Golden Owl for Stefan Moser: "I mainly bring bankruptcies, bad luck and mishaps"
Stefan Moser was awarded the "Golden Owl" by the students of the Department of Civil Engineering at ETH Zurich for his many years of commitment to teaching. In this interview, he tells us how he experienced his first project after graduating 20 years ago and explains what it takes to successfully enter professional practice.
The "Golden Owl" is awarded once a year by the ETH Zurich Student Association (VSETH) to particularly committed teachers. One person per department is honored. Stefan Moser has been teaching at ETH Zurich for around 15 years, currently on construction methods.
What is your recipe for success as a lecturer?
You'd have to ask the students (laughs). The explanatory statement says: Great practical relevance with lots of examples. I don't bring the fair-weather construction site, but above all the mishaps, mishaps and mishaps. What we thought would happen and what turned out differently. I try to convey to them that you always need a plan B because a project may simply not go well. I try to show them how costs, deadlines, clients and contractors interact and who has what role. And why a project may still not succeed, even though great people are involved.
You have been a lecturer at ETH Zurich since 2009. What motivates you?
I am motivated by the fact that I have a great deal of freedom at ETH Zurich. The freedom to teach. I can decide for myself what content I teach, what documents I hand out, who I invite for a guest lecture. I try to teach students the knowledge that I, as an employer, hope graduates will bring with them. As a student myself, I always appreciated it when someone from the field taught. And so I am happy to pass on my experience as long as it is welcome.
Getting into practice after graduation is an important transition. Can you still remember your first project?
When I started at Basler & Hofmann 20 years ago, I joined the Gotthard Base Tunnel project. At the time, we were part of an engineering team responsible for the track from Altdorf station to Giustizia far down in Ticino.
What was your experience of this first project?
It was a super experience for the reason that I hadn't specialized in railway construction. I came to Basler & Hofmann and they asked me: "Are you interested?" and I replied: "Yes, if you think I can do it, then I'm ready to take it on". I had a very great team. It included very deserving, long-serving employees at the end of their careers who wanted to share their knowledge. That was very valuable.
You have now managed numerous major projects, such as the cross-city link in Zurich. What does it take for a project like this to succeed?
There are various factors. You need a client who decides, a timeline that is reasonable and the necessary financial resources. But what it needs above all is a good team. People need to be challenged, but not overwhelmed. They shouldn't be bored, but they shouldn't have to work ten or twelve hours a day either. With this in mind: keeping team motivation high, celebrating and sharing successes, not just working, but also going for a coffee and a beer together - that's crucial.
What advice would you give to future civil engineers?
To walk through the world with open eyes. You pass a construction site. Then you can think to yourself: Why did they put this scaffolding up like this? And why is the crane right there now? What kind of silos are these? That's the kind of interest I want. To walk around and have this curiosity: Why is it done like this? To want to understand. And that they then try to put what they see into context with the entire backpack they have and come up with a theory as to why something is the way it is. Maybe it's right, maybe it's wrong. And that they try to develop in one direction out of their curiosity. To be open and seize opportunities that present themselves. Because I'm convinced that you only regret the decisions you didn't make. You're young and can try anything. If you realize after two years that the path you have chosen is not the right one, you make a cut and try something else. The current market offers that. So my recommendation is to try it out, jump in at the deep end and keep your eyes open.
About the person
After graduating as a civil engineer, Stefan Moser worked as a research assistant and testing expert at ETH Zurich and completed his doctorate on the fully automated application of shotcrete. He joined Basler & Hofmann in 2003 and was project management for the Glattalbahn track superstructure and Gotthard Base Tunnel track projects, among others. He was and is responsible for major projects such as the Zurich cross-city link, the Bern RBS railway station expansion, AS25 Aaretal Wankdorf - Ostermundigen expansion, AS35 Zurich Stadelhofen 4th track and 2nd Riesbach tunnel as overall project management and / or chief construction manager. Stefan Moser has been a member of the Executive Board since 2015.
