The VMI Summer Retreat is for all scientific staff of the ETH Computer Science department. This year, we’re setting off to the enchanting town of Locarno, Switzerland!
Dates: August 23-26 and 28-31, 2025.
The retreat will be split up into two events and is fully supported by the department. This means you do not need to take vacation days to attend (but let your supervisor know once we confirm your registration).
Location: Locarno, Switzerland.
The picturesque town of Locarno rests on the shores of Switzerland’s stunning Lake Maggiore, surrounded by breathtaking alpine scenery. We’ll be staying at the Locarno Youth Hostel in comfortable 4-person and 6-person rooms. Get ready for an exciting mix of scientific, cultural, and social activities!
Pariticipation Fee: CHF 60
The participation fee includes transportation to Locarno, accommodation, as well as most meals and some leisure activities. The retreat is generously supported by the department, which allows us to offer it at this low cost.
Who can participate?
All members of the scientific staff of the D-INFK department (PhD students, postdocs, research assistants, oberassistents, senior scientists, .. etc.). You do not need to be a VMI member. There are around 84 spots (42 per retreat). New members of the Department are especially encouraged to participate!
Program
We will stay in Locarno for four days. The goal is to get to know each other, to extend the scientific network within our department, and to have a great time!
We will have a scientific programme, social activities and leisure time.
The scientific programme will consist of presentations and discussions on a variety of technical and non-technical topics, eg. teaching, efficient time management, student supervision, research methodology, etc. We encourage interactive formats, such as discussions and round tables. We’ll also have ‘scientific speed dating’ in very small groups, where you can explain your research to just a few participants.
For the social activities, we’ll split up into groups so that everyone can do the things they enjoy, whether it be hiking, canyoning, relaxing by the lake, or playing board games in the hostel’s cosy common room. We have lots of ideas for fun activities, so rest assured you won’t be bored!
Photos from previous retreat
Check out the photos of the 2024 VMI summer retreat in Zermatt and the 2023 VMI summer retreat in Laax, to see what we got up to in previous years!
Registration
You can register here. Initial registration is open until the 15th of May. After that, we allocate participants to retreats and send out confirmation messages. All those who didn’t get a slot will be put on the waitlist. It’s highly likely that those on the waitlist will get offered a spot later. Registration will remain open and late registration is always possible.
Contact
This retreat is organised by Fatmeh, Francesca, Graciana, Jesus, Nabil, Sverrir, and Yutong, your fellow PhD students and postdocs in the ETH computer science department. If you have questions, please contact us at vmi-contact@lists.inf.ethz.ch