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15 3 April 2014 | year 56

Biweekly magazine of the Eindhoven University of Technology For the latest news: www.cursor.tue.nl/en and follow @TUeCursor_news on

Executive Board: clickers not unlawful Wednesday 2 April - Should the sixty euros students pay for their clickers be part of their tuition fees, or is it course material? The Eindhoven Student Council (ESR) feels the former is the case, and for that reason argues that clickers cannot be mandatory.

The Executive Board, on the other hand, doesn’t agree: a clicker is course material, as are books and lab coats.

ESR thinks the clickers are unlawful, which is why it decided to write a letter to the Executive Board seven weeks ago. At last Monday’s University Council meeting (March 31), the Executive Board gave a first reaction to ESR’s letter and promised to respond in writing soon.

Microwaving y in MetaForum our own meal

Monday 31 March - The first floor of MetaForum will be likely later this we equipped with a mi ek. Users of the bu crowave, most ilding can use it to request of the Ein heat their own me dhoven Student Co als. Upon uncil, Internal Affa microwave. The mi irs has agreed to crowave will be pl a pilot with the aced near the coun stairs from the ca ter with cutlery an feteria. There will d plates up the be cleaning agents an leave the microwa d wipes as well, so ve the way they fo users may un d it afterwards. Afte and the Eindhoven r two months, Inte Student Council wi rnal Affairs ll evaluate the us e of the new micro wave.

Solar technology tests on low rise Vertigo Wednesday 26 March - Last Wednesday saw the start of the construction of a small building on the low rise of Vertigo. The roof of the new building has built-in solar cells and solar collectors. According to the initiators, it will be the first-ever research facility in the Netherlands that focuses on building-integrated solar technology.

Five more test facilities will follow. In the next few years, the Department of Built Environment and the Solar Energy Application Center will conduct research in the new buildings. This very first construction is meant to study the heating of solar panels, and the air behind the panels.

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Cashless payment: test at TU/e sports center Wednesday April 2 - On Monday, April 7, the Student Sports Center will launch a pilot for cashless payment. A thousand users will be able to pay with a digital wallet through a sticker they can stick onto their cell phone, for example. TU/e is currently investigating the possibilities for a new, campus-wide payment system, since ‘chipknip’ payment will no longer be available from January 2015.

Sports center director Wim Koch hopes the cashless system will reduce the amount of cash in the SSC, and speed up the payment process. The pilot will run until summer, and possibly until the start of the new academic year in September.

Playful campaign low-hanging boards in lecture theaters Tuesday 25 March - It’s a well-known joke at Mathematics & Computer Science - the cunning way to get students to sit in the front of the lecture theater. But in reality, the low smartboards and blackboards in the MetaForum lecture halls are a daily nuisance, says initiator Kees Huizing - all the more reason to take action. Therefore the campaign Bord voor je kop (part of a Dutch expression meaning ‘to be thick-skinned’) was set up by members of the Departmental Council. Scene of action: several lecture theaters at MetaForum.

The Departmental Council already brought up the issue with the Departmental Board a while ago, but without result. The campaigners want to gain as much support as possible.

With their collection of digital endorsements they want to urge the Executive Board to find a solution.

More news on www.cursor.tue.nl/en

Difficulties in learning Dutch language in The Netherlands

In the early stage of learning Dutch, the most difficult phase I discovered was to actually practice it outside. In the beginning, I always took the time to collect all my vocab to construct a sentence but almost every time this determination of speaking badly jolted when the locals responded in English (and ironically they thought they were actually helping me).

After experiencing many failed attempts of speaking (broken) Dutch and receiving replies in English at the university, I observed that even the supermarkets were no different. Hence making the learning trajectory highly difficult.

The Netherlands are among the most expat friendly countries. One of the prime reasons of this high density of expats is the hospitality of the local people and their welcoming nature towards speaking English.

For an expat, the motivation to learn a language arises when either he is a linguiphile (a person who loves languages) or simply when he is ‘forced’

to learn the language. As a student, I never experienced this ‘push-to-learn’ in The Netherlands as overall living is very comfortable and enjoyable without any expertise of Dutch language.

Apart from a working and business perspective there are also many good reasons to learn the language from the cultural integration and social viewpoint.

Now, after my studies, since I am employed (as a PhD), I face difficulties with different tax-related issues. Unfortunately there is no English translation for most of the tax forms and furthermore the tax office refuses to talk English. So every time I have to look for my Dutch colleagues (thankfully they are always available) to resolve my tax matters.

As a student, I had enjoyed the escape, but now for all the good reasons I have re-started my Dutch learning journey.

Mohsin Si

raj, PhD ca nd Engineerinidate Electrical g

22 | Zoom in

3 April 2014

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Moving On: When Expats Go Home Text | Angela Daley Photo | Bart van Overbeeke “I changed a lot. I have different ideas and a different way of thinking. I’ve become a sort of middle person between China and the West.” Zhi Liu (Mechanical Engineering) returned to Shanghai in 2012 but her time in Eindhoven has left an indelible stamp on her personality. When you move to another country you don’t only change your address. You’re new address also changes you. And it’s a transformation you’ll only grasp once you return home.

Going home. Those two little words can conjure up a maelstrom of emotions; joy, stress, regret, relief, nostalgia and dread. But when you live life as an expat, the very description of your existence implies that one day, sometime in the not-too-distant future, you’ll return to whence you came.

You’ll pack your bags, kiss friends goodbye and say farewell to the country that’s become your new -albeit temporary- home. What will it be like? Will home still feel like home? How will it really feel to say “tot ziens”?

I was happy to come home. I wanted to see my mother and my friends.

The first month was like a holiday.

But then after that, I realized that things had changed also. Somehow you expect that everything will be the same when you come home.

But people have moved on. Your friends have started a new life.

It was hard for me. I just felt out of place.”

“The first weeks, it was disappointing because everyone was just doing the same things they had been doing before”, says Dutch Master’s student Thomas Prevoo (Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences) about his return to Eindhoven in June 2013. Prevoo studied abroad in Singapore for six months and found that coming home was tougher than he expected. “I felt a little lonely because I had to get used to studying again, to living normal daily life. It was completely different in Singapore. When I wasn’t studying, I was meeting new people and doing new stuff.”

Ask anyone who’s repatriated for the first time and you’re bound to hear the same sentiment over and over. “It’s so boring. I don’t fit in.

Life here is too easy. ” So, what’s going on? What is it about living abroad that makes you feel like home isn’t where your heart is anymore? Dr. Nan Sussman is a professor of psychology at City University of New York and an expert in expatriation and repatriation.

She explains, “People who choose to live in another country have a high risk-taking tolerance. They get a thrill-seeking high when they live overseas. Even the most ordinary activity, like buying groceries, becomes an adventure. But when expats return, everything at home seems so mundane, boring, and easy.”

Former TU/e Master’s student Barbara García Miravete Quintana (Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences) from Mexico can relate.

After three years in Eindhoven, she returned to her home country last September. “In some part,

Thomas Prevoo was only in Singapore for six months, but even a short period abroad can make you feel out of step with your home culture.

“You start comparing everything to your life before”, he explains.

“Eindhoven looked more like a

small town to me. Everything looked dull compared to everything I had been doing in Singapore. It took me awhile to get back in the game again.”

“Everything looked dull in Eindhoven” “Part of what makes repatriation difficult is that it’s unexpected.

You think ‘I’m going home. It’s my language, my food, my culture’.

But then you end up feeling disconnected, like you don’t fit in.

You look for an explanation for why it’s so difficult”, explains Dr. Sussman, adding “For the vast majority, repatriation is more difficult than expatriation because when you go abroad, you’re prepared for everything to be different.”

Repatriates beware - the search for an answer to your distress can turn out to be life-altering. The unexpected alienation and stress of returning home can often lead to a misinterpretation of emotions, warns Dr. Sussman: “There’s a high percentage of people who quit their jobs. There’s also a fairly high divorce rate with returnees. They think ‘I’m unhappy. It must be my job. It must be my marriage.’”

This is where younger people (such as undergraduate students) might have one up on their older counterparts. Local expat psychologist Suzana Cvetkovic explains: “When you’re young, your identity isn’t completely formed and this can be helpful. You can assimilate more easily and you’re more willing to adapt yourself.” In other words, the transition of life abroad and the return back home might go more smoothly for a young person.

When it comes to repatriation, knowledge is power - simply knowing to expect some pitfalls upon your return home can help ameliorate the process. Researchers of repatriation estimate that re-adjustment to your home culture can take anywhere from a year to a year and a half. So, if you feel depressed/bored/frustrated or just plain sad for way longer than you ever imagined you would, take comfort in the fact that it’s totally normal.

“I really miss my bike” Zhi Liu works for a Dutch company’s Shanghai office and explains that her experiences at TU/e have forever altered her outlook: “Sometimes I think, ‘If I was in Holland, things would be done in this way. But then I have to remember: it’s done differently here in China.” Even daily habits acquired in your new host country can leave a lingering impression when you return home. Quintana especially misses one Dutch custom: “I really miss my bike.

Compared to Eindhoven, my city is really large. We don’t have the knowledge here to respect bikes.

Now, I have to use a car or public transportation. I don’t feel that freedom anymore. In the Netherlands, I was more independent.”

“The crux of it is that you change while you’re overseas. You’re not aware of how much you’ve changed until you get home. You don’t fit in as well”, explains Dr. Sussman.

For those of you who’ve been abroad for a long time now, here’s some food for thought: there’s even a sort of expat urban myth claiming that seven years abroad is the magic number. After that, your chances of adjusting to home are limited. (A sobering thought for

yours truly who’s lived outside the USA now for 8 ½ years, ed.)

Many students and academics find that going abroad isn’t always a one-time thing. New chances for further study or career oppor­ tunities often keep people moving from place to place. So, what about moving on? Will it also be full of unexpected ordeals? Not really, says Dr. Sussman, because “people who go on multiple assignments tend to develop a global identity.

They learn fairly quickly how to adjust in each place. Also, the new country will still offer thrills and challenges.”

But if your path is taking you home soon, don’t worry. Repatriation doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. Maybe the readjustment to home is as simple as maintaining a positive attitude and reflecting on all you’ve gained by exploring the globe. Thomas Prevoo’s Singapore stint has given him a new appreciation for his ‘Kikkerlandje’: “One of the best things about going abroad was getting a different perspective. After you’ve seen poverty in Asia, you know that life in the Netherlands isn’t bad at all.

We’re open here, you can do what you want and our standard of living is very high. Life here is pretty good.”

Quintana offers a last bit of advice for the soon-to-be returnee, “I think there are two ways to handle it - you can take the things you learned there and use them to enhance your life or you can complain. But then you don’t enjoy the life you have.”

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3 April 2014

Growing within the Text | Judith van Gaal Photo | Bart van Overbeeke An obligatory stay abroad. Only attend subjects good for 5 or 2.5 credits. Anyone who starts their Master’s degree program in 2015 or later may face this likely situation. Lots of work is being done in the wings to fill in the details of the Graduate School, which is to amalgamate everything coming after the Bachelor’s degree at TU/e. More space for options, ‘students at the center’, gaining international experience and a better transfer to PDEng programs, a PhD path or a job are the main ingredients.

“We are all committed to delivering the engineers of the future. Due to the introduction of the Bachelor College the influx into the Master’s programs has become more diversified and we need to adjust our educational system to that.

Students have their own profiles and we want to facilitate a better fit with the Master phase.” So says prof. dr. ir. Jan Fransoo, who has since the end of 2013 been the dean of the Graduate School and is also professor of Operations, Planning and Control. He is spending two days a week working on the organization of the new teaching approach and appears on stage at a moment when a lot of preliminary work has been completed and the focus has been determined.

“Master first step in career instead of last step studies” Within the Graduate School all the education comes after the Bachelor phase, which is a rather unusual setup within Europe. Fransoo: “We are involving the Master phase, because we want to position it differently: closer to the PhD and PDEng programs than in the Bachelor. We need to regard the Master as a first step in a career rather than the last one in students’ studies.”

The chief points from the educational vision for the Graduate School are the pursuit of excellence, internatio­ nalization, a coaching role of lecturers and the delivery of engineers with broader training.

In 2013 a taskforce consisting of students and staff members made a rough copy of the curriculum of the Graduate School. An earlier consultation among deans produced a list of priorities that Fransoo could get to work with.

The first and at once the most urgent priority is the review of the Master’s study programs. Fransoo: “In September 2015 the first Bachelor students will begin on their Master’s programs. This implies that the outline of the Master’s programs must be ready by this summer, so that there is enough time left to organize the timetable and establish the curriculum.”

Master students and lecturers will be confronted with a number of changes. The main ones are listed below, and Jan Fransoo provides an explanation: More space for options. “We want to train graduates for the industry who have a broader profile. The starting point of the Graduate School is that students should make their own choices - in which they are supervised. Students occupy center stage. All other choices for the Graduate School are derived from this. The number of set subjects will account for a maximum of 30 credits. A maximum, which means that this may also be 0 - as is the case for certain programs at present. The intention is to reserve at least 15 credits for free options, which may be fleshed out by an internship or free elective courses.

Non-TU/e students, such as students from abroad whose previous education is not fully in line with the requirements, can also use this space in order to attain the desired level.”

All subjects consist of 5 or 2.5 credits and are given within one quartile.

“We want to link up better with the Bachelor College, where this procedure is already being used.

We wish to create clarity for new students and make it easier to attend subjects at other departments.

For example, there are students who need to follow some more Bachelor subjects. In that case it would be practical if they have the same substance as the Master

subjects. To avoid fragmentation most subjects will account for five credits. On the other hand, we want to allow a limited number of subjects of 2.5 credits to accommodate part-time lecturers and highly specialized disciplines.” Subjects of three ECs will be allowed until September 2017.

All Master students must gather experience abroad.

“We consider it crucial that TU/e delivers students with international experience. This requirement can be fleshed out by the courses themselves. They are free to decide whether it involves an internship abroad or attending subjects in a foreign country. In the beginning in particular we shall handle this with clemency, especially if a student has a good reason for not going - for instance if there is an issue in the private atmosphere. Not wanting it is not a valid reason for not going.”

International students do not need to go abroad anymore, though, because they are already gathering their international experience in the Netherlands.

Lecturer as mentor. “The idea is to link every Master student to a mentor at the end of a quartile or semester. That person is often the same one as the graduation supervisor. Lecturers will be given a broader role and will coach students in the direction of their careers.

While some of the lecturers are already doing so, others are not and are consciously staying away from that. We want to facilitate this for lecturers as best we can.

Their coaching role will differ from the coaching role in the Bachelor College; there will be a much stronger intrinsic link and primary responsibility will lie with the student. There is no intention, for that matter, for lecturers also to get involved with professional skills.”

Attention to the development of skills. “We have defined a set of some thirty skills, and will start with around seven of these. Think of skills like writing, presenting, consultation and influencing. Via an assessment we want to see how far students have progressed and what else they need. We are elaborating a number of these things with the Education and Student Service Center. We have to cope with very limited budgets so we cannot afford to employ twenty trainers. Therefore we are considering the possibility of having PDEng diploma holders train students in cooperation so that they can in turn gather experience with leadership. We are also looking into online training options.”

Better fit with PhD and PDEng study program. “It must become easier to transfer from the Master to a PhD or PDEng path. Condensed PhD paths have featured in the deliberations and I cannot say that everybody is of the same opinion on that issue.

We need to look into that further.

What we do agree on is that quality is the standard. It is quite possible that we would have a setup in which excellence paths include doctorate students already following some subjects for their PhD, so that they could complete that path a little sooner.”

Fransoo also has the task to ensure that we get more international students. “Now we have some 250 international Master students coming in every year. That number needs to go up to 1,000 in 2020.

So far we have recruited especially via our network. As a university we are not so old as Delft, for example, which would allow us to achieve the increase in international students and staff members via alumni.

We will continue to utilize our network to the full – think of the provision of grants, visits to institutes and an occasional presence at education fairs. We are going to work more on online marketing in particular to attract more students from abroad.” The Communications Expertise Center is working on a campaign for the international recruitment.

Fransoo is also going to start up the ‘community formation’. “This means that everybody will feel more connected with the university.

Not only students, but also Design Engineers, PhD candidates and alumni. There may be joint activities, for instance. It’s a process that will take years.” The last priority is with what Fransoo calls the governance.

“Who is going to deal with what and what powers does everybody have”, the dean explains. “We must anchor things in our governance.”

For many programs the introduction of the Graduate School implies that the structure and substance of the Master’s program will change.

Fransoo: “Some study programs decide to start with an empty sheet while others carry through marginal adjustments.”

“There’s still a lot of work to be done” Prof. dr. ir. Bart Smolders is Study Program Manager for Electrical Engineering and Manager of the

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Graduate School Graduate Program of the same name. “We see that the influx is becoming more and more diversified and that we need more flexibility in the Master and more individual coaching of students.

Together with the lecturers we shall have to look into the contents of subjects again. Indeed, we only have subjects accounting for three credits and not five. Our deadline for the new curriculum is February 2015 and I think that is feasible.

All in all, though, there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

“Most of our Master students already go in for international internships. I think it will be more difficult, however, to oblige our students with higher professional education backgrounds to go abroad as well. Their time would be better spent by acquiring research skills. Also, we already have quite some international students, but of course we would welcome even more of them. We have noticed that they can use help especially when it comes to professional skills.

Leadership they often find difficult, just like cooperation. We are already offering them a path and will elaborate that further”, says Smolders.

“Our specialization path is already organized rather tightly. We work with a specialization contract, in which agreements are laid down between students and supervisors.

Our aim for the future is to introduce excellence paths in the Master also for students who will next focus on a PhD or PDEng.” Prof. dr. Mark de Berg is Study Program Manager of the Graduate Program Computer Science. In this program several other items will play a role. “Two years ago we introduced quartiles and subjects of five credits. It works better, is more manageable for the planning and for students it is surveyable to focus on three subjects in each quartile. For our multidisciplinary Master’s program there is the issue of students coming in with different backgrounds. You would like to give them the same basis, which may be awkward with a small number of set subjects. Another big challenge is the obligation to gather experience abroad. We see very little of that at present. In that respect we can learn things from other programs.

At Automotive Systems, for instance, they have a very nice system whereby the program facilitates while a lot of responsibility is placed with the student at the same time.

In addition, we have had an honors program in the Master for some six years now and are working on a system in which the student is

coached better in his decisionmaking process. One component of that is that we have defined flows that help students in composing a coherent package. We are still studying how we should tackle the development of the professional skills.”

Last Monday the University Council expressed its concerns about the introduction of the Graduate School. There were questions in particular about the obligation to study abroad and about the introduction of five credits per subject. For one, Groep-één wants to know whether gathering experience abroad will add value for each study program. A member of the personnel party is afraid that students will expect the departments to arrange everything, in view of the obligatory nature.

The Eindhoven Student Council wonders how the quality of the study programs will be assured and all parties also worry about the extra workload. Rector prof. dr. ir. Hans van Duijn reacts by saying that everything is still under construction and promises that the subject will be discussed in greater depth at a later stage.

26 | Research

3 April 2014

4 burning questions 1 ’s on What f your o r e ov ? the c ation t r e s dis

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2 Wh a peo t do yo ple u te a whe t par ll ties n abo ut y they a sk our rese arch ?

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What person, technology, or device has been essential for your research?

Yoeri van de Burgt | Mechanical Engineering Minuscule carbon tubes 1 | cover The cover shows an electron microscope picture of carbon nanotubes. These tubes have a diameter of between 5 and 100 nanometers.

Next to it is a laser beam, which I put there because the growth of the nanotubes was assisted by a laser.

2 | parties My research project focused on creating a unique material, and more specifically on a unique way of producing this material (i.e. the carbon nanotubes, ed.). This nanomaterial has exceptional characteristics that can be of use in flexible electronics, for example. My project focused on optimizing the laser-assisted production of this material.

4 | society benefit In the end, researching new techniques

and materials is essential for making new discoveries. I feel that my work not only contributes to optimizing the production process, but also to a better understanding of the material itself. Both things are extremely important if you want to be able to use the material in future applications eventually. This type of fundamental research lies at the basis of all new technologies and applications.

3 | essential Evidently, the laser has been crucial, which became very apparent when it broke down. But even more indispensable was my supervisor Yves Bellouard. Without all his suggestions, the discussions and brainstorm sessions, I would not be where I am today.

Mayuri Goswami | Mechanical Engineering Burning clean gas for electricity 1 | cover My thesis is about hydrogen and syngas flames, which are 3 | essential clean in nature. This means no or very little pollution or emissions. The cover hence shows blue-green clean flames.

2 | parties Most electricity is generated by burning fuels in power plants. Syngas is a gaseous fuel which can be derived from biomass and is now used in new generation gas turbine power plants, where the fuel is burnt at high pressure. For an efficient burning process (with lower emissions) and high output, such fuels should possess certain properties at high pressure. Laminar burning velocity is one such property that defines how fast a fuel burns. In my thesis, I’ve investigated said property at elevated pressures.

The experimental technique called the ‘Heat Flux Method’ is the backbone of this thesis. It’s a reliable and accurate method for determining laminar burning velocities of fuels. In this thesis, this technique is used at elevated pressures for the first time.

4 | society benefit The data, technique and model provided in this thesis can be applied in optimizing gas turbine combustors. A more efficient combustion system allows for cheaper electricity generation and lower emissions.

Arya Adriansyah | Mathematics & Computer Science Aligning observed and modeled behavior 1 | cover

In the background you see a map of TU/e taken from Google Maps. The lower half shows a ‘model map’ with only streets and building locations, whereas in the upper half I used the satellite view with all the details you have to deal with in real life. In my thesis I did a similar thing for business processes, comparing process models with real events.

2 | parties The insurance-claim handling process of an insurance

company, for example, typically follows a predefined guideline. In the meantime, you also want to be flexible. So sometimes you may have to deviate from the protocol. Nowadays, such business processes are supported by IT systems and all steps are recorded in so-called event logs that allow you to see where reality deviates from the model. We invented a method that allows us to not only see the deviations, but also find their root causes.

3 | essential I used Petri nets to model business processes. This

way, finding the most likely deviations from reality can be easily described as an optimization problem. I showed that the problem can be solved using Petri net theories and algorithms to find a shortest path between two nodes.

4 | society benefit If you look at process models only, you might get a wrong picture of what happens in reality. It’s therefore important to see where reality deviates from the model. Our method can be used to analyze data from hospitals and municipalities, for example, to see how their processes can be improved.

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And how are things in Stellenbosch?

More and more TU/e students go abroad for their studies to follow courses, internships or a doctorate path.

What is it like to find your way in a new country? Students tell their stories.

A data rate one hundred times the global Internet traffic, produced by an antenna collecting area of one square kilometer. Being able to observe an airport radar on a planet ten light years away.

Enough optical fiber to wrap around the world twice, linked to a supercomputer with the processing power of one hundred million PCs. These are but a few of the amazing specifications of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project: the world’s largest radio telescope that will be built in South Africa and Australia over the ten years.

Motivated to join this exciting project I travelled to Stellenbosch, South Africa, to do an internship.

I’m currently working on improving an antenna design of which millions will be produced and placed in the South African desert. In order for me to do my job properly, Stellenbosch University gave me an office with a spectacular view of the mountains (see picture): a view unlike that of most TU/e employees.

I’m free to use this impressive office because a master’s program here is meant for the best South African students only: I’ve impressed many locals at the bar by telling them I’m doing my master’s in Electrical Engineering. Students here are highly competitive, too. For instance, our departament is decorated with a large sign naming the very best graduates of every generation, something you’d never see at TU/e.

These differences aside, the atmosphere at Stellenbosch University and TU/e is very similar. You can visit a professor any time of day and attendance is not registered as long as you get your work done.

Because of the positive atmosphere and the beautiful country, I can’t wait to see what the next several months in Stellenbosch have in store for me.

M Studeanrk Kleijne n t Enginofe Electrical ering Would you also like to write an article about your time abroad? Please send an email to cursor@tue.nl.

Read more stories online: www.cursor.tue.nl/en

Life after TU/e

Name: Manolis Chrysallos Place of Birth: Rhodes, Greece Date of Birth: 13 April, 1986 Studied at TU/e: I did the post-master Information and Communication Technology program from January 2011 through January 2013 Current position: Scientist innovator at TNO, Delft What are you doing now?

I am working as scientist innovator at TNO in Delft. In my department our primary goal is to provide the government and telecom companies with solutions, knowled ge, and expertise.

Was it difficult to find a job?

I did an intensive online search for any position that might suit me, sent out a huge number of applications to numerous countries and had dozens of job intervie ws, all of which led to only a few good results. It was an arduous process that took me more time and effort than I had hoped, but it all comes down to timing and demand for your expertis e, of course.

Why did you stay in The Netherlands?

I consciously decided to stay in The Netherlands for three main reasons : 1) You can still find jobs in the high-tech sectorhere where working conditions are good. 2) TU/e is a recognized university, but especially so in its home country. 3) I was already familiar with the country, and like certain aspects the Dutch life.

How do you reflect on your time at TU/e?

I was looking for a recognized technical university in a country that’s friendly to English speakers. TU/e is one of only three universities of technology in the Netherla nds, and has good connections with the industry, something that I liked. Besides, the program gave me the opportunity to work as an employee, with all its perks. I will fondly remember my time at TU/e, the memories, and the people I created them with. There have been difficult moments of course, but looking back, it was a really nice period of my life.

What happens to international students after they graduate from TU/e? Do they go job hunting in the Netherlands, pack their bags and explore the world, or return to their home countries? International TU/e graduates talk about their lives after TU/e.

What are your plans for the (near) future?

If possible, I’d like to settle here some time in the near future... I’m enjoying my current position and would like to gain more experience to add value to my resume, before I consider looking for something else. However, times are tough and nobody knows what’s next.

What advice would you give current students?

I think the best piece of advice is to decide what’s most important for you right now.

Being realistic and open to other fields of study, job types, and places to live, gives you more opportunities and experiences than being selective. Still, rememb er it always comes with a cost to your personal wishful thinking.

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Entreek osten: S tudente anderen n 3,50 euro 7,50 euro

Friday

11 April 20.30, P

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Monday Ap ril, 2 Café Wilhelmin 1.00 uur, a, Wilhelmina plein 6, Eindhoven

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Radian is an Au Brandlmayer dr strian experimental band.

Norman Martin ummer, bassist and guita Martin post-rock, jazz Siewert play instrumentalrist John hypothermia w and electronics. Usually exrock, to the school ofith the use of beats, they betreme music’. Their so the IDM, the ‘intelligent da long Crystal, ethere und is similar to Trapist, Snnce al and hypnotic and with abstra , extremely m oww afraid of beau ct structures. And ... they inimalist ty. are not Entrance fee: students 7 euro , others 11 euro