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TU/e in 2000
More Co-operation with Singapore
Internationalisation is an important part of TU/e's present and
future. In 2000, the policy resulted in specific agreements with
the National University of Singapore. A delegation from NUS visited
TU/e on Friday June 16 to sign a deal for a special program to
grant 'double doctorates'. Researchers working on their doctorate
at TU/e in a technological subject will also be offered the possibility
of a doctorate from NUS. This will also work in the same way for
Ph.D. students in Singapore. The two universities have agreed
to a joint research program in three fields. Ph.D. students will
be supervised by teaching staff and professors from both institutes.
A number of TU/e researchers now expect to receive their doctorates
in 2002 in both Eindhoven and Singapore.
TU/e and NUS have been working together for years. In 1997 they
signed a 'memorandum of understanding'in which both universities
pledged more co-operation in the areas of research and education.
Bronze and Silver Sports Year at TU/e
The year 2000 was a good year for sports at TU/e, with a silver
and bronze medal and two medals of honour from TU/e for two students.
Various members of the student population and staff participated
in the Sydney Olympic Games and Joost de Hoogh took part in the
Sydney Paralympics. De Hoogh won bronze for his 400-meter free
style race. Rower Dirk Lippits won a silver medal. This Thetan
was the very first student at TU/e to win a medal at the Olympic
Games. TU/e rewarded this with a TU/e medal of honour, which is
normally only awarded to retiring department heads who have been
especially important to TU/e. After that swimmer Joost de Hoogh,
the first person at TU/e to win a medal at the Paralympics, was
also honoured with the special award. However, vice-chancellor
Martin Rem made sure to warn that this will not become a tradition.
TU/ers who took part in the Olympics but failed to win any events
were: swimmer Joris Keizer, rowers Jeroen Spaans, Joeri de Groot,
Karel Dormans, Gerard Egelmeers, coach Margot van Gastel and volleyball
coach Wim Koch.
Entrepreneurial Research
Are they entrepreneurial researchers or researching entrepreneurs?
Whatever the case, the department of Biomedical Technology's Development
Unit wants to help them with their commercial aspirations. It's
not clear how all this will develop, but plans have been made.
BMT's Development Unit is going to make sure promising researchers
get the chance to realise their commercial ideas. No longer will
researchers work only on prototypes, they will develop products
that society needs. The idea is to show the world at large that
something very important and interesting is going on at BMT. And
this will surely mean more money for research. At the moment,
two researchers at TU/e are developing real products. In a few
years they should be able to start their own companies. One of
them specialising in synthetic heart valves, the other marketing
a software program that gives cardiologists more information about
when a bypass operation is necessary. But this is only a beginning,
more promising researchers are being sought by the Development
Unit.
Construction on Campus
Slowly but surely, TU/e is starting to look more and more like
a construction site. The housing 'Masterplan' is in full swing.
There is hardly a building on campus that will escape renovation.
The base of the main building was completed at the end of 2000
and is now inhabited by student organisation STU, a hairdresser,
Euflex and others. De Wielen (one of the entry roads to campus)
is being widened on the Kennedylaan side so that it can become
the main entrance to TU/e. A fourth entry point to TU/e has been
created near the new TNO building.
The tender for the exterior of the architecture department was
unsuccessful and the work has therefore been delayed. The construction
of a pool at the Student Sports Centre began. The plan was to
disinfect the swimming pool water with hydrogen peroxide, however
this idea was scrapped after the substance is labelled 'possibly
carcinogenic'. TU/e will have to stick to the usual chlorine products
for the pool. The pool will be opened officially on May 10 2001,
by Joost de Hoogh, Joris Keizer (two TU/e swimmers) and others.
