The twelfth annual gala at the Embassy of Switzerland marked another year of Swiss-American diplomacy and the importance of Swiss culture. Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States, Manuel Sager, welcomed esteemed guests to his residence in Woodley Park to enjoy an evening of Swiss culture and to celebrate the countries latest achievements in innovation. The evening was accompanied by Swiss music which was performed on two separate stages. Traditional Swiss cuisine, such as raclette and grilled sausages was served along with fine wine and spirits. Part of the evenings celebrations included the presenting of the Tell Award which is given to individuals who represent and support Swiss-American relations. This year the award was presented to Bertrand Piccard and Andrew Borschberg, founders and pilots of the first solar-powered aircraft, Solar Impulse.
The event celebrated an important aspect of Swiss culture, innovation. Many of the displays at the event were representative of just how dedicated the Swiss are to furthering innovation. Having been ranked first in the Global Innovation Index, for the second year in a row there were many exciting developments Mauro Dell’Ambrogio, State Secretary for Education and Research in the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs was in attendance and spoke about research and innovation in Switzerland.
Robot technology was quite prominent with two different prototypes on display. Roboy was released by the Artificial Lab at the University of Zurich. Roboy is a breakthrough in robot technology with fluid human like movement created through the use of tendons which resemble those of the human body. While Roboy is more useful for physical work, Hebo, a smaller robot, is more of an intellectual innovation. Hebo tells stories and interacts intellectually with humans. Hebo is the masterpiece of Swiss artists Johannes M. Hedinger and Frank Brodin and the Sensory-Motor Systems Lab of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the University of Zurich.
In line with scientific innovation, a human cell, magnified approximately 300,000 times constituted an interactive display where guests were able to walk through a human cell and examine the details of its inner structure.
Photographer Martin Oeggerli had fourteen photos on display. Oeggerli combines art and science to create magnificent photographs, using scanning electron microscopy which is able to magnify a subject and allow viewers to see extremely minute details that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The Ambassador’s residence itself was also turned into a display, illuminated by light artist Gerry Hofstetter. The Embassy put on a great event and showed that the Swiss-American relationship is strong as well as that the Swiss is a leader in innovation.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's November/December 2013 print edition.
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Embassy of Switzerland Annual Gala Celebrates Swiss Culture and Innovation
November 6, 2013
The twelfth annual gala at the Embassy of Switzerland marked another year of Swiss-American diplomacy and the importance of Swiss culture. Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States, Manuel Sager, welcomed esteemed guests to his residence in Woodley Park to enjoy an evening of Swiss culture and to celebrate the countries latest achievements in innovation. The evening was accompanied by Swiss music which was performed on two separate stages. Traditional Swiss cuisine, such as raclette and grilled sausages was served along with fine wine and spirits. Part of the evenings celebrations included the presenting of the Tell Award which is given to individuals who represent and support Swiss-American relations. This year the award was presented to Bertrand Piccard and Andrew Borschberg, founders and pilots of the first solar-powered aircraft, Solar Impulse.
The event celebrated an important aspect of Swiss culture, innovation. Many of the displays at the event were representative of just how dedicated the Swiss are to furthering innovation. Having been ranked first in the Global Innovation Index, for the second year in a row there were many exciting developments Mauro Dell’Ambrogio, State Secretary for Education and Research in the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs was in attendance and spoke about research and innovation in Switzerland.
Robot technology was quite prominent with two different prototypes on display. Roboy was released by the Artificial Lab at the University of Zurich. Roboy is a breakthrough in robot technology with fluid human like movement created through the use of tendons which resemble those of the human body. While Roboy is more useful for physical work, Hebo, a smaller robot, is more of an intellectual innovation. Hebo tells stories and interacts intellectually with humans. Hebo is the masterpiece of Swiss artists Johannes M. Hedinger and Frank Brodin and the Sensory-Motor Systems Lab of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the University of Zurich.
In line with scientific innovation, a human cell, magnified approximately 300,000 times constituted an interactive display where guests were able to walk through a human cell and examine the details of its inner structure.
Photographer Martin Oeggerli had fourteen photos on display. Oeggerli combines art and science to create magnificent photographs, using scanning electron microscopy which is able to magnify a subject and allow viewers to see extremely minute details that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The Ambassador’s residence itself was also turned into a display, illuminated by light artist Gerry Hofstetter. The Embassy put on a great event and showed that the Swiss-American relationship is strong as well as that the Swiss is a leader in innovation.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's November/December 2013 print edition.
