Delta is taking a break

Articles that sparked debate

Our platform is open to well written and well-argued opinion pieces by students and employees. Some write regularly, some as a one-off response to developments. These were the most impactful columns and opinion articles.

• ‘Our degrees don’t cost the same’
  
  Assistant professor Trivik Verma worries about international students, who pay twice the tuition fee he did, for the same quality education and an uncertain future.
• A permanent contract
  
  It took 12 years’ worth of temporary contracts before columnist Bob van Vliet was given a permanent position at TU Delft. He hopes for better things for his peers.
• The loss of social encounters
  
  The loss of social encounters is affecting personal development, says Industrial Design Engineering student Kaj Geheniau. More attention needs to be paid to (student) welfare.

TU Delft at the Olympics

• On the way to Tokyo
  
  TU Delft top athletes may have the chance to compete in the Olympic Games in Japan. In a series of interviews they tell us what their lives are like and where they stand.
• TU Delft researcher pilots Dutch sailing teams through Tokyo bay
  
  The coach of the Dutch sailing team has asked TU-researcher Dr Sukanta Basu to produce detailed wind maps of the complex Sagami bay near Tokyo. And so he did.

Struggling through the lockdown

TU Delft staff have had a hard time during the corona crisis. Travel restrictions meant that some researchers were stuck abroad while others combined home schooling of their children with deep thinking.

• ‘I couldn’t go to my father’s cremation’
  
  Delta caught up with struggling PhDs and postdocs one year after the first lockdown. Vibhas Mishra, Bowen Fan and Michal Shemesh share their personal stories. From suffering from long term effects of Covid-19 to losing a parent to corona.
• How are TU Delft teachers teaching their own children?
  
  Primary schools have been closed which meant a major hassle for some. TU Delft teachers too were at their wits end because of home schooling. “As soon as I open my laptop, it’s ‘Dad, what are you doing? What’s happening? Who’s that on your screen?’”

Community

News, backgrounds or just a fun story. The TU Delft community consists of thousands of students, employees and alumni that have amazing stories to tell.

• Under the spell of Bitcoin: ‘I will graduate without any study debts’
  
  Since January, bitcoin’s exchange rate has broken all records. Its rising value is attracting many new investors as nobody wants to miss the boat. Including students.
• Internship during the corona pandemic: ‘It is difficult to feel what it’s like through a screen’
  
  Doing an internship has been made much more difficult by the corona pandemic. The number of places has plummeted, and many internships are being done at home. We asked four TU Delft students about their tips and experiences.
• Rather a joint than a pill during the lockdown
  
  361 students participated in Delta’s drugs and alcohol survey. More than 20% them said to have used more cannabis since the corona crisis started. And they do so more often alone.

Science

It’s not just great inventions that make up our science section. We also regularly ask TU Delft researchers to comment on pressing issues at play in society.

• TU Delft satellite woke up after seven years of space coma
  
  The micro-satellite Delfi-n3Xt (delfi-next) is back. After seven years of radio silence, it suddenly started sending messages in February. What happened?
• Meet Jan van der Tempel, inventor at sea
  
  TU Delft alumnus Jan van der Tempel was nominated for the European Patent Office Inventor Award. Delta sailed with him and saw the first electrical footbridge.
• ‘A stinking flood of hateful Tweets that drained all the energy out of me’
  
  Do you get involved in public debates on prickly issues such as vaccinations or climate change? Tips from people at TU Delft to avoid becoming immersed in social media storms.

Follow up

New facts, developments or reactions provide great input for follow up articles. This majorona trilogy showed there is more than meets the eye.

• Landmark article by QuTech researchers under scrutiny
  
  In May, the TU Delft QuTech Quantum Computing research group raised the alarm. Its conclusions on majorana particles in a Nature article two years ago supposedly weren’t right. The article was ultimately retracted because of false data analysis.
• Majorana: not fraud, but confirmation bias
  
  What exactly happened in the lab and the offices of Professor of Quantum Transport Leo Kouwenhoven of QuTech and Microsoft in 2018? Did the researchers deliberately push unwelcome data aside to put peer scientists on the wrong track?
• How to tackle confirmation bias?
  
  Like any research field, physics can fall prey to confirmation bias, as the Delft Majorana case showed. Delta asked two psychologists, experts in the field, what can be done.

 

• From Monday 16 August Delta will once again provide you with the latest news on science, education and campus life at TU Delft, starting with the OWee.

What is a vacation without any good reads? Surely we wouldn’t leave you hanging? We have selected some of our most read, enjoyable and impactful articles from the past six months.

Interviews

One on one conversations are a great way for people to reflect on past events and share their ideas on tough topics or decisions. These are our two favourites:

• Ombudsman: ‘The form of my position is vulnerable’
  
  Job van Luyken was appointed ombudsman for TU Delft staff in March 2019. His appointment was a two year pilot. How does he look back at the last two years?
• ‘Being a good neighbour is not a request, it is an order’
  
  Earlier this year, the Wippolder neighbourhood gained notoriety after newspaper articles about student nuisance. Vice-rector magnificus Rob Mudde calls this kind of excesses antisocial.

Impactful series

A series of related articles allows us to really dive into complex topics and provide valuable information. The China Files surely had their impact. On both TU Delft and beyond.

 ^{(Artwork: Liam van Dijk)}

• How TU Delft unintentionally helps the Chinese Army
  
  In March of this year, Delta revealed that knowledge acquired at TU Delft may have ended up in the hands of the Chinese army.
• TU Delft Rector: ‘We do not always have an answer to what we can and cannot do with China’
  
  New TU Delft guidelines should help academics who want to cooperate with China. In interview in June, Rector Tim van der Hagen called cooperation with China a ‘wicked problem’.

Articles that sparked debate

Our platform is open to well written and well-argued opinion pieces by students and employees. Some write regularly, some as a one-off response to developments. These were the most impactful columns and opinion articles:

• ‘Our degrees don’t cost the same’
  
  Assistant professor Trivik Verma worries about international students, who pay twice the tuition fee he did, for the same quality education and an uncertain future.
• A permanent contract
  
  It took 12 years’ worth of temporary contracts before columnist Bob van Vliet was given a permanent position at TU Delft. He hopes for better things for his peers.
• The loss of social encounters
  
  The loss of social encounters is affecting personal development, says Industrial Design Engineering student Kaj Geheniau. More attention needs to be paid to (student) welfare.

TU Delft at the Olympics

After a year of waiting, the 2020 Summer Olympics are due to start on 23 July 2021. TU Delft will also be present in Tokyo: with student athletes and research.

• On the way to Tokyo
  
  TU Delft top athletes may have the chance to compete in the Olympic Games in Japan. In a series of interviews they tell us what their lives are like and where they stand.
• TU Delft researcher pilots Dutch sailing teams through Tokyo bay
  
  The coach of the Dutch sailing team has asked TU-researcher Dr Sukanta Basu to produce detailed wind maps of the complex Sagami bay near Tokyo. And so he did.

^{Rower Roos de Jong will compete at the Olympics in the double scull. (Photo: Sam Rentmeester)}

Struggling through the lockdown

TU Delft staff have had a hard time during the corona crisis. Travel restrictions meant that some were stuck abroad while others combined home schooling of their children with deep thinking.

• ‘I couldn’t go to my father’s cremation’
  
  Delta caught up with struggling PhDs and postdocs one year after the first lockdown. Vibhas Mishra, Bowen Fan and Michal Shemesh share their personal stories. From suffering from long term effects of Covid-19 to losing a parent to corona.
• How are TU Delft teachers teaching their own children?
  
  Primary schools have been closed; a major hassle for some. TU Delft teachers too were at their wits end because of home schooling. “As soon as I open my laptop, it’s ‘Dad, what are you doing? What’s happening? Who’s that on your screen?’”

^{During the lockdown Luuk (left) and Rolf Hut (right) sometimes worked from the same room. (Photo: Rolf Hut)}

Community

News, backgrounds or just a fun story. The TU Delft community consists of thousands of students, employees and alumni who have amazing stories to tell.

• Under the spell of Bitcoin: ‘I will graduate without any study debts’
  
  Since January 2021, bitcoin’s exchange rate has broken all records. Its rising value is attracting many new investors as nobody wants to miss the boat. Including students.
• Internship during the corona pandemic: ‘It is difficult to feel what it’s like through a screen’
  
  Doing an internship has been made much more difficult by the corona pandemic. The number of places has plummeted, and many internships are being done at home. We asked four TU Delft students about their tips and experiences.
• Rather a joint than a pill during the lockdown
  
  361 students participated in Delta’s drugs and alcohol survey. More than 20% them said to have used more cannabis since the corona crisis started. And they are doing this by themselves more often. Are students who use more alcohol and drugs during the corona crisis more prone to addiction?

Science

It’s not just great inventions that make up our science section. We also regularly ask TU Delft researchers to comment on pressing issues at play in society.

• TU Delft satellite woke up after seven years of space coma
  
  After seven years of radio silence, the micro-satellite Delfi-n3Xt (delfi-next) suddenly started sending messages in February. What happened?
• Meet Jan van der Tempel, inventor at sea
  
  TU Delft alumnus Jan van der Tempel was nominated for the European Patent Office Inventor Award. Delta sailed with him and saw the first electrical footbridge.

^{Alumnus Jan van der Tempel. (Photo: Jos Wassink)}

• ‘A stinking flood of hateful Tweets that drained all the energy out of me’
  
  Do you get involved in public debates on prickly issues such as vaccinations or climate change? Tips from people at TU Delft to avoid becoming immersed in social media storms.

Follow up

New facts, developments or reactions provide great input for follow up articles. This majorona trilogy shows that there is more than meets the eye.

• Landmark article by QuTech researchers under scrutiny
  
  In May 2020, the TU Delft QuTech Quantum Computing research group raises the alarm. Its conclusions on majorana particles in a Nature article two years earlier supposedly aren’t right. The article is retracted because of false data analysis.
• Majorana: not fraud, but confirmation bias
  
  What exactly happened in the lab and the offices of Professor of Quantum Transport Leo Kouwenhoven of QuTech and Microsoft in 2018? Did the researchers deliberately push unwelcome data aside to put peer scientists on the wrong track? A new expert report sheds some light.
• How to tackle confirmation bias?
  
  Like any research field, physics can fall prey to confirmation bias, as the Delft Majorana case showed. Delta asked two psychologists, experts in the field, what can be done.

^{(Photo: Dalia Madi)}

• From Monday 16 August Delta will once again provide you with the latest news on science, education and campus life at TU Delft, starting with the OWee.