News in brief

In Delft, Professor Frans van der Helm (3mE) first wants to have an official recognition of the profession. Meanwhile, he is working on the curriculum with Erasmus MC and LUMC. He aims to start this new Bachelor’s study in 2013. 

Supervision
In a letter to the editor of ‘Delta’, TU Delft’s Works Council said sharper supervision is necessary when assignments are given to external parties, and secondary employment should be more strictly registered. This letter was in response to the conflict of interest case involving TU Delft’s Dean Marco Waas, who was reported to have been involved in six transactions involving two of his wife’s companies, for a total amount of three-quarters of a million euros. 

Educational quality
Secretary of State, Halbe Zijlstra, recently stated that students should not give up their studies so often and should graduate earlier. Moreover, colleges and universities should have better teachers, and universities will receive extra funding if they manage to achieve these objectives. BSc coordinator at the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Henk Kuipers, warns that the quality of education should be of the same level or even higher. Meanwhile, director of education of the faculty of Applied Sciences, Rob Mudde, is not afraid of drops in educational quality: “The first thing my colleagues say when I begin talking about raising the study flow is: ‘Oh, so you want me to lower the level? I will not do that’. I agree. Do not do that.”

Time limit
Immigrants to the Netherlands must pass integration tests in order to be allowed to reside permanently in the country. Now the government has stated that such immigrants must take and pass this test within three years of arriving in the country or else have their residency rights relinquished. Asylum seekers who take but fail the test will be fined, and they must also pay all costs associated with the integration test.

Accreditation
A commission of the Netherlands-Flemish Organization for Accreditation (NVAO) will visit TU Delft next week to check whether the university is in control of its own policy regarding educational quality. The commission will meet with the TU’s Executive Board and delegations of employees and students. Anyone who wishes to comment on the way the university has managed the quality of its education can attend a consultation hour on Thursday, June 30, between 15:00 and 16:00, at Jaffalaan 9a, room A1.050. Please register: a.vanneygen

Research award
While most hydrologists focus on the scale of river basins, PhD Student Ruud van der Ent (Civil Engineering & Geosciences) created global maps showing the sources of atmospheric moisture on a world scale. For his article, ‘Origin and fate of atmospheric moisture over continents’, he received the Research Award for Young Scientists from the World Meteorological Organization.

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Merger?
TU Delft wants to work together more closely with Leiden University and Erasmus University Rotterdam. These three universities believe there are five areas of research in which multidisciplinary crossovers are possible: health, sustainable environment, law and governance, globalising economy and society, and network society. If the universities of Leiden, Rotterdam and Delft will ultimately merge remains unclear. Nico de Voogd, TU Delft’s former executive chairman, predicted a merger as early as ten years ago. He thinks that the Californian system could also work in the province of South Holland. The University of California is the central body, consisting of ten campuses, such as Berkeley and UCLA, which have a fairly large amount of operating freedom. De Voogd warns that Leiden, Rotterdam and Delft should keep their own names and identities, however, like Berkeley and UCLU. “Otherwise internal resistance will be widespread.”

Laura Jansen deed het met Kings of Leon (‘Use somebody’), Jeff Buckley met Leonard Cohen (‘Hallelujah’) en Sheryl Crow deed het met Cat Stevens (‘The first cut is the deepest’). O, en Britney Spears deed het met Joan Jett (‘I love rock ‘n roll’), maar dan iets minder geslaagd. Niets doet het beter op een feestje dan een goede cover. Een gouden greep dus van Belgisch biercafé Belvédère op de Beestenmarkt om een compleet coverfestival te organiseren ter ere van zijn vijfjarig bestaan. Een bedankje voor de gasten en medewerkers, en gewoon een leuk nieuw initiatief – want dat kan Delft natuurlijk altijd wel gebruiken.

Zo breed als het publiek van Belvédère is, zo breed moet ook het repertoire zijn. Dus speelt er een speciale kinderband, verzorgt het Delfts Dansorkest de aftrap en is er – natuurlijk – een optreden van de bekendste Delftse coverband Doggybag. Een beetje Delftse student heeft ze al lang gespot tijdens het Design in Delft Festival en de Kerstspecials in Speakers, waar Doggybag zelfs Mariah Carey in een hardrockend jasje kreeg. Dat belooft wat voor zaterdag. Zeker is alvast dat ze de grootste hits spelen van U2, Robbie Williams, Coldplay en White Stripes. Ook leuk: de instrumentale covers van gitaarduo Hear2Play tijdens het diner (mosselen met een Belgisch biertje!).
Lekker jazzy en dé perfecte voorbereiding op de knalfuif van de Haagse feestband Session, vanaf 20.00 uur. De negen leden hebben maar één doel: het dak moet eraf. Ze zijn niet bang voor een beetje wansmaak, en spelen een mix van pophits (Donna Summer, Madonna), dance (Cascada), rock (Queen, Anouk) en Nederlandstalige nummers (André Hazes, Bløf, Van Dik Hout).

Mét stijl, dat wel, want ze hebben allemaal het conservatorium gevolgd. Niet zo gek dus dat je ze dit jaar ook wekelijks op de televisie kon zien, tijdens ‘The voice of Holland’ en ‘De Heeren van Amstel live’. En dat terwijl ze amper vijf jaar geleden begonnen met een optreden voor – jawel – Delftse studenten.
De reacties op het Beestenmarkt Coverfestival zijn volgens Belvédère nu al zo enthousiast, dat de kroeg overweegt er een jaarlijks terugkerend evenement van te maken. Bon plan. Zo hoef je je terrasstoeltje in hartje centrum dagenlang niet te verlaten, want de volgende dag is er de Kelnerrace – óók altijd goed voor een paar uurtjes lachen. Gevolgd door het Barkeepersgala in Speakers trouwens, waar je alweer de kans krijgt mee te zingen. Maar dan op een echt podium, compleet met begeleiding van coverduo Devils in Disguise. Beter goed gejat dan slecht verzonnen tenslotte, en je hebt pas echt gefeest als je het zonder stem kunt navertellen. 

Beestenmarkt Coverfestival. Op zaterdag 4 september van 11.00 tot 23.00 uur. www.bbcbelvedere.nl

BSc clinical technology
The universities of Twente and Eindhoven already offer Bachelor’s degrees in clinical or (bio)medical technology. In Delft, Professor Frans van der Helm (3mE) first wants to have an official recognition of the profession. Meanwhile, he is working on the curriculum with Erasmus MC and LUMC. He aims to start this new Bachelor’s study in 2013. 

Supervision
In a letter to the editor of ‘Delta’, TU Delft’s Works Council said sharper supervision is necessary when assignments are given to external parties, and secondary employment should be more strictly registered. This letter was in response to the conflict of interest case involving TU Delft’s Dean Marco Waas, who was reported to have been involved in six transactions involving two of his wife’s companies, for a total amount of three-quarters of a million euros. 

Educational quality
Secretary of State, Halbe Zijlstra, recently stated that students should not give up their studies so often and should graduate earlier. Moreover, colleges and universities should have better teachers, and universities will receive extra funding if they manage to achieve these objectives. BSc coordinator at the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Henk Kuipers, warns that the quality of education should be of the same level or even higher. Meanwhile, director of education of the faculty of Applied Sciences, Rob Mudde, is not afraid of drops in educational quality: “The first thing my colleagues say when I begin talking about raising the study flow is: ‘Oh, so you want me to lower the level? I will not do that’. I agree. Do not do that.”

Time limit
Immigrants to the Netherlands must pass integration tests in order to be allowed to reside permanently in the country. Now the government has stated that such immigrants must take and pass this test within three years of arriving in the country or else have their residency rights relinquished. Asylum seekers who take but fail the test will be fined, and they must also pay all costs associated with the integration test.

Accreditation
A commission of the Netherlands-Flemish Organization for Accreditation (NVAO) will visit TU Delft next week to check whether the university is in control of its own policy regarding educational quality. The commission will meet with the TU’s Executive Board and delegations of employees and students. Anyone who wishes to comment on the way the university has managed the quality of its education can attend a consultation hour on Thursday, June 30, between 15:00 and 16:00, at Jaffalaan 9a, room A1.050. Please register: a.vanneygen

Research award
While most hydrologists focus on the scale of river basins, PhD Student Ruud van der Ent (Civil Engineering & Geosciences) created global maps showing the sources of atmospheric moisture on a world scale. For his article, ‘Origin and fate of atmospheric moisture over continents’, he received the Research Award for Young Scientists from the World Meteorological Organization.