Why Holland? Each month Page 4 asks a member of TU Delft’s foreign community to share their thoughts with us. This week we meet Professor Lis Nanver, of the faculty of Information Technology and Systems.
A Dane, Nanver grew up in Australia and worked and studied in France before joining the TU.
I was working on my PhD in Paris and met a Dutch guy at a conference… so I eventually moved here for that relationship.
Is working in France much different than in Holland?
The French aren’t as easy to work with, because they have a strict, personally restricting, hierarchical structure. The Dutch mentality is more like the Danish: we have more informal ways of working together. It’s significant that here I have lots of Dutch friends, but in France I only had foreign friends.
Is the TU women-friendly?
It has been to me. I’ve been very well accepted and have had to deal with very few sexist or discriminatory remarks.
Will the TU ever have a female president?
Someday, but it’ll take a long time. Difficult, too, to find women with that sort of ambition, especially women with families. I’d never put my work ahead of my family, which is what a big job like the presidency demands. My life must be a combination of work and family.
Has the Dutch language been a barrier?
Absolutely not. I’ve spoken Dutch from the start and only speak English with foreigners. Language is a great part of ones personality, so I speak to the Dutch in their language.
How do Danish and Dutch society differ?
Denmark’s less structured, less formal and more egalitarian than Holland. It seems the further North you go in Europe, the less hierarchical societies become. But it’s easier to work and integrate in Holland, because the Dutch combine their personal and working lives; for instance, here you bring a cake to work to celebrate your birthday with your colleagues. A Dane’s private life, however, is strictly private.
What causes you the most anxiety?
I worry about my children. I’m a problem-solver type, so it’s hard when you see things going wrong for your children but you don’t know what to do to help them.
What’s humanity’s greatest challenge in the 21st century?
The management and understanding of complexity in our lives. We’re busy with it % DNA, computers % but we’re merely at the beginning. Being human is complex. However, we probably don’t want to understand everything so completely that we can no longer enjoy life’s simple pleasures, like a day at the beach.
But can scientific and technological progress ever be stopped?
No, but we’ve got to be conscious of problems arising from progress, and we’ve got to find the right balance between how life is and how it should be. On big ethical questions, like cloning, there must be debate, the public must be properly informed.
Are ethics important in your work?
Yes. I try to teach them, but it’s a difficult subject to teach. Ethical dilemmas need to be confronted in practice, because different situations present different ethical questions. Today, quantity often counts more than quality, and ethics are easily overlooked. Financial considerations can also lead to non-ethical situations. University anddepartment heads are responsible for setting the ethical tone.
Where’s your favorite place in Delft? I like the strange little shops that still exist in the city center, like this old wood shop where you can buy any kind of wood imaginable.
Who do you admire in your field? Robert Feinman, who worked on the bomb at Los Alamos. I’d advise everyone involved in science & technology to read his books. His message is that blind obedience is bad. Don’t do things just because the boss tells you to. Think for yourself and only do what you believe in.
Having lived in many countries, which is your favorite?
Australia, because it’s where I grew up and therefore it will always be a special, cherished place for me. And the nature, space and climate there are wonderful.
Each month Page 4 asks a member of TU Delft’s foreign community to share their thoughts with us. This week we meet Professor Lis Nanver, of the faculty of Information Technology and Systems. A Dane, Nanver grew up in Australia and worked and studied in France before joining the TU.
I was working on my PhD in Paris and met a Dutch guy at a conference… so I eventually moved here for that relationship.
Is working in France much different than in Holland?
The French aren’t as easy to work with, because they have a strict, personally restricting, hierarchical structure. The Dutch mentality is more like the Danish: we have more informal ways of working together. It’s significant that here I have lots of Dutch friends, but in France I only had foreign friends.
Is the TU women-friendly?
It has been to me. I’ve been very well accepted and have had to deal with very few sexist or discriminatory remarks.
Will the TU ever have a female president?
Someday, but it’ll take a long time. Difficult, too, to find women with that sort of ambition, especially women with families. I’d never put my work ahead of my family, which is what a big job like the presidency demands. My life must be a combination of work and family.
Has the Dutch language been a barrier?
Absolutely not. I’ve spoken Dutch from the start and only speak English with foreigners. Language is a great part of ones personality, so I speak to the Dutch in their language.
How do Danish and Dutch society differ?
Denmark’s less structured, less formal and more egalitarian than Holland. It seems the further North you go in Europe, the less hierarchical societies become. But it’s easier to work and integrate in Holland, because the Dutch combine their personal and working lives; for instance, here you bring a cake to work to celebrate your birthday with your colleagues. A Dane’s private life, however, is strictly private.
What causes you the most anxiety?
I worry about my children. I’m a problem-solver type, so it’s hard when you see things going wrong for your children but you don’t know what to do to help them.
What’s humanity’s greatest challenge in the 21st century?
The management and understanding of complexity in our lives. We’re busy with it % DNA, computers % but we’re merely at the beginning. Being human is complex. However, we probably don’t want to understand everything so completely that we can no longer enjoy life’s simple pleasures, like a day at the beach.
But can scientific and technological progress ever be stopped?
No, but we’ve got to be conscious of problems arising from progress, and we’ve got to find the right balance between how life is and how it should be. On big ethical questions, like cloning, there must be debate, the public must be properly informed.
Are ethics important in your work?
Yes. I try to teach them, but it’s a difficult subject to teach. Ethical dilemmas need to be confronted in practice, because different situations present different ethical questions. Today, quantity often counts more than quality, and ethics are easily overlooked. Financial considerations can also lead to non-ethical situations. University anddepartment heads are responsible for setting the ethical tone.
Where’s your favorite place in Delft? I like the strange little shops that still exist in the city center, like this old wood shop where you can buy any kind of wood imaginable.
Who do you admire in your field? Robert Feinman, who worked on the bomb at Los Alamos. I’d advise everyone involved in science & technology to read his books. His message is that blind obedience is bad. Don’t do things just because the boss tells you to. Think for yourself and only do what you believe in.
Having lived in many countries, which is your favorite?
Australia, because it’s where I grew up and therefore it will always be a special, cherished place for me. And the nature, space and climate there are wonderful.
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