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Graduation of Max Berning

Graduation of Max Berning 29 June 2023 14:00 till 16:00 - Location: CEG - Lecture Hall F | Add to my calendar Upscaling Observations to Unravel Drivers of Morphological Change at the Prins Hendrik Sand Dike Professor of graduation: Dr. ir. M.A. de Schipper Supervisors: Dr. ir. B.C van Prooijen, Ir. M.A. van der Lugt Within sandy coastal environments, nature-based solutions are often in the form of sand- or dune nourishment. Natural forcing interacts with sediment and results in transport, determining the short- and long-term performance of sand nourishments. This is seen through morphological development. As sandy coastal environments make up 40% of the world’s coasts, which are often densely populated, understanding that interaction between forcing and sediment is important for successful sandy coastal protection strategies. Most sandy coastal interventions have been performed on wave dominated open-coast systems. Correspondingly, most coastal research has focused on these open-coast and primarily wave-driven systems. Therefore, behavior of open-coast systems is generally well-understood; larger swell waves dominate morphological processes showing distinct periods of erosion and accretion under storm- and calm-conditions respectively. In contrast, only a few studies have been performed on sheltered, low-energy coasts. This results in a lack of knowledge on physical processes and morphodynamics of low-energy coasts. Despite the importance of low-energy beaches as coastal protection, recreation possibility and as ecological hubs (A. Ton, 2020). Previous studies performed on the PHSD have focused on creating a conceptual understanding through data analysis (M. Klein Obbink 2021, J. Woerdman 2021) or numerical modelling (R. Hoegen, 2022). Through numerical modelling, it was possible to distinguish the importance of different hydrodynamic drivers and calculate transport quantities, however, these models require large computational effort. Therefore, the need arises to upscale local observations to macro-morphological changes and compare to observed morphological development.

Lilika Markatou joins Cybersecurity at TU Delft as Assistant Professor.

Evangelia Anna (Lilika) Markatou is appointed Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity at TU Delft, effective September 15, 2023. Lilika is working at the intersection of privacy and security, aiming to develop secure and private protocols that enable users to utilize cloud computing resources without sacrificing their privacy. She will join us from Brown University in the USA where she is currently a final-year Ph.D. student under the supervision of Roberto Tamassia. Lilika graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2016. In 2018, she received a Master of Engineering from MIT advised by Nancy Lynch. She also holds a Master in Computer Science from Brown University. Lilika worked as an intern at Google in the US and UK, and research assistant at MIT’s Computational Reactor Physics Group, MIT’s Planetary Astronomy Laboratory, and Harvard University’s Cosmic Microwave Background group. She has also been involved in education, supervision, and volunteer work activities at Brown and MIT. Lilika’s research was presented at top security, systems, and theory venues such as ACM CCS, PETS, VLDB, ACM PODC, and SIROCCO. Lilika was awarded the Best Student Paper Award in ISC 2019 for "Full Database Reconstruction with Access and Search Pattern Leakage", the Best Paper Award in SIROCCO 2017 for "Leader Election in SINR Model with Arbitrary Power Control", and the Licklider UROP Award for her work during her Masters. She was also a Paris Kanellakis fellow at Brown University. Lilika, welcome to the Cybersecurity section at TU Delft! Lilika’s personal webpage: https://markatou.github.io/

Parents and caregivers: a conversation with three colleagues

DEWIS talked with three young parents about combining parenting with pursuing an academic career. What can we do to create a more inclusive working environment where parents can grow and flourish in their careers? An academic career and a family: can you have both? Samuel Kernan Freire is a PhD-student at the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. He has a two-year-old daughter and is expecting his second child in August. Samuel: “I wasn’t quite sure if the two were compatible. The positive reaction of my supervisor reassured me. Of course, I need to manage my time well but the most important thing is to have a supportive supervisor.” When I got pregnant during my PhD studies, I was privileged with a supportive promotor. His attitude was very clear: becoming a parent is a fact of life. He supported me in my wish that my children could attend my PhD defence. The youngest was two. I remember my son walking towards me and a family member picked him under his raised arms. All the committee members loved it! Prof. Zofia Lukszo, DEWIS Chair Ema Gusheva moved from North Macedonia to the Netherlands with her husband to do a PhD at the faculty of Technology, Policy and Management and has a one-year-old daughter. Ema : “Having a baby during PhD studies is totally acceptable at my department. I have to say that combining parenting with my academic career is easier than I thought. I work fewer hours but I am very productive. I spend less time on social interactions; less time on my laptop, reading and doubting myself; less time on introspection and I do not have writer’s block. I sit behind my computer typing away and sending drafts full of typos [smile]. I don’t have time to be very self-critical.” Michal Shemesh is from Israel and started working as an Operational Manager after her postdoctoral research at the faculty of Applied Sciences. Her children are eight and twelve years old. Michal : “I never had conscious deliberations about whether to start a family. This decision is very personal to me. Having children is encouraged in Israeli society, so this might be a cultural difference. Children are part of life and you organise your life around the family. During my PhD, when my babies were small, they accompanied me whenever necessary, i.e. when studying or doing labwork. I would take them to the research institute in cases of emergency or after day-care was closed and it was never considered strange.” How do you balance work and private life? Samuel: “People are mostly speaking from a perspective without caregiving responsibilities. I think there could be more awareness around this, so we can be more mindful and inclusive. My supervisor and colleagues have been very accommodating but, in general, there is room for improvement. For example, be more mindful when planning social events. Ema: “My supervisor told me about conferences with day-care facilities but they don’t seem to be in my field. Where are they!? It would be great to have that option. Last time, my mother came with me to take care of my daughter. I can be more proactive in searching for networking opportunities and suggesting collaborations. I already have some ideas for shifting meetings and social gatherings so they better fit my schedule. In addition, I’m inspired to bring my daughter to work if necessary.” Michal: “Social interactions can be important for scientific careers. New collaborations might start or an interesting foreign visitor might attend. Inclusion gives you the freedom to be an excellent scientist. Inclusion means having a mind-set in the working environment where parenting is accepted as an important part of life. Accept mothers bringing their babies to conferences. Plan social events when parents are available.” "Universities are amazing places full of role-models and inspiration for children. It would be great if we had more welcoming spaces, where children could drop by and feel comfortable and not be intimidated by the huge amount of locked doors and unwelcoming messages. Showing our workplaces to our children is an educational experience for them and gives them examples of future possibilities. Flexible work balance is important, but so is the opportunity to bring your children to work because they are part of your life.”

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TU Delft jointly wins XPRIZE Rainforest drone competition in Brazil

TU Delft jointly wins in the XPRIZE Rainforest competition in the Amazon, Brazil Imagine using rapid and autonomous robot technology for research into the green and humid lungs of our planet; our global rainforests. Drones that autonomously deploy eDNA samplers and canopy rafts uncover the rich biodiversity of these complex ecosystems while revealing the effects of human activity on nature and climate change. On November 15, 2024, after five years of intensive research and competition, the ETHBiodivX team, which included TU Delft Aerospace researchers Salua Hamaza and Georg Strunck, achieved an outstanding milestone: winning the XPRIZE Rainforest Bonus Prize for outstanding effort in co-developing inclusive technology for nature conservation. The goal: create automated technology and methods to gain near real-time insights about biodiversity – providing necessary data that can inform conservation action and policy, support sustainable bioeconomies, and empower Indigenous Peoples and local communities who are the primary protectors and knowledge holders of the planet’s tropical rainforests. The ETHBiodivX team, made of experts in Robotics, eDNA, and Data Insights, is tackling the massive challenge of automating and streamlining the way we monitor ecosystems. Leading the Robotics division, a collaboration between TU Delft’s Prof. Salua Hamaza, ETH Zurich’s Prof. Stefano Mintchev and Aarhus University’s Profs. Claus Melvad and Toke Thomas Høye, is developing cutting-edge robotic solutions to gather ecology and biology data autonomously. “We faced the immense challenge of deploying robots in the wild -- and not just any outdoor environment but one of the most demanding and uncharted: the wet rainforests. This required extraordinary efforts to ensure robustness and reliability, pushing the boundaries of what the hardware could achieve for autonomous data collection of images, sounds, and eDNA, in the Amazon” says prof. Hamaza. “Ultimately, this technology will be available to Indigenous communities as a tool to better understand the forest's ongoing changes in biodiversity, which provide essential resources as food and shelter to the locals.” . . . .

Students Amos Yusuf, Mick Dam & Bas Brouwer winners of Mekel Prize 2024

Master students Amos Yusuf, from the ME faculty (Mick Dam, from the EEMCS faculty and graduate Bas Brouwer have won the Mekel Prize 2024 for the best extra scientific activity at TU Delft: the development of an initiative that brings master students into the classroom teaching sciences to the younger generations. The prize was ceremonially awarded by prof Tim van den Hagen on 13 November after the Van Hasselt Lecture at the Prinsenhof, Delft. They received a statue of Professor Jan Mekel and 1.500,- to spend on their project. Insights into climate change are being openly doubted. Funding for important educational efforts and research are being withdrawn. Short clips – so called “reels” – on Youtube and TikTok threaten to simplify complex political and social problems. AI fakes befuddle what is true and what is not. The voices of science that contribute to those discussion with modesty, careful argument and scepticism, are drowned in noise. This poses a threat for universities like TU Delft, who strive to increase student numbers, who benefit from diverse student populations and aim to pass on their knowledge and scientific virtues to the next generation. It is, therefore, alarming that student enrolments to Bachelor and Master Programs at TU Delft have declined in the past year. Students in front of the class The project is aimed to make the sciences more appealing to the next generation. They have identified the problem that students tend miss out on the opportunity of entering a higher education trajectory in the Beta sciences – because they have a wrong picture of such education. In their mind, they depict it as boring and dry. In his pilot lecture at the Stanislas VMBO in Delft, Amos Yusuf has successfully challenged this image. He shared his enthusiasm for the field of robotics and presented himself as a positive role model to the pupils. And in return the excitement of the high school students is palpable in the videos and pictures from the day. The spark of science fills their eyes. Bas Brouwer Mick Dam are the founders of NUVO – the platform that facilitates the engagement of Master Students in high school education in Delft Their efforts offer TU Delft Master Students a valuable learning moment: By sharing insights from their fields with pupils at high school in an educational setting, our students can find identify their own misunderstandings of their subject, learn to speak in front of non-scientific audiences and peak into education as a work field they themselves might not have considered. An extraordinary commitment According to the Mekel jury, the project scored well on all the criteria (risk mitigation, inclusiveness, transparency and societal relevance). However, it was the extraordinary commitment of Amos who was fully immersed during his Master Project and the efforts of Brouwer and Dam that brought together teaching and research which is integral to academic culture that made the project stand out. About the Mekel Prize The Mekel Prize will be awarded to the most socially responsible research project or extra-scientific activity (e.g. founding of an NGO or organization, an initiative or realization of an event or other impactful project) by an employee or group of employees of TU Delft – projects that showcase in an outstanding fashion that they have been committed from the beginning to relevant moral and societal values and have been aware of and tried to mitigate as much as possible in innovative ways the risks involved in their research. The award recognizes such efforts and wants to encourage the responsible development of science and technology at TU Delft in the future. For furthermore information About the project: https://www.de-nuvo.nl/video-robotica-pilot/ About the Mekel Prize: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/tpm/our-faculty/departments/values-technology-and-innovation/sections/ethics-philosophy-of-technology/mekel-prize

New catheter technology promises safer and more efficient treatment of blood vessels

Each year, more than 200 million catheters are used worldwide to treat vascular diseases, including heart disease and artery stenosis. When navigating into blood vessels, friction between the catheter and the vessel wall can cause major complications. With a new innovative catheter technology, Mostafa Atalla and colleagues can change the friction from having grip to completely slippery with the flick of a switch. Their design improves the safety and efficiency of endovascular procedures. The findings have been published in IEEE. Catheter with variable friction The prototype of the new catheter features advanced friction control modules to precisely control the friction between the catheter and the vessel wall. The friction is modulated via ultrasonic vibrations, which overpressure the thin fluid layer. This innovative variable friction technology makes it possible to switch between low friction for smooth navigation through the vessel and high friction for optimal stability during the procedure. In a proof-of-concept, Atalla and his team show that the prototype significantly reduces friction, averaging 60% on rigid surfaces and 11% on soft surfaces. Experiments on animal aortic tissue confirm the promising results of this technology and its potential for medical applications. Fully assembled catheters The researchers tested the prototype during friction experiments on different tissue types. They are also investigating how the technology can be applied to other procedures, such as bowel interventions. More information Publicatie DOI : 10.1109/TMRB.2024.3464672 Toward Variable-Friction Catheters Using Ultrasonic Lubrication | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore Mostafa Atalla: m.a.a.atalla@tudelft.nl Aimee Sakes: a.sakes@tudelft.nl Michaël Wiertlewski: m.wiertlewski@tudelft.nl Would you like to know more and/or attend a demonstration of the prototype please contact me: Fien Bosman, press officer Health TU Delft: f.j.bosman@tudelft.nl/ 0624953733