Nibs

The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering will no longer work on the development of new solar-powered cars. “Every year it requires a considerable effort,” said the dean of the Aerospace Faculty, Ben Droste. “We’ve always finished well in every race and also this year we are going to win again. But it’s now time for us to go in a different direction, to develop a different type of vehicle and design. We certainly have enough ideas for this.” Droste cites other international contests that the faculty is involved in this year, such as the Human Powered Submarine. Moreover, the faculty’s development of the new Superbus will receive the most publicity next year. The Superbus, which can travel at 200kmph, will race to Groningen. Last month the Superbus received a 400,000 euro grant from the Dutch Ministry of Finance.
Introduction

Starting this September, every semester Promood will organize an Introduction Day for all new PhD students. The university and the representative body of PhD students are currently deciding on the Introduction Day program and whether it’s going to be a one- or two-day program. A tour of the TU will definitely be part of the introduction. “All international universities have Introduction Days for their PhD students,” said Tuba Kocaturk, president of Promood. “It’ll save PhD students a lot of time.”
Website I

A new website has been launched to serve the 30,000 foreign students in the Netherlands. Nuffic, the organization responsible for overseeing the internationalization process in Dutch higher education, has brought together various important information on the site for foreign students, including information about visas and work permits, as well as about less vital matters, like nightlife and telephone cards. Foreign graduates of Dutch universities also offer tips online for students currently studying here. There’s also a forum, where students can exchange information.
Website II

This summer a website will be launched offering objective information about the quality of the various degree programs in Dutch higher education. A main feature of the website will be a database supplied by the research centre Choice, which already publishes a guidebook that evaluates the quality of higher education. The database will include information about enrollment requirements for a degree program, the academic demands and the career possibilities. Moreover, students can express their opinions regarding the qualities of their degree programs and faculties.
English tests

In future, TU Delft instructors will be required to take tests to prove their English-language proficiency. The TU work group ‘English Language’ is currently determining how best to launch these tests. The decision to test stems from requests submitted by the Student Advisory Board (SR), which received complaints from foreign students about the English proficiency of some TU instructors. The SR worries that next year, when all TU faculty MSc programs will be taught in English, the numbers of complaints will rise. TU Executive Board member, Paul Rullman, is concerned: “It’ll cost a lot of money if we try to test all TU instructors at one time.” Rullmann therefore plans to first start testing instructors who teach in the MSc programs. But it’s not only TU instructors who will be tested. A survey by the VSSD student union found that only half of the foreign students studying at TU Delft spoke good enough English to follow the courses and participate in work groups. Foreign students can therefore look forward to having their English tested as well.

Nuna no more

The Nuna 3 will be the last solar-powered car from TU Delft to race in Australia. This is because Wubbo Ockels, the TU Delft instructor who started this imitative three years ago, now has other plans. The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering will no longer work on the development of new solar-powered cars. “Every year it requires a considerable effort,” said the dean of the Aerospace Faculty, Ben Droste. “We’ve always finished well in every race and also this year we are going to win again. But it’s now time for us to go in a different direction, to develop a different type of vehicle and design. We certainly have enough ideas for this.” Droste cites other international contests that the faculty is involved in this year, such as the Human Powered Submarine. Moreover, the faculty’s development of the new Superbus will receive the most publicity next year. The Superbus, which can travel at 200kmph, will race to Groningen. Last month the Superbus received a 400,000 euro grant from the Dutch Ministry of Finance.
Introduction

Starting this September, every semester Promood will organize an Introduction Day for all new PhD students. The university and the representative body of PhD students are currently deciding on the Introduction Day program and whether it’s going to be a one- or two-day program. A tour of the TU will definitely be part of the introduction. “All international universities have Introduction Days for their PhD students,” said Tuba Kocaturk, president of Promood. “It’ll save PhD students a lot of time.”
Website I

A new website has been launched to serve the 30,000 foreign students in the Netherlands. Nuffic, the organization responsible for overseeing the internationalization process in Dutch higher education, has brought together various important information on the site for foreign students, including information about visas and work permits, as well as about less vital matters, like nightlife and telephone cards. Foreign graduates of Dutch universities also offer tips online for students currently studying here. There’s also a forum, where students can exchange information.
Website II

This summer a website will be launched offering objective information about the quality of the various degree programs in Dutch higher education. A main feature of the website will be a database supplied by the research centre Choice, which already publishes a guidebook that evaluates the quality of higher education. The database will include information about enrollment requirements for a degree program, the academic demands and the career possibilities. Moreover, students can express their opinions regarding the qualities of their degree programs and faculties.
English tests

In future, TU Delft instructors will be required to take tests to prove their English-language proficiency. The TU work group ‘English Language’ is currently determining how best to launch these tests. The decision to test stems from requests submitted by the Student Advisory Board (SR), which received complaints from foreign students about the English proficiency of some TU instructors. The SR worries that next year, when all TU faculty MSc programs will be taught in English, the numbers of complaints will rise. TU Executive Board member, Paul Rullman, is concerned: “It’ll cost a lot of money if we try to test all TU instructors at one time.” Rullmann therefore plans to first start testing instructors who teach in the MSc programs. But it’s not only TU instructors who will be tested. A survey by the VSSD student union found that only half of the foreign students studying at TU Delft spoke good enough English to follow the courses and participate in work groups. Foreign students can therefore look forward to having their English tested as well.