Nieuws Werktuigbouwkunde http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/en/ Het laatste nieuws van de faculteit Werktuigbouwkunde NL Nieuws Werktuigbouwkunde http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/fileadmin/tue/img/tue-logo-small.gif http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/en/ Het laatste nieuws van de faculteit Werktuigbouwkunde TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 +0200 Vidi grant for extremely stretchable electronics http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/en/news/article/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=12278&cHash=4913009f61 The Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded a Vidi grant of nearly 800,000 euros to dr. Johan Hoefnagels of the Department of Mechanical Engineering for his research on extreme stretchable electronics. The project for which Johan Hoefnagels has received the grant focuses on the integration of extremely stretchable electronics with biological tissues, such as brains or heart. This makes futuristic medical applications, such as control of seizures, possible. In this project, Johan Hoefnagels examines a revolutionary mechanism for making electronics extremely stretchable, which is demonstrated with an inflatable in-vivo ultrasound detector.

Vidi grant
The Vidi grant is aimed at outstanding researchers who have carried several years of outstanding research after receiving their PhD. The scientists are among the best ten to twenty percent of their research field. With a Vidi grant they can continue their research for another five years.

]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 +0200 TU/e SELECT students win 2nd place in Dutch Cleantech Challenge http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/en/news/article/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=12231&cHash=4aef2f8a0e Sophie Collard and Sriram Krishnamurthy, both following the MSc program SELECT at the TU/e, became the best runner-up in the Dutch Cleantech Challenge (Dutch CTC) with their startup project Climacoustic. Climacoustic

In the Dutch CTC entrepreneurial students are challenged to work out their innovative cleantech ideas. Sophie’s and Sriram’s idea, Climacoustic, was to develop an environmentally-friendly airconditioning and refrigeration system for the marine industry.  It uses thermoacoustic technology to convert waste heat into cooling. Sound waves are produced from a temperature gradient at one end, generating a temperature gradient (cooling) at the other desired end. Since a ship’s engine produces a huge amount of high quality waste heat, Climacoustic has an enormous potential in emissions savings and cost reductions. Savings up to 173 liters of diesel and 727 kg CO2 per ton per year can be expected.

Dutch CTC

The Dutch CTC gives students the chance to work out their innovative ideas from a concept to a final business plan. Based on a brief description, the 20 best entries were given the opportunity to improve their idea under the guidance of experienced companies. Finally, eight teams, including Sophie and Sriram, were chosen to pitch their idea in front of a professional jury. The top 3 finalists receive a cash prize to enable them to further develop their startup idea.

]]> Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 +0200 Students from Wageningen follow minor in Eindhoven http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/en/news/article/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=12229&cHash=77fccc6a6c Imagine you are a student at Wageningen University (WUR) and you want to delve into a technical study, what do you do? You could decide to follow a minor at the TU Eindhoven during the 3rd year of your program. And that's exactly what five students from the WUR did during the first semester of this... The five students came to Eindhoven to follow the minor "Design of Mechanical Systems" at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.  Together with three of these students, Jordi Mol, Kevin Niessen and Bart Alders (all 3rd year student Agrotechnology) we look back at this experience.

Minor

"During the 3rd year of the BSc program Agrotechnology you are supposed to choose a minor. This may be anywhere, at the WUR, at another university or even abroad”, Bart explains. Since Agrotechnology is the only technical study at the Wageningen University, and a foreign university was not an option for them, Bart and his fellow students chose the minor "Design of Mechanical Systems" of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the TU/e.

During the minor "Design of Mechanical Systems" students learn to design and to produce a (part of a) mechanical system. Especially that last part of the project was very interesting for the students. "I found the project was particularly interesting because you create a design from scratch and conclude the project with the actual product. You have created something you really can show", Kevin tells.

Difference

Besides gaining in-depth technical knowledge it was also fun and instructive for the students to experience a different study environment. Although they did not experience many differences on the educational side, they found out there were other differences between studying in Eindhoven and Wageningen.  "In Wageningen there are many workstations with a PC, in Eindhoven you always have to bring a laptop. That took some time getting used to, "says Jordi. They also saw some difference in the atmosphere at both universities. "On the WUR is it all a little friendlier than at the TU/e. Everyone knows each other and you have more contact with your fellow students than we had during our time in Eindhoven.” Despite these differences the WUR students see their time at the TU/e as a fun and instructive experience.

]]> Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 +0200 Nr. 1 for Mechanical Engineering http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/en/news/article/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=12215&cHash=41b3de8315 According to the Keuzegids Masters 2013 (Study Guide MSc) the master’s program Mechanical Engineering at the TU/e is the best MSc program Mechanical Engineering in Netherlands. With a total score of 76 points it scores higher than the University of Twente (73 points) and TU Delft (68 points). Therefore, the Keuzegids Masters 2103 recommends prospective students to study mechanical engineering in Eindhoven.

The high score for the MSc program Mechanical Engineering at the TU/e is mainly due to the discretion of the students. Where the experts are positive about all three the universities, the students see some clear differences. They are particularly positive about the teachers, the tests and facilities at the TU/e.

In addition to the master’s program Mechanical Engineering the Keuzegids Masters also looked at the interdepartmental master’s program Automotive Technology (71 points), Systems & Control (53 points) and Sustainable Energy Technology (67 points). The MSc program Automotive Technology receives high student scores for the skills education, whereas they boast the organization for the MSc program Sustainable Energy Technology.

Besides the master’s program Mechanical Engineering there are 11 other MSc programs at TU/e that rated highest in their category, making the TU/e the best technical university in the Netherlands for the 3rd consecutive year.

The Keuzegids Masters is an independent study guide of the Centre for Higher Education Information and the results are based on the scores from the National Student Survey and the judgement of experts.

]]> Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0200 And the winner is… http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/en/news/article/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=12187&cHash=2b3009977b Study association Simon Stevin announced the winners of the education awards for the best bachelor and master teacher during the annual Education Day of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Frans Martens received the award for best teacher in the bachelor’s program Werktuigbouwkunde, while Maurice Heemels was awarded best teacher in the master’s program Mechanical Engineering.

Bachelor

More than 100 bachelor students filled out the survey of student association Simon Stevin. This resulted in a top 5; besides Frans Martens, Rob Fey, Marc Geers, Ron Peeling and Clemens Verhoosel were also nominated. However, it was Frans Martens who received the award.  Several positive responses to the survey underlined the choice for Frans Martens. "One of the few teachers that actually makes me want to go and enjoy my lecture," said one of the respondents.

Master

Hans van Dommelen, Maurice Heemels, Bengt Johansson, Sasha Pogromski and Jaap den Toonder were the nominees for best master teacher. On the basis of about 100 reactions, Maurice Heemels was chosen as the best. "Because he does not give you the feeling he is superior to you as a professor" and "Clear explanations and not afraid to admit that the lecture will be boring" were some of the responses that students gave the work of Maurice Heemels.

BKO

Besides the annual education awards some teachers also received their BKO certificates during the Education Day. The BKO certificate (evidence of teaching ability) is a quality assurance of the educational level of teachers in science education. This year Nathan van der Wouw, Clemens Verhoosel, Hans van Dommelen and Jeroen van Ooijen received their BKO certificate. This brings the number of teachers with a BKO certificate within the Department of Mechanical Engineering Department at a total of 17.

]]> Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0200 Successful Information Days http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/en/news/article/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=12192&cHash=0156b5c202 During the first weekend of April, the TU/e organized Information Days for VWO students. It were already the third and last Information Days of this academic year. Looking back at the Information Days we can conclude they were successful again, just as the previous Information Days during this... Time to look back:

  • The Information Days during the academic year 2012 - 2013 have been visited by no less than 5,146 VWO students. That is an increase of almost 1,400 students (37%) compared to the previous year.
  • Approximately 1,100 students visited the presentations of the Bachelor’s program Mechanical Engineering. That is 21% of the total number of visiting students.
  • Compared to the previous year we see also a strong increase in the number of students that visited the presentations of Mechanical Engineering. From 700 students during the academic year 2011-2012 to 1,100 during the current academic year.


All in all, impressive figures!

]]> Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0200 Allison Schaap awarded “Best Student Presentation” http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/en/news/article/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=12169&cHash=675c6ff3c4 Allison Schaap, PhD student in the Micro-and Nano-Scale Engineering research group of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at TU Eindhoven, has won the prize for "Best Student Oral Presentation" during the 3rd European Optical Society Topical Meeting on Blue Photonics last week. She received this award for her research into the development of a glass-based optofluidic microsystem for the automatic classification of phytoplankton. This is not the first award she has received for her research. She also won the “Best Student Oral Presentation Award” for her research during the EOS Conference on Optofluidics in 2011.

Phytoplankton is one of the main producers of oxygen and thus very important to us. Small changes in our environment can have a significant impact on the amount and type of algae present in a particular piece of water. The research of Allison focuses on a fast, low-cost method to monitor these changes, and ultimately to predict the changes. For this she uses various techniques, such as microfabrication methods, optics, microfluidics and pattern recognition.

The research project is supported by the TU/e Excellence Fund (granted to Dr. Yves Bellouard), the department of Mechanical Engineering and the European Commission Femtoprint project.

]]> Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0200 Prof. Steinbuch appointed university professor http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/en/news/article/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=12098&cHash=6fe1982192 The Executive Board of the TU/e has appointed prof. dr. ir. Maarten Steinbuch as university professor at the TU/e. With the appointment as university professor, Maarten Steinbuch will act as an ambassador for the university for the next five years. Besides Maarten Steinbuch, the Executive Board also appointed prof. dr. ir. Wil van der Aalst (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science), prof. dr. ir. René Janssen (Chemical Engineering and Technical Natuurkund), prof. dr. ir. Anthonie Meijers (Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences). In 2004, prof. dr. ir. Bert Meijer (Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering) was also appointed as university professor at the TU/e.

Hans van Duijn, rector TU/e: "We are delighted with the appointment of these four scientists. Not only do they excel in their area of expertise, but they’re also perfectly capable of representing our university on and off campus."

]]> Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100 In Memoriam - Prof. ir. Okko H. Bosgra http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/en/news/article/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=12075&cHash=c2987e964c The sad news has reached us that on Thursday February 21, 2013 Professor Okko Bosgra passed away in his hometown Waddinxveen. Okko Bosgra part-time professor at Mechanical Engineering of Eindhoven University of Technology since 2003. He was diagnosed with a serious illness last summer and his health gradually deteriorated over the last couple of months.

Okko’s professional attitude was characterized by inspiring and motivating leadership and guidance, where his coworkers and students were offered room and challenges for development and growth. A very cooperative and constructive person who with endless energy worked on the further development of his field of expertise. He developed also a strong strategic vision for desired developments in university, as well as national and international communities. With an attitude of natural modesty he committed himself to the interests of the people in his environment, and for the university community.  The universities lose with him an inspiring scientist and teacher, a strategic thinker and a motivating coach, and we are very grateful for the role that he has played for our universities over so many years.

Our thoughts are with his family and next of kin.

 

Leave a message in the book of condolences.

]]> Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100 Student SET competes for Shell Master Prize http://w3.wtb.tue.nl/en/news/article/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=12077&cHash=180c891abe Hans van Franeker – student of Sustainable Energy Technology – has been nominated for the Shell Bachelor Master Prize. For his Master dissertation, Hans researched a new kind of organic solar cell. Young talent
Shell is co-organizing this year’s prize for the eighth time with the University of Twente, TU Delft and TU Eindhoven. Shell challenges young engineering talent to win this prize by focusing on sustainable technological solutions for the future.

This year the finalists have the chance of winning the prize chosen by the public who can vote until 12 March 2013 for the best dissertation via www.shell.nl/stembama. Shell hopes this public’s prize will help put sustainable technological innovation more visibly on the map. The final takes place on 13 March at TU Twente.

The challenge
The main prerequisite for students who are up for the prize is that their dissertation responds to the global challenge to provide the growing world population with the food, water and energy it needs in a sustainable way. Innovation and technology are keys to this. Last year’s winning Master’s dissertation described an innovation whereby hydrogen can be created from water and solar cells.

Elevator pitch
During the final the finalists are faced by a jury of experts like Gerard Schotman, Chief Technology Officer and Head of R&D at Shell, and the University Rectors Karel Luyben (TU Delft), Ed Brinksma (UTwente) and chairman of the Executive Board Bestuur Arno Peels (TU Eindhoven). The students have to convince the jury and the audience about the quality of their dissertation through an elevator pitch.

Prizes
There are several nice prizes: for best Master dissertation 5000 euros and the public prize is worth 1000 euros. In addition to the money prizes, the winners will also get free access to the Powering Progress Together forum during the Shell Eco-marathon Europe, in Rotterdam.

The other nominees besides Hans are Bart Macco (TU Eindhoven, Applied Physics) and Sander Haase (University of Twente, Chemical Engineering).

For more information about the nominees and their research, and to vote for the audience prize, go to: www.shell.nl/bachelormasterprijs.

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