Short news
Starting Monday, 13 January 2025, the Hambrug bridge in Delft will be closed for major maintenance. Cyclists and pedestrians will need to take alternative routes via the Sint Sebastiaansbrug or the Abtswoudsebrug during this period.
The works are scheduled to last until Monday, 7 April, and travellers are advised to allow extra time for their journeys. Detour routes will be clearly marked on-site.
Rowers
The province is undertaking various works to enhance the safety and functionality of the bridge. These include upgrading the bridge controls and software, applying a new wear-resistant surface, and raising the pedestrian path to improve separation from the cycle lane. Additional measures will also be implemented to prevent ice formation in winter, and the bridge will receive a fresh coat of paint.
There is some good news for rowing clubs Laga and Proteus: the waterway will remain passable. However, a waterway closure will be in effect from 06:00 on 20 January to 16:00 on 31 January, and again from 06:00 on 18 March to 06:00 on 7 April.
Every 15 years
The works are part of routine maintenance on movable provincial bridges carried out every 15 years. For more information and updates on accessibility, please consult the project page.
After a year of absence, the oil and gas giants Shell and TotalEnergies will again have stands ‘as usual’ at the next Delft Career Days. This was announced by the student Board of the Delft Career Days job market in a press release.
“We want every sector to be represented to meet the demand from students,” explained the Chair Matthijs Roos. “We want students to have the opportunity to find out everything they can and to support a culture of open discussion.” The job market where students can meet future employers will be held from 17 to 19 February 2025.
Roos does emphasize, however, that his board has not selected companies that do nothing about sustainability. In doing so, he says, their decisions are in line with the results of last summer’s consultations on collaborations with the fossil industry.
Mandatory presentation
For these fossil-based companies, the normally optional presentation during the job fair is mandatory, Roos says when asked. “In this presentation, they have to give an honest picture of the company, highlighting both the more and less sustainable sides – without greenwashing, but with extensive space to be able to have an honest and open conversation.”
The previous Board of the Delft Career Days 2024 opted otherwise for the first time when companies like Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Total and Tata Steel were not welcome. At the time, the board decided that sustainability should play a bigger role in the range of companies after questionnaires had shown that students preferred to see fewer fossil fuel companies at the job market.
To Delta, the then Chair emphasized that the succeeding board had the freedom to invite the companies that were rejected again. Since the interest for a stand at the fair is greater than the space available, it is it is not unusual for not every company to attend every year.
Utrecht University is again the best ‘broad’ institution in this year’s Keuzegids, while the Open University and Wageningen top the list of ‘other’ universities.
Utrecht University continues to do very well, says the Keuzegids Universities 2025, published on Thursday. Radboud University has lost a point, but is still the second best ‘broad’ university. Leiden University has been ousted from third place by the University of Groningen. Both Amsterdam universities close the row again.
In the category ‘other’ universities, which offer a less broad range of fields of study, Wageningen now has to share its first place with the Open University. At the bottom of the heap are TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Methode
The editors of the Keuzegids based this edition on the opinions of over 268 thousand students who completed the National Student Survey this spring. They gave marks for the content of their courses, their teachers, testing, the atmosphere and the way they are prepared for their careers. In addition, how many students advance to the second year and whether they graduate within four years weigh in. (HOP, HC)
The PhD thesis ‘Space Internet of Things’ (Space-IoT) by Dr Sujay Narayana has attracted much attention since its defence on 1 May 2023. Narayana won the SigMobile Best Doctoral Dissertation Award with it at the global MobiCom 2024 conference in Washington DC.
A Space Internet of Things requires hundreds, perhaps thousands of miniature satellites communicating directly with devices on Earth. Because of their small size, Narayana concluded, miniature satellites with ditto solar panels will soon run out of energy. He then developed three innovations that reduced the energy consumption drastically.
Last spring, the quality of Narayana’s work was rewarded with the biannual Kees Schouhamer Imminkprijs from the Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen (Royal Dutch Society for Sciences). The jury noticed ‘as an added value that the dissertation introduces a new area of research, which can be an incentive for more highquality computer science research and many useful applications for society.’
The SIGMOBILE Best Doctoral Dissertation Award underlines the international appreciation for this work. ‘This is the first time that any EU student awarded this coveted prize in the last 10 years’, wrote his PhD supervisor Dr Rango Rao Venkatesha Prasad to Delta.
Dr Narayana did his remarkable PhD research at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Mathematics (EEMCS) of the TU Delft under supervision of Professor Koen Langendoen and Venkatesha Prasad.
From January 2025, the Executive Board will host a biweekly walk-in meeting on social safety. During these sessions, students, PhD candidates, and staff members can speak with University Rector Tim van der Hagen about questions, concerns, and ideas related to social safety.
The walk-in meetings will take place on Tuesday mornings from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m. in a private meeting room in Building 34a. No prior registration is required. The first session is scheduled for 7 January 2025.
The chosen location is intentionally discreet, according to the university’s FAQ on the website (in Dutch). “The room is somewhat secluded, so you don’t need to worry about being seen entering if that makes you uncomfortable.”
Conversations are confidential and will not be recorded. “Anyone who feels the need to raise or share an issue should be able to do so, including with the Executive Board. And always in a way that feels safest for them.”
Dates for the biweekly walk-in consultation (Tuesdays):
- 7 January, 08:15 – 09:15
- 21 January, 08:15 – 09:15
- 4 February, 08:15 – 09:15
- 18 February, 08:15 – 09:15
- 4 March, 08:15 – 09:15 (different Executive Board member due to Tim van der Hagen’s absence)
- 18 March, 08:15 – 09:15
- 1 April, 08:15 – 09:15
Follow-up Investigation
The walk-in consultation is one of the measures the university is taking to improve the work and study environment following a damning report from the Inspectorate of Education in March, which accused the university of mismanagement. In February 2025, the Inspectorate will conduct a follow-up investigation. By then, the care for TU Delft employees must show measurable improvement.
In addition to the walk-in consultation, students and staff can also seek support from confidential advisors, the student psychologist, the employee assistance program, or the ombudsperson.
An important complement to these initiatives is the social safety contact point. Originally scheduled for launch on 1 October, as outlined in the collective labour agreement (CAO), this contact point has been postponed to 2025.
So what were the Inspectorate’s findings again?
The Inspectorate of Education investigated transgressive behaviour at TU Delft from December 2022 to November 2023. In the resulting report, the investigators speak of intimidation, racism, sexism, bullying, exclusion, gossiping, social insecurity due to lack of leadership and a culture of fear, among other things. For instance, employees are said to be afraid to voice their opinions and hold each other accountable for behaviour.
The effects among TU Delft employees who have reported to the inspection are often long-lasting and hampering. The inspectorate speaks of psychological and physical health complaints, absence from work and a general feeling of insecurity. Stress, burnout, depression and PTSD, crying and tense home situations also occur, as do illness, vomiting at work, panic attacks and heart palpitations.
The inspectorate reports that TU Delft’s university administration has a lot of information regarding what is happening in terms of social safety, but that they ‘omit to add everything up so as to create a complete picture’. ‘The management’ also ‘does not adequately manage in terms of appropriate measures’. The Inspectorate believes that this is mismanagement.
Read the news and background articles on the Inspectorate’s report in our dossier.
The Netherlands Academy of Engineering (NAE) brings together experts in technological sciences. Drawn from industry and research institutions, they share a passion for tackling societal challenges through technological innovation.
A year after its founding, the Academy has expanded. With the appointment of 10 Fellows, recognised for their achievements, and four Young Engineers, known for their ‘out-of-the-box thinking’, the total membership now stands at 91.
Three of the new members have ties to TU Delft.
- Said Hamdioui, Professor of Dependable and Emerging Computer Technologies at TU Delft’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, joins the NAE as a Fellow. Before coming to TU Delft, he worked for Intel and the chip manufacturer NXP. In 2021, the science magazine KIJK awarded him a prize for one of the year’s best tech ideas.
- Kiki Louwers, another new NAE Fellow, studied Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft (2009) and later completed an MBA at INSEAD. After positions at bol.com (as Director of Innovation) and McKinsey & Company (as a consultant), she now heads Thorizon, a Dutch-French company, which is developing a thorium reactor.
- Dr Cinzia Silvestri has been appointed as a Young Engineer. After earning her PhD in Microelectronics from TU Delft’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, she co-founded Bi/Ond, a company that integrates microchips with living cells, often for pharmaceutical research.
- Read more on the NAE website
After a months-long illness, Building Physics lecturer Christien Janssen passed away on December 10th, the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment announced on its website this Thursday. Janssen had been a lecturer at TU Delft since 2015.
In the announcement, the faculty described Janssen’s death as a great loss. “She was much loved by colleagues for her cheerfulness, humour, drive and contagious enjoyment of her work. With an exceptional combination of knowledge, intelligence and dedication, she managed to convey her enthusiasm for the subject to students.” She was considered a ‘role model’ for students, according to the faculty.
Janssen was an alumna of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. She was one of the first to graduate in 1996 from the then newly established Building Technology specialisation and also worked as a student mentor and assistant. After working as a building physics advisor in the business sector for a while, she returned to the university in 2015.
Lecturer of the Year 2022
Two years ago, TU Delft named Janssen Lecturer of the Year. At the time, she didn’t think she stood a chance, with only a master’s degree to her name, she told Delta. Nevertheless, she won, although she felt she hadn’t done anything extraordinary. “I earned the title by just being myself. […] I saw a list of compliments at the Faculty elections. (the list included things like listens carefully, has plenty of energy and enthusiasm, and continues explaining things until they are understood.) “I apparently do not give standard lessons and this is appreciated.”
A condolence register is available at the entrance of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, where messages can be left. Cards or digital messages for the family can be sent to the secretariat of the Department of Architectural Engineering and Technology.
‘Abolish the long-study fine.’ The four ruling parties rejected a motion to that effect on Tuesday afternoon, even though the plan seems likely to be scrapped soon.
It was a concise motion by MP Doğukan Ergin (Denk). He requested the government to abolish the long-study fine. Education Minister Eppo Bruins (NSC) advised against the motion last week.
Ergin evidently wanted to test the waters. Almost the entire opposition voted in favour of his motion, except for JA21, which is negotiating with CDA, ChristenUnie, and SGP to soften the cuts to education and research.
The eight negotiating parties (D66 pulled out last week) reportedly agree in broad terms to scrap 700 million euros in cuts. However, the coalition insists part of the savings must come from the education budget. That still amounts to cuts in education, which the opposition finds unacceptable. Negotiations will resume on Wednesday, and the OCW budget will be voted on Thursday afternoon.
One thing seems certain: the long-study fine will not materialise. It is unpopular and unlikely to generate significant revenue in the short term. Its implementation is delayed beyond the government’s expectations.
HOP, Hein Cuppen
Master’s student of Computer Science and former student council member Pravesha Ramsundersingh was awarded the Bèta Techniek Award. The award ceremony was held Thursday 28 November in Amsterdam. Ramsundersingh won the Bèta Techniek Award for organising a conference about social safety, which she did in collaboration with the National Coordinator against Discrimination and Racism. The initiative strives to improve safety in learning environments and raise awareness about discrimination and exclusion.
Pravesha convinced the jury with her balance in creating impact in both the short and long terms. By introducing a code of conduct and making training on diversity & inclusion mandatory for teaching assistants, she took clear steps in bringing about structural changes in improving inclusion in academic institutions.
The other award winners were Anas Kjidâa (Law & Tax Award), Orlando Ceder (Higher Professional Education Award), Zakaria Bousdar (Higher Professional Education Award) and Jumana Tuama (University Education Award).
The Echo Awards are awards for students working on issues around diversity & inclusion to have an impact on society. For this edition 36 candidates were put forward by academic institutions from around the country. The jury selected 15 finalists. The winners were announced on 28 November. The winners may take a summer course at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in the United States in 2025, for which the costs will be covered.
- Read more about the 2024 Echo awards (in Dutch).
Join a new walk-out, is the call from the VSSD. The Delft student union urges students and staff to protest on Wednesday afternoon 11 December against the planned multi-billion-euro cuts to higher education. The plan is to gather at 1:00 PM in front of the Aula and march across the campus.
The walk-out is part of a national protest, initiated by the activist group WOinActie. This is the third such protest in a short time, after the government announced significant cuts to higher education on Prince’s Day. On November 14, over a hundred people from Delft participated in a march across the campus. That was a last-minute action organized after a large-scale higher education protest in Utrecht was initially canceled. Just over two weeks ago, more than twenty thousand people gathered for a new protest at the Malieveld in The Hague.
Last week, it was announced that the coalition aims to withdraw the plans for the long-term study penalty. The coalition and the opposition will continue negotiations about the education budget starting Wednesday afternoon. The opposition threatens to vote down the proposal unless the government is willing to reverse the majority of the cuts. The Dutch House of Representatives will vote on the issue on Thursday.
