Education

Nibs

Nobel physicsAmericans David Gross, David Politzer and Frank Wilczeck won the 2004 Nobel Prize in physics for their work in the discovery and exploration of the force that binds particles inside an atomic nucleus.

This research has helped science come closer to formulating “a theory for everything,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said. The trio are researchers at the University of California (Santa Barbara), the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They were cited for their important theoretical discoveries “concerning the strong force,” the academy said. “The strong force is the one that is dominant in the atomic nucleus, acting between the quarks inside the proton and the neutron.” Their discoveries, published in 1973, led to the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). “This theory was an important contribution to the Standard Model, the theory that describes all physics connected with the electromagnetic force (which acts between charged particles), the weak force (which is important for the sun’s energy production) and the strong force (which acts between quarks).”
Study pressure

Veterinary medicine, industrial design, theatre school: these degree programs all require more than 40 hours of study per week. Meanwhile. students at the business ‘hogeschool‘, InHolland Diemen, say they don’t need to study for more than 20 hours per week. Researchers from research centre Choice surveyed 20,000 students, asking them to estimate the number of hours they spent studying each week. Industrial design may be well-known for its long study hours, but a low percentage of design students succeed in graduating on time. At TU Delft, only four percent of industrial designers graduate after six years. After eight years, that number rises to 53 percent. “We just can’t make the study-load lighter,” said an Industrial Design department academic advisor. “All studies in Delft have a low percentage of students who graduate in time. It is difficult to study and employers have certain expectations of our students.”
Tech Day 2004

Technology Day 2004 promises thought-provoking discussions and presentations. As a meeting point for alumni, students and staff, and corporate and government leaders, it’s also a great place to network. This year’s theme is ‘Life with Risks’. The event aims to bring together TU Delft’s alumni, students and staff in order to promote interaction between them and the outside world, namely, corporate representatives and the government. Den Haag’s Mayor W. J. Deetman will speak, followed by research presentations and a series of parallel sessions, including a reading on ‘Safe Construction with Glass’; a master class in ‘Analysis of Accidents’; a discussion on the ‘Acceptance of Risks’; and an excursion to a student racing team’s workshop; an excursion focused on ‘Carefree Navigation Systems in Aerospace’; and a forum on ‘Risks in Healthcare’. Technology Day is on Saturday, 6 November, in the Aula. Registration is free, but register via the website before October 15.

www.technologiedag.tudelft.nl
Super-fast

The super-fast European research network, Geant, will receive 93 million euro from the European Commission over the next four years. The money is earmarked for improving and renewing the network. The project is part of the EU’s ‘Sixth Framework Programme’, which is aimed at improving high-performance services. This means that researchers from Island to the Caucasus will receive their own wavelengths and direct access to Geant and the European national research network. Dutch researchers are connected to Geant via Surfnet.
Feedback

If you’d like to comment on anything appearing on the English Page or on a university-related matter, or if you have a question or suggestion for us, send your emails to d.mcmullin@tudelft.nl. We’re happy to receive feedback from our readers. Letters intended for publication should include your name and be no longer than 250 words. This edition of Delta is also available online at www.delta.tudelft.nl, where you can access the English Page archive.

Nobel physics

Americans David Gross, David Politzer and Frank Wilczeck won the 2004 Nobel Prize in physics for their work in the discovery and exploration of the force that binds particles inside an atomic nucleus. This research has helped science come closer to formulating “a theory for everything,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said. The trio are researchers at the University of California (Santa Barbara), the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They were cited for their important theoretical discoveries “concerning the strong force,” the academy said. “The strong force is the one that is dominant in the atomic nucleus, acting between the quarks inside the proton and the neutron.” Their discoveries, published in 1973, led to the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). “This theory was an important contribution to the Standard Model, the theory that describes all physics connected with the electromagnetic force (which acts between charged particles), the weak force (which is important for the sun’s energy production) and the strong force (which acts between quarks).”
Study pressure

Veterinary medicine, industrial design, theatre school: these degree programs all require more than 40 hours of study per week. Meanwhile. students at the business ‘hogeschool‘, InHolland Diemen, say they don’t need to study for more than 20 hours per week. Researchers from research centre Choice surveyed 20,000 students, asking them to estimate the number of hours they spent studying each week. Industrial design may be well-known for its long study hours, but a low percentage of design students succeed in graduating on time. At TU Delft, only four percent of industrial designers graduate after six years. After eight years, that number rises to 53 percent. “We just can’t make the study-load lighter,” said an Industrial Design department academic advisor. “All studies in Delft have a low percentage of students who graduate in time. It is difficult to study and employers have certain expectations of our students.”
Tech Day 2004

Technology Day 2004 promises thought-provoking discussions and presentations. As a meeting point for alumni, students and staff, and corporate and government leaders, it’s also a great place to network. This year’s theme is ‘Life with Risks’. The event aims to bring together TU Delft’s alumni, students and staff in order to promote interaction between them and the outside world, namely, corporate representatives and the government. Den Haag’s Mayor W. J. Deetman will speak, followed by research presentations and a series of parallel sessions, including a reading on ‘Safe Construction with Glass’; a master class in ‘Analysis of Accidents’; a discussion on the ‘Acceptance of Risks’; and an excursion to a student racing team’s workshop; an excursion focused on ‘Carefree Navigation Systems in Aerospace’; and a forum on ‘Risks in Healthcare’. Technology Day is on Saturday, 6 November, in the Aula. Registration is free, but register via the website before October 15.

www.technologiedag.tudelft.nl
Super-fast

The super-fast European research network, Geant, will receive 93 million euro from the European Commission over the next four years. The money is earmarked for improving and renewing the network. The project is part of the EU’s ‘Sixth Framework Programme’, which is aimed at improving high-performance services. This means that researchers from Island to the Caucasus will receive their own wavelengths and direct access to Geant and the European national research network. Dutch researchers are connected to Geant via Surfnet.
Feedback

If you’d like to comment on anything appearing on the English Page or on a university-related matter, or if you have a question or suggestion for us, send your emails to d.mcmullin@tudelft.nl. We’re happy to receive feedback from our readers. Letters intended for publication should include your name and be no longer than 250 words. This edition of Delta is also available online at www.delta.tudelft.nl, where you can access the English Page archive.

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