Study abroadDutch Under-Secretary for Education Mark Rutte is now also considering whether to give student financial grants to students who choose to study in the US or Japan.
If all goes to plan, as of 2007, Dutch students can ‘take’ their student financial aid grants with them if they go to study in other EU countries. But now the Dutch political party, D66, is calling for greater flexibility and wants Rutte to explain why this export of student financial aid grants is restricted to EU countries only.
@01 kort nieuws kopje:Essay Prize
In an attempt to stimulate students to explore modern-day problems relating to peace, security, human rights and justice, in the Netherlands and the rest of the world, the Netherlands National Heritage Foundation, called ‘Hotel De Wereld’, awards an annual Essay Prize. The theme of the essay for 2006 is: ‘How can the Netherlands best promote peace in the world?’ The winner of the Essay Prize will be awarded € 1,000. The writers of the three next best essays will win a prize of € 250 each. The wining essays will also be published by the Foundation. The prizes will be awarded at a symposium organized to mark the International Day of Peace on 21 September 2006. Students in university and (international) higher vocational education are warmly invited to compete for the Essay Prize. The essays can be written in Dutch or English. The essays must be submitted before 1 June 2006. Foreign students are invited to take part. The essay may not exceed 4,000 words and should be accompanied by a summary of a maximum of 100 words. For more information, email: hotel-dewerld @planet.nl.
Meteorites
While it isn’t something you immediately expect from a technological university, in April TU Delft’s 3ME Faculty will host a symposium on meteorites. The connection to TU Delft is research of the Gibeon iron meteorite being carried out by TU metallurgist Jilt Sietsma and Wouter Rittel, a former TU student. The meteorite is a unique experiment in nature, because the hunk of iron cools off for a million years before it smashes into earth. A notable guest at this symposium will be renowned Canadian metal expert, John Jonas.
@01 kort nieuws kopje:Hearing glasses
TU Delft can claim credit for inventing an ingenious new hearing aid in the form of a pair of glasses. The hearing-glasses are called, Varibel, and cannot be compared to traditional hearing aids. In each leg of the Varibel’s frame there is a row of four tiny, interconnected microphones, which selectively intensify the sounds that come from the front, while dampening the surrounding noise. This allows the user to separate desired sounds from undesired background noise. Approximately 275,000 people in the Netherlands currently use a hearing aid.
Creativity required
Leading technological institutions are not enough to save the economy. In addition to technology, creativity and knowledge of the market are also required. Engineers need the help of social and business experts. These are the conclusions of Joop Sistermans, head of the Advisory Board for Scientific & Technological Policy (AWT) and a member of the Innovation Platform, and TU Delft Professor of Innovation Management Guus Berkhout. Writing in the Dutch business newspaper, Financieele Dagblad, they said “the question is whether a top technological institution is indeed the most effective solution, if the final objective is innovation.” Top institutes are great, Sistermans said, but the knowledge must also come onto the market. “You can find leading knowledge practically all over the world. The economy that will win however must above all be more creative than the competition. For this creativity, we need experts in business and social sciences.”
Study abroad
Dutch Under-Secretary for Education Mark Rutte is now also considering whether to give student financial grants to students who choose to study in the US or Japan. If all goes to plan, as of 2007, Dutch students can ‘take’ their student financial aid grants with them if they go to study in other EU countries. But now the Dutch political party, D66, is calling for greater flexibility and wants Rutte to explain why this export of student financial aid grants is restricted to EU countries only.
@01 kort nieuws kopje:Essay Prize
In an attempt to stimulate students to explore modern-day problems relating to peace, security, human rights and justice, in the Netherlands and the rest of the world, the Netherlands National Heritage Foundation, called ‘Hotel De Wereld’, awards an annual Essay Prize. The theme of the essay for 2006 is: ‘How can the Netherlands best promote peace in the world?’ The winner of the Essay Prize will be awarded € 1,000. The writers of the three next best essays will win a prize of € 250 each. The wining essays will also be published by the Foundation. The prizes will be awarded at a symposium organized to mark the International Day of Peace on 21 September 2006. Students in university and (international) higher vocational education are warmly invited to compete for the Essay Prize. The essays can be written in Dutch or English. The essays must be submitted before 1 June 2006. Foreign students are invited to take part. The essay may not exceed 4,000 words and should be accompanied by a summary of a maximum of 100 words. For more information, email: hotel-dewerld @planet.nl.
Meteorites
While it isn’t something you immediately expect from a technological university, in April TU Delft’s 3ME Faculty will host a symposium on meteorites. The connection to TU Delft is research of the Gibeon iron meteorite being carried out by TU metallurgist Jilt Sietsma and Wouter Rittel, a former TU student. The meteorite is a unique experiment in nature, because the hunk of iron cools off for a million years before it smashes into earth. A notable guest at this symposium will be renowned Canadian metal expert, John Jonas.
@01 kort nieuws kopje:Hearing glasses
TU Delft can claim credit for inventing an ingenious new hearing aid in the form of a pair of glasses. The hearing-glasses are called, Varibel, and cannot be compared to traditional hearing aids. In each leg of the Varibel’s frame there is a row of four tiny, interconnected microphones, which selectively intensify the sounds that come from the front, while dampening the surrounding noise. This allows the user to separate desired sounds from undesired background noise. Approximately 275,000 people in the Netherlands currently use a hearing aid.
Creativity required
Leading technological institutions are not enough to save the economy. In addition to technology, creativity and knowledge of the market are also required. Engineers need the help of social and business experts. These are the conclusions of Joop Sistermans, head of the Advisory Board for Scientific & Technological Policy (AWT) and a member of the Innovation Platform, and TU Delft Professor of Innovation Management Guus Berkhout. Writing in the Dutch business newspaper, Financieele Dagblad, they said “the question is whether a top technological institution is indeed the most effective solution, if the final objective is innovation.” Top institutes are great, Sistermans said, but the knowledge must also come onto the market. “You can find leading knowledge practically all over the world. The economy that will win however must above all be more creative than the competition. For this creativity, we need experts in business and social sciences.”
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