Nuna5 crashesTU Delft’s solar powered car, Nuna5, crashed during a test drive ahead of the World Solar Challenge, a five-day race starting on October 25, in Australia.
While travelling at a speed of 110km/h down the Cox Peninsula Road, near Darwin, one of Nuna5’s tires blew out, causing the car to veer off the road and crash. Fortunately, the TU Delft student driving the car was uninjured. Nuna5 however suffered considerable damage and was towed away. The team’s initial report states that the car’s body and mechanics were damaged, as well as part of its solar panel. With the race just under three weeks away, the team will now have to scramble to repair the car in time for the big race. Will they make it? Follow the team on its website.
,Buddyfuse
The first international version of Buddyfuse was released last week. Buddyfuse is a free extension for Windows Live Messenger, seamlessly integrates chat and social networks into Windows Live Messenger, the world’s most widely used instant messaging service. Buddyfuse currently enhances Windows Live Messenger by adding support for Google Talk, Twitter and the Dutch social network Hyves. The technology behind Buddyfuse was co-developed by Yousef El-Dardiry (20), a TU Delft computer science student who completed an internship at Microsoft last summer. “The vast amount of chat and social networking services available today causes people to be ‘online’ on different services at different times,” El-Dardiry explains. “By adding interoperability to Windows Live Messenger people can use an application they’re already familiar with to stay in touch with all their friends, regardless of the network they are on.”
,Royal honor
Professor Okka Bosgra has been made an ‘Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau’, a Dutch royal honor bestowed upon him for his services to education and research in the field of measurement technology and instrumentation science during his 41-year career at TU Delft. Bosgra is professor of control engineering in the Delft Centre for Systems and Control department of the faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering.
,Huygens prize
Dr. Raluca Marin-Perianu is the winner of the 2009 Christiaan Huygens Prize for information and communication technology. The 31-year-old researcher, originally from Romania, impressed the jury with her thesis on small, intelligent sensors that are capable of communicating with each other wirelessly. For winning the award, she received a bronze statuette and check for 10,000 euro. Marin-Perianu studied computer science at the University of Bucharest, before going on to conduct doctoral research in dynamic wireless sensor networks at the University of Twente, from 2004-2008. Marin-Perianu also has her own spin-off company, Inertia Technology, which aims to further develop ‘wireless sensor networks’ for various applications, such as in the healthcare and security sectors, and also for monitoring bridges. TU Delft’s Professor Koen Langendoen (EEMCS) is especially interested in her research on group behavior: “It creates order from chaos.”
,Party leader
Mariëlle van Kooten (22) is the new leader of the Delft city council political party, Stip (Studenten Techniek In Politiek). She will lead Stip in the Delft city council elections scheduled for March 2010. Van Kooten, who studies aerospace engineering at TU Delft, has called for more investment in entrepreneurship and start-up companies, and a coherent marketing strategy for Science Port Holland. Moreover, she wants to see more investment in Delft as a bicycle-friendly city, and more housing for young people and students.
,Plakkies
For the next few months a team of five students will go to South Africa. Their mission? To contribute to The Ubuntu Company by designing the next generation Plakkies. For more information on the project visit www.konsepfabriek.nl.
De belangrijkste gebeurtenis van 2008 was de Bouwkundebrand, zo werd vrijdag verteld op de dies natalis. Ik neem wel aan dat hiermee de belangrijkste gebeurtenis op de TU Delft bedoeld is en niet wereldwijd. Want hoe je het wendt of keert, de verkiezing van Obama en de financiële crisis, om maar een paar zaken te noemen, zijn een stuk groter dan een uitgebrand gebouw en de redding van een collectie stoelen.
Dichter bij huis zijn in 2008 de harde knip en het bindend studieadvies geïntroduceerd. Vanuit mijn studentikoze kijkhoek lijken ze een stuk ingrijpender dan de verhuizing van een faculteit, hoe noodgedwongen die ook mag zijn. Ik denk dat de gevolgen van de brand een stuk luchtiger opgevat moeten worden. De verwoesting van oude ideeën en gebouwen zijn altijd al geliefd geweest onder architecten en stedenbouwkundigen. Nu hebben ze een koekje van eigen deeg te proeven. Als ze het goed aanpakken zullen ze een schat aan nieuwe ideeën en ervaringen opdoen, wat ze eigenlijk al doen met de verbouwing van het oude hoofdgebouw.
De spectaculaire beelden van de instorting lijken Bouwkunde zelfs een onverwachte meevaller te hebben opgeleverd in de vorm van een stormloop aan vooraanmeldingen. Eigenlijk ben ik stomverbaasd dat iedereen het zo’n ramp vindt. Niemand heeft een schrammetje opgelopen tijdens de evacuatie. Zelfs die lelijke stoelen zijn gered. En was iedereen niet altijd aan het zeiken over hoe lelijk het gebouw was, hoe ongeschikt het was voor zoveel studenten, hoe onhandig het gepland was en hoe je uren moest wachten op de liften? Een van de aspecten van de wet van Parkinson is dat instellingen het beste functioneren als ze in een zo ongeschikt mogelijk gebouw zitten.
Ik denk dat tijdens haar huisvesting op de Julianalaan Bouwkunde het beste project ooit zal produceren. Misschien moeten ze daar blijven. Het is ook goed voor het hergebruik van gebouwen, super duurzaam om zo’n oud statig pand een nieuw leven te geven. Maar helaas, Plasterk heeft al geld beloofd. Er zal een nieuw gebouw komen, mooi en efficiënt, waarin je met plezier kan studeren en werken. Als de architecten er vanaf blijven, tenminste. Zij hebben het oude gebouw namelijk zo lelijk, onhandig en brandgevaarlijk gemaakt.
Michael Afanasyev
Nuna5 crashes
TU Delft’s solar powered car, Nuna5, crashed during a test drive ahead of the World Solar Challenge, a five-day race starting on October 25, in Australia. While travelling at a speed of 110km/h down the Cox Peninsula Road, near Darwin, one of Nuna5’s tires blew out, causing the car to veer off the road and crash. Fortunately, the TU Delft student driving the car was uninjured. Nuna5 however suffered considerable damage and was towed away. The team’s initial report states that the car’s body and mechanics were damaged, as well as part of its solar panel. With the race just under three weeks away, the team will now have to scramble to repair the car in time for the big race. Will they make it? Follow the team on its website.
Buddyfuse
The first international version of Buddyfuse was released last week. Buddyfuse is a free extension for Windows Live Messenger, seamlessly integrates chat and social networks into Windows Live Messenger, the world’s most widely used instant messaging service. Buddyfuse currently enhances Windows Live Messenger by adding support for Google Talk, Twitter and the Dutch social network Hyves. The technology behind Buddyfuse was co-developed by Yousef El-Dardiry (20), a TU Delft computer science student who completed an internship at Microsoft last summer. “The vast amount of chat and social networking services available today causes people to be ‘online’ on different services at different times,” El-Dardiry explains. “By adding interoperability to Windows Live Messenger people can use an application they’re already familiar with to stay in touch with all their friends, regardless of the network they are on.”
Royal honor
Professor Okka Bosgra has been made an ‘Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau’, a Dutch royal honor bestowed upon him for his services to education and research in the field of measurement technology and instrumentation science during his 41-year career at TU Delft. Bosgra is professor of control engineering in the Delft Centre for Systems and Control department of the faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering.
Huygens prize
Dr. Raluca Marin-Perianu is the winner of the 2009 Christiaan Huygens Prize for information and communication technology. The 31-year-old researcher, originally from Romania, impressed the jury with her thesis on small, intelligent sensors that are capable of communicating with each other wirelessly. For winning the award, she received a bronze statuette and check for 10,000 euro. Marin-Perianu studied computer science at the University of Bucharest, before going on to conduct doctoral research in dynamic wireless sensor networks at the University of Twente, from 2004-2008. Marin-Perianu also has her own spin-off company, Inertia Technology, which aims to further develop ‘wireless sensor networks’ for various applications, such as in the healthcare and security sectors, and also for monitoring bridges. TU Delft’s Professor Koen Langendoen (EEMCS) is especially interested in her research on group behavior: “It creates order from chaos.”
Party leader
Mariëlle van Kooten (22) is the new leader of the Delft city council political party, Stip (Studenten Techniek In Politiek). She will lead Stip in the Delft city council elections scheduled for March 2010. Van Kooten, who studies aerospace engineering at TU Delft, has called for more investment in entrepreneurship and start-up companies, and a coherent marketing strategy for Science Port Holland. Moreover, she wants to see more investment in Delft as a bicycle-friendly city, and more housing for young people and students.
Plakkies
For the next few months a team of five students will go to South Africa. Their mission? To contribute to The Ubuntu Company by designing the next generation Plakkies. For more information on the project visit www.konsepfabriek.nl.
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