Programme 2023

“HEALTH BOOKS” SELECTION

Monday 9 October to Sunday 16 October | 7:00 – midnight, 7/7 | Rolex Learning Center, EPFL Library

Nutrition, stress, anxiety, sport, neuroscience, emotional intelligence or mindfulness: discover a selection of documents from the EPFL Library’s collections on topics related to physical and mental health. Read and borrow these books to help you look after your body and mind! https://go.epfl.ch/health-books

Tuesday October 10 to Thursday October 12 | 12:00 – 18:00 | ROLEX LEARNING CENTER

HEALTH CHECK-UPS AND TESTS STANDS (on registration)

Note on registration
All tests and health check-up stands can accommodate two people at a time. One of the two stands requires prior booking, while the second is accessible without registration, on a queuing basis. By registering, you can reserve your tests and health check-ups for a fixed date and time. Should registration be full, please feel free to drop by in person. Our trainers will be delighted to welcome you when a place becomes available.

ANTHROPOMETRY AND NUTRITION
Come and analyze your body composition (% muscle mass, fat mass, body fat, etc.) and receive personalized nutritional advice.

In the presence of a dietician from the UNIL-EPFL Sport and Health Service.

Length of test: 20 minutes 

CARDIOVASCULAR
Join us on our Cardio Trail. This booth invites you to follow a walking course that mimics a standard everyday movement. During the effort, your heart rate is measured, so you can learn more about your physical condition.

Length of test : 10 minutes

JOINT MOBILITY
Prolonged sitting has a detrimental effect on your joint mobility. Find out how it affects you and what you can do to improve it!

Length of test : 10 minutes

OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE (no registration required)
Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 October from 1pm to 3pm, have your vital parameters measured (height, weight, blood pressure, etc.) and receive sound advice from nurses on cardiovascular health.

Length of test : 15 minutes.  

EXPERIENCE INNOVATION AND SPORT STANDS (no registration required)

INNOVATION AND SPORT
Through innovative experiments, we invite you to explore the links between technology and health, and discover the latest developments in the field of sports. You will also have the opportunity to meet with companies active in the sportech field, with a view to possible collaborations as part of a research, Master’s, Bachelor’s or internship project. For more information on participating companies, please visit this web page.

DIALOGUE AND EXCHANGE STANDS (no registration required)

OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE
Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 October from 1pm to 3pm,, the Occupational Hygiene stand will teach how to design your workspace and get tips on how to make your office more ergonomic.

SOCIAL CONSULTATION
On Tuesday October 10 and Thursday October 12 (from 12pm to 2pm), the EPFL Social Consultation invites you to a discussion based on a “wheel of fortune” game and a quiz. At EPFL, the Social Consultation offers students and doctoral students solution-oriented advice and individual support, with practical and concrete ways of dealing with difficulties encountered in everyday life (studies, private life). Interviews are free and confidential, in French or English.

TRUST AND SUPPORT NETWORK / RESPECT COMPLIANCE OFFICE
On Tuesday October 10, Wednesday October 11 and Thursday October 12 (from 12pm to 2pm), you can find out more about the role and the help The Trust and Support Network (TSN) and Respect Compliance Office (RCO) can provide.

The task of TSN is to offer listening, guidance and initial support in complete confidentiality. It brings together internal and external EPFL bodies with a mandate to provide initial support and deal with situations of discrimination and psychosocial risks.

The Respect Compliance Office (RCO) can be contacted by anyone who feels their physical or mental health and/or personal integrity have been affected by behaviour such as sexual harassment, mobbing, discrimination, violence, etc. in the workplace or at school.

AGEPOLY 
On Tuesday October 10, Wednesday October 11 and Thursday October 12, discover the actions of AGEPOLY’s Prevention Center through fun activities.

EPFL HUMAN RESOURCES
On Tuesday October 10 (from 12pm to 2pm), come and talk to our human resources team to find out more about their activities, which are aimed at the personal development of all EPFL employees.

EPFL SANS BARRIERE WITH ID-GEO
On Tuesday October 10 and Wednesday October 11 (12pm-4pm),
this stand will enable you to discuss accessibility and inclusion at EPFL, and find out more about disability. It will be manned by the EPFL barrier-free project team, as well as external specialists Alireza Darvishy and Oriane Pièrres and the id-Geo team.

• Mini role-playing workshops
  These mini-workshops are offered in collaboration with id-Geo, a consulting firm specializing in universal accessibility. They are led by specialists directly involved in the field, who will invite you to try out how you can talk without hearing, move around without seeing, or get around in a wheelchair.
  
• Mini workshops on digital accessibility
  These mini-workshops are led by Alireza Darvishy, Professor of Digital Accessibility at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), and Oriane Pierrès, PhD student in Digital Accessibility at ZHAW. In the presence of our specialists, come and test technologies that facilitate digital accessibility, such as screen readers and screen magnifiers. You can also learn how to improve the accessibility of your written documents, or how to add subtitles to your videos.

EPFL CHAPLAINCY
On Tuesday October 10 and Wednesday October 11 (from 12pm to 2pm), the chaplaincy will inform you about its activities, which encourage encounters, dialogue, reflection and action while respecting each other’s convictions. Please note that the EPFL chaplaincy is open to all faiths.

STOP SUICIDE
On Wednesday October 11, 2023, Stop Suicide association invites you to reflect on mental health in today’s society.

TIPP PROGRAMME – CHUV
On Tuesday October 10 and Wednesday October 11 (from 12pm to 2pm), a multidisciplinary team of staff from the TIPP program (treatment and early intervention in psychotic disorders), linked to the CHUV Department of Psychiatry, and from the Psy Young project, will inform you about how stress and other factors can affect our brain and our health. They’ll also review preconceived ideas and false beliefs, and tell you about the various resources available.

ESPACE TRANSITIONS
On Tuesday October 10, Wednesday October 11 and Thursday October 12 (12pm-2pm), members of the Espace Transitions team, part of UNIL’s Centre de compétence en durabilité, will inform you about their activities to support EPFL and UNIL campus communities in dealing with the emotional issues of sustainability. This is done by opening up discussion spaces for exchanging ideas and reflecting on courses of action.

BULIMIA ANOREXIA ASSOCIATION (ABA)
On Wednesday October 11 and Thursday October 12 (from 12pm to 6pm), the ABA association will be providing information on the help (listening, support, guidance) it can offer to people suffering from eating disorders (ED), as well as to those close to them. These services are provided by the association’s psychologists via confidential interviews by appointment, a telephone helpline and e-mail support.

No registration required

YURT OF EMOTIONS
Monday October 2 to Friday October 13 | Rolex Learning Center

This self-managed space aims to raise awareness of the role of emotions. It provides an opportunity to reflect on emotions, and highlights the importance of identifying and reconnecting with them to improve well-being. This activity was designed by the Laboratory for Teaching and Research in Mental Health and Psychiatry (LER SMP) of the Institut et Haute École de la Santé La Source.

Registration required

MINDFULNESS – MÉDITATION
Les sessions de mindfulness sont menées par Monique Borcard Sacco, intervenante SSUE et psychologue. Les sessions de méditation sont guidées par Alexandre Mayor, aumônier protestant, l’aumônerie UNIL-EPFL, et par Sylvie Ulmann, professeure de Yoga au SSUE.

Tuesday October 10 to Thursday October 12 | 12:30 – 13:00 | CO building (CO 216)
Tuesday October 10 | 13:00 – 13:30 | Online on Zoom via this link

Introduce yourself to the art of Mindfulness and Meditation during these 30-minute sessions, in which attention is focused intentionally and non-judgmentally on the experience of the present moment.

Registration required

OUTDOOR TRAINING
Monday October 10 to Thursday October 12 | 12:30 – 13:00 | Cosandey Place

Take part in a 30-minute physical activity session focusing on muscle strengthening, sheathing and improving general mobility, with the aim of countering the negative effects of prolonged sitting posture.

These sessions are open to all (no previous level required).

Registration required

STRESS: EFFECTS, INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND TOOLS TO MANAGING IT
Dre. Aurélie Lattion, neuroscientist and coordinator of stressnetwork.ch

Monday October 9 | 12:15-13:00 (in French) et 13:15-14:00 (in English) | Rolex Learning Center, (RLC A1 230)

After a short introduction to stress and its effects, this workshop uses a game to explore individual differences in stress response, and suggests tools for managing it.

Link to register for the workshop in English
Link to register for the workshop in French

Aurélie Lattion holds a PhD in neuroscience from EPFL and is passionate about scientific communication. She is the coordinator of stressnetwork.ch, a network of stress researchers in Switzerland. The aim of this network is to promote stress research, raise awareness of its importance among politicians and the general public, and improve communication between the scientific community and the general public.

Registration recommended

WORK ENVIRONMENTS FOR NEURODIVERSE PEOPLE
Dre. Clara Weber, researcher in environmental psychology, Dr. Beate Krieger, lecturer in occupational therapy, Jessica Pallie, HR processes and regulations manager, Nora Geppert, psychologist and Nathalie Bui, EPFL student.

Monday October 9 | 12:15-13:15 (in English) | Rolex Learning Center (RLC G1 231) + online (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DyfDah6LuM)

This round table will focus on the importance of creating inclusive and supportive work environments for neurodivergent people. Neurodiversity encompasses a wide range of neurological differences, such as autism, ADHD or dyslexia. These influence the way individuals think, communicate and interact with the world around them.

Registration link

Dr. Clara Weber s a Senior Research Associate in the Workplace Management Group at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Environmental Psychology at the University of Surrey. Her area of expertise is work environments, and in particular the intersections between work environments and socio-environmental needs such as privacy.

Dr. Beate Krieger is a lecturer and researcher at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), in the Health Department. Her area of research is the social, physical and structural environment that can support the participation and autonomy of people in difficult circumstances. During her Master’s degree and doctoral thesis, she focused on people on the autism spectrum. She also works as an occupational therapist with children and teenagers suffering from various pathologies.

Nora Geppert is a psychologist specialized in developmental disorders and autism spectrum disorders. She divides her clinical activity between the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the Pôle Positif medical practice.

Jessica Pallie has been working in human resources for 12 years. She holds a master’s degree in philosophy, a federal diploma in human resources and is an Insights Discovery practitioner.

Nathalie Bui is a Master’s student at EPFL in chemistry and chemical engineering. She is a member of the Basic Sciences faculty council, and of the EPFL barrier-free working group. She will share her experience as a neurodivergent person.

Registration required (link to come) – open to EPFL and UNIL communities

TAKE PART IN A RUN THROUGH THE EPFL AND UNIL CAMPUSES – 3KM AND 6KM

The Cross is a foot race organized as part of the Jours Santé 2023 event by the student associations AGEPoly (EPFL) and ESSUL (UNIL).

Warm-up and stretching by students from UNIL’s Institut des sciences du sport. The Cross will be followed by a “Health Apero” open to all, with the presence of the EPFL Student Affairs Service, who will be manning a stand and hosting a quiz.

Formats

• 1 lap (3km) – unranked – starts at 5:15 pm
  • By team – best disguise contest
    
• 2 laps (6km) – with classification – starts at 5:45 pm
  • Individual by category (men, women, mixed)

Link to register for Cross
Link to join the volunteer Cross team

Registration required

HOW DO I DEVELOP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE ?
Dre. Emilie Qiao-Tasserit, physician and neuroscientist

Tuesday October 10 | 12:00-12:50 (in French) / 13:05-13:55 (in English) Rolex Learning Center (RLC A1 230)

How can we develop a positive outlook and influence on the world? This workshop will provide you with practical tools drawn from neuroscience and psychology to help you enjoy the good things in life more, by developing an attitude that is not only grateful but also beneficial. It will give you ways to change your perspective and take action to build a meaningful life.

Link to register in English
Link to register in French

Emilie Qiao-Tasserit holds a doctorate in medicine and neuroscience from the University of Geneva. After studying in Paris, she worked as a physician at Geneva University Hospital and then as a researcher at the University of Geneva. She has used functional MRI to study brain circuits linked to emotions and empathy. For many years, she has been giving lectures and training courses on neuroscience.

Registration recommended

HEALTH AT WORK/STUDIES AND WARNING SYMPTOMS

WORK RHYTHM AND WORKLOAD

EXCESSIVE PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS

Tuesday October 10 | 12:30-16:00 | Rolex Learning Center
These three 25-minute workshops are offered simultaneously in French and English.

Health at work/studies and warning symptoms
In this workshop, you’ll learn about workplace/study health indicators and warning symptoms, determine and recognize your own warning symptoms, identify your wear-and-tear factors and resources, and outline a personal burnout prevention strategy.

Link to register in English
Link to register in French

Work rhythm and workload
This workshop will help you adopt the right strategy to conserve your energy over the long term. This is achieved by alternating, as in elite sport, preparation – peak intensity (stress) – active recovery.

Link to register in English
Link to register in French

Excessive personal requirements
This workshop will help you identify the pitfalls of perfectionism. It will help you create your own criteria for personal satisfaction, without setting your expectations too high.

Link to register in English
Link to register in French

The Clinique du Travail is a multi-disciplinary team acting as a third party, both neutral and mediator, to facilitate dialogue between the various players involved with people affected by occupational health problems. It offers training courses, conferences, psychosocial risk audits and in-company, group and individual support.

Registration recommended

THE ROLE OF EMOTIONS IN LEARNING AND DECISION-MAKING
Prof. David Sander, director of the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (CISA)

Tuesday October 10 | 17:30-19:00 (in French) | Rolex Learning Center (RLC G1 231) + online (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Fd_TRcgbM)

This conference will explore the profound and often underestimated influence of emotions in our cognitive processes, showing how they interact with our learning and decision-making abilities. The latest research on emotions, their brain bases and functions, shows that they facilitate cognitive processes such as attention and memory.

Registration link

David Sander has been Professor of Psychology and Director of the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (CISA) at the University of Geneva since 2012. His research focuses on the mechanisms involved in triggering emotion and how they modulate emotional response as well as attention, memory and decision-making. After studying mathematics, psychology and cognitive science in Paris and Lyon, he joined the University of Geneva’s Psychology Section in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences in 2002. He is now a full professor and heads the Laboratory for the Study of Elicitation and Expression of Emotions (E3 Lab). For his research, he was the winner of the 2013 National Latsis Prize.

Registration required

DARING TO SET LIMITS, BUT AVOIDING ESCALATION
Tatout, a school for self-protection and self-confidence

Wednesday October 11 | 12:00-13:00 (in French) et 13:10-14:10 (in English) | Rolex Learning Center (RLC A1 230)

This workshop will help you better understand the impact of your body language, positioning and verbal style on others, on yourself and on the interaction. It will teach you to adapt these to the situation, and to set your limits with your body and voice, clearly and effectively, avoiding escalation.

Link to register in English
Link to register in French

Tatout is a self-protection and self-confidence-building school staffed by 15 professionals. The organization offers training courses in dealing with aggression and protecting oneself from violence. Thanks to a practical, personalized approach, participants acquire the physical and verbal tools they need to stay safe and confident.

Registration recommended

THE INTERACTION BETWEEN NUTRITION, MICROBIOTA AND HEALTH
Prof. Pascale Vonaesch, microbiologist, Dr. Benjamin Boutrel, neurobiologist, Jeremy Wong, PhD student in biotechnology and bioengineering

Wednesday October 11 | 12:15 – 13:15 (bilingual round table) | Rolex Learning Center (RLC G1 231) + online (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4p17fbo3RM)

The intestine is now known as our second brain, with an enteric nervous system of 200 million neurons interacting, among other things, with the intestinal microbiota. This ecosystem is unique to each individual and plays a key role in digestive, metabolic, immune and neurological functions. In the light of the latest research, this round table will look at the functioning of the intestinal flora and the link between this group of micro-organisms and our physical and mental health.

Registration link

Pascale Vonaesch is assistant professor at the University of Lausanne and principal investigator in the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) Microbiomes. Her laboratory focuses on basic and translational/clinical research related to the human gut ecosystem and the contribution of the microbiota to health and disease. Her research interests include the role of the gut microbiome in childhood malnutrition and the development of microbiota-targeted interventions. She completed her doctoral thesis at the Institute of Microbiology at ETH Zurich, before joining the Institut Pasteur in Paris for a post-doctoral research stay. There, she initiated and directed the Afribiota project. A translational research project aimed at elucidating the pathophysiology underlying stunted growth in children. She then joined the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute for two years to continue her work on undernutrition, before moving with her group to the University of Lausanne.

Benjamin Boutrel heads the Neurobiology of Addictive and Eating Disorders Research Unit at CHUV. He is studying the impact of excessive alcohol and sugar consumption on the microbiota-gut-brain axis, in order to discover early biological markers and lay the foundations for personalized medicine aimed at improving clinical care. He obtained his doctorate in neuroscience in Paris and specialized in the neuropharmacology of addiction in San Diego (USA). In addition to directing a laboratory at the CHUV’s Center for Psychiatric Neurosciences, he is a lecturer at the UNIL’s Faculty of Biology and Medicine.

Jeremy Wong is a final-year PhD student under the supervision of Professors Alexandre Persat and Tom Battin. His research focuses on understanding the global metabolism and social interactions between gut microbes, and how these contribute to the overall structure and abundance of the gut microbiota.

No registration required

WHERE NEUROSCIENCE MEETS MENTAL HEALTH
Inauguration Symposium EPFL Synapsy Center

Wednesday October 11 | 12:30 – 19:00 (in English) | Auditoire SV 1717

During this event, nine EPFL professors active in the field of neuroscience and mental health will present their research. Topics will include the dopamine signals involved in motivation, the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in fear, and how synapses modify gene expression.

The symposium will also feature two keynote speakers. Michael Fox, Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, will give a talk on “Causal mapping of psychiatric symptoms on human brain circuits”. Klaas Enno Stephan, Professor of Translational Neuromodeling and Computational Psychiatry at ETHZ and the University of Zurich, will give a talk on “Translational Neuromodeling, Computational Psychiatry and Computational Psychosomatics”.

Link to the programme

The EPFL Synapsy Center for Neuroscience and Mental Health Research integrates all mental health-related research at EPFL and serves as a central node to connect researchers, students, interested stakeholders and the general public. Born of the legacy of the Synapsy National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR), the mission of EPFL’s Synapsy Center is to promote mental health research and raise its profile within EPFL and beyond.

Registration recommended

WHEN EATING BECOMES A PROBLEM
Dr. Sandra Gebhard, psychiatrist/psychotherapist, head physician of the Centre vaudois anorexie boulimie (abC), Marie Leuba Bosisio, psychologist, Bulimia Anorexia Association (ABA)

Wednesday October 11 | 17:30 – 19:00 (in French) | Rolex Learning Center (RLC G1 231) + online (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y40y09wHpwY)

Eating disorders are a complex set of medical and psychological conditions that profoundly affect a person’s relationship with food, their body and their mental health. This round table aims to raise public awareness of these disorders, explain them to demystify preconceived ideas, and provide information on their prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Registration link

Dr. Sandra Gebhard is Head Physician at the Centre vaudois anorexie boulimie (abC), Liaison Psychiatry Service, Department of Psychiatry, CHUV. The abC Center provides care and support for adolescents and adults suffering from anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia nervosa and, more generally, for anyone for whom food and weight are a source of anxiety or obsession.

Marie Leuba Bosisio is a psychologist with the Bulimia Anorexia Association (ABA). Founded in 1992, ABA offers listening, support and guidance to people suffering from an eating disorder, or questioning their relationship with food and the body. The association is also a resource for those close to them.

Registration recommended

HEALTH AT WORK/STUDIES AND WARNING SYMPTOMS

WORK RHYTHM AND WORKLOAD

EXCESSIVE PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS

Thursday October 12 | 12:30-16:00 | Rolex Learning Center
These three 25-minute workshops are offered simultaneously in French and English.

Health at work/studies and warning symptoms
In this workshop, you’ll learn about workplace/study health indicators and warning symptoms, determine and recognize your own warning symptoms, identify your wear-and-tear factors and resources, and outline a personal burnout prevention strategy.

Link to register in English
Link to register in French

Work rhythm and workload
This workshop will help you adopt the right strategy to conserve your energy over the long term. This is achieved by alternating, as in elite sport, preparation – peak intensity (stress) – active recovery.

Link to register in English
Link to register in French

Excessive personal requirements
This workshop will help you identify the pitfalls of perfectionism. It will help you create your own criteria for personal satisfaction, without setting your expectations too high.

Link to register in English
Link to register in French

The Clinique du Travail is a multi-disciplinary team that acts as a neutral, mediating third party, facilitating dialogue between the various players involved in people affected by occupational health problems. It offers training courses, conferences, psychosocial risk audits and in-company, group and individual support.

Sur inscription

STRESS: EFFECTS, INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND TOOLS TO MANAGING IT
Dre. Aurélie Lattion, neuroscientist and coordinator of stressnetwork.ch

Thursday October 12 | 12:15-13:00 (in French) et 13:15-14:00 (in English) | Rolex Learning Center, (RLC A1 230)

After a short introduction to stress and its effects, this workshop uses a game to explore individual differences in stress response, and suggests tools for managing it.

Link to register for the workshop in English
Link to register for the workshop in French

Aurélie Lattion holds a PhD in neuroscience from EPFL and is passionate about scientific communication. She is the coordinator of stressnetwork.ch, a network of stress researchers in Switzerland. The aim of this network is to promote stress research, raise awareness of its importance among politicians and the general public, and improve communication between the scientific community and the general public.

Registration required

STUDYING AND WORKING WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
Cédric Godecke, professional peer helper

Thursday October 12 | 12:15-13:15 (in French) | MED 2 1522

This workshop will enable you to exchange ideas on the theme of autism, with the aim of better understanding each other.

Registration link

Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 2011, at the age of 42, Cédric Goedecke is convinced that, despite the difficulties, this status confers exceptional qualities. As a peer helper specialized in autism, he offers coaching for adults, holds conferences and leads awareness-raising workshops. Co-president of the A-Cube association, he promotes mutual aid and campaigns for better support for autism sufferers.

Registration recommended

WHAT KIND OF MOVEMENT TO STAY HEALTHY ?
Stéphane Maeder, Master of Sports, Dr. Anisoara Ionescu, scientific collaborator in the Motion Measurement and Analysis Laboratory, Jean-Sébastien Mérieux, CEO of Dartfish and Julien Moix, COO of Insider.

Thursday October 12 | 12:15 – 13:15 (In French) | Rolex Learning Center (RLC G1 231) + online (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv4CFJ5kDKw)

This round table will discuss the definition of movement and its role, how to quantify and track it, and individual differences in movement.

Registration link

Registration required

THE WORK THAT RECONNECTS
Victor Rey and Malika Naula, Centre de compétence en durabilité collaborators

Thursday October 12 | 16:00 – 18:00 (in French) | Sud entrance of Cubotron building

How can we manage our fears about the scale of the ecological and social crisis and transform them into creative commitment? This workshop is a group work based on ecopsychology. The aim is to combine the bodily, emotional and spiritual dimensions of our understanding of the world in order to better face the challenges of today’s world.

Lien pour s’inscrire

Victor Rey and Malika Naula work at the University of Lausanne’s Centre de compétence en durabilité. In particular, they are involved in L’Espace Transitions. This project’s mission is to raise awareness of the emotional issues linked to sustainability and to support the development of emotional skills capable of preventing the emergence of experiences impacting the mental health of the university community.

Registration recommended

INNOVATION FOR HAPPINESS
Fabrice Leclerc, EPFL business angel, Prof. Francine Petersen, marketing expert at the HEC business school, Prof. Kathryn Hess Bellwald, Associate Vice-President for Student Affairs and Outreach, Ahmed Elalamy, AGEPoly prevention manager, Zoé Marsaly, EPFL master’s student in financial engineering.

Thusrday October 12 | 17:30 – 19:00 (in French) | Rolex Learning Center (RLC G1 231)+ online (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ4v7DOmI5I)

This round table will provide an opportunity to discuss how innovation can help create a happier world for everyone. Participants will share their ideas and experiences to answer this essential question: how can we reinvent our societies and our businesses to make happiness a central part of them? This round table will be an opportunity to ask whether and how innovation can contribute to this.

Ahead of the round table, Fabrice Leclerc will give an introductory talk highlighting the importance of refocusing our society on happiness as a goal. This is the key to reconciling ourselves with our deepest nature and fundamental aspirations.

Registration link

Fabrice Leclerc is a business angel and mentor to several start-ups at EPFL. His ability to innovate for global economic, social and environmental impact has made him a partner to groups such as L’Oréal Prestige, SKY, Google, Nespresso and Apple. He is a member of the advisory boards of numerous Swiss companies, a partner of Banque Pictet, and a lecturer at Bocconi University and the Faculty of Business Administration (HEC) at the University of Lausanne, where he founded and directs the “City of Tomorrow” and “Innovation for Happiness” programs.

Francine Petersen is Associate Professor of Marketing at the Faculté des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC), University of Lausanne. Her research focuses on understanding the situations that help consumers to make more reasonable decisions that will make them happier. In particular, she studies affect-laden consumption episodes, such as indulgent or sustainable consumption and retail/shopping experiences. Since marketers often underestimate the impact of emotional experiences, she advises and helps companies design marketing strategies that are both more effective and more respectful of the well-being of consumers and society. Since 2019, she has been teaching the “Social Well-Being” course as part of HEC’s Master of Science program.

Kathryn Hess Bellwald is Professor of Mathematics at EPFL, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Outreach, and head of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Task Force. In this capacity, she is currently working on the implementation of various actions and measures to improve the well-being of the entire EPFL community. On the research front, she heads the Laboratory for Topology and Neuroscience. In particular, she is involved in the Blue Brain project, where she recently co-directed a study on the geometry of neural networks. She also teaches a course on group theory to second-year Bachelor students, and has received several awards for her teaching.

Ahmed Elalamy and Zoé Marsaly are both Master’s students at EPFL, in communication systems and financial engineering respectively. Ahmed Elalamy is coordinator of the AGEPoly prevention team. This position was previously held by Zoé Marsaly, who remains involved in the prevention team committee.

Registration required (workshop for teachers)

SUSTAINABILITY AND EMOTIONS: WHAT RESSOURCES FOR EDUCATION?
Sarah Koller, Center of Competence in Sustainability, UNIL

Friday October 13 | 12:30 – 13:30 (in French) | Rolex Learning Center (RLC A1 230)

Discussing sustainability issues in the classroom can arouse a wide range of emotions. Preventing the development of more or less severe forms of ecoanxiety is becoming a major public health issue. In this context, what should we look out for in course content? And if emotions emerge, what should we do with them? This workshop provides a theoretical basis on emotions and eco-anxiety, and sets out practical ways of addressing these issues in teaching. An important part of the workshop is devoted to discussing the possible integration of these ideas, and to identifying any additional needs that participants may have. A short guide to the resources available on campus will be made available.

Registration link

Sarah Koller holds degrees in psychology and environmental science. She works on emotional issues related to sustainability at the University of Lausanne’s Center of Competence in Sustainability.

Registration required

SUSTAINABILITY: ALSO AND ABOVE ALL A MATTER OF EMOTIONS
Sarah Koller, Center of Competence in Sustainability, UNIL

Friday October 13 | 14:00 – 15:00 (in French) | Rolex Learning Center (RLC A1 230)

The magnitude of the ecological stakes can sometimes (often) make us feel discouraged, sad, powerless or very angry. How can we live with all these emotions on a daily basis? This workshop proposes a few ways to: better understand what an emotion is; apprehend what we call eco-anxiety as an issue at the crossroads between the individual and the collective; and finally, discover practical tools to develop or reinforce an emotional hygiene that enables us to mobilize our emotions as motors for action. A short guide to the resources available on campus will be distributed.

Registration link

Sarah Koller holds degrees in psychology and environmental science. She works on emotional issues related to sustainability at the University of Lausanne’s Center of Competence in Sustainability.

By invitation

SPORTECH INDUSTRY FORUM
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN SPORT
Vice-presidency for innovation, Pierre Baqué, CEO of NeuralConcept, Prof. Maryam Kamgarpour, head of the SYCAMORE laboratory at EPFL, Robert van Kommer, innovation consultant, Timon Zimmermann, co-founder and CTO of Visium

Friday October 13 | 9:00-16:00 | Rolex Learning Center

This third edition of the Sportech Industry Forum will enable you to find out about the latest trends in sports innovation.

This event is by invitation only. If you would like to find out more and possibly take part, please contact pascal.vuilliomenet@epfl.ch (registration deadline: Wednesday, October 11).