Last week the university honored the top graduates of its eight faculties. Representing the TU’s foreign student contingent was Mariya Krymskaya, from Russia, who was deemed the best graduate of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, while Helma van Rijn of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering took home the overall award as the ‘Best TU Delft graduate’ of the year.
The UfD-STUD awards, held last Friday in the Aula, were organized by University Fund Delft (UfD) and the student employment agency STUD. “The aim of this event was not only to honor the best TU graduates, but also by doing so to set an example of academic excellence for other students to follow,” says the UfD’s director, Max van der Laan.
The two-hour awards ceremony, which was attended by about fifty friends and family member of the best graduates featured an introduction from Van der Laan, followed by an inspiring speech . in Dutch only unfortunately – by TU Delft’s Rector Magnificus Jacob Fokkema, who personally presented each graduate with their awards.
Each of the best graduates gave a brief presentation about his or her graduation project and conclusions, and then received their honorary award consisting of a bronze UfD medal with their names engraved on it, a silver pin to show off their achievement, and a €1,000 check from the UfD.
To get to this grand stage, each of the TU’s eight faculties had nominated the one graduate they felt who had not only produced an excellent final thesis report and gotten good grades, but who had also worked hard and shown exemplary dedication to their studies.
Great platform
As it’s now well known that foreign students are regularly among the TU’s highest academic achievers, such an awards ceremony wouldn’t be complete without having at least one foreign student in contention. And sure enough, the best graduate of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EWI) was Mariya Krymskaya from Russia. Her graduation project, entitled ‘Parameter estimation in reservoir engineering models via data assimilation techniques’, showed how her model could potentially improve the oil extraction from underground wells.
“It’s a great honor to receive this award, and I was really surprised that I was chosen,” Krymskaya said. ” There are so many good students here and I didn’t expect my graduation to be the best.” Krymskaya has been in the Netherlands for just over two years, and is now pursuing a PhD at the EWI faculty as well.
When asked what winning this award meant to her, Krymskaya praised the recognition that TU Delft provides for its top students: “The university provides a great platform for graduating students to excel in the first place, be it through good facilities or academic support, and then shows its appreciation of the hard work done by its students.”
Krymskaya also likes the fact that when it comes to recognition, TU Delft shows no differentiation between foreign and Dutch students. Van der Laan confirms this: “It’s our intent to honor the best, regardless of where they come from. For international graduates however, we would always like to keep them in case a PhD position becomes available, but otherwise we’re proud to send them out into industry with our name behind them.”
Social impact
In addition to selecting the best graduate from each faculty, a jury selected one overall winner for the title of ‘Best TU Delft graduate’. The ‘Best TU Delft graduate’ award is based on several factors, Van der Laan explains: “In addition to the thesis work and good grades, this award recognizes the work of both the student and the professor. As such, we look at the overall project organization and achievement. And what is important as well is the social impact of the findings and the future prospects of the work in question.”
This year’s ‘Best TU Delft graduate’ award – which came with an additional €1,000 check – was won by Helma van Rijn of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. “It’s a great compliment and appreciation of my work,” Van Rijn exclaimed. “I didn’t see it coming of course, but knowing that my work was rewarded is a great feeling!”
Concerning her thoughts about the award itself, Van Rijn praised the acknowledgment by the university of good graduates. She encourages such recognition of top students, because she thinks it sets a great example for other students, as well as helping to publicize exceptional research.
Van Rijn’s graduation project, entitled ‘A language toy for autistic toddlers’, led to impressive results in her field. In her project, she designed an aid for teaching autistic children who have difficulties learning to talk, because they struggle to grasp the meanings of words and relate them to their respective objects. Her designed toy allows the children to interact with the object, thus making it easier for them to learn the word.
“There’s still a lot of research to be done in this field to show if this toy-technique actually works,” she says, ” but I saw clear results in the children I worked with.” Van Rijn thinks she won the award based on the social impact of her project. Her advice to other students who have an eye on the award: “Have a passion for what you are graduating on, as this will show in your work and bring even greater results.”
The top graduates of the eight TU faculties:
Armand Bos (Architecture); Richard de Jager (Civil Engineering); Mariya Krymskaya (Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Science); Helma van Rijn (Industrial Design Engineering); Johannes Dilinger (Aerospace Engineering); Maarten Kroesen (Technology, Policy & Management); Bart Haverkorn van Rijsewijk (Applied Sciences); Hannes Bogaert (Mechanical, Maritime & Materials Engineering)
The UfD-STUD awards, held last Friday in the Aula, were organized by University Fund Delft (UfD) and the student employment agency STUD. “The aim of this event was not only to honor the best TU graduates, but also by doing so to set an example of academic excellence for other students to follow,” says the UfD’s director, Max van der Laan.
The two-hour awards ceremony, which was attended by about fifty friends and family member of the best graduates featured an introduction from Van der Laan, followed by an inspiring speech . in Dutch only unfortunately – by TU Delft’s Rector Magnificus Jacob Fokkema, who personally presented each graduate with their awards.
Each of the best graduates gave a brief presentation about his or her graduation project and conclusions, and then received their honorary award consisting of a bronze UfD medal with their names engraved on it, a silver pin to show off their achievement, and a €1,000 check from the UfD.
To get to this grand stage, each of the TU’s eight faculties had nominated the one graduate they felt who had not only produced an excellent final thesis report and gotten good grades, but who had also worked hard and shown exemplary dedication to their studies.
Great platform
As it’s now well known that foreign students are regularly among the TU’s highest academic achievers, such an awards ceremony wouldn’t be complete without having at least one foreign student in contention. And sure enough, the best graduate of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EWI) was Mariya Krymskaya from Russia. Her graduation project, entitled ‘Parameter estimation in reservoir engineering models via data assimilation techniques’, showed how her model could potentially improve the oil extraction from underground wells.
“It’s a great honor to receive this award, and I was really surprised that I was chosen,” Krymskaya said. ” There are so many good students here and I didn’t expect my graduation to be the best.” Krymskaya has been in the Netherlands for just over two years, and is now pursuing a PhD at the EWI faculty as well.
When asked what winning this award meant to her, Krymskaya praised the recognition that TU Delft provides for its top students: “The university provides a great platform for graduating students to excel in the first place, be it through good facilities or academic support, and then shows its appreciation of the hard work done by its students.”
Krymskaya also likes the fact that when it comes to recognition, TU Delft shows no differentiation between foreign and Dutch students. Van der Laan confirms this: “It’s our intent to honor the best, regardless of where they come from. For international graduates however, we would always like to keep them in case a PhD position becomes available, but otherwise we’re proud to send them out into industry with our name behind them.”
Social impact
In addition to selecting the best graduate from each faculty, a jury selected one overall winner for the title of ‘Best TU Delft graduate’. The ‘Best TU Delft graduate’ award is based on several factors, Van der Laan explains: “In addition to the thesis work and good grades, this award recognizes the work of both the student and the professor. As such, we look at the overall project organization and achievement. And what is important as well is the social impact of the findings and the future prospects of the work in question.”
This year’s ‘Best TU Delft graduate’ award – which came with an additional €1,000 check – was won by Helma van Rijn of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. “It’s a great compliment and appreciation of my work,” Van Rijn exclaimed. “I didn’t see it coming of course, but knowing that my work was rewarded is a great feeling!”
Concerning her thoughts about the award itself, Van Rijn praised the acknowledgment by the university of good graduates. She encourages such recognition of top students, because she thinks it sets a great example for other students, as well as helping to publicize exceptional research.
Van Rijn’s graduation project, entitled ‘A language toy for autistic toddlers’, led to impressive results in her field. In her project, she designed an aid for teaching autistic children who have difficulties learning to talk, because they struggle to grasp the meanings of words and relate them to their respective objects. Her designed toy allows the children to interact with the object, thus making it easier for them to learn the word.
“There’s still a lot of research to be done in this field to show if this toy-technique actually works,” she says, ” but I saw clear results in the children I worked with.” Van Rijn thinks she won the award based on the social impact of her project. Her advice to other students who have an eye on the award: “Have a passion for what you are graduating on, as this will show in your work and bring even greater results.”
The top graduates of the eight TU faculties:
Armand Bos (Architecture); Richard de Jager (Civil Engineering); Mariya Krymskaya (Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Science); Helma van Rijn (Industrial Design Engineering); Johannes Dilinger (Aerospace Engineering); Maarten Kroesen (Technology, Policy & Management); Bart Haverkorn van Rijsewijk (Applied Sciences); Hannes Bogaert (Mechanical, Maritime & Materials Engineering)
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