Life after Delft: Forza Italia!

What made you decide to pursue your studies at TU Delft?

“Because it’s a very well known technological university in the field of Microelectronics; moreover I was looking for a good experience abroad that could also be valuable for my career. I initially found information about TU Delft’s international MSc program via Internet, and then asked my BSc thesis supervisor at the University of Rome about TU Delft. He said it was good university for microelectronics.”

At TU Delft, did you feel like you were studying at an international university?

“Yes, definitely. At TU Delft you find people from all over the world. I was constantly in contact with fellow students of many different nationalities. This made for a rich academic experience, as well as for some great culinary ones, like the time my Chinese colleagues invited me over for a dinner of delicious, home cooked Chinese food.”

What did you learn and experience at TU Delft that has helped in your professional career?

“Firstly, I learned to interact with colleagues of different nationalities and cultures. Secondly, I really improved my technological background in microelectronics from a practical standpoint, not only because I was engaged with highly qualified research teams, but also because I had the possibility to use very expensive, modern microelectronics equipment. And finally I learned the importance of time scheduling. Living and studying abroad, I had to organize myself and my program according to time and financial constraints.”

How might TU Delft raise its standing in the international ranking of universities?

“TU Delft already has a good standing in the international rankings of technological universities, ranking 15th in the Times Higher Education’s ‘Technology Top 100’; however, the TU might improve its interaction with non-European universities and companies, such as by creating a worldwide university network, as TU Delft already did on the European level with the IDEA League.”

Were there any notable differences between TU Delft and your home university?

“Yes, I found TU Delft more ‘practical’, meaning that students are constantly in contact not only with theoretical issues but also with their applications, which is very important in industry today.”

What’s your opinion of the level of English at TU Delft?

“The level of English is really very good. There was one time during an oral exam when I used a verb my professor didn’t know, so he asked me to find a synonym, which I did, and after that I realized I was actually improving my spoken English day by day – and presumably my professor was too!”

If there was something you could change about TU Delft, what would it be?

“The food at the canteen, but maybe this is because I’m from Italy. Italian food is the best in the world!”

Are there any technological universities in Italy where one can study in English like at TU Delft?

“There are few, but they’re mainly private universities. You won’t find a complete MSc course taught in English at a good Italian state university like the Politecnico Milano.”

Is it true that studying science/technology subjects isn’t very popular or valued in Italy?

“That’s true and it’s a big problem. Engineers in Italy are among the worst paid of all the European Union countries, so consequently many good Italian scientists migrate abroad. In Italy, if you want to be rich, then you should work as a lawyer. Meanwhile, a PhD student in Italy is paid about 800 euros per month, which isn’t even enough to live on.”

Where are you currently working?

“I’m presently working as a lithography technology engineer for STMicroelectronics (STM). I wanted to work at STM because it’s the most important company in Italy for microelectronics. STM ranked 5th this year among worldwide semiconductor suppliers and produces a range of microelectronic devices, like micro-controllers, chips for display driving, accelerometers, flash memories, etc.”

Do you like your job?

“Sure I do. My role at STM is to manage and control optical lithographic equipment by Canon and ASML suppliers, mainly from a software point of view. I work in R&D, where I’m constantly in contact with researchers, helping them to push the equipment to achieve the best performance for their needs.”

What were your favorite and least favorite Dutch foods?

“I loved kibbeling, the fried fish with garlic sauce – lekker! But kroket and frikadel were awful!”

As someone from a fashion-conscious country like Italy, what do you think of Dutch fashion styles?

“In the beginning I found the fashion habits in Holland a bit strange and funny, especially concerning the hairstyles! But after a while it didn’t seem all that different from my home country.”

Any thoughts on Dutch women?

“Dutch ladies are very nice, but they also have strong personalities.”

You mean that Italian women are generally more subservient to their men than Dutch women are?

“No, not at all. It’s more like Italian women often look for the man who can solve all their problems, while Dutch women are more used to facing problems on their own.”

Which features of Dutch society did you like the most and the least?

“I really like the relationships between the Dutch people and their institutions; they respect each other, so they can trust each other, and this is very important. As for the least, I think the Dutch could be a bit more flexible sometimes.”

Finally, many Dutch guys say Italian footballers are cheaters because they flop for penalties, and that Italian national team plays negative, defensive football because Italians simply aren’t talented enough to attack and score. Agree?

“Look, in Italy there’s a huge football tradition, and it’s seen as something close to philosophy. What really matters is to win, and to win, the first thought is that you should not allow your opponent to score. This is the Italian way of thinking about football. As for the rest, Italy has won four World Cups, second only to Brazil’s five World Cups, so what to say but ‘Forza Italia’!”

Luigi Montotti

What made you decide to pursue your studies at TU Delft?

“Because it’s a very well known technological university in the field of Microelectronics; moreover I was looking for a good experience abroad that could also be valuable for my career. I initially found information about TU Delft’s international MSc program via Internet, and then asked my BSc thesis supervisor at the University of Rome about TU Delft. He said it was good university for microelectronics.”

At TU Delft, did you feel like you were studying at an international university?

“Yes, definitely. At TU Delft you find people from all over the world. I was constantly in contact with fellow students of many different nationalities. This made for a rich academic experience, as well as for some great culinary ones, like the time my Chinese colleagues invited me over for a dinner of delicious, home cooked Chinese food.”

What did you learn and experience at TU Delft that has helped in your professional career?

“Firstly, I learned to interact with colleagues of different nationalities and cultures. Secondly, I really improved my technological background in microelectronics from a practical standpoint, not only because I was engaged with highly qualified research teams, but also because I had the possibility to use very expensive, modern microelectronics equipment. And finally I learned the importance of time scheduling. Living and studying abroad, I had to organize myself and my program according to time and financial constraints.”

How might TU Delft raise its standing in the international ranking of universities?

“TU Delft already has a good standing in the international rankings of technological universities, ranking 15th in the Times Higher Education’s ‘Technology Top 100’; however, the TU might improve its interaction with non-European universities and companies, such as by creating a worldwide university network, as TU Delft already did on the European level with the IDEA League.”

Were there any notable differences between TU Delft and your home university?

“Yes, I found TU Delft more ‘practical’, meaning that students are constantly in contact not only with theoretical issues but also with their applications, which is very important in industry today.”

What’s your opinion of the level of English at TU Delft?

“The level of English is really very good. There was one time during an oral exam when I used a verb my professor didn’t know, so he asked me to find a synonym, which I did, and after that I realized I was actually improving my spoken English day by day – and presumably my professor was too!”

If there was something you could change about TU Delft, what would it be?

“The food at the canteen, but maybe this is because I’m from Italy. Italian food is the best in the world!”

Are there any technological universities in Italy where one can study in English like at TU Delft?

“There are few, but they’re mainly private universities. You won’t find a complete MSc course taught in English at a good Italian state university like the Politecnico Milano.”

Is it true that studying science/technology subjects isn’t very popular or valued in Italy?

“That’s true and it’s a big problem. Engineers in Italy are among the worst paid of all the European Union countries, so consequently many good Italian scientists migrate abroad. In Italy, if you want to be rich, then you should work as a lawyer. Meanwhile, a PhD student in Italy is paid about 800 euros per month, which isn’t even enough to live on.”

Where are you currently working?

“I’m presently working as a lithography technology engineer for STMicroelectronics (STM). I wanted to work at STM because it’s the most important company in Italy for microelectronics. STM ranked 5th this year among worldwide semiconductor suppliers and produces a range of microelectronic devices, like micro-controllers, chips for display driving, accelerometers, flash memories, etc.”

Do you like your job?

“Sure I do. My role at STM is to manage and control optical lithographic equipment by Canon and ASML suppliers, mainly from a software point of view. I work in R&D, where I’m constantly in contact with researchers, helping them to push the equipment to achieve the best performance for their needs.”

What were your favorite and least favorite Dutch foods?

“I loved kibbeling, the fried fish with garlic sauce – lekker! But kroket and frikadel were awful!”

As someone from a fashion-conscious country like Italy, what do you think of Dutch fashion styles?

“In the beginning I found the fashion habits in Holland a bit strange and funny, especially concerning the hairstyles! But after a while it didn’t seem all that different from my home country.”

Any thoughts on Dutch women?

“Dutch ladies are very nice, but they also have strong personalities.”

You mean that Italian women are generally more subservient to their men than Dutch women are?

“No, not at all. It’s more like Italian women often look for the man who can solve all their problems, while Dutch women are more used to facing problems on their own.”

Which features of Dutch society did you like the most and the least?

“I really like the relationships between the Dutch people and their institutions; they respect each other, so they can trust each other, and this is very important. As for the least, I think the Dutch could be a bit more flexible sometimes.”

Finally, many Dutch guys say Italian footballers are cheaters because they flop for penalties, and that Italian national team plays negative, defensive football because Italians simply aren’t talented enough to attack and score. Agree?

“Look, in Italy there’s a huge football tradition, and it’s seen as something close to philosophy. What really matters is to win, and to win, the first thought is that you should not allow your opponent to score. This is the Italian way of thinking about football. As for the rest, Italy has won four World Cups, second only to Brazil’s five World Cups, so what to say but ‘Forza Italia’!”

Luigi Montotti