations, PSI