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Profile of a Safety and Security Researcher: Nan Yue

“In high school, I loved physics. It was logical and easy to follow and came naturally to me. When choosing my bachelor’s study, I wanted something related to physics and building something physical. When a group of university professors visited our region in China to inform students, I was lucky enough to meet some of them in person, and that meeting with them made an impression on me. In civil and mechanical engineering, we can build bridges, buildings, cars and ships. But we are building heavy, safe machines that fly in aerospace - it’s complex and fascinating! The university professors were so proud of their field, calling aerospace ‘the diamond of engineering’. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and I was smitten.” After her post-doctorate at Imperial College London, it was time to look for a new research topic with a different direction, which led Nan to TU Delft to research aircraft safety and how to ensure aircraft are fit to fly. “Until I discovered that Delft had an entire faculty dedicated to aerospace, I had only encountered it as a part of other departments or faculties. I was curious to investigate further, and Delft was at the forefront of my field.” Previously, Nan spent five to six years working on a method to find damage in aircrafts. “Near the end of my post-doc, I knew I could detect the damage, but how could I translate the information into a practical decision-making process for it to be meaningful? I never thought my research was useless, but I knew it needed more. The truth is the more you research, inevitably you will find another hill to climb. In fact, I was happy, because it meant I was growing as a scientist.” “I learned about the Delft Technology Fellowship (DTF) on the university website at the end of my first year at TU Delft as a post-doc researcher. I asked myself if I could be happy in my future career without research. The answer was an emphatic ‘No!’, so it was an easy decision to apply. At the same time, I was certain that TU Delft would be a perfect place to start my academic career. I had already really enjoyed the one-year experience at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and felt inspired by the dedication to sustainable aviation. My research vision evolved from realising that Structural Health Monitoring research needed a broader scope which considered engineering structures from cradle to grave.” Nan’s decision to pursue the DTF was confirmed during the preparation for the application. “I approached the professors at the ASM department to discuss my research vision and ask for advice, and everyone was very welcoming and supportive. When I was offered the DTF, I felt like the luckiest and the happiest person on earth.” “Looking back to when I first became smitten with aerospace engineering, and considering where I am now, I can say the feeling is only getting stronger. As I spend more time with aerospace engineering, I realise how complicated and sophisticated it is, and I’m still learning a lot every single day. When I teach students, it is always exciting to show how systematic and sophisticated a task it is to keep aviation as safe as it is today and to envision the future of sustainable aviation. I hope I radiate the same enthusiasm for aerospace engineering to my students as those professors did for me back then.” It’s fair to say that Nan’s dedication to her field of research has matured into a full-blown love affair. Nan Yue is an assistant professor in Structural Health Monitoring. She dedicates her research to bridging the knowledge and information gaps in design, manufacturing, in-service degradation and life management of lightweight, high-performance structures, using continuous health information gathered by integrated intelligent systems. She obtained her PhD in February 2020 and worked as a Research Associate at Imperial College London. She joined TU Delft as a Postdoc researcher in December 2020. In June 2022, she was awarded the Delft Technology Fellowship and became an assistant professor at the Department of Aerospace Structures and Materials. text Helen Hartmann illustration De Zagerij Download article

Beautiful and safe?

It is a common sight in the densely populated country of the Netherlands, houses along, on or even partly in a dyke. The result is picturesque scenes, which are an incredible sight if you cycle any of the 17,000 km of water-retaining dykes that protect the country. But those houses become obstacles when the dykes must be raised to cope with climate change-induced rising water levels. Therefore, Mark Voorendt and colleagues collaborate with other knowledge institutes and stakeholders to develop innovative alternatives. One example is Delta21, a citizens’ initiative and integrated plan for a flood defence system in the form of a row of dunes, a pumping station and a closable barrier. The plan not only offers a solution for water safety, but also energy storage and nature restoration. This type of complex project is central to the minor Integrated Infrastructure Design that started a few years ago. Engineers of the future learn an integral approach to design and do research by design to keep the Netherlands both beautiful and safe in the coming decades. Download article Mark Voorendt i s Researcher and Lecturer of Hydraulic Structures at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences.

Closing Reflection: Safety and Security in a Changing World

The theme 'Safety and Security in a Changing World' ran through this magazine like a common thread, although sometimes only implicitly. To conclude this magazine, we reflect on this theme with Genserik Reniers , professor of Safety of Hazardous Materials and head of the Safety & Security Science section at TU Delft, who effortlessly delivers a mini-lecture and shares his thoughts. text Ilse Oosterlaken interview Eveline Vreede and Ilse Oosterlaken sculpture Antony Gormley, ‘Feeling Material IV’ Safety & security… ‘Safety’ prevents harmful incidents due to natural disasters or human error. ‘Security’ is about incidents involving malicious intent, for example, by terrorists or criminals. ‘Security’ is often viewed more qualitatively (for example, from the perspective of psychology or political science), and ‘safety’ more quantitatively (for example, in economic or technical analyses). It is therefore not surprising that in the Netherlands, ‘security’ has traditionally been a problem area that non-technical universities mainly address, and ‘safety’ has historically received more attention at TU Delft. Of course, there are exceptions, ‘cyber security’ also gets a lot of attention in Delft. But the fact that both his section and the TU Delft Safety & Security Institute so explicitly bring the two values together is nevertheless quite unique, says Reniers. In most companies and organisations, they are not viewed in an integrated manner either. There is generally a separation in budgets, personnel and departments that deal with these two values or problem areas. This separation is the result of historical developments. A barrier in bridging the gap is that – at least in the Netherlands – these values are the domain of different government departments; ‘Safety’ has traditionally been the responsibility of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, while ‘security’ is instead seen as belonging to the territory of the Ministry of Justice and Security. One consequence is that legislation surrounding these two challenges is not viewed in conjunction, and according to Reniers, this does not give companies and organisations any incentive to do so either. It really depends on local ‘champions’, the people who see the usefulness and benefits, whether that happens. “It would be interesting to discuss this with more companies,” says Reniers, “but I am happy that at least more and more people know the difference between the two.” Language does not always help with this (see box). …in a changing world But what is the benefit and usefulness of an integrated approach? Here, we finally arrive at the theme of a changing world. The website of the TU Delft Safety & Security Institute gives several examples of why ‘security’ is becoming increasingly important for engineers: Cars are increasingly becoming “computers on wheels” and can be controlled remotely, which makes ‘security’ as much a challenge for developers as ‘safety’. And “the welldeveloped structures of strong dykes may not be as safe as expected if the flood defence system becomes hackable.” In short, physical ‘safety’ and ‘cyber security’ become increasingly intertwined as information technology gets integrated into everything and cyber-physical systems become more common, Reniers confirms. While creating this magazine, digital developments were not the only thing we discussed concerning a ‘changing world’. We also considered, for example, climate change and the transition to a sustainable economy, the increasing public attention for (in)equality and inclusion, and recent geopolitical developments. Can Reniers also say something about that? With the world’s growing complexity it is difficult, if not impossible, to predict what will happen. So we have to be prepared for a lot of options “Those are quite big themes!” is his first reaction. Of course, according to Reniers, there is a lot to say about each of these developments, but where do you start? Concerning climate change, for example, it is interesting, he believes, that natural disasters used to be mainly something that the government dealt with. But nowadays, companies in the EU are also obliged to make risk analyses on so-called ‘Natech’ risks. And while in the past, the emphasis in the field was mainly on preventing natural disasters, it is now more about ‘selfreliance’, or how we can deal with it if something like this happens. In fact, Reniers reflects further on the magazine theme, the same developments in the field of safety & security science are important for many of these significant societal developments. For example, increasing attention is being paid to the dynamic nature of risk analyses because risk levels constantly change over time. With increasingly interconnected sectors and systems, it has also become more important to consider possible incidents in a larger context, more systemically. Small events that do not pose a problem for the security of a system on their own can, if occurring simultaneously, potentially have a major impact on it. In the last 5 to 10 years, various new analysis methods have been developed that include the systemic aspect of safety, such as FRAM (Functional Resonance Analysis Method) and STPA (Systems Theoretic Process Analysis). Research on such methods is still quite academic, and they are rarely applied in practice. So there is still much to do in the coming years in collaboration with stakeholders. Finally, with the world’s growing complexity, we increasingly realise that risks are difficult to assess. That is why ‘resilience’ has become such an important topic in recent years. It is difficult, if not impossible, to predict what will happen. So we have to be prepared for a lot of options. “If you are resilient,” Reniers concludes, “you can handle many safety & security challenges. Download article Download article 'Safety’ and ‘security’ in different languages The clear distinction that is made in English between ‘safety’ and ‘security’ is not present in all languages. In Dutch, the word ‘veiligheid’ is in practice used for both, which can cause confusion. Strictly speaking, there is another Dutch word that could serve as a specific translation of ‘security’, namely ‘beveiliging’, but in practice it is not common to use it in that way. The word mainly evokes associations with the personal protection of people who have received threats. In French there are two words, ‘securité’ and ‘sûreté’. But surprisingly enough, the first is the translation of ‘safety’ and the second of ‘security’. A Frenchman and an Englishman could therefore easily misunderstand each other if they do not have a good command of each other’s language.

The Hidden Research behind CSI

In TV series like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , it seems almost effortless to analyse a crime scene and draw conclusions; Just put the lab equipment to work. However, it takes a lot of effort to develop the technologies and methods that real-life investigators use and ensure they are reliable. This is the work area of Arjo Loeve , who leads the research line ‘Forensic Biomechanical Engineering’ in the field ‘engineering for forensics’ at TU Delft. Can you give some examples of work at TU Delft in forensics? “One project that I am particularly proud of is the FreeRef system that we developed and validated in collaboration with the Dutch police and the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI). This system improves forensic photography during evidence gathering. Current practice is to hold a ruler as a size reference next to a footprint or trace of blood while taking the photo. Our intelligent system can record measurements without using rulers, with higher accuracy, more ork freedom and without the risk of disturbing evidence. This tool could really lift forensic investigations to a new level. Another good example is our research on inflicted head injury by shaking trauma in infants, often wrongfully referred to as the ‘shaken baby syndrome’. Over the past few years, we have revealed several flaws in current investigation methods. It’s problematic, as innocent parents may unrightfully lose custody of their children, or children may wrongfully be kept under the custody of abusive parents. We are now working on better approaches to investigate cases like these. Soon, we will ensure that court rulings on this matter become more evidence-based and reliable.” What challenges and opportunities do recent technological and societal developments provide for forensics engineering? “Due to the recent developments in AI and data science and our increasingly digitised society, the focus on funding, research, and media tends to be digital forensics. But it’s a simple truth that not all crimes or incidents are filmed or logged in any way and that many essential traces and evidence are not digital and never will be. So, it’s crucial to keep at least a significant part of funding and research focused on the more physical aspects of the forensic field. Luckily, police and forensic investigators also realise that, so I don’t worry too much, but it’s a constant point of attention.” Is there something like a ‘TU Delft approach’ of engineering for forensics? “I like to think so. At TU Delft, we are good at dissecting design problems to their core. I come from the biomedical field, in which clinicians often approach us with a problem already stated as a solution. For instance, I have problem A, so I need you to develop solution B… but often the perceived problem A is only a symptom of underlying problem C, needing solution D. Revealing C and coming up with an as simple as possible D is something we do very well in Delft. This might be even more important in the forensic field than the clinical one. Users are even more reluctant to change their habits because if what they had was good enough, there’s a serious risk in changing that.” Download article Download article Arjo Loeve is assistant professor at the Department of Biomechanical Engineering of the TU Delft Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering.

Self-Adapting Trail Blaizer

This smoothly moving orange object is probably not what most people imagine a robot to look like, yet that is what it is – a smart underwater robot. Or, in more official terms, it is an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) or unmanned maritime system. These systems can be used for a range of safety and security-related operations, such as checking and protecting pipelines lying on the seabed (like the Nord Stream gas pipeline), underwater surveillance in ports, cleaning up sea mines, and anti-submarine warfare. They have the potential to take over lengthy and labour-intensive missions from navy ship crews and divers, which would be especially welcome in dangerous areas. Crucial to their success is a seamless integration in the wireless and diverse network of surface ships, submarines, and sensor nodes. However, timely disclosure of the ‘big data’ collected underwater (e.g., sonar tracks and photos) to operators above water via a surface gateway is difficult, as the wave motion of the sea surface creates a delay/Doppler-spread effect. TU Delft ( Richard Hendriks ), NLDA (Richard Heusdens) and TNO are collaborating to solve such challenges. Download article Richard Hendriks is associate professor in the Signal Processing Systems group of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science.

Digital Bastards for a Climate Resilient Delta - Lorentz Workshop

Digital Bastards for a Climate Resilient Delta - Lorentz Workshop 06 November 2023 09:00 till 10 November 2023 18:00 - Location: Lorentz Center, Leiden | Add to my calendar Digital twins are digital representations of complex human-environment-technology interactions for decision support. Digital twins of the Earth are a means for scientists, policymakers, and the industry to engage with society and extract the best value from existing data and models to understand and interact with system Earth. This workshop will bring the designer perspective and the more comprehensive ‘user-perspective’ together. In doing so, this workshop aims at transitioning the design of digital twins from the re-creation of human-environment-technology interactions to the co-creation of applicable decision-support tools. Such latter tools are known as digital bastards . Scientific Organisers: Femke Vossepoel , Delft University Stef Lhermitte, KU Leuven / TUDelft Rolf Hut, Delft University of Technology Xiaoxiang Zhu, Technische Universität München Albrecht Weerts, Deltares and WUR This workshop is being organized with support from the TU Delft Safety & Security Institute. Other co-organizers are the TU Delft Space Institute, KU Leuven, TU Munich, Deltaris and WUR. More information

NWO Cybersecurity for Digital Resilience - Online session

dcypher extends an invitation to find a partner and participate in the NWO Cybersecurity Research Call during an online session scheduled for January 25th.

[PDE] Daniele Avitabile: Uncertainty Quantification for Neurobiological Networks

This talk presents a framework for forward uncertainty quantification problems in spatially-extended neurobiological networks. We will consider networks in which the cortex is represented as a continuum domain, and local neuronal activity evolves according to an integro-differential equation, collecting inputs nonlocally, from the whole cortex. These models are sometimes referred to as neural field equations.

Large-scale brain simulations of such models are currently performed heuristically, and the numerical analysis of these problems is largely unexplored. In the first part of the talk I will summarise recent developments for the rigorous numerical analysis of projection schemes [1] for deterministic neural fields, which sets the foundation for developing Finite-Element and Spectral schemes for large-scale problems.

The second part of the talk will discuss the case of networks in the presence of uncertainties modelled with random data, in particular: random synaptic connections, external stimuli, neuronal firing rates, and initial conditions. Such problems give rise to random solutions, whose mean, variance, or other quantities of interest have to be estimated using numerical simulations. This so-called forward uncertainty quantification problem is challenging because it couples spatially nonlocal, nonlinear problems to large-dimensional random data.

I will present a family of schemes that couple a spatial projector for the spatial discretisation, to stochastic collocation for the random data. We will analyse the time- dependent problem with random data and the schemes from a functional analytic viewpoint, and show that the proposed methods can achieve spectral accuracy, provided the random data is sufficiently regular. We will showcase the schemes using several examples.

Acknowledgements This talk presents joint work with Francesca Cavallini (VU Amsterdam), Svetlana Dubinkina (VU Amsterdam), and Gabriel Lord (Radboud University).

[1] Avitabile D. (2023). Projection Methods for Neural Field Equations. https://www.danieleavitabile.com/projection-methods-for-neural-field-equations/

Seminar Making Green Work for Health

Seminar Making Green Work for Health - Location: Berlage rooms, Faculty of Architecture TU Delft Seminar Making Green Work for Health February 5, 2024 - 9:00-13.00 / 14.30-17:00h Berlage rooms, Faculty of Architecture TU Delft Please register by filling this form: https://forms.gle/8wH9VD7k3Piq1NPu8 Organized in collaboration with the University of São Paulo, Insper and BK Urban Health Seminar Series, this activity aims to bring to the stage new knowledge and practices at the intersection of urban greening, health, and economic opportunities (green jobs, inclusive employment, etc.). Greening is a mainstream strategy in urban climate policies, and planting trees is particularly popular: Trees capture carbon dioxide, mitigate the urban heat island, and improve liveability and public health. However, urbanization is causing a global decline of mature trees, undermining human health. In this context, Making Green Work for Health departs from the simple premise that planting trees isn’t sufficient to support human health, and that urban trees need to be healthy too. Our hypothesis is that facilitating and empowering new economies of green care at the local scale can address this issue while helping tackle inequalities and ensure a just green transition. The day will include two parts: (1) a first one with 2 panels featuring seminar presentations plus Q&A in the morning, followed by (2) an afternoon working session to forge new collaborations. This working session aims to identify potential partners and chart a specific roadmap for advancing the project, including the exploration of targeted funding proposals. Should you be willing to take part in the work session, please register and indicate your preference in the form. This seminar is funded via the Call for Proposals SPRINT 2022 for the organization of exchange activities between Delft and São Paulo. Please register by filling this form: https://forms.gle/8wH9VD7k3Piq1NPu8 Schedule 9.00 Welcome by professor Machiel van Dorst 9.10 Introduction to Making Green Work, by Víctor Muñoz Sanz 9.30 Panel Green Health Paulo Saldiva (University of Sao Paulo) Cecil Konijnendijk (Nature Based Solutions Insitute) Paulina Achurra (Insper) Moderated by Deepti Adlakha (TU Delft) 11.00 Panel Green Policy Sara Romero (Polytechnic University of Madrid) Marek Harsdoff (International Labour Organization) Camiel Dijkers (Project leader Groen en Gezond Gemeente Almere, TBC) Laura Janka Zires (Planning Director, Municipality of Fortaleza, Brazil) Moderated by Víctor Muñoz Sanz (TU Delft) 12.50 Lunch break 14.30 Work session, aiming to define future research questions, identify potential partners and chart a specific roadmap for advancing the project, including the exploration of targeted funding proposals. 17.00 Reception

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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.”

PRELIFE consortium receives NWA funding to investigate the origin of life

The interdisciplinary research consortium PRELIFE has been awarded an NWA grant by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to investigate the origin of life on Earth and in the universe, one of science’s greatest unsolved puzzles. The consortium will receive €6.7 million to explore this question and comprises scientists from sixteen universities and research institutes across the Netherlands.

Kwartetspel maakt seksisme bij politie bespreekbaar

IO alumnus Noortje Kwakernaak bezocht twee politiekantoren om er de rol van vrouwelijke agenten te onderzoeken. Ze merkte dat er wel eens sprake was van grove en seksistische humor. Om spelers over deze grappen te laten reflecteren, en misschien gedrag te veranderen, ontwikkelde ze een kwartetspel.

What trees teach us about sustainable production of materials

Trees are excellent teachers when it comes to making materials for load-bearing structures with as little resources and energy as possible. One of their secrets? When a tree grows, the direction of the wood grain adapts itself to fit the load that part of the tree is going to bear.

Exhale Sluitingsweek: A week of free events to say goodbye to Exhale and cosy up for Winter

De allerlaatste Exhale Week vindt plaats van 25 november tot 1 december en staat volledig in het teken van afscheid nemen van Exhale en het omarmen van de winter.

TIL student Laura Drechsel wins Q-Park thesis award

TIL student Laura Drechsel wins the 2024 Q-Park Student Award with her thesis called: Stories of Aging and Access - Exploring capabilities and challenges of accessibility for urban elderly through microstories. Her award-winning thesis can be found here .

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.” . . . .

Moving the Closet

You simply cannot miss it, it is big and magenta: the Pink Closet . On 12 November 2024 the Pink Closet will head to the Main Hall of the TU Delft Library for the first time! The Pink Closet will take its place at the Nook, where it will feature as part of the Studium Generale programme on loneliness. More information on events that coincide with and incorporate the Pink Closet at TU Delft Library will soon be available on the website of Studium Generale .

Green ammonia remains a challenge, but researchers make significant progress

The production of ammonia, essential for fertiliser production, is responsible for almost 1.5% of global carbon emissions. This needs to be greener, which is why researchers have been looking for sustainable alternatives for years.

"Measuring brain activity through the skull with ultrasound opens new doors"

PhD Candidate Rick Waasdorp is looking for ways to correct the distortion caused by the skull when using Ultrasound technology. ‘’My goal is to develop an adaptive method for skull corrections that automatically measures the skull of new patients.’’

NWO funding for flexible power demand in electrically driven industry

NWO is funding two projects to explore ways to make the power demand of industry more flexible, allowing it to better align with future energy supplies. One of these projects, “DEFLAME,” is led by Machteld van den Broek from TU Delft.

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

The ENHANCE Diversity Seed Fund

Are you a student at TU Delft or another ENHANCE university with a passion for promoting diversity and inclusion? The ENHANCE Diversity Seed Fund is your chance to turn that passion into action. ENHANCE provides funding to support innovative, student-led projects that address key challenges related to inclusion and diversity within our academic communities. Key Details: Funding Available: Up to 1500 Euros per project in the 1st round! Eligibility: Students from ENHANCE member universities. Staff can also join student-led initiatives. Application Deadline: 8 January 2025. More information: Join the online Information Event on the 26 November 2024 16:00-17:00 CET on Zoom . More information: enhanceuniversity.eu/diversity/diversityseedfund/

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

Design and imagination as essential tools during the climate crisis

In Nature Partner Journals, ten researchers advocate the use of imagination in tackling the climate crisis. They focus specifically on urbanising river deltas, which are of great social and economic importance and highly vulnerable to climate change. "We scientists should not merely outline doomsday scenarios," says Professor Chris Zevenbergen. "Create a vision for people to believe in and work towards.”

How comfortable are cargo bikes actually for children?

It’s impossible to imagine the Dutch street scene without the cargo bike. It’s ideal for transporting goods and especially popular for shuttling children from A to B. Surprisingly, however, no real research has been done on the comfort of children during cargo bike rides. Mechanical engineering students Jelmer, Renate, Dirk-Jan, Santo and Alexander set out to change this. The final project for their bachelor’s degree is the first step in this unexplored area of research.

Inaugural address: machine optimisation key to more efficient logistics system

The processing and transport of materials can be made much more efficient, says TU Delft professor Dingena Schott in her inaugural address, ‘Advancing Transport and Processing: from Model to Impact’. She will deliver her address on 15 November. Her research focuses on the interaction between machines and materials, with a special emphasis on granular materials.

FAST University Fund invites all TU Delft students

FAST University Fund invites all TU Delft students to apply for the Ambitious Project Grant or the Event Grant of up to €15.000!

Education demonstration in Utrecht cancelled

Safety cannot be guaranteed In our post of 22 October , we announced that students and staff of TU Delft will have the opportunity to take part in protests against the cabinet's plans to cut higher education. Today it has been announced that the demonstration against the cuts to higher education and science on 14 November in Utrecht has been cancelled because the safety of the demonstrators cannot be guaranteed. Read the reaction of Universiteiten van Nederland to the cancellation of the education demonstration in Utrecht (Dutch only).

Young Investigator Award for Gabrielle Laloy-Borgna

Gabrielle has won the technical Young Investigator Award at Euroson 2024 (congress of the European Federation of Ultrasound Societies in Medicine and Biology) with her presentation entitled: “Ultrasound imaging in bones: tissue characterization, anatomical images
and blood flow measurements”.