News in brief

Zand, an MSc student in Management of Technology (MoT) at the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, is from Iran, and graduated cum laude this summer under the supervision of Dr. Cees van Beers, associate professor in the Economics of Innovation research group (MoT). Zand’s Master’s thesis was entitled, ‘Inter-organizational relationships and information technology: An empirical analysis’. Zand obtained his Bachelor’s degree, also cum laude, at the Tehran Polytechnic Institute, majoring in both Computer Science and Polymer Engineering. In Delft, Zand participated in the Workgroup International Students (WIS 2005), which promotes the integration of foreign MSc students in Delft and the communication between foreign and Delft student societies. Zand was also a Faculty Student Council member, as well as a member of the College Response Group (2004-2006) and an ambassador for the MoT degree program.
Delfi-C3

TU Delft’s Delfi-C3 student satellite will be launched on June 30, 2007, in India, with a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The satellite will rise 630 kilometers in a path over the poles. This week a launch agreement was reached between TU Delft, the University of Toronto (’the launch agent’), and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Delfi-C3 is the fourth Dutch satellite to be launched into space, following ANS (1974), IRAS (1983) and SloshSat (2005). The satellite is being designed and built by a team of students from TU Delft’s Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. Delfi-C3 measures 10 x 10 x 30 centimeters and weighs only 3 kilograms. The satellite will conduct various experiments in space for three months. These experiments include the testing of a new type of thin film of solar cells for Dutch Space and experimenting with TNO’s sun sensors, which are fully independent and will work on board the satellite without using any wiring.
European slide

A new report from the Center for European Reform (CER) warns that Europe is sliding into educational obscurity. Only two universities, Cambridge and Oxford, made the top 10 in Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s global rating system. And the CER report reveals that there are twice as many European students in the US as there are Americans studying in Europe. While Americans tend to take a semester abroad for undergraduate study in art or history, European students go to America for full degree programs, at higher levels, and with a greater emphasis on science and technology. The authors of the report make a straightforward diagnosis: with private universities still unusual, and private funding in the form of either donations or tuition payments uncommon, most European universities are almost entirely dependent on state funding. One result is micromanagement by government; and with free education, students tend to take longer to graduate. The report suggests such remedies as greater independence for universities, tuition payments by students, and better incentives for private donations to universities.
Drain-cover thieves

A bizarre theft on campus: last month thieves stole a huge metal drain-cover that covered a technical installation located next to the parking lot behind the Aula. The cover, which was made of an aluminum sheet, was either cut or torn loose. The aluminum cover was then probably sold as scrap metal, according to a spokesperson from the TU Library. The hole left in the ground has since been covered over by a piece of wood.
Help wanted

Part-time jobs available writing for Delta’s English Page. We seek foreign students/staff to write articles in English, for payment, on a freelance basis. No experience necessary. We’re looking for enthusiastic, creative foreign students/staff to contribute articles, cartoons, illustrations, photographs. Interested, please send a brief introductory email to: d.mcmullin@tudelft.nl

Rector’s Prize

Fardad Zand is the winner of this year’s Rector’s Student Prize for Internationalization. This prize is awarded to a talented MSc student who has performed well academically and also played an important role in the field of internationalization. Zand, an MSc student in Management of Technology (MoT) at the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, is from Iran, and graduated cum laude this summer under the supervision of Dr. Cees van Beers, associate professor in the Economics of Innovation research group (MoT). Zand’s Master’s thesis was entitled, ‘Inter-organizational relationships and information technology: An empirical analysis’. Zand obtained his Bachelor’s degree, also cum laude, at the Tehran Polytechnic Institute, majoring in both Computer Science and Polymer Engineering. In Delft, Zand participated in the Workgroup International Students (WIS 2005), which promotes the integration of foreign MSc students in Delft and the communication between foreign and Delft student societies. Zand was also a Faculty Student Council member, as well as a member of the College Response Group (2004-2006) and an ambassador for the MoT degree program.
Delfi-C3

TU Delft’s Delfi-C3 student satellite will be launched on June 30, 2007, in India, with a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The satellite will rise 630 kilometers in a path over the poles. This week a launch agreement was reached between TU Delft, the University of Toronto (’the launch agent’), and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Delfi-C3 is the fourth Dutch satellite to be launched into space, following ANS (1974), IRAS (1983) and SloshSat (2005). The satellite is being designed and built by a team of students from TU Delft’s Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. Delfi-C3 measures 10 x 10 x 30 centimeters and weighs only 3 kilograms. The satellite will conduct various experiments in space for three months. These experiments include the testing of a new type of thin film of solar cells for Dutch Space and experimenting with TNO’s sun sensors, which are fully independent and will work on board the satellite without using any wiring.
European slide

A new report from the Center for European Reform (CER) warns that Europe is sliding into educational obscurity. Only two universities, Cambridge and Oxford, made the top 10 in Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s global rating system. And the CER report reveals that there are twice as many European students in the US as there are Americans studying in Europe. While Americans tend to take a semester abroad for undergraduate study in art or history, European students go to America for full degree programs, at higher levels, and with a greater emphasis on science and technology. The authors of the report make a straightforward diagnosis: with private universities still unusual, and private funding in the form of either donations or tuition payments uncommon, most European universities are almost entirely dependent on state funding. One result is micromanagement by government; and with free education, students tend to take longer to graduate. The report suggests such remedies as greater independence for universities, tuition payments by students, and better incentives for private donations to universities.
Drain-cover thieves

A bizarre theft on campus: last month thieves stole a huge metal drain-cover that covered a technical installation located next to the parking lot behind the Aula. The cover, which was made of an aluminum sheet, was either cut or torn loose. The aluminum cover was then probably sold as scrap metal, according to a spokesperson from the TU Library. The hole left in the ground has since been covered over by a piece of wood.
Help wanted

Part-time jobs available writing for Delta’s English Page. We seek foreign students/staff to write articles in English, for payment, on a freelance basis. No experience necessary. We’re looking for enthusiastic, creative foreign students/staff to contribute articles, cartoons, illustrations, photographs. Interested, please send a brief introductory email to: d.mcmullin@tudelft.nl