Archive

Ron Haaksman, beloved teacher of physics experiments at Applied Sciences, has been awarded this year's J.B. Westerdijk Prize. Ron was nominated by the Vereniging voor Technische Physica (VvTP), the study association of Applied Physics, and received the prize during the Faculty's New Year's Breakfast on Monday, January 11, 2021.

Biotechnologists at Delft University of Technology have built an artificial chromosome in yeast. The chromosome can exist alongside the natural yeast chromosomes, and serves as a platform to safely and easily add new functions to the micro-organism. Researchers can use the artificial chromosome to convert yeast cells into living factories capable of producing useful chemicals and even medicines.

During the New Year's breakfast, the new name for Room E in Building 22 was unveiled. It is now called the 'Mooijzaal'. Professor Hans Mooij (1941) is without a doubt one of the most influential and successful Dutch scientists of the past decades.

Frank Hollmann (Biotechnology) has been awarded a Proof of Concept grant by the European Research Council. He is one of 55 ERC grant holders that are set to receive top-up funding to explore the commercial or innovation potential of the results of their EU-funded research.

We are one step closer to Luminous Glass. On December 14th 2020, Evert Merkx from the department of Radiation Science & Technology (RST) successfully defended his PhD thesis and the accompanying propositions. After a rigorous examination, the committee decided to award Evert the PhD cum laude. ‘Cum laude’ is the highest honor TU Delft can bestow upon PhDs, awarded only to the top 5% of PhD students.

Researchers in Delft have developed at catalyst that is even effective in negligible amounts. The form and durability of the catalyst mean that it lasts much longer in reactions, saving a great deal of energy, waste and costs. The results were published in Nature Communications.

Every year, people all over the world try to make the biggest artificial Christmas tree. Like the Gubbio Christmas Tree, formed by thousands of lights on the slopes of Mount Ingino. Or the illumination of the 372-metre high transmission mast at Lopik in The Netherlands. Maura Willems, a student of Applied Physics at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), decided to do the opposite. She created what is probably the world’s smallest Christmas tree.

We don’t realize it, but loose strands of DNA end up in nature via our wastewater. As of yet, it is unclear how much this 'free-floating DNA' impacts environmental and public health. Researchers at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) have now found a way to determine just how much potentially harmful DNA ends up in our wastewater. They have developed a method that can isolate such ‘free floating DNA’ from wastewater, which gives them the means to determine the extent of the problem. The results of their work will officially be printed in Water Research in February 2021, but have already been pre-published online.

Platform Bio-Economie consolidates its strategic reorientation towards becoming the leading industry organisation targeting the development of a fully renewable and sustainable, CO2-neutral society in which product chains are as circular and biobased as possible. Luuk van der Wielen with over 30 years of mixed academic/industrial experience in developing bioeconomy technology, business and policies has been appointed to chair the board.

The ERC has awarded a Consolidator Grant to Stan Brouns, Kristof Cools and Simon Gröblacher from TU Delft. With this support, they will be able to consolidate their teams and have farreaching impact. It was the first ERC Consolidator Grant application process that was conducted completely online.