Nobel Prize winner Michel Mayor was the star attraction as he attended the Dies Academicus at his alma mater, Geneva University, on Friday.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ilj
The Swiss and his colleague Didier Queloz were jointly awarded the Nobel PrizeExternal link in Physics for “the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star” on Tuesday. They shared the prize with Canadian-American cosmologist James Peebles.
Mayor was back in Geneva on Friday for the eventExternal link which celebrates the university’s founding and includes a prize-giving ceremony, receiving a standing ovation as he came in.
At a press conference, Mayor explained that he was in Spain on a lecture tour when news of his win came in – there had hardly been any rumours this year so he decided not to wait on tenterhooks in Geneva. He was waiting an at airport. “It was a shock and his computer “exploded” with messages of congratulation from around the world. “I haven’t yet had the time to read everything,” Mayor admitted.
Among the messages was one from University of Geneva rector Yves Flückiger, who said that it would be great if Mayor could attend the Dies Academicus (Queloz sent a video message). “My Spanish colleagues were understanding,” Mayor said.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
This content was published on
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
This content was published on
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
This content was published on
The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
Record organ donation in Switzerland despite high rejection rates
This content was published on
More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives.
This content was published on
Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.