Dies natalisThe theme of TU Delft’s 163rd dies natalis celebration concentrated on 100 years of Einstein and Electrical Engineering in Delft.
The focus was on the changes in scientific research and the challenges of the future. The fact that Einstein’s most important papers were published 100 years ago prompted Rector Magnificus, J.T Fokkema, to choose the topic of the context of research at that time, compared to current and future research contexts. In his speech, Professor Fokkema discussed society’s expectations and the many challenges these present for engineers doing scientific research. These challenges are very different from 100 years ago. Society is no longer surprised by scientific discoveries, Fokkema argued, but rather demands them, and that puts a lot of pressure on today’s engineer. TU Executive Board president, G.J. van Luijk, spoke about the role TU Delft will play in shaping the future and reminded the audience of urgent questions confronting the next generation in the field of energy and water. One hundred years ago, Delft offered its first course in the field of electrical engineering.
Brain drain
America’s ability to attract the world’s best students is slipping. Foreign students contribute $13 billion to the American economy annually. But 2004 revealed that the United States’ dominance of international higher education may be ending. Foreign applications to American graduate schools declined 28 percent. Enrollments of all foreign students, in undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral programs, also fell for the first time in three decades. Partly this was due to post-Sept. 11 delays in processing student visas, which have discouraged student from the Middle East and other nations from enrolling in the U.S. American educators say visa difficulties are helping foreign schools increase their market share. Europe is now a rising player in the global education market, as are India and China. India and China currently supply the most students for U.S. universities. Many Chinese students pursue the science disciplines that set off a protracted U.S. screening process known as Visa Mantis, intended to prevent the transfer of sensitive technology. Last year more than half of all the Visa Mantis investigations worldwide involved Chinese students.
Dutch ‘Canyons’
Areas alongside main roads in cities are often lost space. Because of traffic noise, this land is seldom built on. TU PhD Evert de Ruiter, who defended his thesis last week, proposed utilizing this land effectively by building so-called ‘city canyons’. Creating a city canyon means building uninterrupted, high housing units alongside main roads. These buildings form a sound screen. A network of these buildings creates ‘acoustic polders’, quiet areas protected from noise by the buildings acting as sonic dykes.
Year of the Bridge
Techniek Museum Delft has dubbed 2005 the ‘Year of the Bridge’, unveiling a new exposition called ‘To the other side’. A museum is often a place where you can look but not touch. At the Techniek Museum Delft, things are different. This interactive exposition will include various activities that show how bridges have been important through the ages. A bridge is not only a means of getting from one side to the other. A bridge can have a great influence on the economy and welfare of an area and can also lead to cultural changes. Bridges are also of strategic value in times of war. But a bridge must also be built well. During the exposition, the visitor will discover these and other facts about bridges. Techniek Museum Delft has developed bridge building workshops and educational programmes that can be implemented at primary and secondary schools. There will also be workshops at the museum for individual visitors.
Dies natalis
The theme of TU Delft’s 163rd dies natalis celebration concentrated on 100 years of Einstein and Electrical Engineering in Delft. The focus was on the changes in scientific research and the challenges of the future. The fact that Einstein’s most important papers were published 100 years ago prompted Rector Magnificus, J.T Fokkema, to choose the topic of the context of research at that time, compared to current and future research contexts. In his speech, Professor Fokkema discussed society’s expectations and the many challenges these present for engineers doing scientific research. These challenges are very different from 100 years ago. Society is no longer surprised by scientific discoveries, Fokkema argued, but rather demands them, and that puts a lot of pressure on today’s engineer. TU Executive Board president, G.J. van Luijk, spoke about the role TU Delft will play in shaping the future and reminded the audience of urgent questions confronting the next generation in the field of energy and water. One hundred years ago, Delft offered its first course in the field of electrical engineering.
Brain drain
America’s ability to attract the world’s best students is slipping. Foreign students contribute $13 billion to the American economy annually. But 2004 revealed that the United States’ dominance of international higher education may be ending. Foreign applications to American graduate schools declined 28 percent. Enrollments of all foreign students, in undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral programs, also fell for the first time in three decades. Partly this was due to post-Sept. 11 delays in processing student visas, which have discouraged student from the Middle East and other nations from enrolling in the U.S. American educators say visa difficulties are helping foreign schools increase their market share. Europe is now a rising player in the global education market, as are India and China. India and China currently supply the most students for U.S. universities. Many Chinese students pursue the science disciplines that set off a protracted U.S. screening process known as Visa Mantis, intended to prevent the transfer of sensitive technology. Last year more than half of all the Visa Mantis investigations worldwide involved Chinese students.
Dutch ‘Canyons’
Areas alongside main roads in cities are often lost space. Because of traffic noise, this land is seldom built on. TU PhD Evert de Ruiter, who defended his thesis last week, proposed utilizing this land effectively by building so-called ‘city canyons’. Creating a city canyon means building uninterrupted, high housing units alongside main roads. These buildings form a sound screen. A network of these buildings creates ‘acoustic polders’, quiet areas protected from noise by the buildings acting as sonic dykes.
Year of the Bridge
Techniek Museum Delft has dubbed 2005 the ‘Year of the Bridge’, unveiling a new exposition called ‘To the other side’. A museum is often a place where you can look but not touch. At the Techniek Museum Delft, things are different. This interactive exposition will include various activities that show how bridges have been important through the ages. A bridge is not only a means of getting from one side to the other. A bridge can have a great influence on the economy and welfare of an area and can also lead to cultural changes. Bridges are also of strategic value in times of war. But a bridge must also be built well. During the exposition, the visitor will discover these and other facts about bridges. Techniek Museum Delft has developed bridge building workshops and educational programmes that can be implemented at primary and secondary schools. There will also be workshops at the museum for individual visitors.
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