Common’TU Delft will present c,mm,n 2.0 at the 2009 AutoRAIexpo, from April 1-11. Common’ stands for ‘a totally new approach to transporting passengers from A to B and the function of the car’.
Many people from various disciplines are working simultaneously on designing the sustainable car via an online community. Visitors to AutoRAI 2009 will be given a chance to ‘co-design’ and develop their ideas on navigation, communication, technology, materials, design and sustainable materials. The results of all this input for Common’, including input from the visitors, will be announced on 11 April at the stand for the ‘car of the future’. TU Delft’s Formula Student racing team will also be at AutoRAI promoting sustainability by exhibiting their racing car, which is fast, light and runs on bio-ethanol. The Greenchoice Forze team will also be on hand to show off their hydrogen-fuelled kart. The Nuon Solar Car will also be on display at the Nuon stand.
,Doeschka Meijsing
Each year TU Delft invites a famous Dutch author to the university as a guest writer. This year’s guest writer is Doeschka Meijsing, whose guest writership will open with a lecture at the Aula on April 16, followed by a six-part master class series, before concluding with presentation/lecture on May 28. While everyone is welcome to attend the lecture, it will be in Dutch, as will the master class series.
,Quantum inventor
If we really put our minds to it, we can build a quantum computer, said Lieven Vandersypen, during his inaugural lecture as professor at TU Delft. “In my research at TU Delft I want to push the boundaries of what is possible in quantum mechanics by conducting fundamental experiments on semi-conductor structures with nano dimensions. We’re like cowboys heading off in search of adventure, way off the beaten track, towards new horizons. I hope and expect that this sense of adventure and curiosity about the unknown will lead to unexpected breakthroughs and new technologies.” During his PhD research at Stanford University, Professor Vandersypen devised one of the first quantum calculations, still regarded as the most complex to date. Flemish-born Vandersypen is at the international forefront of his field. Since 2001, he has worked at the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience in Delft. In 2008, he was awarded a prestigious 1.3-million euro ‘Starting Grant’ by the European Research Council.
,X factor
With very little as yet known about the role of clouds in the current climate changes, it is now time for more research to be done on this ‘X factor’, said Professor Herman Russchenberg during his inaugural address at TU Delft on 1 April. Although most scientists agree on the current global warming and its principal cause (greenhouse gases), there are some aspects about which very little is yet known, such as the influence of clouds on the climate. During his inaugural address, Professor Russchenberg, of the IRCTR (International Research Centre for Telecommunications and Radar), called for more research on clouds: “The role of greenhouse gases in climate change is quite clear. Moreover, we can do something concrete about greenhouse-gas emission. With clouds it is all more complex. We simply don’t know how clouds react to climate change and, vice versa, how climate is influenced by clouds. But that influence could be considerable.”
,Feedback
If you’d like to comment on anything appearing on the English Page or on a university-related matter, or if you have a question or suggestion for us, send your emails to d.mcmullin@tudelft.nl. We welcome all feedback from our readers. Letters intended for publication should include your name and be no longer than 350 words. This edition of Delta is also available online at www.delta.tudelft.nl, where you can also access the English Page archive.
De patstelling tussen de afgewezen studenten en de faculteit Industrieel Ontwerpen (IO) leidde vorige week tot een hoorzitting bij de Centrale Commissie voor Bezwaarschriften (CCB).
De studenten, die sinds 2006 aan de TU studeren, hadden zich 28 dagen voor aanvang van hun vakken moeten aanmelden. IO-onderwijsdirecteur Norbert Roozenburg vertelde tijdens de hoorzitting dat deze regels al een aantal jaren hetzelfde zijn en dat die noodzakelijk zijn vanwege capaciteitsproblemen. “Het is passen en meten om zalen te vinden en er is te weinig personeel om de groeiende studentenaantallen op te vangen. We huren voor een half miljoen per jaar externe medewerkers in.”
Hoewel de studenten zich feitelijk tussen 1 juli en 3 augustus hadden moeten aanmelden, deden ze dat pas drie en vier dagen later. De faculteit weigerde ze daarom toe te laten. De studenten gaven tijdens de hoorzitting aan dat ze vanaf 2 respectievelijk 3 juli op vakantie waren tot 6 augustus.
De studenten hadden niet overwogen de faculteit te melden dat ze langdurig weg waren. Ook hadden ze – tot grote verbazing van het CCB – hun e-mail niet laten checken door anderen, omdat ze hun mails te persoonlijk vinden. Wel lieten ze hun papieren post openen, maar de faculteit stuurt informatie voor het overgrote deel per mail. Dat gebeurt zonder handtekening, hoewel e-mail wel rechtsgevolgen kan hebben.
Een van de studenten zei dat hij nog nooit informatie van de mededelingenschermen in de faculteit had gehaald. Beide hadden tijdens tentamens niets gehoord over aanmelding. “Ik zoek zelf op Blackboard of er aankondigingen zijn”, zei een van hen.
Onderwijsdirecteur Roozenburg vond ‘vakantie’ geen bijzondere omstandigheid en dus geen geldig excuus. De studenten hadden zich volgens hem overal ter wereld via internet kunnen inschrijven. Het aanmeldsysteem functioneerde.
De faculteit vindt dat regels gehandhaafd moeten worden. “In het verleden kwam het voor dat er meer dan honderd studenten niet waren ingeschreven en dat die uiteindelijk voor het overgrote deel werden toegelaten”, aldus Roozenburg. “Maar dat leidde tot klachten bij docenten en studenten.”
Volgens de onderwijsdirecteur hadden de studenten ook andere vakken kunnen volgen voor het behalen van evenveel studiepunten. Dan zouden ze niet onevenredig zwaar getroffen zijn. De studenten houden echter vast aan hun keuze.
Op de vraag of het missen van colleges in het eerste semester een probleem is voor het volgen van vakken in het tweede semester verschillen beide partijen. Volgens de studenten mogen ze wel meedoen met vakken, maar missen ze dan basiskennis. De faculteit bestrijdt dat.
De CCB komt zo snel mogelijk met een advies aan de decaan van de faculteit IO over deze zaak.
Common’
TU Delft will present c,mm,n 2.0 at the 2009 AutoRAIexpo, from April 1-11. Common’ stands for ‘a totally new approach to transporting passengers from A to B and the function of the car’. Many people from various disciplines are working simultaneously on designing the sustainable car via an online community. Visitors to AutoRAI 2009 will be given a chance to ‘co-design’ and develop their ideas on navigation, communication, technology, materials, design and sustainable materials. The results of all this input for Common’, including input from the visitors, will be announced on 11 April at the stand for the ‘car of the future’. TU Delft’s Formula Student racing team will also be at AutoRAI promoting sustainability by exhibiting their racing car, which is fast, light and runs on bio-ethanol. The Greenchoice Forze team will also be on hand to show off their hydrogen-fuelled kart. The Nuon Solar Car will also be on display at the Nuon stand.
Doeschka Meijsing
Each year TU Delft invites a famous Dutch author to the university as a guest writer. This year’s guest writer is Doeschka Meijsing, whose guest writership will open with a lecture at the Aula on April 16, followed by a six-part master class series, before concluding with presentation/lecture on May 28. While everyone is welcome to attend the lecture, it will be in Dutch, as will the master class series.
Quantum inventor
If we really put our minds to it, we can build a quantum computer, said Lieven Vandersypen, during his inaugural lecture as professor at TU Delft. “In my research at TU Delft I want to push the boundaries of what is possible in quantum mechanics by conducting fundamental experiments on semi-conductor structures with nano dimensions. We’re like cowboys heading off in search of adventure, way off the beaten track, towards new horizons. I hope and expect that this sense of adventure and curiosity about the unknown will lead to unexpected breakthroughs and new technologies.” During his PhD research at Stanford University, Professor Vandersypen devised one of the first quantum calculations, still regarded as the most complex to date. Flemish-born Vandersypen is at the international forefront of his field. Since 2001, he has worked at the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience in Delft. In 2008, he was awarded a prestigious 1.3-million euro ‘Starting Grant’ by the European Research Council.
X factor
With very little as yet known about the role of clouds in the current climate changes, it is now time for more research to be done on this ‘X factor’, said Professor Herman Russchenberg during his inaugural address at TU Delft on 1 April. Although most scientists agree on the current global warming and its principal cause (greenhouse gases), there are some aspects about which very little is yet known, such as the influence of clouds on the climate. During his inaugural address, Professor Russchenberg, of the IRCTR (International Research Centre for Telecommunications and Radar), called for more research on clouds: “The role of greenhouse gases in climate change is quite clear. Moreover, we can do something concrete about greenhouse-gas emission. With clouds it is all more complex. We simply don’t know how clouds react to climate change and, vice versa, how climate is influenced by clouds. But that influence could be considerable.”
Feedback
If you’d like to comment on anything appearing on the English Page or on a university-related matter, or if you have a question or suggestion for us, send your emails to d.mcmullin@tudelft.nl. We welcome all feedback from our readers. Letters intended for publication should include your name and be no longer than 350 words. This edition of Delta is also available online at www.delta.tudelft.nl, where you can also access the English Page archive.
Comments are closed.