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Education

Foreign students bring homegrown problems to TU Delft

With urban development problems differing from country to country, an innovative MSc program asks foreign students to bring details of local problems with them to Delft, where the university helps them find solutions.

Diego Rosero was one of the first students to study his country abroad, in Delft.

The course prospectus was crystal clear about the MSc programme’s aim: Every student must choose a city in their home country and develop a plan for it. Diego Rosero, one of the first crop of seven students to start the new MSc program on urban restoration and renewal at the Faculty of Architecture in 1998, chose Cartegna de Indias, the only historical city in Colombia listed by UNESCO (the UN organisation that protects cultural heritage). Rosero will graduate on the strength of his urban renewal plan on August 24th, together with 24 other MSc students.

“Having foreign students study their own countries in Delft is a smart scheme that serves mutual interests,” he says. “TU Delft wants to increase its international profile, but of course doesn’t know about all problems world-wide. So, we bring them here for further research and use the experience and knowledge gained at the university to solve them.”

Because the students knew of their assignment before leaving home, they were expected to bring the necessary information about their chosen city to Delft. Although this part of their MSc course doesn’t start until the beginning of the second year, Rosero returned to Colombia after the first year to collect additional material and to find an external mentor. “This is the only disadvantage of this way of working,” he explains. “If, during the second year, you realise you’re missing something, you have to continue working anyway with the information you have.”

Rosero, however, is extremely pleased with the project. The MSc project coordinator, Professor Van Voorden, arranged for Rosero to meet UNESCO representative Herman van Hooff, who is a specialist on Latin America. Van Hooff, in turn, gave Rosero access to the UNESCO archives and library in Paris, as well as advising him on his research proposal. Additionally, the MSc group made other excursions, including a workshop on the protection and recuperation of the old harbour of Byblos, in Lebanon.

Many options

Rosero is glad he came to Delft. After completing a BA in Colombia, TU Delft was one of many options. He visited a university in Spain, but rejected this country because of its cultural similarity to Colombia. Other European countries were rejected because their programmes were only taught in their respective native tongues.

Now, Rosero is looking forward to seeing his family and friends. “I’ve gained a lot of knowledge here and now it comes down to the question of how I can apply it to my own country. Firstly, I’ll present my graduation project to the minister of environment, who is very interested in my subject. Furthermore, I want to maintain the contacts between Delft and Carthagena, perhaps by organising a workshop next year.”

With urban development problems differing from country to country, an innovative MSc program asks foreign students to bring details of local problems with them to Delft, where the university helps them find solutions. Diego Rosero was one of the first students to study his country abroad, in Delft.

The course prospectus was crystal clear about the MSc programme’s aim: Every student must choose a city in their home country and develop a plan for it. Diego Rosero, one of the first crop of seven students to start the new MSc program on urban restoration and renewal at the Faculty of Architecture in 1998, chose Cartegna de Indias, the only historical city in Colombia listed by UNESCO (the UN organisation that protects cultural heritage). Rosero will graduate on the strength of his urban renewal plan on August 24th, together with 24 other MSc students.

“Having foreign students study their own countries in Delft is a smart scheme that serves mutual interests,” he says. “TU Delft wants to increase its international profile, but of course doesn’t know about all problems world-wide. So, we bring them here for further research and use the experience and knowledge gained at the university to solve them.”

Because the students knew of their assignment before leaving home, they were expected to bring the necessary information about their chosen city to Delft. Although this part of their MSc course doesn’t start until the beginning of the second year, Rosero returned to Colombia after the first year to collect additional material and to find an external mentor. “This is the only disadvantage of this way of working,” he explains. “If, during the second year, you realise you’re missing something, you have to continue working anyway with the information you have.”

Rosero, however, is extremely pleased with the project. The MSc project coordinator, Professor Van Voorden, arranged for Rosero to meet UNESCO representative Herman van Hooff, who is a specialist on Latin America. Van Hooff, in turn, gave Rosero access to the UNESCO archives and library in Paris, as well as advising him on his research proposal. Additionally, the MSc group made other excursions, including a workshop on the protection and recuperation of the old harbour of Byblos, in Lebanon.

Many options

Rosero is glad he came to Delft. After completing a BA in Colombia, TU Delft was one of many options. He visited a university in Spain, but rejected this country because of its cultural similarity to Colombia. Other European countries were rejected because their programmes were only taught in their respective native tongues.

Now, Rosero is looking forward to seeing his family and friends. “I’ve gained a lot of knowledge here and now it comes down to the question of how I can apply it to my own country. Firstly, I’ll present my graduation project to the minister of environment, who is very interested in my subject. Furthermore, I want to maintain the contacts between Delft and Carthagena, perhaps by organising a workshop next year.”

Editor Redactie

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