Play nice Bullying bosses got it wrong: Nice guys do finish first, according to a Harvard University study that involved 100 college students repeatedly playing the classic brinkmanship game prisoner’s dilemma.
Delen
Common game theory holds that punishment makes two equals cooperate. But when people compete in repeated games, punishment fails to deliver, said Martin Nowak, the study’s author and director of Harvard’s evolutionary dynamics lab: “We found that those who use punishments are the losers.” And those who escalated conflict often lost. “It’s a positive message,” said study co-author David Rand. In Nowak’s experiment, students played 8,000 games of prisoner’s dilemma, using dimes to reward and punish. Prisoner’s dilemma gives two players two options: cooperate or defect. If both cooperate, each won a dime. If both defect, each gets nothing. Nowak’s study found a noticeable correlation between punishment and overall money. Players who punished their opponents the least, or not at all, made the most money. Those who punished the most made the least money.
Sustainable competition
The theme of last year’s TU Delft anniversary was sustainable development, with a particular focus on Africa. In 2008, TU Delft will continue to promote the theme of sustainable development, starting with the ‘Sustainable Development Competition. The winner will receive: personal travel and accommodation expenses worth up to €5000 to oversee the launch of their project abroad; and a grant of up to €5000 to kick-start the project itself. To qualify for this prize, however, you must develop your idea into a work-placement assignment or graduation project approved by a TU Delft tutor. This must involve a practical idea or project that makes a real contribution to sustainable development in Africa, and meets the following conditions: true sustainability, relevance, practicality, viability, specificity and motivation. Send your entry to prijsvraag@tudelft.nl, no later than 10 April 2008. Entries must be submitted in electronic form, as either a Word document or a PowerPoint presentation with a maximum of 15 slides. They may also include digital photographs or sketches. The maximum document size is 5mb. For more information, call i-TU on (015) 278-9111.
Greenwheels
A special car-share ‘Greenwheels’ parking space has recently been reserved on campus at the Korvezeestraat/Feldmannweg junction. A car-share system like ‘Greenwheels’ is an ideal alternative for people who don’t necessarily want to own a car, but would like to be able to use one from time to time. Sharing a car is also cheaper and better for the environment: research conducted at TU Delft showed that car-sharers only drive one-third as far as they used to drive when they had their own car.
www.greeenwheels.nl
Feature film
In April, May and June of 2008, A.F.Th. van der Heijden will be TU Delft’s guest author. Under the title: ‘The narrative behind the scenes . technology writes the next chapter’, he will use three public lectures and a series of master-classes to discuss how storytelling methods have adapted to the arrival of feature films and the technology used in this medium. Prof. Jacob Fokkema, Rector Magnificus of TU Delft: “I’m very curious to see how such a talented writer as Van der Heijden draws us into his way of thinking.” Van der Heijden’s guest authorship will comprise a public opening lecture and . exclusively for TU Delft students – a masterclass consisting of six meetings and an excursion. The guest author will start his series of lectures with a public opening lecture entitled ‘The scissors’ pirouette . on montage and other techniques in film and literature’. The opening lecture will be held in TU Delft’s Aula on Thursday 17 April, starting at 20:00.
Elections
TU Delft’s Executive Board has announced that the elections of the members of the Student Council (SR) and the Faculty Student Councils (FSR) will take place via the Internet: voting opens at 9:00 on Wednesday 21 May and ends at 17:00 on Thursday 22 May 2008.
Deans’ republic
Dirk-Jan van den Berg is feeling good about TU Delft after his first weeks of work. The new chairman of TU Delft’s Executive Board said in his first meeting: “Some people had warned me: Where will you begin? The TU is a republic of faculty deans! But that proved absolutely not to be the case.” A committee member suggested that perhaps they meant a ‘Banana republic’. Van den Berg: “No, a deans’ republic. But for some people perhaps that’s the same thing as a banana republic.”
Play nice
Bullying bosses got it wrong: Nice guys do finish first, according to a Harvard University study that involved 100 college students repeatedly playing the classic brinkmanship game prisoner’s dilemma. Common game theory holds that punishment makes two equals cooperate. But when people compete in repeated games, punishment fails to deliver, said Martin Nowak, the study’s author and director of Harvard’s evolutionary dynamics lab: “We found that those who use punishments are the losers.” And those who escalated conflict often lost. “It’s a positive message,” said study co-author David Rand. In Nowak’s experiment, students played 8,000 games of prisoner’s dilemma, using dimes to reward and punish. Prisoner’s dilemma gives two players two options: cooperate or defect. If both cooperate, each won a dime. If both defect, each gets nothing. Nowak’s study found a noticeable correlation between punishment and overall money. Players who punished their opponents the least, or not at all, made the most money. Those who punished the most made the least money.
Sustainable competition
The theme of last year’s TU Delft anniversary was sustainable development, with a particular focus on Africa. In 2008, TU Delft will continue to promote the theme of sustainable development, starting with the ‘Sustainable Development Competition. The winner will receive: personal travel and accommodation expenses worth up to €5000 to oversee the launch of their project abroad; and a grant of up to €5000 to kick-start the project itself. To qualify for this prize, however, you must develop your idea into a work-placement assignment or graduation project approved by a TU Delft tutor. This must involve a practical idea or project that makes a real contribution to sustainable development in Africa, and meets the following conditions: true sustainability, relevance, practicality, viability, specificity and motivation. Send your entry to prijsvraag@tudelft.nl, no later than 10 April 2008. Entries must be submitted in electronic form, as either a Word document or a PowerPoint presentation with a maximum of 15 slides. They may also include digital photographs or sketches. The maximum document size is 5mb. For more information, call i-TU on (015) 278-9111.
Greenwheels
A special car-share ‘Greenwheels’ parking space has recently been reserved on campus at the Korvezeestraat/Feldmannweg junction. A car-share system like ‘Greenwheels’ is an ideal alternative for people who don’t necessarily want to own a car, but would like to be able to use one from time to time. Sharing a car is also cheaper and better for the environment: research conducted at TU Delft showed that car-sharers only drive one-third as far as they used to drive when they had their own car.
www.greeenwheels.nl
Feature film
In April, May and June of 2008, A.F.Th. van der Heijden will be TU Delft’s guest author. Under the title: ‘The narrative behind the scenes . technology writes the next chapter’, he will use three public lectures and a series of master-classes to discuss how storytelling methods have adapted to the arrival of feature films and the technology used in this medium. Prof. Jacob Fokkema, Rector Magnificus of TU Delft: “I’m very curious to see how such a talented writer as Van der Heijden draws us into his way of thinking.” Van der Heijden’s guest authorship will comprise a public opening lecture and . exclusively for TU Delft students – a masterclass consisting of six meetings and an excursion. The guest author will start his series of lectures with a public opening lecture entitled ‘The scissors’ pirouette . on montage and other techniques in film and literature’. The opening lecture will be held in TU Delft’s Aula on Thursday 17 April, starting at 20:00.
Elections
TU Delft’s Executive Board has announced that the elections of the members of the Student Council (SR) and the Faculty Student Councils (FSR) will take place via the Internet: voting opens at 9:00 on Wednesday 21 May and ends at 17:00 on Thursday 22 May 2008.
Deans’ republic
Dirk-Jan van den Berg is feeling good about TU Delft after his first weeks of work. The new chairman of TU Delft’s Executive Board said in his first meeting: “Some people had warned me: Where will you begin? The TU is a republic of faculty deans! But that proved absolutely not to be the case.” A committee member suggested that perhaps they meant a ‘Banana republic’. Van den Berg: “No, a deans’ republic. But for some people perhaps that’s the same thing as a banana republic.”
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