Naturforschende Gesellschaft in Zürich

''' ''Naturforschende Gesellschaft in Zürich'' (NGZH; Society of Natural Sciences Zurich''') is a Swiss scientific society, founded in 1746 for the purposes of promoting the study of the natural sciences. Prior to that it was known as the ''Physikalische Gesellschaft'', originating in the sixteenth century, when Conrad Gessner and his colleagues first established it in Zürich. As such, it is one of the oldest scientific societies in Switzerland. The society states it mission as "Accessing the 'exact knowledge of nature' through meticulous observations and experiments, and to foster public understanding of the natural sciences, fundamental and applied". To this end it organizes free lectures and excursions and awards an annual prize for high school science projects (''NGZH-Jugendpreis''). As of 2016, there were 350 members, and the president was Fritz Gassmann. Within the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences, the NGZH is a member organisation of the Natural Sciences Platform. The society maintains a botanical garden based on Conrad Gessner's original herbarium and library and carries out experiments. It is associated with both the University of Zurich and the Institute of Technology (''Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich'') Provided by Wikipedia