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Project 9: Spot de Hotspot!

Project 9: Spot de Hotspot! Results are in! It has been more and more visible in the news in recent years: microplastics. Tiny pieces of plastic found in various products, water, and often in our bodies. In 2023, we conducted research in Delfland to enhance our knowledge of macro and microplastics in Dutch waters. Scroll down quickly for the results! The project During 'Spot the Hotspot,' we, along with 507(!) citizen scientists, mapped out the macro and microplastics in the water in Delfland. This helps us understand more about plastic pollution in the region. The data collected are used by organizations such as the Waterboard of Delfland to take necessary actions. What did we measure? Spot the Hotspot consists of a 'macro' and a 'micro' component. Macro-plastics (larger than 5 mm) include plastic 'hotspots' in or around the water, places where more plastic accumulates than in other areas. This can happen, for example, in slow-flowing water, around an obstacle in the water, or simply in busy areas where a lot is discarded. For micro-plastics (smaller than 5 mm), small nets were built to be towed behind a submarine or canoe, collecting water samples that were later analyzed. Results 2023 You can find the full report with all the results here . Alternatively, check out the data maps for macro-plastics and micro-plastics . Who participates in this project? The project is organized and led by the WaterLab. Data was collected by over 500 citizen scientist from the Delfland region. The assignment for this project was given by the Hoogheemraadschap van Delfland. We collaborate with various water sports associations, scouting organizations, and nature conservation groups to make this project possible. Onderzoeksresultaten Spot de Hotspot This content is being blocked for you because it contains cookies. Would you like to view this content? By clicking here , you will automatically allow the use of cookies.

Organisation

Organisation Venue The summer school will be held at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering (Building 62) of TU Delft, located at: Kluyverweg 1, 2629 HS, Delft, The Netherlands. The course will take place in the lecture rooms of the faculty, and the laboratory tests will be conducted at the Delft Aerospace Structures and Materials Lab. View campus map Fee The fee is € 650,- and will be invoiced upon acceptance. It includes the lectures, workshops, welcome drinks, lunches, a dinner night, and tea/coffee and snacks during the breaks. Accommodation (such as hostels or hotels) is not included in the fee. Students attending the Summer School are responsible for arranging their own accommodation. Fees are not refundable. This content is being blocked for you because it contains cookies. Would you like to view this content? By clicking here , you will automatically allow the use of cookies. Travel The faculty of Aerospace Engineering can be reached: by plane: Delft can be easily reached from Schiphol Airport or Rotterdam-The Hague International Airport. From Schiphol Airport there are several train connections per hour. Two are direct trains and two require you to change trains in Leiden. See also: www.ns.nl for a journey planner. From Rotterdam Airport you can take a bus to Rotterdam Centraal station and then take a train to Delft. Or you can plan your journey via: 9292.nl by train: Rotterdam and Amsterdam are served by international (high-speed) train connections to Brussels, Paris, and various German cities. From Rotterdam or Amsterdam you can take a regular train to Delft. Use www.ns.nl to plan your journey within the Netherlands. by bus: from Delft station take line 40 (direction Rotterdam), 69 (direction Technopolis), or 174 (direction Rotterdam Noord) to the stop ‘Kluyverpark’. The faculty is located in the blue building to the west of the bus stop. by car or taxi: address Kluyverweg 1. Delft is served by the A4 and A13 motorways. Use of a route planner is recommended. Parking is available at the faculty or in the parking garage on the van der Maasweg, behind building 58, (see also the map linked above). on foot (ca. 40 minute walk from the centre of Delft) Delft Information & accommodation More information on the city of Delft and accommodation options can be found at: https://www.delft.com/

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Tracing ancient settlements in Colombia with remote sensing

A team of the LDE alliance (Leiden University, TU Delft, and Erasmus University Rotterdam) asked whether it might be possible to search for signs of ancient settlements in the jungle with affordable remote sensing techniques. For an expedition in a Colombian dense forest, the team, including remote sensing expert Felix Dahle of TU Delft, joined forces with archaeologists and drone experts from Colombia. In mountainous forests, drones provide affordable access to areas that would otherwise be unreachable from the ground. A LiDAR laser scanner already proved its value in coastal observation . The big question was whether LiDAR could bypass the many treetops. Trees reflect the laser, so it was crucial to fly close so it found its way through the foliage. The team mounted a highly portable LiDAR laser scanner to a drone and went on expedition nearby ancient terraces of the Tairona culture in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta. “We had to find the sweet spot. Close to the archaeological sites and still secure above the canopy”, says Felix Dahle. And it passed the test. The LiDAR laser scanner create a point cloud and a detailed 3D model of the landscape. “We were able to detect ancient terraces in the jungle. We discovered that we can scan through the forest when it is not too dense, but some areas remained unfathomable. We could also distinguish several types of vegetation, which might be of great use too to find undiscovered archaeological sites.”

TU Delft jointly wins in XPRIZE Rainforest 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