’21st Century engineers need 21st century tools’

The prize is given annually to the graduating MSc student who has combined outstanding academic performance with extraordinary efforts to help make TU Delft a truly international university.

“We would like to award people who are helping us to be the ambassadors to the world,” said TU Delft Rector Magnificus Jacob Fokkema at the 2008 MSc graduation ceremony, before announcing the three finalists for the ‘Rector’s Student Prize for Internationalisation’.

This prize, which was awarded for the fifth time, is given to a talented MSc student who not only excels in his or her studies, but has also played an important role in advancing the internationalization process at TU Delft.

This year’s three finalist were: Lukasz Bednara from Poland, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Science; Ying Zah from China, Faculty of Applied Sciences; and Nicolo Wojewoda, an Italian born national from the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management. Fokkema stated that the jury was unanimous in its decision Wojewoda with the prize. “You had excellent grades, there is no doubt about that,” Fokkema said to Wojewoda, after inviting him up on the stage. “But you were also engaged with other students and with your own country. I would like to give you this statute of ‘Prometheus’, the symbol of our university.”

TU Delft has chosen Prometheus – the Greek mythological figure who defied Zeus and brought fire to mankind . as its exemplar. Prometheus taught humankind to manage fire, observe the stars, sail the seas, bake bricks and build houses. TU Delft aims to follow in the footsteps of Prometheus – known as ‘the one with foresight’ and the first professor of engineering. by developing innovative, durable and environment-friendly technology.

According to Wojewoda, TU Delft can indeed be exemplary for other universities in two respects: sustainability and entrepreneurship. “Sustainability is an important element in many of TU Delft’s project courses, educational programs and research activities,” he says. “This isn’t the case at other universities, despite the increasing awareness of sustainability due to climate change issues, food crises and so forth.” Stressing his point, Wojewoda boldly states that many universities around the world are still “educating 21st century engineers with 20th century concepts and tools.”

Promoting entrepreneurship is becoming an increasingly important strategic objective for TU Delft. The Delft Centre for Entrepreneurship and incubator YES!Delft are successfully pushing entrepreneurship at the university: YES!Delft now houses 37 high-tech start-ups, including SENZ Umbrellas, whose wind-proof umbrella Time magazine nominated as the best innovation of 2007.

Wojewoda: “Entrepreneurship is very unique here at TU Delft: I know about the success of the windproof SENZ umbrellas and I know that a great number of students start their own companies after graduating. YES!Delft is truly inspiring environment for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs-wannabes.”

TU Delft is in a unique position to spread knowledge, Wojewoda says. During his two years at TU Delft, the university has hosted major international events, like the Sustainable Solutions Symposium in 2007, which was opened by Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and featured many of the world’s experts on sustainability; and the 2006 university lustrum event in which the keynote speech was given by the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso.

Wojewoda would however like to see more events specifically focused on the students: “I believe targeting a few events to students would definitely put TU Delft in the spotlight of the global student community.”

MIT’s Global Startup Workshop; the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s International Student Festival; and Harvard’s ‘National Model United Nations’ are examples of kind of student events that Wojewoda believes TU Delft should emulate in future.
Speed

Wojewoda is a co-founder of the association ‘Student Platform for Engineering Education Development’ (SPEED) and has been involved in trying to improve the quality of engineering education since 2003. SPEED is currently organizing, in collaboration with the American Society for Engineering Education, its 3rd Global Student Forum on Engineering Education.

Wojewoda: ‘The theme of this forum is sustainability and engineering education: we think learning sustainability concepts, methods and tools is necessary to guarantee the survival of the artefacts engineers produce and the environmental, social and economic systems they influence.” The forum will be held in October in Cape Town, South Africa.

For Wojewoda the inherent improvement of engineering education is an important issue: he chose to do his thesis project on engineering education. “My thesis topic concerned the decisions TU Delft graduates take with respect to where they want to work and live,” he explains. “I wanted to understand they go after they graduation and why they decided to do that.”

In order to improve engineering education, stakeholder participation is fundamental, Wojewoda believes. “In many cases, universities and the governments that regulate them fail to take into account the needs of the real world,” he argues. Wojewoda advocates the involvement of students in the decision-making process and calls for a halt in seeing students as merely end products.

Besides his university-related pursuits, Wojewoda is a man of many interests and talents. He plans to write a recipe book and sell it on the web. “I’m fond of cooking,” he says. “But I would also like to rediscover my artistic side: I have been a member of a few bands and I play a few instruments.”

Wojewoda is also currently working on a few ideas for his first short film. He says that he pursue these other activities in order to “better discover” himself and understand how he can make a greater impact on the world.

“My objective in life is to let experiences shape me into the person I am within,” he explains. “Being at TU Delft has been an experience that contributed significantly to my personal and professional development and I sincerely hope that I can use this experience to make a positive impact on the lives of others.”

Nicolo Wojewoda receives his prize from Rector Magnificus Fokkema during the Farewell Celebration 2008 (Photo: TU Delft)

“We would like to award people who are helping us to be the ambassadors to the world,” said TU Delft Rector Magnificus Jacob Fokkema at the 2008 MSc graduation ceremony, before announcing the three finalists for the ‘Rector’s Student Prize for Internationalisation’.

This prize, which was awarded for the fifth time, is given to a talented MSc student who not only excels in his or her studies, but has also played an important role in advancing the internationalization process at TU Delft.

This year’s three finalist were: Lukasz Bednara from Poland, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Science; Ying Zah from China, Faculty of Applied Sciences; and Nicolo Wojewoda, an Italian born national from the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management. Fokkema stated that the jury was unanimous in its decision Wojewoda with the prize. “You had excellent grades, there is no doubt about that,” Fokkema said to Wojewoda, after inviting him up on the stage. “But you were also engaged with other students and with your own country. I would like to give you this statute of ‘Prometheus’, the symbol of our university.”

TU Delft has chosen Prometheus – the Greek mythological figure who defied Zeus and brought fire to mankind . as its exemplar. Prometheus taught humankind to manage fire, observe the stars, sail the seas, bake bricks and build houses. TU Delft aims to follow in the footsteps of Prometheus – known as ‘the one with foresight’ and the first professor of engineering. by developing innovative, durable and environment-friendly technology.

According to Wojewoda, TU Delft can indeed be exemplary for other universities in two respects: sustainability and entrepreneurship. “Sustainability is an important element in many of TU Delft’s project courses, educational programs and research activities,” he says. “This isn’t the case at other universities, despite the increasing awareness of sustainability due to climate change issues, food crises and so forth.” Stressing his point, Wojewoda boldly states that many universities around the world are still “educating 21st century engineers with 20th century concepts and tools.”

Promoting entrepreneurship is becoming an increasingly important strategic objective for TU Delft. The Delft Centre for Entrepreneurship and incubator YES!Delft are successfully pushing entrepreneurship at the university: YES!Delft now houses 37 high-tech start-ups, including SENZ Umbrellas, whose wind-proof umbrella Time magazine nominated as the best innovation of 2007.

Wojewoda: “Entrepreneurship is very unique here at TU Delft: I know about the success of the windproof SENZ umbrellas and I know that a great number of students start their own companies after graduating. YES!Delft is truly inspiring environment for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs-wannabes.”

TU Delft is in a unique position to spread knowledge, Wojewoda says. During his two years at TU Delft, the university has hosted major international events, like the Sustainable Solutions Symposium in 2007, which was opened by Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and featured many of the world’s experts on sustainability; and the 2006 university lustrum event in which the keynote speech was given by the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso.

Wojewoda would however like to see more events specifically focused on the students: “I believe targeting a few events to students would definitely put TU Delft in the spotlight of the global student community.”

MIT’s Global Startup Workshop; the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s International Student Festival; and Harvard’s ‘National Model United Nations’ are examples of kind of student events that Wojewoda believes TU Delft should emulate in future.
Speed

Wojewoda is a co-founder of the association ‘Student Platform for Engineering Education Development’ (SPEED) and has been involved in trying to improve the quality of engineering education since 2003. SPEED is currently organizing, in collaboration with the American Society for Engineering Education, its 3rd Global Student Forum on Engineering Education.

Wojewoda: ‘The theme of this forum is sustainability and engineering education: we think learning sustainability concepts, methods and tools is necessary to guarantee the survival of the artefacts engineers produce and the environmental, social and economic systems they influence.” The forum will be held in October in Cape Town, South Africa.

For Wojewoda the inherent improvement of engineering education is an important issue: he chose to do his thesis project on engineering education. “My thesis topic concerned the decisions TU Delft graduates take with respect to where they want to work and live,” he explains. “I wanted to understand they go after they graduation and why they decided to do that.”

In order to improve engineering education, stakeholder participation is fundamental, Wojewoda believes. “In many cases, universities and the governments that regulate them fail to take into account the needs of the real world,” he argues. Wojewoda advocates the involvement of students in the decision-making process and calls for a halt in seeing students as merely end products.

Besides his university-related pursuits, Wojewoda is a man of many interests and talents. He plans to write a recipe book and sell it on the web. “I’m fond of cooking,” he says. “But I would also like to rediscover my artistic side: I have been a member of a few bands and I play a few instruments.”

Wojewoda is also currently working on a few ideas for his first short film. He says that he pursue these other activities in order to “better discover” himself and understand how he can make a greater impact on the world.

“My objective in life is to let experiences shape me into the person I am within,” he explains. “Being at TU Delft has been an experience that contributed significantly to my personal and professional development and I sincerely hope that I can use this experience to make a positive impact on the lives of others.”

Nicolo Wojewoda receives his prize from Rector Magnificus Fokkema during the Farewell Celebration 2008 (Photo: TU Delft)