Education

News in brief

New nameEWI may sound like an animal from the new Harry Potter movie, but it is in fact the new name of the Faculty of Information Technology and Systems (ITS).

In September ITS will be renamed the Faculty of Elektrotechniek, Wiskunde en Informatica or EWI (in English, Faculty of Electronics, Mathematics and Informatics). The TU Executive Board overruled initial concerns that EWI wasn’t attractive enough.

Sublease

The first 30 students who offer their furnished apartments to a foreign student between August and October will receive 100 euros. With this tempting bait, TU Delft and student housing company Duwo are trying to combat the housing shortage for short-stay foreign students. For more info, email shortstay@duwo.nl.

Coke and Pepsi

For the past week, Coke and Pepsi have no longer been available in the student restaurants at Jadavpur University in Calcutta (India). The ban on Coke and Pepsi is a protest against the USA%s war against Iraq. A couple of students and teachers made their own Coke, however, offering an assortment of flavors, from lime and orange, to mango and sweet-salt. In the first day of sales of these homemade drinks, four hundred drinks were sold, and at a much cheaper price than either Coke or Pepsi. American soft-drinks are also being boycotted at Delhi University and at many other universities in India. Nike and Reebok have also been boycotted. www.jadavpur.edu

Legionella

Last week, during a routine inspection for Legionella bacteria, the bacteria was once found at TU Delft. Legionella can cause pneumonia. The bacteria thrives in water that is between 30-45 degrees C. Water can reach that temperature in Holland if it is contained in water pipes. Legionella was found at the TU Sports Centre, the Aula, and the Civil Engineering and Geodetical Engineering buildings. Only the Legionella found in the Sports Centre showers received publicity, however, owing to its exposure to the general student body. A coordinator for TUD% facilities says that the same preventative measures have been taken in all infected sites: information is given to employees, pipes are flushed and the technical facilities improved. %At TU we have hundreds of Legionella resources. Within one hour, we’ve made them all harmless,” Kruit says. Twice a year all water taps at the TU are inspected, and during each inspection some traces of the bacteria was found.

More trust

Citizens in 13 countries that will soon join the European Union (EU) have more trust in science and technology than do peopleresiding in the current EU countries. A European Commission study surveyed 12,000 people living in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Rumania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey. Eight out of ten people said science and technology could improve the quality of life and cure diseases. But only half of all those questioned said they had no plans to make their careers in science and technology. That was especially true in Bulgaria and Turkey, where less than a quarter of people surveyed were interested in working in the science and technology sectors, citing poor salaries and career opportunities. europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion

New name

EWI may sound like an animal from the new Harry Potter movie, but it is in fact the new name of the Faculty of Information Technology and Systems (ITS). In September ITS will be renamed the Faculty of Elektrotechniek, Wiskunde en Informatica or EWI (in English, Faculty of Electronics, Mathematics and Informatics). The TU Executive Board overruled initial concerns that EWI wasn’t attractive enough.

Sublease

The first 30 students who offer their furnished apartments to a foreign student between August and October will receive 100 euros. With this tempting bait, TU Delft and student housing company Duwo are trying to combat the housing shortage for short-stay foreign students. For more info, email shortstay@duwo.nl.

Coke and Pepsi

For the past week, Coke and Pepsi have no longer been available in the student restaurants at Jadavpur University in Calcutta (India). The ban on Coke and Pepsi is a protest against the USA%s war against Iraq. A couple of students and teachers made their own Coke, however, offering an assortment of flavors, from lime and orange, to mango and sweet-salt. In the first day of sales of these homemade drinks, four hundred drinks were sold, and at a much cheaper price than either Coke or Pepsi. American soft-drinks are also being boycotted at Delhi University and at many other universities in India. Nike and Reebok have also been boycotted. www.jadavpur.edu

Legionella

Last week, during a routine inspection for Legionella bacteria, the bacteria was once found at TU Delft. Legionella can cause pneumonia. The bacteria thrives in water that is between 30-45 degrees C. Water can reach that temperature in Holland if it is contained in water pipes. Legionella was found at the TU Sports Centre, the Aula, and the Civil Engineering and Geodetical Engineering buildings. Only the Legionella found in the Sports Centre showers received publicity, however, owing to its exposure to the general student body. A coordinator for TUD% facilities says that the same preventative measures have been taken in all infected sites: information is given to employees, pipes are flushed and the technical facilities improved. %At TU we have hundreds of Legionella resources. Within one hour, we’ve made them all harmless,” Kruit says. Twice a year all water taps at the TU are inspected, and during each inspection some traces of the bacteria was found.

More trust

Citizens in 13 countries that will soon join the European Union (EU) have more trust in science and technology than do peopleresiding in the current EU countries. A European Commission study surveyed 12,000 people living in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Rumania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey. Eight out of ten people said science and technology could improve the quality of life and cure diseases. But only half of all those questioned said they had no plans to make their careers in science and technology. That was especially true in Bulgaria and Turkey, where less than a quarter of people surveyed were interested in working in the science and technology sectors, citing poor salaries and career opportunities. europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion

Editor Redactie

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