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Recap TU/e-ME 2024 New Year’s reception

January 10, 2024

Welcome colleagues, former colleagues, and students. 2023 has been a very successful year for ME.

Research

Selected highlights personal grants

  • ERC Consolidator Grant Yoeri van de Burgt
  • VENI Dinesh Krishnamoorthy: Making autonomous systems work together (also Eurotech future award)
  • ERC proof of concept Philip De Goey
  • NAE fellow 6 from TU/e, 3 from ME: Regina Luttge, Maarten Steinbuch, Jaap den Toonder

ME successful in many growth fund proposals and other second- and third tier funding initiatives like:

  • Metramat Metamaterials Varvara Kouznetsova
  • NWO CIRCL (Closing the Iron Reduction-Combustion Loop)
  • Research focused specifically on the regeneration of burned iron powder Niels Deen, Gulia, Philip de Goey
  • Research on soft robotic heart is granted 10 million Bas Overvelde

Record number of 5 PhD theses awarded with cum laude. Demonstrating the quality of our research combining fundamental science and engineering.

Other activities with a large contribution of ME:

  • Dutch Design week
  • Tech United World Champion again
  • Angèle Reinders director of Solliance

Education

  • Second year in a row more than 400 BSc students enrolled
  • 80% BSA, 35% propedeuse first year. Our selection is really working to make sure only the skilled and motivated students enrolled
  • All 4 ME programs rated best in NL/ SET received high scores in accreditation
  • Smooth start of BSc 2.0
  • Ines Lopez Arteaga Director EWUU Education

Sad events

One of our part-time professors Herman Wijshoff passed away last year, and besides our retired employees Roel van der Graaf, Nick Rosielle and Piet Schellekens.

Challenges

Renovation

Gemini North started in 2023, this year Gemini South will follow. Resulting in scattered different locations.

Political challenges

Politicians in The Hague want to drastically curb the internationalization of higher education. Meanwhile, internationalization is crucial for TU/e’s growth. About 30 percent of students are non-Dutch and more than 50 percent of the 2023 intake was international.

That’s a major problem since 58 percent of academic staff at TU/e are international and mainly communicates in English. Minister Dijkgraaf promised exceptions for Technical Universities, but after the results of the November election there are many uncertainties. The stay rate of students from TU/e is 55 % (graduates who stay in NL). Much larger than other universities.

Safety and well-being

Safety and well being of our employees and students is key. Happy with our pilot on social safety with Naomi Ellemers lecturing for ME in the Zwarte Doos. Our own initiative to start a well-being signal group led by Monica Zakhari.

Announcements

  • Leon Govaert takes over section leadership of Processing and Performance
  • Parts of CST and DC will merge into a new section: Robotics under the leadership of René van de Molengraft. Department ME would like to strengthen the activities in robotics and make them more visible
  • By April 1st , Marc Geers will step down as vice dean after three full terms. Successor is Niels Deen

So once again… exciting times ahead.

Looking forward to work together with all scientific and supporting staff, at the by far best department of TU/e: Mechanical Engineering.

 

Happy and especially healthy 2024!! Cheers,

Patrick Anderson

Dean Department of Mechanical Engineering