News in brief

At present, only the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering offers an English-language BSc degree program. This program is popular also with Dutch and Belgian students. “The demand is greater than the supply, says Irma Croese, the head of education and student affairs at the faculty. “We must temporarily give foreign students preference over interested Dutch students.” The lectures in the third year of the Bachelor degree program are only given in English: In September, second year lectures will also only be given in English. TU Delft’s research must clearly determine if other faculties want to and must follow this example. “TU Delft has good and obvious reasons to explore the possibilities of an English BSc,” says Anka Mulder, the director of Education and Student Affairs. “For demographic reasons, the number of Dutch students who will enroll at TU Delft in the coming years will decrease.” Part of the research will be devoted to ascertaining how Dutch students feel about a BSC in English, Mulder says. “Do they find it an attractive or unattractive prospect?”
165th Dies Natalis

On Friday, 12 January, TU Delft celebrated its 165th Dies Natalis (Foundations Day). The theme of this jubilee year is sustainable technology, with a special focus on Africa. The keynote speaker was, Ms Hlengiwe Buhle Mkhize. The President of the Executive Board, Hans van Luijk, delivered the opening address at the celebration. He was followed by the keynote speaker, Ms Hlengiwe Buhle Mkhize, the Republic of South Africa’s ambassador to the Netherlands. Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Deputy Rector of Imperial College London, then gave a speech on Universities and the Global Health Agenda. During the Dies Natalis celebrations, an honorary doctorate was awarded to Professor Chimay Anumba, a British scientist of Nigerian descent. It was the first TU Delft honorary doctorate conferred on an academic of African origin. Professor Anumba is a civil engineer and informatics specialist at the University of Loughborough in England. He is Professor of Construction Engineering and Informatics, and Director of the Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering (CICE), a leading research and training institute.
Entrepreneurial

TU Delft’s Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TPM) has appointed Kenneth Morse as part-time professor of ‘Entrepreneurship, innovation and Competitiveness’. Morse is the head of the Entrepreneurship Center of MIT’s Sloan School of Management, an institute focusing on education and research about high-tech entrepreneurship. With the appointment of Morse, the TPM Faculty aims to encourage students to consider entrepreneurship as a serious career path. Morse, who started his own very successful high-tech company, was in Delft last year to teach a Master’s class to Delft techno-starters.
Sustainable energy

Is 2007 really a revolutionary year for climate change, as European Union Commissioner Barroso recently stated? TU Delft professor Tim van der Hagen believes it is. He delivered a speech about the ‘energy revolution’ during TU Delft’s 165th Dies Naturalis (Foundation Day). During his Dies address, Van der Hagen outlined the scientific and political breakthroughs that are needed to trigger the energy revolution. To get his message across, Professor van der Hagen used three short films, which also featured Dutch Parliamentarians Paul de Krom (VVD) and Diederik Samsom (PvdA). In addition, Van der Hagen outlined the route that he believes must be followed to arrive at sustainable energy supplies. According to Van der Hagen, who is a reactor physicist, nuclear energy is an “absolute must”.
Nano-detector

A miniscule but super-sensitive sensor can help solve the mysteries of outer space. Cosmic radiation, which contains the terahertz frequencies that the sensors detect, offers astronomers important new information about the existence of star systems and planets. Merlijn Hajenius developed these sensors for TU Delft’s Kavli Institute of Nanoscience. He will receive his TU Delft PhD degree on 19 January based on this research subject. The detector, called a ‘hot electron bolometer’, is based on the well-known phenomenon that increases electrical resistance when something is heated up. The use of a superconductor renders the detector extremely sensitive and allows it to be used for radiation that until now could not be so well detected. The detector works with terahertz frequencies, which astronomers and atmospheric scientists are extremely interested in. Hajenius’ research results have convinced astronomers to use these detectors for the new observatory in Antarctica (HEAT). The ‘maiden flight’ of Hajenius’ detector is planned for next year in a balloon that will study the earth’s atmosphere: the TU Delft detector will measure the molecules in the atmosphere above Brazil that influence the formation of the hole in the ozone layer.

English-language BSc

In the coming year, TU Delft will conduct research to determine if it a good idea to implement an English-language BSc degree. At present, only the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering offers an English-language BSc degree program. This program is popular also with Dutch and Belgian students. “The demand is greater than the supply, says Irma Croese, the head of education and student affairs at the faculty. “We must temporarily give foreign students preference over interested Dutch students.” The lectures in the third year of the Bachelor degree program are only given in English: In September, second year lectures will also only be given in English. TU Delft’s research must clearly determine if other faculties want to and must follow this example. “TU Delft has good and obvious reasons to explore the possibilities of an English BSc,” says Anka Mulder, the director of Education and Student Affairs. “For demographic reasons, the number of Dutch students who will enroll at TU Delft in the coming years will decrease.” Part of the research will be devoted to ascertaining how Dutch students feel about a BSC in English, Mulder says. “Do they find it an attractive or unattractive prospect?”
165th Dies Natalis

On Friday, 12 January, TU Delft celebrated its 165th Dies Natalis (Foundations Day). The theme of this jubilee year is sustainable technology, with a special focus on Africa. The keynote speaker was, Ms Hlengiwe Buhle Mkhize. The President of the Executive Board, Hans van Luijk, delivered the opening address at the celebration. He was followed by the keynote speaker, Ms Hlengiwe Buhle Mkhize, the Republic of South Africa’s ambassador to the Netherlands. Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Deputy Rector of Imperial College London, then gave a speech on Universities and the Global Health Agenda. During the Dies Natalis celebrations, an honorary doctorate was awarded to Professor Chimay Anumba, a British scientist of Nigerian descent. It was the first TU Delft honorary doctorate conferred on an academic of African origin. Professor Anumba is a civil engineer and informatics specialist at the University of Loughborough in England. He is Professor of Construction Engineering and Informatics, and Director of the Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering (CICE), a leading research and training institute.
Entrepreneurial

TU Delft’s Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TPM) has appointed Kenneth Morse as part-time professor of ‘Entrepreneurship, innovation and Competitiveness’. Morse is the head of the Entrepreneurship Center of MIT’s Sloan School of Management, an institute focusing on education and research about high-tech entrepreneurship. With the appointment of Morse, the TPM Faculty aims to encourage students to consider entrepreneurship as a serious career path. Morse, who started his own very successful high-tech company, was in Delft last year to teach a Master’s class to Delft techno-starters.
Sustainable energy

Is 2007 really a revolutionary year for climate change, as European Union Commissioner Barroso recently stated? TU Delft professor Tim van der Hagen believes it is. He delivered a speech about the ‘energy revolution’ during TU Delft’s 165th Dies Naturalis (Foundation Day). During his Dies address, Van der Hagen outlined the scientific and political breakthroughs that are needed to trigger the energy revolution. To get his message across, Professor van der Hagen used three short films, which also featured Dutch Parliamentarians Paul de Krom (VVD) and Diederik Samsom (PvdA). In addition, Van der Hagen outlined the route that he believes must be followed to arrive at sustainable energy supplies. According to Van der Hagen, who is a reactor physicist, nuclear energy is an “absolute must”.
Nano-detector

A miniscule but super-sensitive sensor can help solve the mysteries of outer space. Cosmic radiation, which contains the terahertz frequencies that the sensors detect, offers astronomers important new information about the existence of star systems and planets. Merlijn Hajenius developed these sensors for TU Delft’s Kavli Institute of Nanoscience. He will receive his TU Delft PhD degree on 19 January based on this research subject. The detector, called a ‘hot electron bolometer’, is based on the well-known phenomenon that increases electrical resistance when something is heated up. The use of a superconductor renders the detector extremely sensitive and allows it to be used for radiation that until now could not be so well detected. The detector works with terahertz frequencies, which astronomers and atmospheric scientists are extremely interested in. Hajenius’ research results have convinced astronomers to use these detectors for the new observatory in Antarctica (HEAT). The ‘maiden flight’ of Hajenius’ detector is planned for next year in a balloon that will study the earth’s atmosphere: the TU Delft detector will measure the molecules in the atmosphere above Brazil that influence the formation of the hole in the ozone layer.