Slash 13 - In English

13 DECEMBER 2015

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE EINDHOVEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

The Mission: Will drones live up to expectations?

CARMEN VAN VILSTEREN: ‘I WANT TO HAVE IMPACT ON PEOPLE’S HEALTH’

AFTER TU/e: GOING INTO BUSINESS FOR YOURSELF

02

Floor Alkemade (1975) was made Professor of Economics and Governance of Technological Innovation this year in the IE&IS Department. She’ll hold her inauguration speech on sustainability and innovation in April 2016.

f.alkemade@tue.nl

TEXT JUDITH VAN GAAL PHOTO BART VAN OVERBEEKE

STROKE OF LUCK NUMBERS ‘I more or less evolved into this job, which is about looking at what makes sustainable innovations successful and how the economy can profit by them.

My background is in artificial intelligence and in 2005 I was accepted for a post doctorate in Utrecht in sustainability and innovation. That program’s content matched my earlier studies and interests, which was really a very happy coincidence.

My personal motivation for doing this sort of work is that I hope to make the world a slightly better place through my research.’

‘There have already been many case studies on innovation processes in sustainability but no one has really looked at the numbers much. These are now much more readily available and I’m focusing on the data in order to look for patterns. At the beginning of this year, I was asked to apply for a job at TU/e, where I will be performing similar research to what I was doing at the University of Utrecht.

I really enjoyed working there for the last ten years but it’s always nice to start something new.

The Innovation Sciences students at TU/e combine a good technological base with socio-scientific research and that adds great value to my type of research.’

EMERGING ECONOMIES

‘Up until this point, we’ve primarily concentrated on developed countries, simply because they are more advanced in sustainable technology and have more data. We’d now like to branch out to the fast-growing economies - for instance, we’re going to take a look at Chinese wind energy.

What do I think about how the Netherlands deals with sustainable technology? Government policy in this area is a bit all over the place. They don’t make any clear choices. If you have a strong government that pushes these issues, that makes it easier.’

NO CAR

‘I do my best to live sustainably.

For example, I don’t have a car and I travel by train as much as I can - also when I go on holiday. I regularly buy second-hand clothing. But living green isn’t always possible. I flew to China and the United States as part of my job this year. It was inspiring and fun but not very sustainable.’

On page 43 Backward / with Maaike Kroon

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

no.13 DECEMBER 2015

24 In the ‘dead’ room

22

BACKGROUND ‘Robot technology shouldn’t lead to dehumanization’

04

World Solar Challenge turns into a Dutch Solar Challenge

COLOFON Slash is the magazine for external relations and alumni of the Eindhoven University of Technology and comes out three times per year.

Total or partial use of Slash’s articles can only be done in consultation with the editors and with acknowledgment of their source. The use of photographs or illustrations is only allowed in conjunction with the creator’s permission. www.tue.nl/slash

!

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Health’s strategist

Editorial Address Eindhoven University of Technology Communications Expertise Centre, Postbox 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, e-mail slash@tue.nl, Tel (040) 24733 30/247 4020 Head editor Han Konings Final editing and coordination Brigit Span Translation Angela Daley Magazine concept Maters & Hermsen Journalistiek, CEC. Design Natasha Franc

26 THE SPARK

34

Caroline Hummels

Do you want to advertize in Slash?

Please inquire with H&J Uitgevers, Tel (010) 451 55 10 Do you want to receive Slash?

Register at: www.tue.nl/slash ISSN: 2212-8468

The five-minute catch-up about TU/e dissertations

32/33 PLANNER/ VENTURER The inventor/writer and the chemical bridge builder

More women to the (TU/e) top

Editorial advisory board drs. Steef Blok, prof.dr. Carlijn Bouten, mr.drs. Ben Donders, prof.dr.ir.Maarten Steinbuch

30 5X1

KEEP IN TOUCH Interested in collaborating with TU/e or in studying, working or getting your PhD with us? Or would you like to keep in touch as an alumnus?

Here are our contact details:

Collaboration (strategic partnership, contract research) TU/e Innovation Lab, +31 (0)40 247 48 22, Innovationlab@tue.nl Employment or PhD candidates Personnel Department +31 (0)40 247 20 90, jobs@tue.nl Designers Education Stan Ackermans Institute +31 (0)40 247 24 52, sai@3tu.nl Studying (bachelor, master)

Education and Student Services Center, +31 (0)40 247 47 47, studeren@tue.nl Alumni +31 (0)40 247 34 90, alumninet@tue.nl Press Office and Communications Expertise Center +31 (0)40 247 48 45, cec@tue.nl, www.tue.nl

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NOW/

WORLD SOLAR CHALLENGE Two years of thinking, developing, building and adjusting had to happen before the TU/e student team could travel to Australia for the World Solar Challenge. With their renewed version of Stella Lux, the team wanted to take a chance at winning the race’s Cruiser Class - the segment for family cars.

This class doesn’t allow sleek race cars with hardly any place for the driver but rather calls for cars that fit a family, where they can comfortably travel while driving on electricity. It’s a car that you could quite possibly see on Dutch roads in the coming years.

Before they could start this solarpowered race through the Australian Outback - from Darwin to Adelaide all 42 cars first had to be inspected.

Solar Team Eindhoven got through the test first with Stella Lux and with that acquired the starting permit for the 3000 kilometer race. Next came the qualifications for the race on the Hidden Valley circuit: the TU/e team clocked in with the fastest round ever on the circuit (00:01:54) and started the race in pole position.

They were competing for the second time, and were victorious once again: at the end of October the students of Solar Team Eindhoven took first place in the Cruiser Class of the World Solar Challenge with their ‘energy positive’ solarpowered family car Stella Lux. TU Delft was the fastest in the Challenger class, followed by Solar Team Twente. That’s why we can justifiably speak of a ‘Dutch Solar Challenge’.

The TU/e team with Stella Lux, flanked by students from TU Delft with their Nuna (left) and students from the University of Twente with Red One. The other two TU teams took part in the Challenger class where the focus is on speed. Delft took first for the sixth time, and Twente finished second. The ‘Dutch Solar Challenge’ was a running gag among the participants.

Stella Lux on the road.

The solar car covered three thousand kilometers in three days with two people on board; their average speed was 76 kilometers an hour. After 1500 kilometers, at the halfway mark in Alice Springs, the car was allowed to recharge off the electrical grid.

TEXT MONIQUE VAN DE VEN PHOTOS BART VAN OVERBEEKE

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

TURNS INTO

SOLAR CHALLENGE Stella Lux participated in the solar car parade through Adelaide.

The STE camp somewhere around the halfway point from Darwin to Adelaide. Stella Lux had its own tent.

Solar Team Eindhoven dominated the Cruiser Class of the World Solar Challenge for the second time. Team Manager Tom Selten looked back on an exciting race in his acknowledgement speech: ‘because the scoring system was different this year - and not to the advantage of solar family cars the way we like to build them.’ He said he was glad that the team didn’t choose to concentrate on speed but instead developed a family car: ‘we believe this is the future, and I think we did an amazing job this year.’

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MEMO/

Alumni Monitor: almost all alumni have a job

TU/e alumni give their education an average rating of 7.9 according to the Alumnimonitor, a major study on education and career recently conducted among 1198 alumni.

Only 1 percent of alumni indicated that they weren’t working or were unemployed. Two percent of recent alumni (those who graduated a maximum of three years ago) are currently unemployed.

In the group of young alumni (three to ten years) 0.4 percent are jobless and of the mid-senior alumni group (graduated more than ten years ago) 1 percent currently has no work.

About one-third of alumni work in the Brainport region, half work elsewhere in the Netherlands and 13 percent are abroad.

Most alumni found their jobs via someone in their network.

A virtual visit to TU/e Do you ever think nostalgically about your student days? Want to go back and re-visit the good old days?

Now you can! Thanks to a virtual reality film you can now virtually visit TU/e. The film offers visitors a lifelike 3D image of TU/e’s campus - just like Google street view - plus lets you visit departments and students. The university’s ‘virtual visit’ focuses primarily on recruiting international students who often can’t visit an open day because of distance. www.tue.nl/virtualvisit

278 extra PhD positions TU/e is currently signing the final contracts with industrial partners for the second round of the Impulse Program. Through this TU/e initiative, which began in 2013, the university conducts new research with businesses by jointly funding PhD positions. Altogether, the two Impulse Programs have created 278 PhD positions.

The collaboration is focused on long-term research programs, particularly in TU/e’s focus areas of health technology, renewable energy, mobility, high-tech systems, materials and data science. The partners are primarily companies such as ASML, AkzoNobel and Océ.

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

Career activities for young alumni Beginning in 2016, TU/e will offer career activities for young alumni (graduates from no more than 10 year ago). In addition to the Career Cafés (2 February and 16 June), workshops will also be held (Applications Skills, 5 April) as well as individual coaching. In addition, young alumni can also make use of the Alumni Coach Network which is made up of 250 experienced alumni who are ready to coach a younger generation of TU/e engineers.

For more information: www.tue.nl/careeractivities

Open Lectures for students and alumni In cooperation with the High Tech Campus Eindhoven (HTCE), TU/e will organize a series of eight open lectures for TU/e students and alumni and HTCE employees in 2016.

The lectures are always scientific in character with a view towards possible applications and will be brought to a wider group of participants who have a technical background.

Marina van Damme scholarship for development aid Lieke van Amelsfort, who graduated from the Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences in 2008, won the 2015 Marina van Damme scholarship. The specialist in supply chain optimization received a check for €9000 and a statue. Marina van Damme also announced that she will present the scholarship until 2038.

The winner Lieke van Amelsfort works at ArgusI and specializes in supply chain optimization and synergy. ‘It’s my dream to combine my professional knowledge with my passions’, she said.

‘I really want to help people in developing countries and I’ve already felt this way for 10 years.

As a TU/e student, I chose electives in this area.’ She’ll use the scholarship towards courses such as ‘intercultural communication’ and ‘communication, interaction and management skills’ and she’d like to obtain a certificate for ‘humanitarian supply chain management’.

The lectures will be conducted by the university’s professors and will take place in the Conference Center on the Strip on High Tech Campus.

There will be a networking get-together held after each one-hour lecture (16:00-17:00).

Entrance is free.

The first lecture will be held on Monday, 18 January. Bert Blocken, professor of building physics, will present (in English) the lecture ‘Climate adaptation in Dutch cities: possibilities and limitations’.

For more information: www.tue.nl/openlectures

Marina van Damme hands over the prize to Lieke van Amelsfort.

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FRONTRUNNER/

Carmen Vilsteren is a strategist: she indicates a line on the horizon, and then quickly tries to get people moving towards it.

But she’s not someone to aggressively push and pull - she prefers to motivate people through positive feedback - something she learned at a parent class. Even as an industrial design engineering student at Delft, the new director of TU/e’s Strategic Area Health understood that she was a true generalist. Much of her career has been dominated by high-tech medical innovation - valuable business experience that the university will surely benefit from.

Carmen van Vilsteren Director Strategic Area Health at TU/e

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FRONTRUNNER/

TEXT ENITH VLOOSWIJK PHOTOS VINCENT VAN DEN HOOGEN

C

Carmen van Vilsteren is quiet for a moment.

After a half an hour of decisively formulating answers, she’s searching for the right words to express something that, for her, just comes naturally. Why is she so interested in the field of medical innovations? ‘There is nothing more beautiful than helping make people better’, she finally replies. ‘When I was a project leader at Philips Medical Systems in the 90s, we designed the cardiovascular C-arm for an X-ray machine for cardiovascular diseases. The vascular arc is the tripod where they attach the detector and the X-ray tube. Now, twenty years later, 45% of all angioplasty patients worldwide are treated with this system. I’m really proud of that.’

Having an impact on people’s health - that’s the core of Van Vilsteren’s career. And in her new function as the director of the Strategic Area Health, she’ll be able to continue helping others: her role will be to promote a smooth connection between knowledge developed at TU/e and the industrial and societal needs in the high-tech medical field.

TU/e focuses on three ‘health’ areas: biomolecular care, image-guided interventions and participatory health and wellness. The importance of these research areas is clear, says Van Vilsteren: ‘Everyone wants people to stay healthy longer, that diagnoses can be made earlier and more accurately, and that drugs and other therapies

NOTEWORTHY ‘I associate politics in the business world with double agendas and the instinct to withhold information - because knowledge is power. With me, it’s precisely the opposite.

I’m very happy to share my knowledge.’

‘A hierarchical boss who tells people exactly what they have to do doesn’t always work. And it certainly doesn’t work when you’re dealing with highly-educated people.’

‘The great thing about start-ups is that you get to decide everything yourself.

The annoying part is that you also have to do it all yourself.’

have fewer side effects. And when we come home after an operation, we increasingly want that our health can be monitored remotely. The business community is actively working to offer complete solutions in these areas: for example, Philips’s goal is to cover the whole chain of health care and prevention. In contrast, TU/e is focusing in depth on a number of areas and wants to excel in those.

It’s my job to make sure that while we’re working on these areas, we also maintain a connection with industry’s solutions. It’s not enough to only develop technology - we also have to apply it.’

‘A complex organization’, that’s what Van Vilsteren calls TU/e. At the moment, she’s working on getting acquainted with people. ‘My role demands that I get to know a lot of people from the various departments.

And those departments are quite different from each other and often have different goals.’ She’s been charged with the challenging task of finding commonalities, but she can’t say more than that at the moment. ‘That’s the nice thing about TU/e.

Even after two months, you don’t have to have a definite plan. In the business world, you’d usually have to have a strategy ready within two months but at a place like TU/e, it’s important that there’s sufficient support from the various parties.

And that takes time.’

As long as technical innovations eventually come out of this process that TU/e can be proud of, Van Vilsteren is happy to be patient. Having a visible, positive impact on the world around her already as a student that was a reason to study industrial design engineering at TU Delft.

And while others specialized in parts of the design process - doing market research, writing a business

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

plan, designing a prototype - she discovered that she preferred to be involved in the entire process.

‘I’m a generalist’, she says. ‘I also don’t need to know anything substantially better than the people I’m working with because I have complementary skills.

As a solutions development manager at FEI, I initially got detailed explanations of how electron microscopes are constructed. I said: I don’t need to know all the details. I trust your knowledge so go ahead and do what you’re good at.’

‘I want to create things that will be used for years to come’

CARMEN VAN VILSTEREN’S CAREER Carmen van Vilsteren (1961) graduated cum laude from TU Delft’s Industrial Design Engineering Department.

She worked for Philips Healthcare for many years, particularly in the area of cardio/vascular x-ray machines.

Under her leadership, several high-tech systems were developed and put on the market. She was also a solutions

development manager at FEI Company and is the co-founder of three companies: MiLabs, MicroSure and Imagion Consultancy.

She’s a mentor with the Startup Bootcamp Smart Materials and the Hightech XL programs and she’s the CEO of MicroSure, a TU/e spin-off company in the field of micro-surgery robots. Van Vilsteren is married and has three children.

She began her career as a consultant for product design at Philips.

When she transferred to Philips Health in Best after a few years, she discovered a deep-seated passion for high-tech medical products. ‘After a week, we were allowed to go to a hospital and saw all the complex machines. As a designer you immediately think: how can I make those better? Just like writers hope that their books will be read a hundred years from now, a designer hopes to create things that will be used for years to come. In addition, I want to know how people feel about the product. When we had developed a new cardiology system at Philips Healthcare, I went to the client after its completion and asked them how they felt about it. I don’t want to only start something but I also like participating in the entire process, including getting it to market.’

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FRONTRUNNER/

During this period in Best, she lead three different projects on X-ray machines for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. During each project, she gave birth to a child. Although Van Vilsteren describes herself as ‘quite a workaholic,’ her three children are a source of inspiration that she didn’t want to miss. ‘I once took a Gordon training course about communicating with children.

It was the most useful course I have ever done.

You learn the proper ways to give people feedback without approaching them in an aggressive manner. In that way you can steer them without pushing and pulling. It’s an important skill to have when you’re leading projects.’

Not that her co-workers have always so easily let her guide the way. When she started at Philips as a young, recent graduate it wasn’t obvious to everyone that she was there to be a leader.

Also during her years at Philips Healthcare in Best, where the work floor was mostly populated by men, she felt she had to first ‘earn’ her managerial position. These days she squares her shoulders with a smile, used to belonging to a small female minority.

‘Back when I chose to study the hard sciences in high school, I already thought... ugh, only three girls. It hasn’t gotten much better since then.

In the cardiovascular development department in Best, there were 150 men and 5 women.

It became 10 under my management. At that time, I worked part-time and if I talked about that choice with men, they’d say, yeah, but you can’t make a career like that. But now I’ve made my career and those men haven’t. So then I thought:

are there going to be men who also choose to work part-time? But that hasn’t happened.’

However, she’s optimistic about the situation at TU/e, she quickly adds. “Now I work in an environment with a lot more women. I’m really curious if things will work differently here because of that fact.’

‘You learn a lot more from moving than by standing still’

After various positions at Philips, she became a co-founder of various start-ups in the high-tech medical equipment field in 2006. Even now she’s focusing on high-tech medical spin-offs through her business Imagion Consultancy where she combines her strategic thinking skills with a determined attitude. ‘First, I listen to people and look for similarities in their views. Then we decide which direction we’ll go in and I indicate a line on the horizon. Many people tend to think a long time about details. If I say, we have to go north, then they want to figure out exactly how many degrees latitude north we’ll go. I think that’s a waste of time. It’s better to just immediately head north and then decide after six months or so the exact latitude you need. You learn a lot more from moving than by standing still.’

She admits that her new position had been on her wish list for a while. ‘I worked with universities for many years from the industry side of things. Now I get to collaborate with the business world from the university side. I’m working here with a large team of highly competent people who really know their stuff. And I can add to that by giving them access to a very large network of both large and small businesses. Therefore, my knowledge and skills are highly complementary to those of TU/e’s own employees. And if you can reinforce each other, you can make an impact.’

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ALUMNI/

TEXT NORBINE SCHALIJ PHOTOS ISTOCKPHOTO, BART VAN OVERBEEKE AND PRIVATE ARCHIVES

Going into business for yourself After TU/e

Entrepreneurship through the years TU/e wants to differentiate itself as a university that focuses on entrepreneurship.

This isn’t new, but it hasn’t always been this way. Slash spoke to six different companies started or founded by TU/e students or alumni. The oldest is Prodrive, a spin-off from the Department of Electrical Engineering in 1993, and now has 750 employees and no plans to stop growing. The youngest is Plasma Matters, a spin-off from the Department of Applied Physics, with only one full-time and one part-time employee. They just had their kick-off party. Different departments, different dreams, different sizes. The similarities lie in the desire for entrepreneurship. ‘Setbacks are there to be overcome’.

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

Starting a business as a TU/e student is a recent development.

In fact, until the 90s, it didn’t happen too often. According to Professor Emeritus Leo Verhoef, chair of ‘Entrepreneurship in Small and Mediumsized Organisations’, since 1994, TU/e was the first university to embrace this idea. Verhoef began his lectures in 1994 with only 16 students.

It was an elective subject and in spite of recruiting and encouraging students in other departments - about a 1000 of them, Verhoef estimates - the turnout was disappointing. ‘Over the years, it’s grown to two to three hundred students’. That has a lot to do with the spirit of the times. Between 2002 and 2010, TU/e created the infrastructure necessary for students to start their own companies, whether it’s a spin-off based on unique knowledge developed at the university or a start-up, a company based on generic knowledge acquired during their studies.

What does an entrepreneurial student need? An idea, team members, money, space, a network and exposure. The first two or three things work as triggers. Students can apply for money through different government programs. The Brabant fund Brightmove, which TU/e participates in, currently issues what they call a ‘pre-seed’ loan of a maximum of €100,000 and Proof of Concept loans for up to a maximum of €250,000. Technology Foundation STW, awards a subsidy of a maximum of €40,000 euros for research into the achievability of the business concept and loans for the start-up phase to a maximum of €250,000.

With the last three on the list of necessities, the TU/e Innovation Lab can help. Founded in 2004, this institute was derived from EUTechpark BV, where the E stands for Eindhoven and the U for university. EUTechpark began by renting space to starters, but has been functioning more as an incubator since 2001.

Leo Verhoef.

Bart de Jong heads the business development group at the Innovation Lab. ‘The least relevant aspect for a starter is the office space’, he says, ‘It’s much more important that all the ingredients are there for a successful business’. In his eyes, this means team members, a business plan as well as a presentation to a team of experts. The TU/e Innovation Lab’s business developers guide spin-offs through the process.

A special part of the Innovation Lab’s activities has been operating under the name STARTUP/eindhoven. Project leader Monique Greve: ‘We offer students the opportunity to develop and improve their entrepreneurial skills’. She‘s very satisfied with the students’ motivated entrepreneurship. ‘We’re approached everyday by students with good ideas.’

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ALUMNI/

> Prodrive Technologies, electronic and mechatronic systems and products provider

> Spin-off from the Department of Electrical Engineering > Founded in 1993 by TU/e employee Hans Verhagen and

Hans Verhagen (l.) and Pieter Janssen.

student Pieter Janssen.

When Verhagen and Janssen started in 1993, it was incredibly difficult to get their first activities financed. ‘It took a great deal of persistence and effort from our first employees to get our first orders completed and they managed it. As business owners during that period, we developed a good sense of cash flow’. The first two years they had to trail blaze, and then quickly they rolled from one project into the next.

Employees followed soon after. ‘We had to make sure that we were able to pay salaries and not invest all the money.’ An accountant helped give the two engineers insight into financial planning.

‘Our motto?

We need to believe it to see it!’

It wasn’t so much an idea for a product that made Pieter Janssen and Hans Verhagen set up their company Prodrive in 1993, but rather a belief in combining digital and analogue electronics. Verhagen worked in the Electromechanics and Power Electronics research group in the Electrical Engineering Department and mentored student Pieter Janssen.

When Janssen was offered a PhD position after graduation, he discussed his future with Verhagen and admitted he would much rather go into business for himself. Verhagen’s reaction was enthusiastic and he decided to join.

TU/e offered help as well - limited but functional help as Janssen calls it. ‘There was a starter’s center on the TU/e campus where you could hire office space at a low cost and with basic amenities. After a couple of years as a business, we were able to rent an entire wing. In 1997, we left for our own building at the Science Park Eindhoven in Son. We kept growing and now our business encompasses 27,000 square meters.’

He and his partner received a lot of moral support from the late professor Andre Vandenput and they still intensively collaborate with his Electromechanics and Power Electronics research group.

‘We were able to prove our right to exist through different development orders and attracting the best people Hans had met at TU/e because he still worked part-time at the EPE’, says Janssen. ‘Everything we earned was invested into our enterprise and that’s how we could build up a product portfolio. We’re currently active in very diverse markets including machine building, the semi-conductor industry, the medical industry, agri- and building automation, the automotive industry, traffic technics, security, energy and home automation.’

Janssen and Verhagen’s motto is ‘you need to believe it to see it’, and it’s helped them to get the company to where it is today. ‘We’re developing ground-breaking new products and processes that have been recognized internationally. The most important thing for the future is that we maintain the quality and mentality of our team at this high level. I’m convinced that Prodrive Technologies will grow significantly over the course of the coming years. We’re opening a factory in China and developing a wider client base in the United States.

The products are assembled at their own facilities in the business park in Son. Most of the work is done automatically but Prodrive can still offer employment to 750 people, 70% of which are highly educated.

Spin-offs: starters based on TU/e’s unique knowledge 18 SPIN-OFFS

YEAR

<1998

2

3

1998

1999

6 2000

3

4

2001

2002

7

6

8

START-UPS

13

12

12

12

10

1 2003

2004

2005

4

2

1 7

12

16

2006 6

2007 2

5

5

6

5

5

2011

2012

2013

2014

2008

2009

2010

5

5

7

175 14

17

27

Start-ups: starters based on TU/e’s generic knowledge (Source: Innovation Lab)

129 TOTAL

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> Compark, a fully-automated parking garage > A start-up from the Department of Mechanical Engineering > Founded in 1994 by Leon Hamelink

‘A start -up has to take small steps on the road to its goal’ In the first half of the 90s, students who had a good idea for a business had to make do with the personal initiative of professors willing to assist them.

Mechanical Engineering student Leon Hamelink received that help from Professor Leo Verhoef in the form of electives about entrepreneurship and introducing him to, as Hamelink calls them, ‘big wigs’. His idea was good but not good enough - that was the conclusion after several years of hard work.

Dutch cities weren’t ready for parking garages where you leave your car behind and it gets parked automatically for you in a warehouse.

Hamelink now knows why his first model of Compark didn’t work.

‘The learning process was much too long. There were seven to eight years between the idea and the first working garage. Because an automated parking garage has to work perfectly, you can only test it fully when it’s already up and running. After eight years, there were still many crucial points to be worked out. That’s way too long for a start up’.

In 2003 Compark was taken over by VDL, and Hamelink accompanied his idea. ‘The most important lesson I learned is that it’s alright to have an ambitious goal in mind with your start-up but the road to get there should be taken with little steps. With every step, you need to ascertain if there is a need for your product.’ Looking back, Hamelink wishes that he had had an experienced business advisor or investor who could have pointed that out to him.

How many start-ups is TU/e working on?

Hamelinks home-based business. There are six workspaces in his garden shed. ‘In my industry, lots of people are mobile and remote, so we don’t need more space. This is quite comfortable.’

After a couple of years employment at VDL, Hamelink wanted to start his own business again. In 2010 he focused on internet marketing.

‘That’s a growing market that offers opportunities to companies just starting out. Internet marketing provides small companies with quick and cheap access to many client markets. I do it now for myself and for the clients of my company, Traffic2Result. Our first clients were local companies such as law practices or administrative offices but now we have companies that exist entirely online that offer training workshops or artist’s bookings. I now help starters from making the same mistakes I made after graduation.’

Hamelink is increasingly involved in helping start-ups - for example, he’s the founder of Next Generation Startup in Amsterdam, a 500-member strong organization that regularly organizes events for fledgling entrepreneurs. His newest company is called BookYou. Originally set up by Mark Vink, it provides software for a company’s booking system. The company is now a couple of years old and Hamelink was intensively involved in its expansion last year.

BookYou won’t be his last company though, ‘I’m looking to start new companies around Traffic2Result in the coming years’.

In October 2015, there were 534 students participating in STARTUP/ eindhoven. The majority (369) already have an idea for a company and are taking part in workshops. Almost 100 students are preparing to set up a company and 72 have already started earning money.

That means there are 56 earning companies, 68 companies in preparation and 114 companies that still need to develop their ideas.

At the turn of the millennium, there were more start-ups created (13-16 of them) then in the previous decade. It wasn’t until the years following 2010 that more than ten companies a year went to a solicitor to get their Deed of Incorporation signed. In 2013, TU/e had 37 start-ups.

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> ISAAC, advisory service on e-businesses and implementing e-business solutions

> A start-up from the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

> Founded in 1999 by Mark Hoogendoorn, Harm van Beek and Max Hufkens

‘A better sideline than working in a bar’

Max Hufkens (l.) and Mark Hoogendoorn.

In 1999, three information technology students who were friends felt that starting up their own company would be a good alternative to working in a bar. ‘We had garnered enough knowledge during our studies and saw a chance to be paid for building websites for other people.

Along the way we noticed that a market for e-commerce was starting to grow. We developed a product in which clients could generate a website and we sold them the licences and user rights. In those days, you would make a website offline and then publish it online when you logged in with a modem. The so-called Webshopgenerator became obsolete once people were online permanently. We moved with the times and now we advise e-business projects for retailers and financial services’, says Max Hufkens.

These days ISAAC has a company building on the Marconilaan and offers employment to 50 full-time employees. But when the three started out, they used Van Beek and Hufkens’s student lodgings.

They learned to write a business plan from Professor Leo Verhoef.

A couple of years later, they joined a starter’s program at the EU Techpark. They got a discount on a rented space at the MultiMedia Pavilion. ‘The rental agreement was drawn up so that the rent got more expensive every year and starters couldn’t take advantage of the agreeable terms for too long. It worked for us and in 2006 we moved to a bigger building - with a lower rent across from the Park Theater on the Elzentlaan.’ ISAAC moved to the Marconilaan in 2011 so that they could continue their expansion.

Apart from a rental discount, the help offered by the EU Techpark in 1999 was mostly on paper, Hufkens recalls. ‘We didn’t have access to starter’s capital and introductions to successful entrepreneurs to share experiences. We could also have used some exposure to potential clients. We had to find all this out for ourselves. It eventually all worked out but it took up a lot of time. I think it did slow down our growth.’

In order to help the present crop of students in this area, ISAAC has set up an Incubator program for their interns, and they still have good connections to TU/e. ‘We enjoyed studying there and now we look for interns and graduates not only there, but at Fontys as well. Five TU/e PhDs are working with us at the moment.’

> Plasma Matters, plasma technology > Spin-off from the Department of Applied Physics > Founded in 2015 by Diana Mihailova

‘My plan is to grow without external investors’ Bulgarian Diana Mihailova received her doctorate from the Elementary Processes in Gas Discharges research group under Gerrit Kroesen in 2010. In 2013, she and a colleague, Jan van Dijk, with the support of the faculty board, set up a spin-off in plasma technology. She could sell licences to the users of EPG developed simulation software as well

ISAAC performed well from the start but the last three years were turbulent ones according to Hufkens. ‘Because companies invested less as a result of the economic crisis, their e-commerce and web developments ground to a halt. Our client list and our profits went up and down - it was the same throughout the sector. No, it didn’t keep me awake. If you can’t deal with that then you have no business being an entrepreneur. Besides, he can smile about it now: ‘we’re noticing that the market is starting to recover.’

Not all three of the founders still work at ISAAC: Harm van Beek swapped his job at ISAAC for a research position in a more fundamental direction - the NFI.

as offering consultancy and support. The fact that her experience in entrepreneurship was in a different area was something she had to overcome, though she never once wavered in accepting the challenge.

‘In Bulgaria, I gained first-hand experience doing business because my parents had several companies in the retail sector. But that’s, of course, entirely different to setting up a high tech spin-off.’ During the first year, Mihailova focused on writing a business plan which she did mostly on her own - though she could ask for help at the TU/e Innovation Lab. She particularly needed help with the financial aspects of her plan.

‘I followed a master class in entrepreneurship and learned an awful lot there.’ But while writing the business plan, she realized that she had to follow a different line of thinking as an entrepreneur than she would as a scientist. This was not about secure data but more about describing

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

> Medecs, a medical ICT company > A spin-off from the Department of Electrical Engineering > Founded in 2001 by Paul de Clercq

‘We owe our existence to a subsidy’ During his doctorate - which began in 1996 - in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Paul de Clercq developed clever software that advised doctors on medication use based on patient details. Professors Leo Verhoef and Erik Korsten from the work group Signal Processing Systems (SPS) came to ask him personally if he was interested in setting up a company. ‘The valorization process at TU/e still needed some development and my idea seemed to be suitable for it’. According to De Clercq, TU/e was still searching for a way to participate.

He was offered a master class in entrepreneurship that Verhoef taught to starters both inside and outside the university. ‘We learned about marketing, accountancy, personnel and how to write a business plan in the field of innovation. We received support from the EU Techpark in the form of low rent. We asked for subsidies from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and were awarded €350,000 for the first three years. We owe our existence to that subsidy.’

He also remembers a prize awarded in London to the best business plan in the field of innovation. They received €5000 for it - compared to the starter’s capital it was no more than a gratuity, however it was an acknowledgement of his plan. ‘It was an encouraging pat on the back.’

‘Looking back, I realize that I had to do a lot myself. I missed in TU/e’s vision where they were headed with their entrepreneurs. That has improved now. A colleague in the Multimedia Pavilion business park told me that nowadays TU/e has a percentage of stock in the spin-offs.

That was unheard-of in my day’. Medecs had their first offices in the MMP and in 2009, the company moved to the Twinning Center on campus.

Medecs in 2005: Paul de Clercq (l.) and developer Harald van de Meerendonk.

Founding Medecs was not that hard, but the engineer found it challenging to navigate his way through it. ‘Being an entrepreneur is not really in my nature’. It took five years before De Clercq noticed that Medecs was doing well. ‘Because Gaston - the name of the software systems that we make and sell - is such an innovative product, we were ahead of our time. We’re dependent on the input from the electronic patient files (EPD) and they don’t run smoothly, to say the least. However ICT is increasingly becoming important in hospitals and we can clearly see an increase in demand for our product.’ Medec’s client list consists of pharmacists, general practitioner’s clinics and suppliers of EPDs both foreign and domestic.

During the crisis years, Medecs had a tough time. ‘In 2009 and 2010, hospitals had smaller budgets and all the non-essentials were cut’.

That the company stayed afloat was due to the fact that it has only 3 employees while the rest of the personnel is freelance. ‘With more full-time personnel we would not have survived the crisis. It’s more expensive, but we do have greater flexibility.’ The future looks positive to the electrical engineer: ‘Actually after ten years, we’re still a start-up but our name is becoming increasingly well-known and the demand for our product is increasing.’

a goal for which decisions had to be made, ‘I had to adjust the plan a lot.’

The original name had to be changed as well because Plasma Works already existed. Luckily, Plasma Matters does the job just as well.

During the second year setting up Plasma Matters, she looked for and found clients. ‘We already have an income, and we’re using this money for the company. My plan is to grow without needing external investors.’

The paying clients are, for now, in Europe and Australia but there’s a good chance America will join them in the future.

Diana Mihailova.

She talks about the company with enthusiasm and conviction.

And they now have a new employee who has joined them part-time.

‘What I most enjoy is that I can still use my scientific knowledge in the consultancy. The combination with a business makes it really dynamic. It’s never dull.’

20

ALUMNI/

‘Good teamwork thanks to rock-solid role distribution’

> Flowid, continuous process technology > Spin-off from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry

> Founded in 2007 by Wessel Hengeveld, Wouter Stam and Jeoffrey van den Berg

The TU/e Innovation Lab says that a team’s composition is one of the most important ingredients for a successful business. That’s easy to see at Flowid. It was only when they found a third team member - one with business experience - that proces engineers Wouter Stam and Wessel Hengeveld could properly get started. Stam and Hengeveld knew each other from an earlier bachelor’s program and during TU/e professor Jaap Schouten’s lectures, they became interested in microreactors. Their idea to start a company together, however, did not get off the ground for six months. Stam got his friend Jeoffrey van den Berg - who had studied industrial engineering in Delft - enthusiastic about flow chemistry over a beer. ‘Since then the role division has been rock solid’, says Van den Berg, ‘the why comes from me, the how from Wouter, and the what from Wessel.’

Van den Berg explains their completely new approach to process technology: ‘The chemical and pharmaceutical industries have done the same trick for a hundred years - they stir chemicals in large vats.

That’s expensive, dangerous and has to be constantly cooled. Flow chemistry means you mix the chemicals in small amounts but in a continuous stream. That yields the same amount of product but you have much better control over the conditions.’ The products they design and build for the process industry, pharmaceutical and food and agri- business include SpinPro reactors and FlowFlex development platforms.

Wouter Stam (l.), Jeoffrey van den Berg and Wessel Hengeveld in their lab in 2009.

Jeoffrey van den Berg with a SpinPro reactor.

Optimism is in the blood of these three founders. They are in their eighth year - now with 15 full-time employees - and have had to overcome a few setbacks. During the economic crisis of 2008, ‘when everyone sat pouting at their desks’, Flowid managed to stay afloat, but the STW valorization grant that twice awarded them €225,000 ensured that they could build a good foundation. ‘With the first grant in 2008, we set up an application lab. In the mean time, we had moved from one room in Helix to a whole corridor in Matrix.

In 2011, we acquired a licence from TU/e and when the second grant from STW came through, we set up two transportable SpinPro test factories.’

Flowid is not the first company to work with continuous processing, but their predecessors hadn’t been very successful. ‘You need brand recognition and trust. Because clients require confidentiality, it’s not easy to build up any name recognition. However, the prizes we won did help.’ SpinPro’s technology won the Core Chemical Engineering award in 2013 for its spinning disc and Flowid was awarded the Herman Wijffels Innovation Award in 2014. ‘In this industry you have to have existed for a couple of years’, Van den Berg now knows. ‘Now we have so many requests that clients even have to be patient.’ The first SpinPro reactors have even now been sold in India.

3TU. School for Technological Design

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22 23

BACKGROUND

From drones to self-driving cars to careand even sex robots. Technology ethicist Lambèr Royakkers closely follows developments with a mixture of enthusiasm and trepidation.

His book, Just Ordinary Robots, co-written with colleague Rinie Est, was recently released.

‘Robot technology shouldn’t lead to

dehumanization’ T

he time when the presence of robots was limited to safe, controlled factory environments has gradually gone away. Step by step, robots are becoming a part of the real society. Robots have already been introduced on battlefields - such as autonomous drones - and in the coming years, intelligent mechanical helpers will also increasingly appear on our streets and in our homes.

Mr.dr.ir.ir. Lambèr Royakkers (he studied law, mathematics and philosophy, and wrote an ethical-philosophical thesis for his PhD) has plunged himself into these developments the last few years. When asked whether the introduction of robots into real society will turn out to be a posi-

tive or negative thing, an ominous silence follows. ‘Phew, that’s a tricky question.’

It’s not a foregone conclusion for the associate professor that robots will actually enrich our lives. The greatest risk, he says, isn’t the displacement of people in the labor market, and it isn’t even the prospect of a new arms race with autonomous fighting robots although he is particularly concerned about that last one. No, deep in his heart Royakkers thinks that the greatest danger lurks in home robots: the seemingly innocent care robots, seductive sex robots and all the intermediate varieties which will be developed in the coming years.

‘If we have a robot in the near future that can put on support stockings, help the elderly

to the toilet and ensure that they take their medication, will nurses then be done away with? Or will we decide that ‘caring for’ people also means human interaction is essential and that emotional and personal involvement are important?’

The greatest danger is lurking in house robots Care robots aren’t going to claim a prominent place in our life yet, thinks the expert.

The technology hasn’t gotten far enough.

Sex robots, on the other hand, will be a hype within a few years, he predicts. ‘But what role will sexuality play in a relationship if

TEXT TOM JELTES PHOTO BART VAN OVERBEEKE

we soon can have the best sex ever with a robot specially designed for that purpose?’

And by extension, what role will friendships have in our lives if you can engage in animated conversations with a well-read companion robot (who has the entire internet at its disposal in its digital brain), and which is designed to avoid arguments and will never really contradict or rebuke you? Don’t you then end up in a social fantasy world that then makes it difficult to stay in touch with the real, people world?

You have to do your best to maintain a friendship, says the ethicist. ‘If you don’t invest any time or energy into a friendship or you act anti-socially, then you’ll lose your friend. But a robot won’t correct you.

I’m afraid people will choose for the easy company of robots and then they’ll lose some of their social skills.’

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

Moreover, there’s another serious drawback to the ‘liberation’ of robots from the manufacturing environment: we will need to make our daily environment a bit more hospitable for the newcomers. On the small, family scale, people are already encountering problems with this issue. For vacuum- or grass-mowing robots, you need a somewhat tidy house or a garden that’s fairly even.

‘A vacuuming robot would be in big trouble in my office’, indicates Royakkers. ‘That box shouldn’t be there and I shouldn’t just throw my sneakers around. And if you design a garden with a mowing robot in mind, forget about adding any water elements. But that’s then quite limiting for us, of course. The result is that people will need to adapt their surroundings to robots, and the question is again: do we actually want to do that?

We should make our environment a bit more hospitable for the newcomers The same applies to self-driving cars - of which Royakkers is an enthusiastic advocate because this development promises to drastically reduce the number of traffic jams and fatalities. ‘Actually, this sort of thing is already on the highway as a sort of advanced cruise control that switches off as soon as you come into a residential area. But if you want to have self-driving cars everywhere, then we’ll have to radically adapt the roads in urban areas.’

These are a few examples of the required ‘rationalizing’ of our surroundings and activities, a development he highlights in his book Just Ordinary Robots. Just like a century ago when car assembly was cut up

by Ford into small pieces so that the work could be done on a conveyor belt (then by people, now 90% by robots), so will healthcare probably be divided into tasks small enough for a robot to complete. What can we expect from such a change? Will some of us who need help with daily tasks get showers in a kind of car wash? ‘We need to be careful that we don’t create, as Max Weber called it, an ‘iron cage of rationalization’ where there’s less room for individual freedom and personal choices.’

In short, our wish is that robots will be custom-made for humans. But in practice, humans will also have to adjust to robots.

That brings us back to the million dollar question: are these robots really such a good idea? Yes, says Royakkers after some reflection, but only under strict conditions.

‘Robots that support people are a great development, but they shouldn’t take man’s role. We must be careful that robot technology doesn’t lead to our own impoverishment.’

24 25

THE ‘DEAD’ ROOM TEXT TOM JELTES PHOTO BART VAN OVERBEEKE

New antenna systems are being analyzed in the department of Electrical Engineering’s new Center for Wireless Technology anechoic chamber. All of the surfaces in this electromagnetic ‘dead’ room are covered as much as possible with a sort of spikey layer of polystyrene foam made with carbon and ferrite - a covering that completely absorbs electromagnetic waves. In addition, the room is located in a so-called Faraday Cage, so that no electromagnetic fields are capable of entering from the outside. This makes it possible to measure the test signal transmission between the antenna and the reference antenna without any disturbance.

The room enables researchers to measure, within only a few minutes, the signal strength of the ‘near field’ at thousands of different points. From these measurements they can then calculate the electromagnetic field

at large distance from the antenna (the ‘far field’).

Previously, these sort of measurements required multiple antennas on the roofs of various buildings.

The room pictured here is suitable for frequencies from 0.5 to 40 GHz. In addition there is a much smaller, mobile anechoic room for frequencies between 50 and 90 GHz. ‘Phased array’ antennas are primarily tested in the large room: the signals of hundreds of rows of antennas are combined so that they can simultaneously scan a large portion of the surrounding area - or just to send highly targeted radiation beams.

The mobile room is especially designed for highfrequency, tiny antennas on chips.

The anechoic rooms are also available for use by researchers outside of TU/e. Interested parties can register with CWTe director Peter Baltus (p.g.m.baltus@tue.nl)

-40 dB is the minimal level to which the covering absorbs electromagnetic waves

26 27

THE SPARK/

Where does the love for technology come from for TU/e professors: The Spark

TEXT JOEP HUISKAMP PHOTOS BART VAN OVERBEEKE

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

‘Dreams are important,

but I want to make them tangible’ In the Laplace building, Caroline Hummels (49), professor of Design and Theory for Transformative Qualities in the Department of Industrial Design, has a space with books relevant to her field. They’re arranged (by color!) and ready to be grabbed at any moment.

‘Tangibility’ is one of the qualities Hummels considers important in her work. You can also find in that room the toolkit she uses while travelling the world during her sabbatical.

She conducts interviews with inspiring professionals about their visions for the future from Microsoft to the Dutch Ministry for Education, Culture and Science to Harvard and the Singularity University.

Work hard and be there for each other; these were the values Caroline Hummels learned in Almelo, the Netherlands, where her parents ran a restaurant and conference center. The children helped in the business and, as the youngest of five kids, that experience quickly instilled in her a sense of independence.

‘My mother encouraged us to go out and get an education. I was good at math but I also really liked to draw. I started at the art academy in Arnhem. I loved the chance to stand on my own two feet and to be involved in creative work. But on the other hand, I didn’t feel my

education was scientific enough. After two years, I moved on to Delft for Industrial Design Engineering. I completed my degree under the guidance of Gerda Smets, who was known to be a ‘difficult’ professor.

That appealed to me and I thought she was a great person. In her work as a psychologist, she focused on shape theory. And I met Kees Overbeeke at Delft, who would later make the transition to TU/e. After graduation, I got a job as an assistant professor at TU Delft and I started my doctoral studies.

Initially, I worked on 3D sketching with the help of virtual reality, but I later chose

a more philosophical, social approach. I was working in Delft at the end of 2006 when Kees Overbeeke asked me if I wanted to switch to Industrial Design in Eindhoven.

‘A university’s essence is in how it allows its human capital to flourish’

28 29

THE SPARK/

I really liked the manner of working in the Industrial Design Department and after a bit more than a year, I became its educational director. I think that a university’s essence is in how it allows its human capital to flourish. The Bachelor College has had a positive impact on the development of education at TU/e. But I think we can go even further. At the time, TU/e looked to MIT as a good role model because that university links science and engineering with the humanities and liberal arts.

But in the end, the liberal arts have been left out of Eindhoven’s curriculum. I still see plenty of advantages for eventually following MIT’s example. If we can make that happen, it’ll be worth a lot. There should be more space for different perspectives within a university. Dreams are important, but I want to make them tangible. We need to dare to make links between analytical skills and intuition, creation with thought and the abstract with the sensory. Good engineers combine all those skills.

Our group was like a family, so when professor Kees Overbeeke passed away in 2011 - who was a sort of father figure to us all - it was really difficult. I had recently been made a professor and had to take over the leadership of the group. That change made me more mature and got me to thinking. For me, there’s really no difference between work and life. But eighty

hours of work per week? Why in God’s name do we do that? I now try to live a healthier life. I’ve seen too many young professors die lately. The book Gödel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter has reminded me that balance is important. Quality takes time. I don’t think cluttering your calendar with meetings and working with checklists is going to lead to the best insights.

A sabbatical with energetic idealists In early 2015, I really felt like I needed a sabbatical. I used that time in a really wonderful way. It began with an invitation from Microsoft Research to do a key note lecture. Andrew Blake, then head of Microsoft Research Cambridge, said afterwards that he hadn’t understood my story.

And he found it frustrating to see that the rest of the public had. I suggested that I come and give a workshop about design in Cambridge and that got the ball rolling. In preparation for the workshop, I immersed myself in the question of how people with different disciplinary backgrounds can better understand each other. It starts with learning to understand each other’s language. Some students and I then developed a toolset to facilitate conversations

c.c.m.hummels@tue.nl

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

between people who are very different from each other. So my sabbatical bloomed into the project ‘Engaging Encounters: sketching Futures Together’ I spent the last six months travelling halfway around the world and got myself invited to talk with inspiring people to find out what their dreams are, how they see the future and where they see room for transformation. I met energetic idealists such as Donald Norman, a hotshot of the design world, but also people like Albert Chang, who makes a good living at Google, but invests his spare time and money into technology for social purposes. I talked to designers, but also with artists, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, administrators and politicians. I travelled a lot within Europe but also went to Japan and places in America such as New York, Stanford, MIT, Harvard and the Wyss Institute.

I talked with Yuri van Geest who wants to bring the Singularity University to the Netherlands. I went to the European Commission, the VPRO [Dutch public media] and the mayor of Eindhoven.

The talks turned into workshops, where we can build scenarios and generate ideas.

The important question for me is this: where is the world going and how can design play a role? I always drag along my 60-kilo toolkit that has everything in it - cameras and microphones, RFID tags, a computer with a large database, an iPad, but also just pen and paper.

‘If we can’t even build bridges within TU/e then it won’t happen with the rest of the world’

What’s the future of the technical university? How will the engineering and design worlds respond to major social issues?

I find it interesting to link different worlds together. That gives me insight into what people are doing but also new inspiration.

I see that more students are choosing their own path. We need to train the new guard so that we don’t fall behind the times.

This is the place where our students develop the right attitude. The focus of my sabbatical project was very broad, but in my other research, I’m beginning to narrow things down. And I’m also helped by TU/e’s strategic choice for Health. Working with people from other disciplines not only creates connections, but also creates focus in your own work.

‘If we can’t even build bridges within TU/e then it won’t happen with the rest of the world’.

More info: http://dqi.id.tue.nl/ee/home/

30 31

5X1/

ULTRASHORT PULSES FOR CLEAN AIR You can purify the air of contaminants with plasmas.

This process works best by generating short-term gas discharges with extremely short pulses of high voltage electricity. To facilitate this process, Tom Huiskamp designed a special power source to manipulate the pulseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s course in detail. In particular, the time it takes for the pulse to rise - in other words, the time until the source voltage reaches its maximum - has become exceptionally short at two hundred picoseconds (1 ps is a millionth of a millionth of a second).

With his pulse source, Huiskamp obtained an unprecedented efficiency for the removal of nitrogen oxides. And it also works very well for ozone.

HEAT YOUR HOUSE WITH SALT In a salt block of two cubic meters, enough energy can be stored to heat your home all winter - if you add water to dry salt it releases heat. Pim Donkers studied how exactly that process works in the Darcy Lab and explored which salt is best for this thermochemical heat storage. Unfortunately, it seems that cheap sulphate salts donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t absorb water well enough. Copper chloride works well but is too expensive. However, Donkers thinks that a combination of sulfates and chlorides incorporated into a porous material has potential for the future.

5X1 minute

Slash dug through the stack of mostrecent theses in order to highlight five for you. In five minutes, you can soak up information that would otherwise take you hours to plow through.

TEXT TOM JELTES PHOTOS RIEN MEULMAN

TRANSFERRING ENERGY WITH SOUND You can transfer energy wirelessly via electromagnetic induction to, for instance, recharge a cell phone without a cord.

However, it only works over relatively short distances.

Because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible to better focus sound waves, transferring energy acoustically is more suited for longer distances. Maurice Roes studied how to efficiently transfer energy from a transmitter (a speaker) to a receiver (microphone). Because air is such a thin medium, this process appears to be very difficult - although it helps to equip both the transmitter and receiver with a horn.

Despite his projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s modest results, Roes has developed into an internationallyrecognized expert in this new field.

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

HEART TISSUE BETWEEN POLES Cardiac tissue is composed primarily of a support network of fibers (the so-called extracellular matrix). Contained within this matrix are the cardiac muscle cells and the cells that maintain the matrix: the fibroblasts. By manipulating the relationship between the two types of cells and their environment in tiny bits of cultured cardiac tissue, you can learn more about the causes of heart disease. To study this process, Ariane van Spreeuwel used microtissues of 1 x 1 millimeter and a few cell layers thick and then stretched them between tiny poles. By observing how the poles bent under a microscope, she could determine both the tensile force and frequency of the contracting heart muscle cells.

GREEN HYDROGEN PEROXIDE FROM A MICROCHANNEL REACTOR Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is one of the most environmentally friendly and versatile commercial chemicals today.

It is used as feedstock for the production of chemicals in the paper industry and in semiconductors, and as a disinfectant. The current production process for hydrogen peroxide, however, produces a significant amount of waste.

Violeta Paunovic developed a method for so-called direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide, where hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) react directly using a catalyst. In this process, the only by-product of the reaction is water. The safety hazards associated with the explosive gas mixture are eliminated by using a wall-coated microchannel reactor.

32 28 33

PLANNER/VENTURER Both completed their studies at TU/e. The planner chose the path most in line with his/her education. While the venturer went outside the boundaries of his/hers.

TEXT TINY POPPE PHOTO BART VAN OVERBEEKE

Writing and inventing ‘I was already in two very different worlds when I was young. The only thing I remember from elementary school is that I wrote a lot, but at the same time, I was also intrigued by the inner workings of things - the concept of the inventor, puzzles and detectives. I always thought mathematics was fascinating, but I also wanted to go to the conservatory. Because I couldn’t see myself as a music teacher in the classroom, I chose something that I thought would be a good profession for me and that was computer science.’

Combining PLANNER MONIQUE HENDRIKS Age 31 Positions • Research scientist, Philips Research • Author of the book ‘Verbinding Verbroken, Bestemming Bereikt’ (Broken Connection, Destination Reached) • Vice-president of student organization, GEWIS, TU/e Education • 2006 - 2010: Cognitive Science, University of Amsterdam • 2002 - 2010: Computer Science and Engineering, TU/e

‘After my study at TU/e had given me a solid foundation, I decided to go to Amsterdam for a master’s in cognitive science (artificial intelligence) with a focus on psychology courses. This was also my way of looking for more breadth in my studies because I didn’t think it was interesting to only study computer science. After I graduated, I looked for a part-time research job that I could use to support myself while I kept writing.

And just like that, a part-time job appeared at Philips as a research scientist in the field of the clinical decision support. This work combines perfectly with writing novels and poems and acting in my own theater performances.’

Creative ideas ‘I’m actually now a kind of inventor; something I had always dreamed about. In part, my work is a result of the products in demand by physicians and patients.

Last year, I worked on a project for a doctor who wanted to know whether there was a correlation in the data between certain characteristics for cancer patients - such as whether patients who are younger or weigh less - and whether they suffered less specific side effects from medication or treatment. I then not only looked at the data but I also developed a prototype that allows physicians to more easily inspect their data without having to be dependent on a data expert.’

Happy ‘I learned this broad approach through writing. I learned that the trick is to combine freedom with structure.

The best ideas and solutions come when you take some distance - it doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about a problem with your writing or some other problem.

But you need structure in order to give a book form.

I think this combination and the interaction between research and writing complement each other well and they bring me to a higher plane. Right now, I don’t need anything else. This is what makes me happy.’

TEXT TINY POPPE PHOTO BART VAN OVERBEEKE

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

Challenging ‘I was already fascinated by buildings when I was a kid.

I always drew floor plans and maps and then dreamed up things to do with them. In hindsight, maybe I should have chosen to study architecture but it ended up being chemistry. Because I didn’t want to have a purely theoretical education, I chose Eindhoven because TU/e seemed to be especially focused on the business world. My study was much more theoretical than I had thought it would be but, nonetheless, challenging and fun. I took many courses in marketing and business management in the Industrial Engineering Department - with this knowledge you can, in my eyes, manipulate the real world and explain everything that happens in life.

Hospitality industry ‘After I graduated with a degree in polymer chemistry, I wanted a position in business development. But at that time, most people thought engineers mostly worked in research labs, so getting the role I wanted didn’t really work out. During my studies I had always worked in hospitality, so I was quite prepared to run someone’s restaurant or café for them. That went really well.

Because I wanted to take advantage of my own ideas within the hospitality industry - and didn’t want to only earn money for other people - I decided to become an entrepreneur. I happily started the Boekencafé Restaurant Schrijvers, which I’ve run with great pleasure for many years, as well as Cocktail Bar Mundial - both of which are on the Dommelstraat here in Eindhoven.’

Flexible ‘It’s handy to be good at math when you start your own business. And my passion for marketing and business and my business acumen helped a lot also. In addition, I didn’t mind going into debt. I’m quite flexible and not really attached to things. If you don’t ever try new things, you’ll never get anywhere. During my time as a bar owner, I often expressed my opinion that the municipality made wrong decisions. This opinion was picked up by the then-leader of Eindhoven’s branch of the VVD and so I ended up becoming a member of the city council the year after that.’

Connect ‘After four years on the city council, I got the chance to occupy perhaps the best position in Eindhoven: alderman.

The nicest thing about this position is connecting with people and networking. You also get to know the city and region very well. I now put the knowledge and network that I built up during that time into the Eindhoven Academy. A business partner and I offer training courses and education aimed at fostering successful cooperation between governments, research institutes and companies within the Brainport region.’

VENTURER JOOST HELMS Age 42 Positions • Director, Eindhoven Academy • Independent consultant & business development • Member of the Supervisory Board, GGzE (Dutch Association of Mental Health and Addiction Care), Eindhoven • Alderman Mobility, Environment, Sports and Events, city of Eindhoven • VVD councilor, city of Eindhoven • Owner, Boekencafé Restaurant Schrijvers • Owner, Mundial Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge Education • 1991 - 1996 Department of Chemical Engineering, TU/e

34 35

BACKGROUND/

More Women

at the (TU/e) Top More than two years ago, the Executive Board threatened to implement a hiring freeze for male university lecturer appointments. This move put pressure on departments to hire more women: TU/e was, and is, the university with the fewest women on their scientific staff. In recent years, the number of female scientific personnel has steadily grown and the Executive Board is again faced with the decision of whether measures should be taken or if they are necessary.

There is a significant gap between the old target figures (from 2012), the target figures for 2020 and what the departments deem realistic - especially for the percentage of female professors.

S

ince 2012 the percentage of female assistant professors has grown (from 16 to 21%) associate professors (from 8 to 15%) and professors (from 7 to 10%).

It’s a significant improvement, still not enough to reach 2020’s target (respectively 26, 20 and 20%). The departments feel that these figures are more attainable: 24% female assistant professors, 19% associate professors and only 15% female professors.

The Executive Board is currently addressing the departments about the number of female scientific employees. This will entail a look at the ‘local work practice’, says Nicole van der Wolk, Director of Service, Personnel and Organisation and a member of the steering group Talent to the Top that is dealing with this issue. ‘We’re looking at what’s feasible for each department. Which functions are vacant due to retirement? If there are many, then that obviously widens the possibilities.’

It’s a joint process and done from the bottom up, emphasises Van der Wolk. They’re also discussing what incentives could eventually be put in place.

TEXT TOM JELTES PHOTO BART VAN OVERBEEKE

At the moment, it remains unclear whether the threat to stop hiring men will be carried out or not. A hiring freeze for male university appointments hasn’t happened yet. Van der Wolk: ‘It turned out that there was no reason to put it into practice. That there’s a yawning gap between the target figures from the Executive Board in 2012 and the departments’ prognosis - in particular for the percentage of female professors - is, according to her, not a mistaken assessment. ‘First of all, it’s difficult to predict developments over such a long period of time, and secondly it’s not at all sure that the target figures are unachievable.’

In 2006 TU/e implemented tenure tracks to give more women the opportunity to make the leap from assistant professor to associate professor. Since then, 23 women have been appointed to take part in a tenure track and one woman is doing the tenure track from associate professor to professor.

‘Quotas are dangerous’ The women’s network, WISE (Women in Science Eindhoven) has 172 members and unites a significant portion of female scientific employees, including PhDs. Chairperson Andrea Fuster, assistant professor in the Departments of Mathematics and Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering, feels it would be a pity to lower the bar for 2020’s target figures. Raising the bar is a good thing; she affirms ‘if you lower your expectations, the results will be lower as well’, says the native of Spain. Fellow chairperson of the board for the WISE Network, Noortje Bax, a post doctorate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, agrees. ‘If you set the bar at 15%, and you achieve this, then you could possibly decide to rest on your laurels and not have the ambition to go for a higher percentage’.

Both members of the board are, however, not supportive of sanctions. Bax says: ‘The most important thing is that someone, male or female, should be suitable for the position’.

Fuster confirms: ‘Quotas are dangerous; you don’t want people thinking that a woman has

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

become a professor because of her gender.

You need to show people that a balanced mix of employees is good for the university’.

The candidate is then judged afterwards to be less ambitious and therefore less suitable for the job’.

The situation at TU/e has improved a lot in recent years, they think, ‘we still have the lowest percentages in the Netherlands, but the distribution is more even and there is progress with this issue’, says Fuster, ‘the problem is being acknowledged, and it’s made everyone pause and think. Take the steering group Talent to the Top - that was unthinkable here a few years ago.

Gender diversity simply wasn’t an issue.

Now we even have one or two professors per department who act as ambassadors for female employees, and there have to be at least two women in every appointments commission.’ This last measure was taken because people tend to estimate the abilities of someone who resembles them - for example by gender - as higher.

In the meantime, new guidelines have been created for assessing applicants for academic positions: achievements in teaching, organization and valorization also weigh in now, and this can work to women’s advantage.

We’re not there yet though, according to the WISE Network’s board; in scientific output, part-time work, sick leave, pregnancy and parental leave are not taken into account, says Fuster. ‘And they should be - for men as well as women.’

During a mini-congress entitled ‘Gender Balance - let’s do it together’ that was held at TU/e in September, different unexpected issues were raised, such as the importance of diversity in appointments commissions and the role of (subconscious) prejudice. In a test taken in advance it was apparent that those present estimated men to be frequently cleverer and more able than women.

Men are subconsciously considered cleverer than women In a role play at the mini-congress it was made even clearer that women are in a difficult position. If during a job interview or a meeting about their chances of promotion they appear to be reserved, then they aren’t showing enough ambition. If they are too assertive then they come across as too ‘masculine’ and threatening to their male superiors.

In order to combat problems such as this TU/e should have a list of questions for job applicants, Andrea Fuster thinks: ‘In practice, men are more frequently asked if they want to become professors, whereas women are frequently not asked this question at all.

Female scientific staff at the three Dutch technical universities 2011

prof

TU/e TUD UT

8 20 16

2012

prof

TU/e TUD UT

9 23 17

2013

prof

TU/e TUD UT

11 24 18

2014

prof

TU/e TUD UT

12 26 18

(Source: VSNU)

associate assistant prof prof 7 49 21 98 18 87

associate assistant prof prof 9 40 24 99 21 80

associate assistant prof prof 13 49 35 102 28 72

associate assistant prof prof 16 52 37 104 23 73

36 37

THE MISSION

TEXT HAN KONINGS PHOTOS BART VAN OVERBEEKE

NR.13 NR.1 NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2015 2011 / MAGAZINE VAN OF THE DE

Drones, a blessing or threat?

Will they live up to expectations?

There’s some panicking going on in the United States these days now that it seems as though there’ll be a drone under many Christmas trees. And many kids in the Netherlands also found a remotely piloted aircraft system in their shoe on December 5. The increased popularity of such gadgets has governments worriedly asking themselves how they can possibly regulate them. In addition to recreational use, there’s also now a whole range of companies entering the market offering drones with professional applications. Their military uses are already well known. But what expectations do we really entertain about drones? And what are the barriers and obstacles that will be encountered along the way? Can those expectations really be fulfilled?

38 39

THE MISSION

T

he atrium, high in Vertigo, is where you can find the Department of Built Environment - and it’s the perfect place to put this topic in the limelight.

Several types of drones are displayed on a table, supplied by the day’s participants, and according to one, they’ll make a nice test flight in the adjoining open space. With that statement, a key aspect in the debate over drones has been addressed: security.

And that means more than just the risk that someone will end up with a device hitting them in the head. Rob van Nieuwland, president of the industry association DARPAS, said that there are several serious near-misses close to airports each year, but they also occur in disaster areas where police and trauma helicopters are being used. ‘It’s something that keeps pilots awake at night,’ says Van Nieuwland.

Rob van Nieuwland

Hengelo-based company Thales recently released a small portable radar, the Squire, that makes it possible to spot small drones around airports - something that’s not currently possible with conventional radar.

It’s a necessary invention given the risky situations caused by ‘people out having a good time who think it’d be nice to see a Boeing 747 close-up,’ says Van Nieuwland.

In order to not immediately focus on the negative aspects of drones, moderator Lucas Asselbergs first takes stock of what the participants sitting around the table ultimately expect from the technology.

That question prompts a wide range of applications - life savior, help at home, an indispensable extension for farmers, photographers, filmmakers and inspectors, a device that can take over dangerous, dull and dirty work from people, a machine that

Ramon Haken

can make remote areas more accessible, as well as their use as toys. The fact that the military establishment has already been using drones for quite some time didn’t make it onto this initial list, but emphatic discussions on that point did arise later.

‘TAKING THE MOST SEVERE RESTRICTIONS INTO ACCOUNT WILL PREVENT DISAPPOINTMENT’

Tessie Hartjes

President of DARPAS, the Dutch association of unmanned aircraft, helicopters and multirotors.

Co-founder of Avular, a TU/e spin-off with 10 employees and focused on drones for industrial applications.

Master’s student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and the team manager of Blue Jay, a student project working on domestic drones.

‘Pilots lay awake at night thinking about drones near airports.’

‘Using drones will greatly enhance the capabilities of inspectors on the ground.’

‘The huge growth potential of drones makes proper regulation essential’

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to dream up more than a hundred applications. ‘But where it often goes wrong for people like us who aspire to apply drones in various ways, is when it comes to the regulations on use. That’s why at Avular we always take into account the most stringent restrictions on their use. This prevents disappointment.’

In relation to all these wonderful expectations for drones, the participants also indicate where problems will mostly likely crop up: modest battery capacity which translates to limited flight time, an absence of GPS guidance, the lack of proper regulation and an ignorance of existing rules by the average

Lambèr Royakkers

user, a risk of an invasion of privacy and problems with public acceptance.

Ramon Haken, co-founder of Avular, a TU/e spin-off that focuses on the industrial and agricultural application of drones, says that at the start of his business, it was no problem

Mark Wijtvliet

Associate professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences and a researcher in the ethical and legal aspects of using unmanned systems for military goals.

PhD candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering and lectures on the construction of autonomously operating systems.

‘At the moment, I’m not as afraid of Big Brother as I am for Little Brother’

‘A drone has to use extra energy to carry a chip and that’s already in short supply.’

Mark Wijtvliet, a PhD student in the Department of Electrical Engineering, fully understands that these issues need to be legally defined but he also thinks that then people need to examine whether they’re technically and practically feasible.

That’s why people are researching the possibility of building a chip into drones which would make it possible to trace the owner and the device. Wijtvliet: ‘But that chip is a relatively substantial thing to have to take into the air and that demands a lot of extra energy - which is already in limited supply.’

All of the participants question whether the legislation regulating drone use isn’t limping a bit behind technological developments.

According to DARPAS President, Van Nieuwland, it’s not just a little but a lot.

Master’s student Tessie Hartjes, a member of a TU/e student team working on a drone for domestic use, imagines that the government wants to ensure that regulations are in order given the enormous growth potential of drones.

Van Nieuwland add his thoughts: ‘At present, we estimate that there are already about 100,000 drones in the Netherlands and 97% of those are for recreational use. That mostly means people who walk out of a shop with a new drone in their hand, set it down on the street and immediately start playing with it.

There’s a much smaller group of professionals, who often are already a part of DARPAS, who use them commercially. That group is already subject to clear rules.’

40 41

THE MISSION

Researcher and lecturer Lambèr Royakkers doesn’t think that regulations can prevent incidents at airports or elsewhere in the public space. ‘More drones simply means even more crazy people who want to film close-up shots of a Boeing. Regulations won’t really solve that problem. Something totally different will have to be thought up to prevents these sorts of issues.’ However, he’s unable to immediately indicate what form that solution should take.

‘The government is working in consultation with DARPAS on an information campaign to help stem the misguided and risky use of drones at an early stage’, says Van Nieuwland.

He grabs a draft version of the brochure from a pile of papers. They’ll add it to all the boxes drones are sold in the near future. He doesn’t expect that the brochure will deliver any miracles immediately but he thinks that it’s a first step towards greater safety.

‘DOES DRONE WARFARE ADHERE TO THE LAWS OF WAR?’ ‘What if in 20 years, drones are fully autonomous working devices that can make their own decisions?’, Royakkers challenges.

He thinks one option is already happening in the military. ‘For instance, a drone can react to a signal being emitted by a terrorist’s mobile phone. But what if that phone is

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

being held by his son or daughter? Can that device differentiate between people we want to hit and those who have mistakenly become a target? When it comes to this sort of situation, does drone warfare still adhere to the laws of war?’

The discussion moves towards military deployment where drone operators sit safely in a military complex in their homeland.

According to Royakkers, their decisions often completely depend on which interface they use. His group spends a lot of time researching this issue. DARPAS’s president Van Nieuwland is convinced that drones will eventually supplant manned aviation in this area. ‘Because pilot casualties would then disappear.’

‘Eliminating that risk creates another’, says Wijtvliet. ‘Highly-developed countries with many drones will be more likely to attack countries that are less advanced in this field.’ Royakkers passionately counters this opinion: ‘The expanding use of autonomous drones will lead to an arms race. This must be prohibited. Drones must stay under the meaningful control of humans’.

Hartjes expects that the acceptance of fullyautonomous drones will still encounter some resistance. ‘You can see it today with the introduction of fully-autonomous vehicles.

A majority of people still believe that people still need to be able to control such a car.’

Van Nieuwland realizes that these are the sorts of discussions that keep drones from being accepted by the general public.

‘We also have to keep explaining to the press that drones aren’t just used for military purposes but that there are also many positive sides. If you also explain that they could be used in a war situation to deliver

medication to soldiers who are under fire and hard to reach, you can make sure that a journalist also gets the positive view of their use.’

It goes without saying that Avular founder, Haken, particularly focuses on the positive side of drones and is convinced that they’ll play a crucial role in increasing food production and improving the security of industrial complexes in the future. ‘I don’t want to say that it will no longer be necessary to have inspectors on the ground but their capabilities can be greatly enhanced when they also use drones.’

‘THE SITUATIONS WHERE DRONES CAN REPLACE HUMANS: DIRTY, DANGEROUS AND DULL’ Van Nieuwland again highlights the deployment of drones in dangerous situations, such as fires where toxic substances are released. ‘In 2011, when the Chemie-Pack in Moerdijk burnt down and a huge plume of smoke drifted towards Dordrecht, they sent a police helicopter through it to assess whether it was toxic. These are the sort of situations where a drone can replace people.

You can summarize with the three D’s: dirty, dangerous and dull.’

In addition to all these positive aspects, the enormous growth in the popularity of drones has brought with it one problem for society: the infringement of privacy.

Or, as Royakkers concisely summarizes the problem: ‘At the moment, I’m not as afraid of Big Brother as I am for Little Brother - businesses and citizens that can follow each other and may violate each other’s privacy. Enforcement is almost impossible. Youtube is full of films that show when the limits of privacy have been clearly exceeded and you can no longer figure out who made those pictures or movies.’

It’s also a difficult problem for the government - one with no easy solution, says Van Nieuwland. ‘It’s actually no longer an option to register the owner of a drone or equip the devices with a traceable chip because so many have already been sold. And if the miniaturization of drones continues, they’ll be even harder to trace. Look at the Delfly project at TU Delft; a tiny autonomous aircraft that keeps getting smaller and is equipped with a camera.’

In order to conclude the meeting, discussion leader Asselbergs tries to draw up a list of areas where participants see the greatest opportunities for the valuable and successful use of drones. At the top of the list is their use in rapid and essential transportation - for example, in delivering donor organs.

Also, there’s a good chance they can be used for surveillance work such as in making films, identifying, interpreting data and possibly making interventions. And there are great advantages to letting drones take over dangerous, dirty and monotonous work from humans. But before that can happen, they need to clock in many more hours of supervised flight.

42

AGENDA/

January

13

February

2

Lecture: The myth of the multi-tasker

We all think we’re great at multitasking and that we get a lot back from it. Not so. Professor of Educational Psychology, Paul A. Kirschner, discusses the negative effects of multitasking and how we can guard against the temptations of our smartphones and tablets. This lecture will be organized by Studium Generale and will be held in Dutch.

Time: 12.40 - 13.35 Place: Blauwe Zaal, Auditorium, TU/e-campus For more info: you can reserve free tickets at www.kaartjesreserveren.nl/sg/order.aspx?project=59

Career Café for young alumni

Want to take a fresh look at your career, develop your talents and enlarge your network? Then the Career Café for young alumni on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 is a great opportunity for you. Through different activities and workshops you’ll be able to exchange ideas with other alumni, coaches and HR experts.

Time: 17.30 - 21.30 Place: De Zwarte Doos café (TU/e campus) For more info: participation is 25 euros (including a sandwich buffet). You can register and find more info at www.tue.nl/careeractivities

/GESTELD

‘The cheese slicer is the ultimate representation of the Dutch national character.’

‘In addition to fingers, bananas are also well-suited to operate capacitive touchscreens.’

A proposition in the thesis ‘Engineering cheese sensory texture - using structure-property modeling’ by Timo Faber.

A proposition in the thesis ‘Device physics of organic light-emitting diodes: interplay between chargers and excitons’ by Harm van Eersel.

‘In science and in cooking, you need passion. The joy is in sharing the results with others’.

A proposition in the thesis ‘Biophysical regulation of actin cytoskeleton remodeling in adherent cells’ by Chiara Tamiello.

‘Reflection is often considered a strength in research.

In acoustic energy transfer, however, it only creates more problems.’

A proposition in the thesis ‘Exploring the potential of acoustic energy transfer’ by Maurice Roes.

‘A PhD is financially overvalued compared to teachers and nurses.’

A proposition in the thesis ‘Experimental study on thermochemical heat storage materials’ by Pim Donkers.

‘Excellent scientists go to heaven. Involved scientists go everywhere.’

A proposition in the thesis ‘Engaging scientists: Organising valorisation in the Netherlands by Stefan de Jong.

‘The best time to become a father is while you’re getting your PhD.’ A proposition in the thesis ‘Low-frequency acoustic optimization of a double-wall panel by means of vibration absorbers’ by Joris Michielsen.

‘Narrowmindedness doesn’t get you anywhere’ ‘A mind is like a parachute.

It doesn’t work if it is not open’ (Frank Zappa).

Proposition in the thesis ‘Prediction of Long-Term Performance of Load-Bearing Thermoplastics’

by Marc Kanters.

‘Successful scientists and small children often display the same character traits, such as a lot of curiosity, a rich imagination, a high level of stubbornness, a childish sense of humor and considerable selfishness.’

A proposition from the thesis ‘Photodegradation of polyester-urethane coatings’ by Koen Adema.

43

Maaike Kroon (1980), professor of separation technology in the Department of Chemical Engineering, left TU/e on 1 December. She’ll continue her career with the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).

m.c.kroon@tue.nl

TEXT JUDITH VAN GAAL PHOTO BART VAN OVERBEEKE

DEPARTING TOP TALENT

‘I had different reactions to my departure, including the thought that it’s a shame that a top talent such as myself should leave the university. Personally, I think mobility is a pretty good thing and there are some good scientists coming to TU/e from abroad. I’m not leaving because I’m dissatisfied with Eindhoven: in contrast, I’m leaving simply because I was presented with this really great opportunity. In Abu Dhabi, I’ll be able to set up my own group and lab and I won’t have to put as much time into writing research proposals. Although, I’ll be working more on a management level.’

ABU DHABI

‘It’s going to take some getting used to, but I don’t expect to experience any culture shock.

Abu Dhabi is quite westernized and a lot of expats live there. Of course, there will be other things to adapt to - for instance, physical contact at work isn’t allowed and that means not even a handshake. That’s different than, for example, in Spain where I worked before and began the morning with two kisses. Fortunately, both my husband and I are looking forward to moving there with our two children who are 2 and 4. I’m especially going to miss my family and my current research group.’

ROLE MODEL

‘I was the only female professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at TU/e.

At the Petroleum Institute, the only female professors will be a Spanish woman and me.

I expect I’ll also act as a role model there, particularly for the female students. I don’t go looking for it - it’s just the circumstances - but I’m well aware that I serve as a role model.’

MAKING THE WORLD CLEANER

‘It’s always been one of my motivations to make the world a little better and cleaner.

Through my research I’ve tried to, for example, ensure that paper in the future is cheaper and produced more environmentally-friendly and I’ve also worked on desalination. That won’t be any different in the United Arab Emirates. They’re working hard on the sustainable development of desalination units and they think a lot of about what to do when the oil runs out.’

On page 2 Forward/ with Floor Alkemade

A LITTLE FARM

‘My husband and I have always said that we wanted to have a little farm. That won’t happen in the United Arab Emirates - it’s mostly sand there. I expect we’ll go live in a compound, in a house with a swimming pool. But who knows - that farm might come someday.

I don’t have any concrete plans for the future.

I first want to see how things will go with this next step.’

44

Computer interfaces

NR.13 DECEMBER 2015 / MAGAZINE OF THE

TEXT TOM JELTES PHOTO RUE DES ARCHIVES/HH

Since the computer’s invention, an increasing number of possibilities have emerged to interact with our digital helpers. A sturdy keyboard and a simple screen, supplemented by a handy mouse, make up the interface most of us still rely on.

But the possibilities are endless, as illustrated by some examples from TU/e.

1943 The first general computer, the ENIAC, is programmed to perform different tasks by setting a series of switches and cables.

1965 E.A. Johnson describes the first ‘Touch Display’ in an article.

It was first used in air traffic control and in the control room of the accelerator used by CERN at that time.

1967 Ralph Henry Baer, a video game pioneer, is the first to use a joystick (already developed in the 1920s to steer small, unmanned planes) in combination with a computer.

1968 Douglas Engelbart from the Stanford Research Institute demonstrates the first computer mouse (see picture) at the Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco.

2005 Loy Rovers and Harm van Essen of TU/e’s Department of Industrial Design devise the FootIO, a ‘vibrotactile’ interface for under your foot, enabling a personal - and hidden - way of communication between computer users.

1994 David Keyson from IPO develops the TacTool, a trackball with force feedback which makes it possible to ‘feel’ 3D, virtual objects.

The Eighties Within the Institute for Perception Research (IPO) of TU/e and Philips, important steps were made in speech recognition for computers: the ‘harmonic sieve’, an algorithm to measure tonal heights, is now used in millions of smartphones.

2012 The first demo version of Oculus Rift is revealed, virtual reality glasses with a stereoscopic field of vision and spatial audio. The Rift has sensors that measure the attitude, position and movements of the head so that the user has a realistic experience of the virtual environment projected onto the display.

2003 Joran Jesserun and Bauke de Vries of TU/e’s Department of the Built Environment create the Desk-Cave, a virtual environment consisting of four screens which offers the user a 3D experience of, for example, an architectural design.

2014 In just two weeks, Eindhoven students put together a prototype of the Manus Machina, a glove that behaves like a cordless mouse, keyboard and controller in a virtual environment. The resulting start-up now has fifteen employees.