In her own words, Beatrix Bos is a project manager and impact creator. The latter we can confirm from experience, after she hosted one of our events.Beatrice is a TU/e Alumna, a former Sustainable Innovation student with a master in Sustainable Energy Technology and a true energy transition evangelist. If we could harvest her energy when she talks about the subject, we could probably do with one or two less windmill parks. We also view her as a role model to women in science, tech and/or engineering.
Alpha vs Beta
Beatrix loves to moderate and present events that deal with energy in all its facets. She has a talent for explaining complicated subjects to just about any audience and a way of presenting that keeps people interested. “It’s a combination of things I learned, like presenting, and the things I love, like my area of expertise.”, she explains. “Until not so long ago, I was unsure about how much I would like to work with scientific and engineering subjects. But I found out it really is right up my alley. That really fueled my passion for doing what I’m doing now.” That realization is one of the reasons she advises young women to take up engineering-related studies, even when people around them think they shouldn’t: “The notion that women are more suited for alpha than beta studies, is nonsense. I encourage anyone who is interested in energy or other aspects of engineering to just go and discover what you love. Be bold and just do it. Like in that quote that is so often wrongly attributed to Pipe Longstocking: ‘I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that’.”
Obstacles and engines
Though the playing field is becoming more and more leveled in favor of women, some subtle obstacles for women with technical ambitions persist. One example is about ‘presumed knowledge’. Beatrix: “When we were taught about the processes within combustion engines, I had trouble keeping up. I hesitated to ask for additional explanation, because it was clear that the male students all knew how these engines work. And they made up the majority in the classroom. Now I know I should just speak up when I don’t understand something. Usually, I turn out not to be the only one who’s in the dark.”
ChatGPT
Beatrix understands how the whole cloud of subjects behind the energy transition can make it feel too complicated for many people. That’s why she uses as much practical examples as possible to minimize the perceived distance between her audiences and the subject at hand. Beatrix: “Take, for instance’ artificial intelligence. A year ago, explaining that to someone not academically educated was a real challenge. Now there’s ChatGPT. Most people have heard about it and a lot of people have tried it. They now have a better understanding of what AI can be and do.
Thinking in systems
“The same goes for renewable energy”, she continues, “At the turn of the century, very few people knew how we could harvest renewable energy. Nowadays, there’s not a street without solar panels. Now we need to shift our focus from looking at individual tools and means towards the energy system as whole.” Just like the EIRES institute she also worked for, she likes to look at the big picture, where multiple types of energy complement each other. A bright future Beatrix: “Every part of the energy transition feels like a compartment right now, but integration is coming. There’s a lot of great products and concepts being developed by companies and by scientists. Which is a good thing, because we can’t really look at our government for solid long-term plans for the much-needed energy transition.” Her vision for the future is bright: “I would love to look 10 to 15 years ahead, or fast forward to 2050, to see how we are doing. I’m optimistic about it. I put my trust in science. I know from experience what difference it can make.”
A bright future
Beatrix: “Every part of the energy transition feels like a compartment right now, but integration is coming. There’s a lot of great products and concepts being developed by companies and by scientists. Which is a good thing, because we can’t really look at our government for solid long-term plans for the much-needed energy transition.” Her vision for the future is bright: “I would love to look 10 to 15 years ahead, or fast forward to 2050, to see how we are doing. I’m optimistic about it. I put my trust in science. I know from experience what difference it can make.”