Switzerland’s Contemporary Contributions to Science and Technology
Established on August 1, 1291, the Swiss Confederation is a small country with a giant impact in the world of scientific and technological innovations. Commonly known for cheese, chocolate, mountain chalets, army knives, precision watch movements, and financial prowess, its national resume also includes a commitment to higher education, scientific research and development, and technological advancements—all with a reputation for pushing the envelope. This paper will explore Switzerland’s cutting-edge contributions to science and technology in the contemporary era.
Some Facts about Switzerland
Established as the Swiss Confederation on August 1, 1291, Switzerland has a land mass of 15,940 square miles (less than one-half the size of South Carolina), and is bordered by Germany to the north, Austria and Lichtenstein to the east, Italy to the south, and France to the West. Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons (equivalent to states) with “one-third of its populating living in the five largest cities of Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern, and Lucerne” (SwissWorld.org). According to the Central Intelligence Agency (2014), Switzerland has a population of 8.06 million, comprised of approximately 65% German, 18% French, 10% Italian, 1% Romansch, with the remaining 6% made up of other ethnicities. Likewise, Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansch.
Although Switzerland is not part of the European Union, it has adopted many of the EU policies in order to remain competitive in the international market. Switzerland remains politically neutral, and hosts many international organizations. Geneva is home to one of the two United Nations Organization...
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...inistration (NASA) in the United States. There is one groundbreaking mission underway, and one Swiss astronaut instrumental to many NASA missions.
The Rosetta mission, so named after the Rosetta stone, is the Swiss experiment aboard the ESA lander, Philae, launched on March 2, 2004, and will be the first comet landing in history. According to the ESA, Philae entered deep space hibernation on June 8, 2011 and exited hibernation on January 20, 2014. It will attempt a rendezvous with the comet 67P in May 2014 and will arrive at 67P in August 2014, when it will begin mapping the comet’s surface. Philae will land November 2014 and then Rosetta will begin its job on August 14, 2014 until August 13, 2015 (European Space Agency). Findings of the Rosetta mission, in part, are aimed at the discovery of the origin of comets and their relationship to the universe’s origins.
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," said by Neil Armstrong as he took his first steps on the moon during the NASA Apollo 11 expedition to the moon. No man has ever been to the moon before and NASA, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was the first to get someone to land on the moon. NASA has had many great accomplishments in exploring the "new frontier" that have affected the United States ever since it was first created in July 1958. The idea for NASA first started when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite on October 4, 1957. United States started up its own space travel program and started to work on its own projects that would be better in than the Soviet Union's. This all started the great space race. It was a big race between the Soviet Union and the United States to see who could learn and discover the most. The United States and Soviet Union started building and sending satellites and space ships. Then they tried to see who could make a suit and ship that would be able to allow a living thing to go up in space. They tested out all of the equipment with monkeys and dogs, seeing what would work. Many animals did die in the process but by the results of their testing they were able to build suits and ships that allow human beings to go up in space. Even though they were able to create these machines, that doesn't mean that they didn't have their difficulties and dangers. Two space shuttles were crashed or blown up. There were many key factors that they had learned to fix that resulted in the crashing of those ships. They have made many discoveries and accomplishments like having the first astronauts walk on the moon.
Most of the time, countries only let another government set rules for them when they trust the other government. If 28 countries trust another government, the government must be very trustworthy. Also, the parliament is located in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. There are other countries that do not have part of the government in their country, which means that the countries are uniting together. The European Union also has a common currency, called the Euro.
It was November 12 when spacecraft Rosetta caught up with the comet called Churyumov-Gerasimenko better know as 67P (Lauren, 2014). The journey took 6.4 billion miles to complete (Lauren, 2014). Also Rosetta sent a lander called Philae to explore the comet and take picture among other things (Lauren, 2014). Interestingly enough when the media reported the comet landing I thing is trumped Kim kardashian attempt at breaking the internet with her nude photos which the media was cover at about the same time as the comet landing. With all that being said you might be asking why should I care? You should care about this comet because comets came from and can tell us about our solar system, also there has not been any unique and important mission as this one, further more it might be the last space mission we get to experience for a while. Now I am going to get in to what comets are and how they got here and talk a little bit
With the closing of the human spaceflight program, many people would argue that this decision is a disgrace to America and its space program. However, the United States has been very successful using robots like the Mars rovers or the Phoenix lander. There has been a shift from using astronauts to using space probes due to the rapid growth in technology. An example of this technology is the Kepler Space Telescope. Using this, scientist have been able to discover more than 500 planets in a different solar system. A probe is orbiting Mercury right now, and there is another probe that is believed to go past Pluto in 2015.
don't get this part because it's in Switzerland so isn't it the same thing then as the Swiss
Despite Switzerland’s small size, it shares borders with three major European cultures: Germany, France and Italy. This is an advantage for Switzerland,...
Geneva was located in Switzerland, it was a financial center global-city. Britain and France created the Geneva Protocol in 1924. It claimed that if 2 members of the league had a dispute they would have to allow the league to solve the problem and accept its decisions. Before the plan was applied, there was an election in Britain. But the new conservative government refused to sign the protocol because they were concerned that Britain may have been forced to agree with something that wasn't one of her concerns. So, if one of the most important countries of the League refused to sign it, no one would. France and Britain hoped this protocol would strengthen the league, but instead it weakened it since it made her more
So you 're moving to Switzerland? Before moving to any country it is important to become acquainted with the unique aspects of that country. Switzerland is the home to many people from all over Europe, making it a very diverse country. Within this paper, we will discuss the diversity of the Swiss culture and social customs. We will also discuss the Swiss health care systems.
Gall, Timothy L., ed. "Switzerland." Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations: Europe. 11th ed. Vol. 5. Farmington Hills: Worldmark & Harper, 2004. 539-551.
Switzerland is best described by conveying an understanding of its geography, political, economic, cultural and social environments. The geography of the country has had a significant impact on its way of life. Switzerland is bordered by Germany in the north, Austria and the Principality of Liechtenstein in the east, Italy in the south and France in the west. This represents many significant European cultures converging on Switzerland – the German speaking region, the French and the Italian. Two thirds of the Swiss population lives in the Plateau, between Lake Geneva and Lake Constance, in 30 percent of the country’s surface area. There are 450 people to every 1 km2 (1,166 per square mile). This makes the country one of the most densely populated regions of Europe and a promising prospect for marketing a product. The country that we know today took its final shape only in 1848. Before that time, we cannot really speak of "Swiss history," but rather the history of its various parts, which only gradually came together.
By being in a very technologically advanced era, scientists can invent revolutionary devices never thought of. NASA is doing that right now and has been doing that since it began. They are not only climbing the stairs in space exploration but in the medical industry, too. Nevertheless, they are forever changing millions of lives by using all they have discovered. Most of all, they are teaching people a life lesson, to always use the things you have for the greater good. NASA has achieved profound success ever since their start in 1958 and they will continue to make discovery and innovation their first and foremost goal for years to come.
In 1895, Einstein thought himself ready to take the entrance examination for the Eldgenossiche Technische Hochschule (ETH: Swiss Federal Polytechnic School, or Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), where he planned to major in electrical engineering. When he failed that examination, Einstein enrolled at a Swiss cantonal high school in Aarau. He found the more democratic style of instruction at Aarau much more enjoyable than his experience in Munich and soon began to make rapid pro...
Findon, Joanne. Science and Technology in the Middle Ages. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2004.
The country of Switzerland is ten times smaller than California. Despite the miniature size of Switzerland, everyone still considers it to be highly significant. This beautiful country is located in the heart of Europe. Switzerland is a prosperous nation that strives to be neutral in a diverse world. Because of Switzerland’s historical timeline, beautiful art, and prominent figures, this country is incredibly popular among tourists.
Science and Technology has been around from the beginning of time. It evolved from the everyday efforts of people trying to improve their way of life. Throughout history, humankind has developed and utilized tools, machines, and techniques without understanding how or why they worked or comprehending their physical or chemical composition. Before we go any further a definition has to be given for both Science and Technology because they are both different in their own right even though the two are almost indistinguishable. According to the Oxford Dictionary Technology can be defined as the knowledge or use of the mechanical arts and applied sciences, while Science can be defined as the branch of knowledge involving systematized observation and experiment. Science can be further divided into three separate categories; Pure, Applied and Natural Sciences. In addition technology is often defined as applied science, it is simply the application of scientific knowledge to achieve a specific human purpose, however, historical evidence suggests technology is a product of science.