MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND PARTNERS SUMMER 2018 SPIN-OFF

LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS WITH APPS

BY Hans van Eerden PHOTOGRAPHY Arjan Reef

“We want to make geo-information publicly accessible and usable,” says Valentijn Venus, researcher at the Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) faculty. In 2016, he launched the spin-off Ramani (Swahili for “map”). The company shares data such as satellite images of crops and roads, weather reports and informa- tion gathered from smartphones via crowd sourcing. Ramani developed a toolkit that gives app developers ac- cess to these information resources. “We have an app that informs drivers carrying perishable goods about obstructions on their route. Another app informs mango farmers about the optimal times at which to harvest and dry the fruit. Journalists can use an app to report misconduct such as bribery. The app Cheetah, which tackles loss of food in Africa, has already won several awards.”

Ramani is part of Ujuizi (“wisdom,” “intelligence”), a holding that collabo- rates with corporations and uses the UT’s intellectual property to improve mobile technology in developing coun- tries. “There are already thousands of Ujuizi Laboratories throughout Ghana and Indonesia and we have recently met with local entrepreneurs in Kenya and South Africa.” Venus appreciates the efforts of “The app Cheetah, experts such as Nikolet Zwart, who which tackles loss of food offers local entrepreneurs legal and WERE YOU THERE? financial advice. Support also comes in Africa, has already from the ITC’s Natural Resources won several awards” Open House 2018 Management department and from Novel-T. “They help us develop business models that allow local COLLABORATING WITH THE VU independent entrepreneurs to create Joint Mechanical Engineering bachelor’s programme an impact. In doing so, they also facilitate the ITC faculty’s transition to an entrepreneurial faculty.” For more information: WAR FOR TALENT ramani.ujuizi.com The hunt for highly educated technicians CONTENTS Cover image: Rikkert Harink

LARGEST MANUFACTURER 36 OF GREEK YOGHURT 32 ENTREPRENEURIAL DAY

LUBRICANT FOR 22 THE HEALTHCARE

VU

WAR FOR COLLABORATING 4 TALENT UT 14 WITH THE VU

4 DOSSIER 18 ENTREPRENEURSHIP 32 WERE YOU THERE? War for talent Used items of clothing are given a new life 34 ON THE CAMPUS 8 IN BRIEF The Hogekamp project 20 IN THE LAB 10 PHD RESEARCH 36 INTERVIEW RESEARCH Research relationship between 22 AMBITION & ACHIEVEMENT water scarcity and consumption The success story of two 38 DEPARTURE POINT TWENTE electrical engineers CFO at yoghurt king Chobani 12 FUND NEWS From drop-out to top student 25 EXECUTIVE EDUCATION 40 STUDENT HOUSE Huize DADA 14 INTERVIEW EDUCATION 26 IN BRIEF Joint Mechanical Engineering 42 MY JOB bachelor’s programme with VU 28 ALUMNI NEWS From BIT to blockchain 16 ACTIVE STUDENT 30 FUND NEWS 44 SPIN-OFF

For an online version of this magazine in English please visit: www.utwente.nl/magazine/en 2

FOREWORD

RETAINING YOUNG TALENT ENTREPRENEURIAL DAY

“Twente’s campus in the lead,” ­entrepreneurial attitude made us wrote the regional newspaper De pioneers, but we have to regularly Twentsche Courant Tubantia in early reinvent ourselves if we want to June. A study of Dutch “knowledge maintain our lead. campuses,”’ conducted by Buck Consultants, shows that Kennispark Another conclusion from the report Twente holds the #1 position: the is that the growth rate of the park houses by far the largest num- ­employment opportunities at ber of organisations – nearly twice ­Kennispark Twente lags behind the as much as the number two. These average of all other – 35 in total – are spin-offs of the University of knowledge campuses in the Twente, as well as organisations ­Netherlands. Unlike the area that like to settle close to the Uni- around Eindhoven, we lack major versity and the pool of young talent corporations in Twente. Our em- “WE HAVE TO REGULARLY it houses. Figures from Statistics ployment opportunities are found REINVENT OURSELVES IF WE WANT Netherlands (CBS) also show that at the hundreds of SME spin-offs the economy in Twente grows at a and scale-ups. We find that some TO MAINTAIN OUR LEAD” higher rate than the Dutch national of our graduates prefer to work at a average. That explains why we large organisation and in a different have received the title of “most region. That is why we are colla­ ­entrepreneurial university” for the borating with the municipality of third time in a row. Enschede on an initiative to retain young talent in the region or stimu- These are all wonderful results, late them to return. We are aware yet we cannot rest on our laurels. that it is not all about work; the re- Every university is focusing on gion’s living environment, facilities ­entrepreneurship now. Rapid growth and culture are also important is not only seen at the other ­factors. For you, as an alumnus or ­technical universities, but also at relation of the University, a new or classical universities like the ones renewed introduction to the region in Groningen and Leiden. Our might also be interesting!

VICTOR VAN DER CHIJS, LL.M., (1960) CHAIRMAN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE EXECUTIVE BOARD SINCE OCTOBER 2013.

3 DOSSIER Over the course of the next five years, the Netherlands will need 60,000 highly educated engineers. The four technical universities can only supply half that number. That means it is all hands on deck for businesses and knowledge institutes, including the

University of Twente. BY Marco Krijnsen PHOTOGRAPHY Gijs van Ouwerkerk

‘WAR FOR TALENT’

ALL HANDS ON DECK

4 The UT spin-off Demcon is doing in the area. Demcon sponsors well. The developer of high-end ­Saxion’s Mechatronics lectorate and technology is experiencing specta- the UT’s Robotics and Mechatronics cular growth and it will soon begin chair. The collaboration with the the construction of a brand-new University will be expanded in the Technology Center, right across future. Demcon will also finance from the University of Twente. This half of the Precision Engineering year, the organisation will need 100 chair, the research group that to 150 new employees to keep up ­focuses on medical robotics. with this rapid expansion. “We will find them all,” says director Dennis This improved visibility is required to Schipper with conviction. avoid a brain-drain of highly educa- “We post 3,000 to 4,000 vacancies Nevertheless, the UT alumnus of ted engineers to other places and Mechanical Engineering is con- companies, Schipper says. Additio- per year and receive 125,000 applications” cerned. Demcon is already forced to nal measures are also needed. “The - Peter Wennink, CEO ASML refuse many projects because it University of Twente stops at the simply lacks the manpower. That Hengelosestraat, which still forms a problem is only expected to grow in barrier. We must attract more the time to come, because the com- ­students for lectures, projects or petition on the employment market drinks. We do not do enough of is becoming noticeably fiercer. that, even though Demcon is Schipper: “We must be careful that ­located close to the University. This the shortage of engineers does not situation is even more difficult for impede our growth.” businesses based in Oldenzaal or Almelo. They are often completely Attracting more students invisible to UT students.” Schipper believes that the only way for Demcon to stay in the race for Multinationals in Twente technical talent is for the organisa­ Victor van der Chijs, the president of tion to be visible to potential em- the UT’s Executive Board, acknow- ployees who are either still studying ledges this problem. “We have the or have recently graduated. That is right people in Twente and we have why the company is investing in all small and medium-sized high-tech kinds of cooperative alliances, for companies with a large number of example with knowledge institutes vacancies. Nevertheless, many of

5 DOSSIER

A TECHNICAL DEGREE, BUT NO TECHNICAL JOB An important cause for the shortage of technical staff is the fact company. These figures are in line with the national averages. that many highly educated engineers work in other sectors. In Twente, the problem is exacerbated because only few students National­ figures show that only 44% of the students in this group with a technology degree are interested in a job at a local tech ultimately end up in a technical position at a technical organisa­ company (17% of the male students and 6% of the female tion. For women, that percentage is much lower still. The chance students). that they choose a profession outside the technology sector is The number of female technology students has increased in four times larger than for men. ­recent years, but the effects are limited for the time being. That is The “Mind the Gap!” study recently mapped out the situation in due to the fact that women are far more likely to leave the tech- Twente. The results show that one out of every five technology nology sector than their male colleagues. The IT sector in parti­ professionals “drops out” of the sector. Out of all highly educated cular struggles with this phenomenon. According to researchers, technology professionals with a technical degree from the UT or this is caused in part by the male-dominated culture on the work Saxion, only 37% works in a technical position at a technical or- floor. Women feel like they are undervalued and given less ganisation, while 31% has a non-technical position at a technical ­challenging tasks than men in similar positions.

our students leave for the Randstad. tage of technical staff. The need is They want to work for a major cor- dire, although ASML itself is not poration, preferably a multinational. ­necessarily affected by it, says CEO We should therefore try to bring Peter Wennink. “We post 3,000 to those companies here. We have to 4,000 vacancies per year and focus on the ASMLs of this world.” ­receive 125,000 applications. This Van Der Chijs also believes that the does not necessarily mean that we number of fish in the sea of techni- always have enough candidates cal top talent will have to increase. with the right competences for all The supply and demand on the positions. Our suppliers are strug- ­employment market can be balan- gling with the growing shortage of ced with a higher intake of new engineers. We will have to work technology students. That explains ­together to resolve this problem.” the University of Twente and VU Wennink, who recently gave the In- University Amsterdam’s initiative to novation lecture at the University of set up a joint engineering program- Twente, has identified a number of me in Amsterdam. “In the Amster- problem areas. “One of the causes dam region, far fewer young people is the poor image of the technology choose a technical university pro- sector – not among young people gramme. Twente is too far away, so but among their parents. They still we will go to them instead. We are believe that anyone with a technical creating a new market and I am curi- degree will end up working in a dirty “We must be careful that the shortage of ous to see what the results will be.” factory. That is certainly no longer engineers does not impede our growth” the case, but it takes time to change - Dennis Schipper, director of Demcon Image problem the sector’s image. Furthermore, ASML in Veldhoven, the world’s the technical universities have to largest manufacturer of chip machi- ­increase their capacity. I am not ad- nes, already stated that all technical vocating diploma factories, but they universities in the Netherlands will have to produce more excellent should be active in the Amsterdam engineers. That requires additional region in order to resolve the shor­ funding from the ministry.”

6 Peter Wennink gives his keynote speech during the Entrepreneurial Day.

Female role models of radar technology, launched a A problem that is specific to the Ne- scholarship programme to attract therlands is the shortage of female more women to the high-tech engineers. “Thirty-five percent of ­sector. Ten female students each SALARY IS IMPORTANT TO our foreign employees are women. ­received a €5,000 scholarship that GENERATION Z That number is just 6% for Dutch allowed them to choose a technical Employers are lining up to recruit the new generation of employees. That is frankly ridicu- master’s programme at a university. employees, the so-called Generation Z. What should they lous,” says Wennink. “Businesses Following a major reorganisation at keep in mind? Like the millennials that came before them, have a role to play in this regard as the company, this initiative no lon- today’s young people are difficult to retain and hard to well. At ASML, we host Girlsdays, ger exists. ­reach. A study conducted by YoungCapital shows that for example. We send our best they are slightly more conservative and value salary more. ­female engineers to show how fun Now that the economy has reco­ ­Relatively many people in Generation Z choose to become and relevant the technology sector vered and the number of jobs in entrepreneurs, possibly in combination with a salaried job. is. Young girls tend to love that.” Hengelo will increase by 150 this In the latter case, they want to know exactly what their Victor van der Chijs applauds that year alone, Thales is considering a boss expects from them. last initiative. “We are already doing follow-up initiative. “Instead of a lot to get girls interested in the scholarships, we may seek to acti- technical fields with the Technology vely collaborate with students in a Pact. We desperately need female start-up-like setting,” says spokes- role models. Vanessa Evers, our person Job Harmelink. “We want to professor of Social Robotics, is a meet potential employees at an great example. She is a figurehead ­early stage. In the past, we used who can give others the final push advertisements for that. These days, they need to choose a technical we go all-in on social media. The ­study programme. That is why we Arduino competition for students is will recruit more female professors another one of our platforms. We in the years to come.” will expand it with mixed teams that do not consist solely of engi- Social media neers. For us, that is a great way to Several years ago, Thales in Hen­ attract the attention of young gelo, a company active in the field people.”

7 IN BRIEF

LASER SHOE People suffering from Parkinson’s disease often have trouble walking. They regularly experience freezing of gait, where their feet appear to be stuck to the ground. Research conducted by the UT and other ­institutes has shown that a special shoe can help. With each step, the shoe uses laser light to project a line on the floor for the patient to step BITCOIN over. This reduces the number of Research conducted by the University of Twente has shown ­instances of freezing of gait by ­ that an attack on the Bitcoin is easier than previously assu- 46 percent and cuts the duration of med. A group of Bitcoin users with access to twenty percent of each episode in half. the computing power can execute an attack over the course of a few days that would force all other users to accept a new standard for the Bitcoin. Researcher Ansgar Fehnker compares this to an organisation in which twenty percent of the share- holders can impose their will on the vast majority of other sha- reholders. The attack retroactively cancels recent transactions, thereby undermining people’s trust in the current standard.

ELECTRIC BIKE In late May, the Electric Superbike nine months by the team’s fifteen Twente student team presented the students from the University of Liion-GP. This motorbike, which can Twente and Saxion. The bike will achieve a top speed of 250 kilome- participate in its first ­official race tres per hour, was designed and on the Pembrey race track in the ­produced in a record time of just United Kingdom on 8 July.

8 IN BRIEF

EIGHT TOP MASTERS In total, eight of the UT’s master’s programmes have earned the title of “top programme.” This is ­revealed in the latest edition of the Keuzegids Masters, which offers an annual comparison of all master’s programmes in the Netherlands. The UT has achieved excellent ­scores across the board. It is the fastest riser and finished second of all fulltime universities. In late 2017, the UT already achieved a third place in the Keuzegids ­Bachelors and earned the title of “Best Technical University in the Netherlands.” Go to www.keuze- gids.org for more information.

URINE TEST A new spin-off from the University of Twente, NanoMed Diagnostics, is developing a urine test that can be used to detect the early stages of cancer. During a previous TECHNICAL MEDICINE study conducted by the UT and the VUmc, researchers Researchers with a background in bill to make this possible. The new discovered strong indications that the presence of can- Technical Medicine must be perma- occupational group in the health­ cer in a patient’s body can be identified by looking for nently included in the BIG register care sector originated at the Uni- specific signal substances on DNA fragments found in to allow them to perform medical versity of Twente. Heleen Miedema, their urine. Furthermore, the position of these substan- procedures on their own. That is the founder and programme direc- ces on the DNA provides an indication of what type of the recommendation of an evalua­ tor of the Technical Medicine pro- cancer the patient has. The researchers involved in the tion committee following an experi- gramme, is overjoyed. “This is an project expect to have a reliable and validated test ready ment in which researchers were important step for the occupational for the international market in circa four years’ time. given this authority on a temporary group, the University of Twente and basis. Minister Bruno Bruins (Medi- the healthcare sector in general.” cal Care and Sports) will submit a

More information about these items can be found at: www.utwente.nl/en

9

Is there anything better than a cup of coffee? Did you know that the production of the coffee beans used for one cup of coffee costs 140 litres of water? The steak on your plate required 2,000 litres. Water is becoming scarce, so it is high time to provide more insight into the impact of our consumption. Rick Hogeboom obtains

his doctoral degree with research into the water footprint. BY Frederike Krommendijk PHOTOGRAPHY Gijs van Ouwerkerk

“In just a few decades, we are using up groundwater reserves that have built up over the course of centuries or millennia”

10 PHD RESEARCH PROMOTIONAL RESEARCH INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WATER SCARCITY AND CONSUMPTION CALCULATE YOUR WATER FOOTPRINT

If Rick Hogeboom was not such a decisions. I recently attended a By the time Rick graduates next happy fellow, he might get depres­ ­gathering with major investors, summer, he will have spent 5.5 sed from mapping out the world’s where it became clear to me that years working on this subject. He water situation. “There are three this is hardly ever an issue at the has also been actively involved in problems associated with water: moment. Water is a scarce resource­ water management outside the too much, not enough or too pollu- and there are limits to the growth.” ­university for years, for example as ted. Pollution is often visible and the director of the Water Footprint floods are hard to ignore as well. How much good will it really do if Network and as part of the Wetskills Water scarcity, however, is like mi- Western consumers stop buying foundation, where students help sery in slow motion. The effects are avocados? “It is not that simple, of corporations and governments in hardly felt here in the Netherlands, course. The thing is that we, as rich developing countries quickly resol- but four billion people around the countries, can bring our products in ve their water-related problems. ­ world already experience water from anywhere. If the water runs “I wanted to become an engineer in scarcity one month out of the year. out somewhere and production the army to work on construction For 1.5 billion people, that scarcity grinds to a halt, we will simply buy projects in developing countries. lasts all year long.” our stuff somewhere else. That will From the Royal Military Academy, stop one day, though.” Is it a hope- I came to the UT to earn my bache­ Installing a more efficient shower less cause? “No, but similar to how lor’s degree in Civil Engineering. head or a smaller toilet tank is not everyone is only now beginning to I am an idealist and because water

enough. People all over the world truly realise the impact of CO2 emis- is such an urgent problem in many will have to change their behaviour. sion and climate­ change, it is impor- developing countries, I was inspired “That starts with consumers. How tant to start raising awareness. For to stay here and focus all my atten- long will we be able to continue example, our research data shows tion on water management.” ­eating meat every day when the that an avocado grown in one place ­production of animal feed requires is a less sustainable choice in terms “Our current consumption pattern so much water? Do those avocados of water usage than one that origi- and almonds still look as good nates elsewhere. A vegetarian diet is draining the ground water supply when you know how much ground- has a lower water footprint than one in many places all over the world” water is used for their production in that includes meat. Fortunately, we Chile and California? When you link do have some choice in the matter.” consumption to this water footprint, After he obtains his doctoral it quickly becomes clear that this With knowledge of the water foot- ­degree, the world will be at his ­situation cannot last: in just a few print, policy makers can make diffe- feet. He is definitely interested in a decades, we are using up ground- rent choices. “For example, we are postgraduate degree from the UT, water reserves that have built up studying the efficiency of irrigation. but his options also include global over the course of centuries or Using droplets is far more efficient organisations such as the World ­millennia.” Investors­ should also than spraying. If it is possible to Bank and the UN’s Food and Agri- keep the water footprint in mind grow coffee in a way that costs 100 culture Organization (FAO). “I want when considering an investment in litres per cup, policy makers can to contribute in some capacity to yet another almond or avocado prohibit methods that require 200 raising the awareness of consumers, farm in a sun-drenched, dry location. litres per cup. They can also stimu- businesses and policy makers. They Rick Hogeboom recently “I get what they are thinking: they late the use of the far more efficient have to understand that we must gave a TEDxTwente talk are after the most lucrative­ deal. droplet irrigation method. There are start taking better care of our which you can watch:: However, it would be great if plenty of measures that can be ­global water supply. The current youtube.com/watch?v= ­sustainability also factored into their ­taken, but awareness is step one.” ­situation cannot last forever.” DCzTJi4XpOA

11 FUND NEWS

“THE UT HAS MADE ME WHO I AM TODAY”

FROM DROP-OUT TO TOP STUDENT Right before our call, Peter Rieze- bos sends a picture of his view of Shanghai’s imposing skyline. “I am UT alumnus Peter Riezebos (38) is an artist, writer and multidiscipli- ready,” the caption reads. He had nary scientist who currently lives in China. Despite the large distance planned to work out with his perso- nal trainer, but he has rescheduled to Twente, he still feels connected to the University. With his Named that appointment. The artist’s agen- Fund, he wants to help students study in a way that suits them best. da is packed. His work is popular all over the world and he hops from BY Marieke Vroom PHOTOGRAPHY private image / Rikkert Harink plane to plane – from China to America to the Netherlands and “I often struggled back – to attend expositions, book presentations, auctions and pain- to scrape together ting sessions. In between, he finds enough cash to pay the time to work on his doctoral re- search. “I need that pressure, for my ticket” otherwise I get bored easily.”

12 In celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the Twente University Fund, artist and UT alumnus Peter Riezebos ­displayed his work at the UT. Throughout the month, a selection of his art was presented in the exposition space of the Vrijhof building. Riezebos has achieved international success with his work. Art enthusiasts line up to attend his expositions and auctions. This year alone, he had shows in Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles and Shanghai. The artist still has close ties with the UT. He has set up a Named Fund to offer motivated students – with or without learning difficulties – financial support for their special ­educational needs or extracurricular activities. During the opening of his exposition at the UT, the alumnus and his wife donated 15,000 euros to the Peter Riezebos Fund.

Catching up you can get,” he says when asked With the Peter Riezebos Fund, he The alumnus did not have an easy about his choice to enrol in multiple wants to support students with lear- start in life. He did not fit within the programmes at the same time. “On ning difficulties. “I know from perso- traditional school system and was top of that, I am interested in a great nal experience how challenging life classified as an “unruly” student. many things. When I found out what can be when you are dealing with Teachers had no idea what to do works for me and where my talents mental obstacles.” A student who with him. He spent a lot of time in lie, I also discovered that I love un- has trouble functioning in a lecture detention, failed his intermediate ge- derstanding the world and con- hall or as part of a study group can neral secondary education and was necting different aspects from a apply for a scholarship to create a expelled from his senior secondary multidisciplinary perspective – as study area at home. The fund is also vocational education programme long as things happen by my rules available for ambitious students who twice. A serious depression resulted and meet my conditions.” want to take on extracurricular activi- in a clinical admission for a period of ties. “I learned a whole lot from the a year. He was diagnosed with Support and flexibility international conferences I attended ­Asperger’s and ADHD, among other The University of Twente gave him during my studies. That takes money, things. “With the help of doctors and the room he needed. Riezebos did though. I often struggled to scrape psychiatrists, I found out that there not attend many lectures. Instead, together enough cash to pay for my was a lot going on in my head, but he worked on extracurricular pro- ticket. It is important to me that there that it also held a lot of potential.” jects, collaborated on publications are funds available for that. If it gives and presented his research at con- someone the opportunity to learn and Love brought Riezebos to the UT. ferences abroad. “I have trouble sit- have fun, I am happy to contribute.” His wife Lindy lived in Haaksbergen ting still and listening. A two-hour at the time and studied Commercial lecture tired me out as if it were Economics at Saxion. “She stimula- eight hours long. However, if you ted me to resume my education.” gave me a project that allowed me Between 2006 and 2014, he studied to do my own research, I would do Psychology and Communication eight hours’ worth of work in two Studies, took two minors and a pre- hours’ time.” SUPPORT AND DONATE! master’s in Philosophy, completed Visit www.utwente.nl/Ufonds the honours programme for excel- He found the joy in life during his lent students and enrolled in a higher time as a student, the alumnus education Business Administration says. “I met people who supported programme in the evenings. me and were very flexible. That ­allowed me to flourish.” It also “Call it catching up or a need to pro- ­motivated his decision to give back. ve myself. When you move from a “The University has done so much negative to a positive situation and for me. My time at the UT was a you suddenly find out that you can major factor in making me who I do a lot more than you thought pos- am today. I cannot simply forget sible, you seize every opportunity about that.”

13 INTERVIEW EDUCATION UT HAS ITS EYE ON STUDENTS IN AMSTERDAM

“We can introduce a whole new group of students to the UT”

JOINT MECHANICAL ENGINEERING The students from North Holland BACHELOR’S PROGRAMME WITH VU will frequently visit the UT. Every month, they will spend three weeks at VU University Amsterdam and The employment market is in dire need of highly educated technical staff. one week in Enschede. They get Nevertheless, the Mechanical Engineering bachelor’s programme is not parti- to use the UT’s facilities, such as laboratories, and the UT looks for cularly popular among high school students in the province of North Holland. affordable housing on the campus The main reason: there is no technical university in the region. In September for that one week per month. Some of the UT’s employees will of next year, the UT will therefore introduce a new programme in Amsterdam teach their classes in Amsterdam. in collaboration with VU University Amsterdam. With this programme, the UT It is not out of the question that other joint programmes will be set hopes to see more students move on the master’s programme. up in Amsterdam. For UT employees BY Frederike Krommendijk & U-Today PHOTOGRAPHY Rikkert Harink & Claudia Kamergorodsk who live elsewhere in the country, travelling to Amsterdam is not necessarily more difficult than their Victor van der Chijs, the president of market, which is in dire need of commute to Enschede. the UT’s Executive Board, explains highly educated technical staff.” that only eleven percent of the high Once students have completed the Part of the UT school students in Amsterdam with bachelor’s programme in Amster- The bachelor’s programme will for- a pre-university education choose a dam, the move to Enschede to ac- mally be a part of the UT. Setting up technical programme. “If there is a quire their master’s degree at the UT a new programme takes years, but technical university in the region, is not so large anymore. “With this this allows the programme to operate that number increases to 23 percent. ­ bachelor’s programme, we can intro- under the UT licence. It will be a joint That is why we will go to the student duce a whole new group of students programme in the truest sense of the if they will not come to us. It will be to the UT. We expect that this will word. The UT will initially supply more good for us, for VU University Am- make it more appealing for them to lecturers, but as time goes on, each sterdam and for the employment obtain their master’s degree here.” institute will provide fifty percent.

14 UT HAS ITS EYE ON STUDENTS IN AMSTERDAM VU

“We are taking our social responsibility with this technical bachelor’s programme” UT

The curriculum is similar to that in Praag says. “We are both driven by lectures. Issues like participation Twente: it is based on the Twente the added­ value we can create for and the authorities of e.g. exami­ educational model (TOM) and pro- our society. This is deeply ingrained nation boards also pose some ject-based education. The goal is to in the culture of both institutes. To ­challenges. Lastly, it is important to attract a maximum of 200 students me, that is an important foundation eventually collaborate on our re- in order to preserve the small scale for good collaboration. Our institu- search as well. Whenever possible, of the education. tes also complement each other on we want to involve lecturers from a substantial level; our respective Twente in our research programmes. Mirjam van Praag, the president of ­research and educational infrastruc- We have come a long way already, VU University Amsterdam’s Execu- tures tie into each other well. The but we want to dot every I and tive Board, also sees major advanta- UT and VU University Amsterdam cross every T.” ges in this collaboration. “Research also collaborate with Delft Universi- has shown that in North Holland ty of Technology and the University Does this joint bachelor’s program- ­fewer young people choose a tech- of Amsterdam. Our new coopera- me open the door for further colla- nical university education. Apparent- tive alliance does not detract from boration with the UT in the future? ly, the proximity of study programmes that at all. Rather, I see it as an Van Praag finds that a tough is a major factor in their choice. As ­important addition to the existing ­question to answer right now. “It is the shortage of employees with a partnerships of both universities.” enough of a challenge to make this technical background grows, our Amsterdam branch of the Mecha­ choice to offer a technical bachelor’s Van Praag emphasises that there nical Engineering programme cost- programme in Amsterdam can be are still some practical issues to be effective. Technical programmes seen as our social responsibility. If resolved concerning the joint ba- are expensive. The key goal of our anyone benefits from this, it is the chelor’s programme. “Colleagues collaboration is to get more young student who ends up choosing our from Twente who visit our campus people interested in a career in a joint programme and, a bit later, our must be given access to our admi- technical field. Of course, we hope society as a whole.” nistrative systems and facilities. We this programme becomes a resoun- also want to offer students housing ding success. Let’s start small for VU University Amsterdam and the on the campus in Twente, because now,” she says soberly. UT have a lot in common, Van they will go there regularly to attend

15 ACTIVE STUDENT PRESIDENT OF NESST, PLAYING SPORTS, WORKING AND STUDYING

Going out and drinking beer is fun, but student Amy de Lange (22) prefers to spend her time on other pursuits. She plays sports, has a job, is on her way to becoming an entrepreneur and serves as president of Nesst, a foundation that helps students and young professionals set up their own business. “It is a lot, but it

also gives me a lot of energy.” BY Frederike Krommendijk PHOTOGRAPHY Arjan Reef

MAKING THE MOST OF HER STUDENT LIFE

She is enrolled in the third year of On top of that, you can learn from the Industrial Design bachelor’s established professionals, such as programme and has a job. You accountants and lawyers, and you might say she has plenty to do gain more insight into marketing. ­already, but Amy likes to take on No matter how good your idea is, more. “The UT offers so many op- there is a lot more to setting up and portunities that I want to seize them running your own business. To me, all. I already joined the ice-skating all this knowledge was invaluable.” team and did lindyhop dancing for Amy is not an entrepreneur just yet, a while. These days, I frequently hit but she does have the prototype of the climbing wall. There is a lot a backpack from the Amy Naomi more to do than just studying.” webshop in her apartment. Despite being made of paper, which is good She considered joining a sorority, for the environment, it is exception- but it was all too organised for her ally sturdy. “As I use it, I encounter liking. “I prefer a bit more sponta­ some small issues, such as the clips. neity. Don’t get me wrong: I love Once I resolve those, it is ready to going to the pub, but I would rather be sold in the webshop.” do something that actually benefits my development.” As the president of Nesst, she now She has found that combination of finds herself on the opposite side of social and educational in her position the table to help students like her as president of Nesst. This foundati- who dream of running their own on helps students and young profes- (web)shop or business. “I get to use “The UT offers so many sionals set up their own business. my organisational talents here. It is “I did that myself and it is a very important to stay on top of every- opportunities that I want to educational experience. The Indus- thing, safeguard the goals and seize them all” trial Design programme teaches you com­ municate well. I used to see a all about product design, but the president as some dominant perso- ­entire process of bringing that pro- nality who smacks their fist down on duct to market is largely overlooked. the table. That is not like me at all. A At Nesst, you get to brainstorm gentle hand works just as well. Unco- about your idea, draw up a business vering such useful self-knowledge is plan and talk to local entrepreneurs. another benefit of this position.”

16 COLUMN

A FRENCH REVOLUTION FOR THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION

Can we base information technolo- In our digital society, “freedom” is gy on the democratic values of the generally interpreted as “privacy,” French Revolution: liberty, equality which is tellingly defined as “the and fraternity? In the western right to be left alone.”. The philosop- world, the American model is her Isaiah Berlin would say that this MAKING THE MOST OF ­currently prevalent: all your data is is mostly a negative definition of owned by a corporation. In the freedom: “freedom from something.” HER STUDENT LIFE ­Chinese model, all your data is The opposite is the positive “free- ­owned by the state. Why is there dom to.” This form of freedom is no European alternative yet? ­positively directed at something. With regards to technology, this is With these questions, professor not only the freedom not to get of Media Sociology Jan van Dijk ­involved with it, but also to treat it ­recently departed the University of responsibly. That requires us to create Twente. Back in 1991, his visionary the right social conditions through “IN OUR DIGITAL SOCIETY, book The Network Society predic- education and legislation. ted that the internet would develop FREEDOM IS GENERALLY in three phases. It would first con- During the French Revolution, INTERPRETED AS PRIVACY, nect people, then things and finally ­equality was about putting an end to our bodies. Keep in mind that the ranks and classes. In a digital society, WHICH IS TELLINGLY DEFINED term “social media” did not exist it means inclusive design: designing AS THE RIGHT TO BE LEFT ALONE” yet and a concept like the Internet technology in such a way that it is of Things went beyond anyone’s both affordable and understandable wildest imagination. for everyone. To do that, we must first understand how we are influen- The message he delivered in his ced. If everyone is to receive equal farewell speech was clear: connec­ opportunities, “algorithm awareness” ting everything and everyone for­ will have to become a major aspect ever will have far-reaching social of citizenship and of design in a digi- and political consequences. The tal society. ­recent Facebook scandal has de- monstrated that not only our priva- Solidarity (a better word for our cy but also our very democracy are times than “fraternity”) is perhaps at stake. These days, the biggest the most important value of all. threat does not come from a distant Does digital technology offer an totalitarian regime, but from an ­alternative to individualism? Can American corporation that is simply “data ownership” also lead to “data following its own business model. donorship?” Can “digital protection” All of a sudden, the digital revolution be expanded into “digital compassi- has taken an unexpected turn: a on?” Can digital technology facilitate ­revitalisation of the European philo- new forms of civic participation and sophy. How can we honour the political engagement? Only when PROF. DR. IR. P.P.C.C. (PETER-PAUL) legacy of the French Revolution? that is the case can we truly talk VERBEEK (1970) IS UNIVERSITY OF As a tribute to Jan van Dijk, I would about the “connectedness of every- TWENTE PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY OF like to give it a try. thing, always and everywhere.” MAN AND TECHNOLOGY.

17

ENTREPRE- NEURSHIP

Annemieke Koster was already an entrepreneur during her Applied Communication Science study at the UT. She enjoyed being her own boss so much that she gave up her master’s degree for it. Today, she maintains close relationships with both the UT and Saxion as the founder of Enschede Textielstad. “The great thing about Twente is the interplay between the knowledge

institutes’ new inventions and entrepreneurship.” BY Frederike Krommendijk PHOTOGRAPHY Arjan Reef

SPINNING A YARN

18

USED ITEMS OF CLOTHING ARE GIVEN A NEW LIFE ON ANNEMIEKE KOSTER’S LOOM

She was supposed to become a Kneedweg. “I received a lot of help going well for her, because communication scientist, but her from elderly weavers who taught me ­sustainability is becoming a major career has taken a completely the ins and outs of the process. concern. “People’s awareness is ­different turn. In 2013, Annemieke ­Preserving all that knowledge is ano- growing. That much is clear from Koster saw a news report on a ther form of sustainability.” Because the questions students asks and disaster that had occurred in a Annemieke loves to innovate, she consumers’ changing purchasing clothing workshop in Bangladesh. rekindled her ties with knowledge behaviour. Nevertheless, we still Contrary to most people, she deci- institutes like the University of have a lot to do.” Fortunately, she ded to do something to change the ­Twente. “I notice that the UT is now has worked on a number of highly clothing industry for the better. ­ more aware of the fact that entre- visible projects, such as creating “I started researching how clothes preneurship is becoming an increa- the cushions on the stands at ABN are made. I looked at everything singly important skill in many fields. ­AMRO’s sustainable Circl pavilion in from how everything is put together When I was working on my master’s Amsterdam and supplying uphol- in those workshops to all the steps degree, studying and entrepreneur- stery fabrics to the Arendsen Volvo leading up to that, including cotton ship were still two separate worlds. ­garage in Hengelo, which was built production, weaving and how That has really improved.” using circular processes. “People ­zippers are made. The situation was have to have the chance to experi- even more dire than I thought. I Major success ence these developments for them- could not sit back and do nothing.” In fact, Annemieke is now reaping selves. Luckily, a growing number the benefits of the close ties that of fashion labels, upholstery com- Yarn from recycled exist between the UT and entrepre- panies and architects are realising material neurs. “Two years ago, I founded the the importance of circularity to their Although she had never even set Textielcafé for local entrepreneurs work. foot inside a weaving mill, she ­together with the municipality of En- founded her own company that pro- schede. We all encounter the same duces fabrics for the clothing and issues, such as the aging workforce “We can make this into a strong furniture upholstery industries in a and competition from abroad, and textile region once more in a new sustainable manner. Her business is we are all looking for ways to innova- called ­Enschede Textielstad, after te. One of the initiatives we set up in way, using all kinds of innovations” her home­town’s rich history in the collaboration with the DesignLab was textile sector. “I have yarn made a day about Smart Textiles. That was from recycled materials. To do that, a major success and it resulted in a What is Annemieke’s advice for I collaborate with e.g. Frankenhuis in bunch of concrete alliances between other alumni? “Stay in Twente. I am Haaksbergen, where unusable items parties. Both the UT and Saxion can one of the few students from my of clothing are fiberised. I also work connect the latest technological year who stuck around and I am together with parties that process ­developments to the knowledge and glad I did. It might be slightly more the trimmings from garment work- expertise of existing companies. We difficult to find a way in with a com- shops (e.g. those owned by ZARA) can make this into a strong textile re- pany, but you will forge a strong into new yarn. I­ acquire that yarn as gion once more in a sustainable man- bond once you do – one based on close to my own business as possible. ner, using all kinds of innovations.” equality and continuity. I see that as a major advantage over the looser Enschede Textielstad is housed in Annemieke’s textile is gradually ties that exist in the west. People the Ter Kuile weaving mill on the ­becoming more popular. Things are are not always in such a rush here.”

19 IN THE LAB

Name Claas-Willem Visser Age 37 Position Reseacher in the Physics of Fluids group Education Applied Physics (UT) Lab Developmental BioEngineering

BY Marco Krijnsen PHOTOGRAPHY Eric Brinkhorst

Printing plastic with a 3D printer has become commonplace. However, things get a lot more complicated when you want to print with other materials. These are often too hard to print with or too soft to retain their shape. A new printing technique ­developed in Twente has solved this problem. Instead of using a nozzle, the printer uses a small plate of glass with a thin layer of metal on it. Using a focused beam of laser light, a ­microdroplet of metal is ejected from the layer. “By doing that at high speeds, you get miniscule building blocks that you can use for the 3D printing of e.g. copper or gold,” says Visser. In late 2014, he obtained his doctoral degree with this technology and he received a Rubicon grant from the NWO to conduct further research at Harvard University. In the United States, Visser focused on the printing of living cells. Over the past two years, he regularly flew back toTwente, ­ where his colleague Tom Kamperman is also working on the new technology in the lab in the Zuidhorst. Now that the researchers have found a way to print faster, they are able to produce live materials such as pieces of cartilage or skin. This technology also has a range of potential com- mercial applications, e.g. the produc- tion of microparticles for cosmetics or drugs. This will require further ­research in the Developmental BioEngineering lab. Visser wants to market this technology with the start- up IamFluidics, which he founded ­together with his colleagues Tom Kamperman and Menno Noordlander.

20 “You get miniscule building blocks for the 3D printing of e.g. copper or gold” AMBITION & ACHIEVEMENT They sold their first company Applicare to the American General Electric Company, GE. Philips recently took over their second company, Forcare. There is no end in sight for the success story of Harm-Jan Wessels and Andries Hamster, two electrical engineers

from Twente. BY Marco Krijnsen PHOTOGRAPHY Rikkert Harink LUBRICANT FOR THE HEALTHCARE

“Information exchange: we both saw major opportunities in that field” - Andries Hamster

22 Forcare’s head office is located in Zeist. It also has branches in the United King- dom, Germany and Canada. The organisation employs ninety people in total. LUBRICANT FOR THE HEALTHCARE

Harm-Jan Wessels believes timing The engineers from Twente develo- nues to be an intrinsic motivation is everything. “The latest technical ped a program that allowed doctors for me to this day.” developments, the people, the op- to generate three-dimensional Applicare was gearing up for its portunity and a dose of luck. When ­medical images on their computer next phase, made possible by a all that comes together, great things screens. “We were fifteen years ­capital injection from investment can happen.” That was true back ahead of our time. At a tradeshow company Holland Venture. Hamster in 1986, when Wessels first came in Chicago, we found out that no started out as a software engineer, to the University of Twente. He one wanted our software,” Wessels although he quickly shifted his wanted to make a contribution to remembers. ­focus to product integrations as the the healthcare sector, but he did not They did receive advice from a company grew. He became the link choose a medical study. Instead, he ­radiologist who told them to write a between the technology and the went with electrical engineering. program with which to view “regu- user. His job was to explain the “That was a great choice, because I lar” medical images such as MRI ­product, show demos and listen to built a career that combined IT and and CT scans. Applicare developed what the market wanted. healthcare almost immediately.” a program that could run on any computer with Windows NT. This “We knew right away Fifteen years ahead of breakthrough opened the doors to their time hospitals all over the world. “We that we were on to something During the second year of his study, knew right away that we were on to that we could not let go” Wessels was involved in the foun- something that we could not let go. dation of Applicare. The business Since then, we are focused entirely - Harm-Jan Wessels consisted of several talented on software development for the ­students (including Wessels’ own medical sector.” The first million-dollar contracts with brother Frank, who had also studied Kodak, IBM and the American electrical engineering in Twente) The first million-dollar ­Department of Defense (the world’s and Ruud Kroon, an experienced contracts largest healthcare organisation) were entrepreneur. The eager young At that time, back in 1996, Andries soon signed. Hamster: “We had the ­students were told to go nuts on Hamster joined Applicare. He had advantage of having a clear goal and Kroon’s expensive computers and also studied electrical engineering a concrete product that could run on write their software. at the UT and received job offers Windows NT. Combined with our After graduating, Wessels shifted from five interesting employers use of open standards, we had a his focus to real-time 3D medical vi- ­after his graduation. Although IBM ­significant lead on other, bigger sualisations with Applicare Medical and Philips did appeal to him, he ul- companies. They often think too Imaging. This was a direct continu- timately chose Applicare. “I would long before starting something new. ation of his final thesis project. Back have the opportunity to contribute They are bogged down by their then, the field was still in its infancy. to the healthcare sector. That conti- ­existing structures. We are not.”

23 AMBITION & ACHIEVEMENT

ANDRIES HAMSTER HARM-JAN WESSELS (VP Business Development Forcare) (CEO Forcare) 1989-1995 Studies Electrical Engineering UT 1986-1991 Studies Electrical Engineering UT 1996-2004 Works at Applicare/GE 1988 Founds Applicare 2004-2005 Works at Nucletron 1999 Sells Applicare to GE 2006 Founds Forcare 2006 Founds Forecare 2017 Sells Forcare to Philips 2017 Sells Forcare to Philips

U-COUNCIL MEMBER, GUITAR PLAYER AND POLICY OFFICER Andries Hamster was active during his study of Electrical Engineering (1989-1995). He was a member of the Taste student association and held a seat on the U-council on behalf of the KPS student party. He also played guitar in the student band Jamming with Edward, which performed during the UT’s days of the girl and at student parties. “We did not make a lot of money with that. We were happy if we had enough to pay for the sound equipment, the van and the beer...” Back in 1992, it earned them a photo on the cover of the UT magazine Campus (see photo). After his graduation, Hamster stayed involved with the UT for a while longer as a temporary policy officer. He collaborated on plans for educational reform that were eligible for government subsidy.

Takeover and restart From Leuven to Kentucky ­Philips. The electronics conglome- The company’s rapid growth pre- The result was the foundation of rate took over Forcare in December sented its owners with a dilemma. ­Forcare, which focuses on the user- of 2017 in a bid to strengthen its Should the organisation, which had friendly and secure exchange of position on the healthcare infor­ thirty employees at this point, go information in the healthcare sector. mation technology market. CEO public, or would a takeover be a When they finished developing their Harm-Jan Wessels is proud of the better option for its continued deve- software after three years, they strug- sale. “As far as the people at Philips lopment? The team decided to sell gled to find buyers. At a tradeshow in can tell, this is the first time they to the multinational organisation Denmark, they were approached just have taken over a Dutch company.” General Electric. before closing time by the CIO of UZ Several years later, Hamster left Leuven, the largest hospital in What is Forcare’s strength? “Our ­Applicare. A chance meeting at ­Belgium. This first international client open and standardised platform, Schiphol in 2005 reunited him with opened the doors to more healthcare which is compatible with competi- his former colleague. Wessels and institutes in many European countries tors’ systems,” Wessels explains. Hamster were both on their way to a and Canada. They recently signed a He predicts further growth for the tradeshow in Chicago. On the plane, multi-million-dollar contract with the company. “We notice that patients they sowed the seeds for a new col- American state of Kentucky for a are increasingly becoming health- laboration. “Digitisation had entered ­solution that allows the state’s health- care consumers who want access the healthcare sector and created a care professionals to exchange to their own medical data. The new new problem: information exchange. patient­ data. privacy regulations present a host Back then, different methods such of opportunities for our product. as fax, mail and email were used and Philips With the help of Philips, new ­information security was not always The rise of the company, made possi- ­markets have opened up that are guaranteed. We both saw major op- ble by a capital injection from Prime hard to reach for a small player.” portunities in that field,” Hamster says. Ventures, caught the attention of

24 EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

ENRICHING AND EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE

The UT offers a range of postgraduate programmes through the BMS faculty. Participants acquire thorough knowledge and insights, form useful new relationships and share their experiences so others can learn from them. Emeritus professor Olaf Fisscher may have left the University five years ago, he continues to make an important contribution to this postgraduate education as a lecturer

and an organiser of seminars. BY Frederike Krommendijk PHOTOGRAPHY Rikkert Harink

Everyone has their own reasons to go (back) to school. “Lifelong learning is one of the core “We have people retraining for a different line of work, as well as those who want to enrich and expand their social functions of a university” knowledge to benefit their current career. Some of our participants are over fifty. They know they have at least With its study programmes for professionals, the UT another fifteen years to go and want to keep up with the wants to be more than a source of knowledge. Partici- latest developments,” Fisscher illustrates. pants are also introduced to the University’s extensive network. Vice versa, the University continues to expand The emeritus professor says the UT has a wealth of and improve its network. “Alumni in key positions are knowledge to offer alumni looking to expand their eager to attract our recent graduates. They are also willing­ ­knowledge. “We have a lot to offer as a university, in to contribute to guest lectures that give them a chance terms of both knowledge and network. This is not a one- to share their wealth of practical experience with us.” way street, however. Our masterclasses tend to be based on market demand. We offer masterclasses with a more In addition to the public management and risk manage- ­generic structure as well as custom programmes for e.g. ment programmes, the UT offers a whole range of a ministry, a healthcare institute or an insurance company. other masterclasses. “Lifelong learning is one of the You have to listen carefully to find out what the market core social functions of a university. Fortunately, more wants. You also cannot let your own research come and more institutes are accepting that responsibility. Are you curious about first,” Fisscher warns. For example, the UT has set up For a university, it is also simply a requirement to attract the UT’s programmes programmes about risk management for Achmea and external funding. That should not be the primary con- for alumni and other it retrained eight employees of Nedap in Groenlo to cern, however. First and foremost, it is about sharing knowledge seekers? ­become software specialists through the EWI faculty. one’s knowledge and network.” Look at utwente.nl/pld

25 IN BRIEF

PHOTONIC CHIPS In June, PHIX, a subsidiary of the miniscule glass fibres onto a chip. UT spin-off LioniX, and the Fraun- This requires a great deal of precisi- hofer Project Center presented a on and used to take an hour and a micro assembly machine. It was half when done by hand with the unveiled during the UT Photonics help of a microscope. The new ma- Event in The Gallery. The machine is chine automates this process and powered by a technology that auto- shortens the lead time to mere se- mates the labour-intensive and spe- conds. This brings the mass producti- cialist task of manually installing on of photonic chips one step closer.

DA VINCI The first robotic birds, such as the ­Robird that was developed at the 22 MILLION ­University of Twente, are already With an investment of 22 million euros in five different spreading their wings. According to research programmes, the 4TU.Federatie, the coopera- UT professor Stefano Stramigioli, it is tive alliance of the four technical universities in the now time for the next step. He recei­ Netherlands, will give a strong impulse to the research ved a European research subsidy of into sustainable technology. Within these programmes, 2.8 million euros. With the help of the four technical universities collaborate on research new theories and experiments, he into personalised healthcare, sickness prevention and wants to make Leonardo Da Vinci’s treatment, “smart” industry, more resilient societies dream a reality: the development of and the global food problem. The project leaders of the next generation of robotic birds three of these programmes come from the University that can take off and land like their of Twente. real counterparts and can fly with an asymmetrical wing motion.

26 IN BRIEF

CAR TYRES The University of Twente and Conti- nental Reifen Deutschland GmbH are collaborating on a new process for the recycling of car tyres. Using a rapid pyrolysis process, it is possi- RADIOLOGY ble to break down used tyres within Research conducted by UT doctoral candidate Jasper van seconds. This produces valuable Sambeek has revealed that radiology processes in hospitals materials and fuels for the producti- can be improved by applying models from the world of busi- on of new tyres. More than a billion ness administration. For example, he demonstrated that tyres are replaced every year all patients’ CT scans can be processed much faster by using a over the world. Together, these walk-in system instead of scheduled appointments, while ­contain 4.4 million tons of valuable the capacity utilisation remains the same or even increases. products. Even though hospitals are the most complex organisations around and they cannot easily be compared to “normal” businesses, the researcher still believes it is possible to ­realise significant improvements to patient logistics by making proper use of business administration models.

IOT Internet of Things (IoT) applications has shown that, in most cases, peo- can help you save energy, improve ple only use a single device. That your health and make your life more suggests we are not even close to comfortable. Nevertheless, only realising the full potential of IoT. The 44.7 percent of all Dutch adults use researchers say that the main reasons More information about these applications. Research con- for this limited use are the costs, a these items can be found ducted by the University of Twente lack of interest and privacy concerns. at: www.utwente.nl/en

27 ALUMNI NEWS

CONNECTING TWENTE TO THE WORLD

The University of Twente has more than 47,000 parties have different interests, Panayotopoulos alumni. Former UT students live and work all explains. “A strong and involved alumni network over the world, from Enschede to Beijing and keeps the UT informed about where its alumni from San Francisco to Nairobi. To make optimal end up in the world and what innovations and use of this extensive network, the UT recently start-ups they are involved in. Alumni are often appointed an Alumni Community Manager: willing to share their knowledge, network and Solange Panayotopoulos. BY Marieke Vroom ­experience with the University and its students. PHOTOGRAPHY Gijs van Ouwerkerk The Municipality of Enschede sees other benefits. The city has partnerships with Palo Alto in Silicon “The network of graduates has more to offer than Valley in the US and the Chinese port city of the occasional gathering to share a drink and ­Dalian. “Enschede wants to strengthen these ties. catch up,” Panayotopoulos says. “It creates Perhaps alumni who live or work in these partner ­opportunities for collaboration, development and cities are willing to contribute to that goal.” innovation.” The role of the Alumni Community Manager is to connect former students with the Pilot region of Twente and utilise the strengths of this The Alumni Community Manager has been network for the University and its (business) ­appointed for a three-year pilot period. “Shaping partners. this position is a lot of fun and a serious challenge. I can use my creativity and the possibilities are A first nearly endless. Of course, there are also down­ The position is the first of its kind in the Nether- sides to building something from scratch. “Everyone is highly committed lands. It is made possible by the Municipality of I want to achieve results, but will I be able to do Enschede, the Province of Overijssel, the Region that? It is good to see so much support in the and so am I” of Twente and the University of Twente. These ­region. The collaborating parties all see the ­potential that this position offers. Everyone is highly committed and so am I.”

In the coming years, Solange wants to ensure that the alumni network is involved in events that SOLANGE PANAYOTOPOULOS is an alumna of the are hosted by or important to the region of Twente. University of Amsterdam (Sociology ’90). Education and the employ- “Think of e.g. the Hannover Messe, a major ment market are the central themes of her CV. She worked on pro- ­innovation and technology tradeshow. In addition jects for the Chamber of Commerce to improve the relations between to the UT itself, it is also attended by many local businesses and educational institutes and she worked for Saxion to entrepreneurs. It would be great to host an ­alumni meeting during such an event.” set up the Connect Programme in collaboration with the UT. This pro- gramme prepared international graduates (alumni) to enter the Dutch employment market. Her current position as Alumni Community If you have a suggestion for an (existing) event Manager makes for a logical next step in her professional career. or if you see other opportunities to bring alumni and regional partners together, you can contact Solange via email at s.a.y.s.panayotopoulos@ utwente.nl

28 ALUMNI ON THE MOVE

After finishing her Public Administration study, Since May of 2018, Ferry Haris (BIT ’10) works as an ­Annemieke Ålenius (PA ’89) eventually moved to Enterprise Risk Manager - IT at APG Asset Management. ­Sweden to work in the eHealth industry. Since April of Before this, he worked as an IT Auditor DHL, Heineken and 2018, she is the Head of the Department for Coordination TNT, among other places. and Strategy at The Swedish eHealth Agency. After many years of research at the University of Twente Since April of 2018, Jos ter Avest (BSK ’85) works as and other places, Maarten IJzerman (PhD ’97) became ALUMNI TALKS treasurer at the Prinses Beatrix Spierfonds. Additionally, he the new chairman of the data-driven Cancer Health Servi- is the chairman of the Supervisory Board of International ces Research at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Center The annual Alumni Talks – see the future Card Services and ABN AMRO Hypotheken. in Melbourne in May of 2018. through the eyes of successful UT alumni – will be held on Friday 5 October. The first speaker has In April of 2018, Arthur Baas (TBK ’06) started Since April of 2018, Tessel Jarigsma (TN ’97) works already been announced: Minister of Defence ­working in the Digital Transformation department at Airbus. as COO at EVBox. She has already had a career in the Ank Bijleveld (BSK ’84). With her wealth of expe- Before this, he worked as a Purchasing Manager at DAF telecommunication sector at Ericsson, Logica and T-Mobile. rience in several administrative positions, she Trucks and Dräxlmaier, among other places. looks towards the future of Dutch administration. After a long career at AkzoNobel, Conrad Keijzer (TBK Mark your calendars! For more information, visit In May of 2018, Bastiaan Blankert (CT ’02) started his ’93) became the new CEO of Imerys in Paris in March of utwente.nl/alumni/alumni-talks. new job as a Research Scientist at the King Abdullah Univer- 2018. Before this time, he worked as Managing Director at sity of Science and Technology. In the past, he worked as a AkzoNobel Industrial Coatings. researcher at the University of Twente, an R&D Process Engineer at Pentair and a Membrane Technologist at Oasen. Since May of 2018, Piotr Kmin (TBK ‘15) works as ­Senior Advisor at KPMG New Zealand, where he focuses on Martijn Bouwmeester (BA ’07) works as Director Financial Risk Management. In the past, he has worked at Financial Planning and Analysis at Off.Grid:Electric in several financial institutes in Poland, including UBS, BNP Amsterdam since April of 2018. Before this, he held several Paribas and Narodowy Bank Polski. financial positions at Johnson & Johnson or one of its subsidiaries. After acquiring a master’s degree in Social, Health and Organisational Psychology, Ellen Meijer (PSY ’07) has Since March of 2018, Stephan Brandenburg (IO ’10) had a career in that sector. Since April of 2018, she works works as a UX Researcher at Bijenkorf. After graduating as a Selection Psychologist at the Dutch national police from the UT, Stephan worked as a Designer, Teacher and force. Researcher at Saxion University of Applied Sciences. In April of 2018, Robert Remmers (EL ’92) started his TWENTE ALUMNI Elmer van den Dries (SET ’11) started his new job as new job as Head of Product Line at Infineon Technologies. a Demand Forecast Analyst at DSM in April of 2018. Elmer Before this, Robert held positions at Philips, Texas Instru- LECTURES previously held various data analysis positions at AkzoNobel. ments and Melexis. The inaugural edition of the Twente Alumni Lectu- res got off to a “flying” start. On 8 March, Boet After finishing her Public Administration study,Judith After obtaining his doctoral degree from the University Kreiken (Executive Vice President Customer Experi- van Erp (BSK ’95) held research positions at the Vrije of Twente, Domokos Sármány (PhD ’10) worked as a ence KLM) kicked the event off with an interesting Universiteit Amsterdam, B&A Groep and the Research and Software Engineer at Process Systems Enterprise in London. lecture on the dynamic developments and challen- Documentation Centre (WODC). These days, she works In April of 2018, he started a new job as an Analyst at the ges in the global aviation sector. After this success­ as a lecturer at Erasmus University Rotterdam and Utrecht European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. ful first lecture, the Alumni Office also travelled to University and she became a member of the Royal Nether- The Hague, Rotterdam, Maastricht and Utrecht. In lands Academy of Arts and Sciences in April of 2018. Ed van de Weerd (TBK ’93) works as Managing Direc- total, more than 120 alumni attended the various tor Kruidvat the Netherlands at A.S. Watson Benelux since lectures. What a wonderful start for this new tradition! After a career in the energy sector at Gasunie, DNV April of 2018. Before that time, he served as Commercial Would you like a lecture to be hosted in your KEMA and Shell, among other places, Robert van der Director at Jumbo Supermarkten for nearly seven years. city as well next year? Geest (PhD ’97) started his new job as a Senior Gas Speci- Let us know via [email protected]. alist at The World Bank in Washington, D.C., in April of 2018.

On Friday 30 November 2018, the Alumni Office COLOPHON ALUMNI NEWS will host a reunion for students who attended the Questions, comments Alumni Office SAVE THE DATE “entrepreneurial university” since 1986. During and suggestions: www.utwente.nl/alumni this gathering, you can catch up with former [email protected] - Changes of address ­fellow students and take an exclusive look at some Tel. +31 (053) 489 2104 - Subscribe or of the UT’s exceptional and innovative research. Twitter: @alumniUTwente unsubscribe digital - newsletter The reunion will begin at 10:30 am. Afterwards, - Email forwarding we will attend the 58th dies natalis in the request afternoon.

29 FUND NEWS

ANNUAL CAMPAIGN 2018: WILL YOU CONTRIBUTE AS WELL? The annual campaign 2018 kicked off late 5,000 euros for the very first Roboteam last year with the presentation of four pro- ­Twente for an extra robot for their robot foot- jects for which we recruit earmarked dona- ball team. With the help of this “extra play- tions up to a sum of 30,000 euros. We are er,” Roboteam Twente made a fantastic quite close to realising this goal because of debut in Nagoya, Japan. The second Robo­ the generous donations from nearly 400 team travelled to Montreal, Canada, in June alumni, (former) employees and relations of to take part in RoboCup 2018. the University. Will you contribute as well?

Money well spent! This year, we are recruiting funds for the wear­ This past year, the many donations from able prosthetic kidney, the Leerlingenlab, the alumni and relations resulted in a sum of Kipaji Scholarship Fund and for extra subsidies for student activism. For more information about these projects and how to contribute! WWW.STEUNUTWENTE.NL

DESCENDANTS OF THE FOUNDERS RETURN TO THE CAMPUS

More than one hundred and thirty descendants of the family businesses, mostly from the region of Twente, that helped found the Twente Technical University of Applied Sciences during the mid-20th century visited the campus on Tuesday 13 June to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Twente University Fund Foundation.

In 1948, the Queen’s Commissioners of the Netherlands’ four north-eastern provinces founded the “Stichting Tech- nisch Hoger Onderwijs voor Noord- en Oost-Nederland.” Many organisations, most of them industrial, joined the initiative because they needed engineers to help with the necessary modernisation of the industry. After more than twelve years of lobbying, the foundation’s hard work paid off: in 1961, the government decided to establish a third Technical University of Applied Sciences in Twente. The amount of regional support for the plan was an important factor in this decision. Dozens of businesses and benefac- tors each contributed at least ten thousand guilders. These assets were managed by the foundation whose name was initially changed to Twente University of Applied Sciences Fund Foundation, before changing again to the current Twenty University Fund in 1986.

The descendants’ visit was like a meeting of old friends. Names like Van Heek and Ten Cate, the founders of the textile industry in Twente, were among those attending. The strong family ties of the past were renewed. The ­gathering began with speeches by board president Victor van der Chijs and University Fund president Wilma van In- gen. Professor Dave Blank talked about the development of the University of Twente over the years. He concluded by giving some appealing examples of the UT’s research. Next, the programme consisted of tours of several labora- tories and the campus itself. ISAAC NEWTON STUDY TOUR BRAZIL AND ARGENTINA As they listened to the various speakers, the attendees After a year of preparation, 28 students of virtually limitless possibilities in the field of were enraptured by the wonderful developments taking Mechanical Engineering arrived in Rio de mechanical engineering and technology. place in “their” Twente. To many of them, it was quite an Janeiro on 10 November for a three-week In addition to the company visits, there eye opener to learn that their ancestors played such a study tour. Inspired by the theme of “Limitless was also time to see the Copacabana, ­prominent role in this region. Their curiosity and pride Boundaries,” the students visited companies the Cristo Redentor and the Iguacu falls. were certainly satisfied and we will surely see many of in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Buenos Aires Initiatives like these study tours are them again in the future. and Rosario. The name of theme refers to the supported by the Twente University Fund.

30 STRESS STUDY TOUR SHANGHAI Circa thirty students of Industrial Engineering & Management and International Business Administration left on a study tour to Shanghai on 6 January. The group visited Dajin Logistics, ECNU University, Sany Caterpillar, Bontaz Group, BE China Smeden and Rainbow-Cargotec Group, among others. During the second week of their stay in China, the group visited the Dutch consulate, Baosteel and Faurecia Automotive. Of course, there was also plenty of time to see the sights.

VAN DEN KROONENBERG AWARD FOR RENEE SPRINGER WINS THE MARINA EMILE NIJSSEN AND STEFAN WITKAMP VAN DAMME SCHOLARSHIP

Alumni Emile Nijssen and Stefan Witkamp, the The Marina van Damma scholarship for talented, ­entrepreneurs behind Athom B.V., best known for the ambitious female alumni was awarded to Renee ­“Homey,” won the Van den Kroonenberg award this year. Springer (MSE’07) this year. The judges chose her out of a total of twenty candidates. Sietske Zagers The entrepreneurs are both 25 and earned their bachelor’s (TO’01) received the runner-up prize. degree in Creative Technology from the UT in 2014. They developed the Homey, a device that turns houses into Springer, a mathematics teacher at the Vathorst College smart homes, as part of their final thesis project. Nijssen in Amersfoort, finished the mathematics teacher and Witkamp managed to successfully launch this inno­ ­master’s programme at the University of Twente with vative product in a highly competitive market by using a distinction in 2007. Before that, she earned a bachelor’s hardware platform, an app store and a community. This degree in Applied Physics at the UT. The major shortage makes Nijssen and Witkamp prime examples of entrepre- of mathematics teachers allowed her to acquire a ton of neurship at the UT. professional experience during her studies.

Back in 2014, ING selected them as ING starter of the In addition to teaching, she has held various coordina- year, for which they beat out the digital kiosk Blendle, ting positions. This inspired an interest in the stream­ among others. During the start-up phase, they used the lining of work processes to reduce teachers’ workloads Kennispark’s TOP scheme. In early 2014, they raised a and improve the quality of the education. That is what sum of € 200,000 via Kickstarter. One year later, they she is truly passionate about. Renee wants to develop raised another € 800,000. This allowed them to finance herself further in the field of middle management. the initial production phase. She will use the € 9,000 scholarship to finance a School WOULD YOU LIKE TO Leader Basic Competence education. ENDOW A NAMED The Homey has to compete with Alexa (Amazon), Google Home and Siri (Apple), among others. It is sold at e.g. FUND? ­Mediamarkt, Bol.com and their own webshop. The THE RUNNER-UP ­Homey’s sale in Sweden was rolled out via Kjell & You can support the University of Twente by making ­Company and WebHallen. Athom B.V. currently has twelve Sietske Zagers works as CEO at Elevate, a social enter- a one-off donation, a regular contribution or by employees. prise founded by the University Medical Centre Utrecht naming the University Fund as a beneficiary in your The Van den Kroonenberg award is made possible by the and Utrecht University. The company is an academic will. It is also possible to endow a ‘named fund’, Twente University Fund in honour of the founder of the partner in the field of e-learning for medical professio- provided its purpose is in keeping with the general entrepreneurial university, former rector professor Harry nals and life science researchers. objectives of the University Fund. You decide the van den Kroonenberg. The award was given out for the fund’s name and how its resources are to be spent. thirty-fifth time this year. In 2001, Zagers finished the Applied Educational The minimum donation required to establish a ­Science programme at the University of Twente. She named fund is € 10.000,-. wants to further develop her management career by ­expanding her knowledge of strategic management. More information The “Excelling in Female Leadership” course at Nyen­ See www.utwente.nl/ufonds or contact rode is perfect for that. She will use the € 2,500 scholar- Maurice Essers on +31 53 489 3993, ship to pay for this course. email [email protected] The Marina van Damme scholarship was awarded for Universiteitsfonds Twente the sixteenth time this year. It is made available every Postbus 217, 7500 AE Enschede year by Mrs Marina van Damme, MSc. In June of 1965, Bankrelatie: IBAN NL09 ABNA 0592 7191 89 she was the first engineer to obtain her doctoral degree T.n.v. Stichting Universiteitsfonds Twente, Enschede from Twente Technical University of Applied Sciences. Until the early 1990s, she worked as director at AKZO Corporate Headquarters.

31 On Thursday 21 June, the Entrepre- neurial Day ended with the award ceremony for the UT Challenge. Seven students pitched their entre- preneurial ideas during the finals in the Waaier; five of them won a monetary prize. Before that, alumnae Renee Springer and Sietske Zagers received the Marina van Damme Scholarship. Peter Wennink, CEO at ASML, ­kicked off the Entrepreneurial Day with a keynote speech. ENTREPRENEURIAL DAY

32 WERE YOU THERE? OPEN HOUSE ENTREPRENEURIAL DAY

Looking through virtual reality gog- began in the research and education gles to see a monkey eating pizza, square. Along the way, there were coding your own route for robots to forty stands with test setups to follow, racing on a Segway and ­admire or activities to participate in. going for a drive in a car simulator. The children loved the many science The University of Twente’s Open experiments and went wild in a real House on Saturday 23 June offered robot playground. The UT’s youngest all that and more. visitors could collect stamps and go The route through the Carré, Horst, home with a full card as the scien- NanoLab and DesignLab buildings tists of the future.

33 SHORT STAY

HISTORY The Hogekamp building was constructed in 1967. One of the architects involved in the project was Samuel van Embden. In the spirit of the New Pro- fessionalism, he designed a building that shows exactly what it is: a study machine. The Hoge- kamp building explicitly glorifies technology. During the era of functionalism, technology was featured prominently in the building’s design, as evidenced by the large, white air-conditioning shafts that accentuated the exterior. It was a no- nonsense architecture. The former work and study building will now become a residential complex. A different function brings with it a different appearance. The five characteristic air-conditioning ducts along the outside of the building are gone. The white shafts that pumped fresh air into the building have been replaced by white fences as a small reminder of the former machine aesthetic. ON THE CAMPUS

The remodelling project of the Hogekamp building is in full swing. The former EL/TN building is being fully stripped. Its new purpose – to offer 445 student rooms and 72 hotel rooms – is becoming clearer every day. SOURCE U-Today PHOTOGRAPHY UT-archief/Rikkert Harink

STUDENT ROOMS AND HOTEL IN THE HOGEKAMP BUILDING

It took a while for project deve­ basement. The Hogekamp tower the U Parkhotel. The ground floor loper Van Wijnen to find the right will house 48 luxury apartments, will feature the lobby, restaurant investors, but with student room so-called “micro apartments.” and conference rooms. The floors lessor Camelot and conference These will be circa six metres tall above will house 72 rooms for hotel Drienerburght the right and feature a mezzanine. In other hotel guests. ­parties are on board and the re­ words: an open space with two The ninth floor will house the more cognisable landmark on campus floors. The bedroom will be loca­ luxurious executive suites and a is being given a new lease on life. ted on the top floor and can be large conference room. Finally, a Camelot will rent out the student reached with a staircase. 50 m2 fitness area will be realised rooms. In total, there will be 445 for hotel guests on the roof of the fully furnished rooms, each with Short stay building. its own toilet, bathroom and kit­ The building features nine floors The Faculty Club restaurant will chen. The rooms will be between with short-stay student rooms. also move to the U Parkhotel. It is 20 and 30 square metres in size. There will be eleven-month lease not clear yet what will be done Common areas will be built on the contracts for international students with the vacant buildings. ground floor and in the basement and six-month contracts for Dutch The front of the building will fea­ of the Hogekamp building. This students. A roof terrace surroun­ ture an open square with an adjus­ ­includes a TV room, a karaoke ded by a glass wall will be built table design. It will contain flower room, a fitness and game room, a atop the Hogekamp building. beds, a pond, stands, staircases, lounge area, a study area and a Conference hotel Drienerburght seating areas and terraces, as well laundry room. The bicycle parking will also move to the Hogekamp as stairs, bins and blocks that are facility will also be located in the building and change its name to moveable and stackable.

35 INTERVIEW RESEARCH

A robotic vest that corrects your posture when you are sagging in your chair or forget to walk straight – all while looking good to boot. UT researchers Angelika Mader and Geke Ludden deve- loped one, together with fashion designer Hellen van Rees. The applications for this kind of haptic feedback technology are endless, from a relaxation vest for autistic children to a wear- able pat-on-the-back-machine used for behavioural correction.

BY Frederike Krommendijk PHOTOGRAPHY Rikkert Harink

ROBOTIC VEST STIMULATES GOOD POSTURE

You take: small cubes of fabric that can move like a large, the motors pull on the strings and the vest creates harmonica, a few motors and interconnected coloured a tiny bit of pressure in the right direction. It still has to electrical wires. Collaborate with a celebrated fashion be developed into an easy-to-produce and wearable designer to turn this wearable technology into a nice product, but the interest from third parties is impressive. vest, add some sensors that can monitor the wearer’s “We received a ton of publicity and people wanted to movement and you end up with an invention that has a sign up as test subjects because they were suffering ton of possible applications. It all sounds futuristic, but from back or neck pain, etcetera.” the first vest has already been produced to widespread interest from third parties. Physical therapists are also interested in the research into the corrective vest. They currently use tape, a “We are still hard at work on the development,” says ­corset or another fixation method to change a patient’s Angelika Mader. “The motors that pull on the wires posture. “Once you take those things off, your body will produce a tiny bit of sound. We are working on a solu- sag back into its old position, because you did not learn tion for that: at the University of Linkoping in Sweden, a new posture or strengthen the right muscles. This UT alumnus Edwin Jager is developing a knitted mus- vest does not pull your body into the right posture; it cle that can contract textile using an electrical voltage. only gives you a slight push, while your muscles do the We collaborate closely with this group.” rest,” Mader explains.

A push in the right direction A pat on the back for good behaviour The robotic vest that has already been completed can She also sees opportunities in the field of ergonomics, literally and figuratively give the wearer a push in the e.g. to teach people a different method to lift heavy right direction. As soon as the sensors measure that ­objects or to improve an athlete’s technique. Other the angle between the neck and the lower back is too possible applications can be found in the fields of

36 ­orthopaedics, physical rehabilitation and psychology. neath a person’s clothes. In any case, it is abundantly “Soft pressure also has an emotional effect; it calms clear that the development process must continue. you down. You could develop a hugging shirt for ­“Until now, wearable technology has mostly been about ­people with PTSD or autistic children who are prone to materials equipped with sensors that measure a per- overstimulation. It can even be used in learning proces- son’s heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature, et- ses to give the wearer a pat on the back for good beha- cetera. We wanted to come up with something that not viour. Positive feedback for desired behaviour makes only measures, but also provides instant feedback. That people change their behaviour permanently, even after is what inspired us to design this vest. Along the way, a short period of time. The goal is to eventually be able to stop using the vest. It can then be passed on to the next user, which makes it more sustainable as well.” “The interest is impressive. People wanted Haptic feedback is not new, but it is mostly provided by to sign up as test subjects because they were vibrating motors in a material, similar to putting your smartphone on “vibrate.” That technology is far more suffering from back or neck pain” localised and uses vibration, while the UT invention produces pressure. This feels more comfortable and is we discovered that there are myriad other uses besides less distracting if e.g. a wearer is working on their improving the wearer’s posture. That is fantastic, of computer. course. We are now working hard to identify all these possible applications together with e.g. physical thera- The question if there is a demand for wearable techno- pists and perhaps the Roessingh. The product is still in logy that also looks good, like Hellen’s design, still has development, but the interest shown by third parties to be answered. Perhaps there is more demand for an proves that we can definitely make a useful contribution extremely thin design that can be worn invisibly under- with our research.”

37 CFO AT YOGHURT KING CHOBANI

“We produce affordable, high-quality food products”

Mick Beekhuizen studied Industrial Engineering and Management at the UT. The programme’s comprehensiveness appealed to him. Since his graduation in 1999, his career has been just as versatile: he has worked at an investment bank and a training institute and now works at Chobani, the US’s largest manufacturer of

Greek yoghurt. BY Hans van Eerden PHOTOGRAPHY Chobani

38 DEPARTURE POINT TWENTE

CFO AT YOGHURT KING CHOBANI

Mick Beekhuizen grew up near Rot- nesses and the investments in a Behind the numbers terdam and chose the University of wide range of organisations.” In “I love being part of this organisation. Twente because of its campus and 2013, the UT alumnus decided to We produce affordable, high-quality the Industrial Engineering and explore other opportunities. He food products.” Of course, working ­Management programme. “The ­became the new Chief Financial in a young, fast-growing company campus, which is located outside ­Officer (CFO) at the Education like this is challenging for a CFO. the city proper, and its many sports ­Management Corporation in Pitts- “I have to develop a strong financial facilities appealed to me. I loved my burgh. “That was a challenging team that is constantly connected time as a student. I organised a ton ­position, where I did more than just to the rest of the organisation. As of different activities, such as a deal with the finances.” CFO, I want to have a voice in the ­convention for my study association boardroom and I tackle strategic and the first UT brush-up camp for Cool brand and technical aspects such as the high school students. I also worked Still, the Big Apple had not lost its IT integration.” With that mindset, as a student recruiter for a while.” appeal. In the spring of 2016, he Beekhuizen regularly visits the With its selection of technical and got a new job as CFO at Chobani’s business administration courses, head office in Manhattan. “I wanted the programme was quite compre- to acquire new experiences and hensive. “It prepared me for the work at a young, growth-oriented “As I walk around a factory wide range of technical, IT and company.” Chobani, founded by ­financial issues I face in my work.” the Turkish Kurd Hamdi Ulukaya, with my background produces Greek yoghurt and other as a mechanical engineer, Beekhuizen conducted his final food and snack products. The ­thesis project at ABN AMRO in ­company grew into a billion-dollar I quickly understand Frankfurt, Germany. He enjoyed the organisation over the course of a how the process work” banking sector and accepted a job decade. “In this sector of industry, at the investment bank of Goldman Chobani is one of the few fast-gro- Sachs, also in Frankfurt, in 2000. wing companies.” Beekhuizen calls “They were the first to present their it a “cool brand” with major market company’s own production sites. offer and they had a very internatio- appeal. “We produce delicious “With my background in mechani- nal team.” In 2004, he moved to ­yoghurt with exclusively natural cal engineering, I love doing that. New York to spend six months at ­ingredients.” Another cool factor is As I walk around a factory, I quickly Goldman Sachs’ merchant bank. that the company takes its corpo- understand how the process works. Those six months turned into 8.5 rate social responsibility very When I talk to people in finances, I years, during which time he advan- ­seriously. One third of its 3,000 get the story behind the numbers.” ced to the position of managing di- ­employees – Beekhuizen included – That takes him back to his time at rector with a focus on investments are immigrants. The company also the UT. “That comprehensive pro- with private assets. “I did not plan focuses on sustainability and provi- gramme still helps me to anticipate to stay there for so long, but I loved des support to external start-ups the most diverse situations every the work, the interaction with busi- with its own incubator programme. day.”

39 STUDENT HOUSE

DE ALWETENDE DAMES DER ANTIGOON “Dichterbij Antigoon Dan Anderen,” or Huize DADA, got its name in 1997, its founding year. The student house on the Van Lochemstraat, behind the Oude Markt, was once located closest to Antigoon, the bar of student association Taste in De Pakkerij. These days, that

honour has been taken from them by a new Tastehuis. BY Marieke Vroom PHOTOGRAPHY Gijs van Ouwerkerk HUIZE DADA

The arrival of a new student house directly opposite De choose the most beautiful and talented man in the Pakkerij forced the seven female residents to come up ­association. They hold house meetings four times per with a new name. “We considered several variants, in- year to talk about their plans for the next quartile, what cluding De Apathie Der Alcohol,” says house eldest Tessa everyone is doing and how they are. van Oostrum (master Business Administration). “In the end, we chose ‘De Alwetende Dames der Antigoon.’” The same type “We rarely have any problems because we talk about Many activities everything,” Emma says. “You should be able to speak It is a Monday night. The seven ladies of DADA are up if you are annoyed about something.” Tessa agrees: ­coming home for their weekly house gathering. The “We know that we can count on each other. We are a weather is fine, so they are sitting on their roof terrace. close-knit group and we are genuinely interested in The table is filled with cheese, bread, spreads and beer. each other. Whenever a room opens up, we devote a “This sounds like a strict rule – which it is, in a way. It lot of time to the search for a new resident. We want to guarantees we all show up,” says Emma van der Minne find someone who will fit in here and we do not mind (bachelor Advanced Technology completed, now a waiting a bit longer if we cannot find the right person.” board member at Taste). As a result, the house is still occupied by the same type of person as before, says Margriet Biewenga, the foun- Originally, only members of Mnemosyne lived here. der of DADA. Margriet started the Business Adminis- These days, that is no longer true, although many of tration programme at the UT in 1994 and later switched DADA’s residents are still members of the same sorori- to Saxion. She still keeps in touch with the ladies of ty. The housemates do a lot together: they host a spring Mnemosyne and DADA. “New residents quickly fit in dinner party, wine tastings, weekend trips, drinks with here. They are extroverted, adventurous and always former residents and the Mister Taste pageant to look on the bright side of life, just like the rest of us.”

40 “The residents are extroverted, adventurous and always look on the bright side of life” Former resident and founder of DADA, Margiet Biewenga

House assignment played. There is literally no way around it in the small Once you get chosen as the new housemate, it is time kitchen: a purple, round table with a board painted on for the house assignment. Every youngest resident it. It is similar to the Game of the Goose, but with must contribute something to the house. After comple- ­drinking games and questions related to Taste. Tessa: ting this assignment, the new resident will receive the “This game was made more than a decade ago as a official DADA jacket. For example, Marlies Bergkamp house assignment and we still use it to this day. We (bachelor Physical Therapy, Saxion) built a cabinet for ­often play it during our house gatherings. It is typically the house’s many shot glasses. “It is a tradition that DADA.” anyone who goes on a trip brings back a shot glass. We have more than 100 already.” The glasses come The ladies are happy to demonstrate. They all pick a from all over: South Africa, Malaysia and America, as shot glass from the cabinet, which serves as their well as the province of Frisia and the local zoo. pawn. A pitcher of casnov (a vodka drink) sits in the centre of the table. Before too long, it is time for a refill. DADA game Nearly every round, someone has to drain their shot “It is great that DADA is still around. Some things have glass. They play a variety of drinking games, including not changed at all,” says Margriet. One thing that is Vikings, Teachers and I Never. Other members of Taste gone is the phone book in the hall. “The phone we all are also part of the game, often without their know- shared sat on a table next to a large, comfortable chair. ledge. DADA sometimes creates confusion among the Want to add a profile You had to wait for someone else to finish their call and members of the association, Emma laughs. “If you land of your student house everyone could listen in.” on square 61, you have to call the secretary to change (current or former) on your address, because ‘you recently moved to Square facebook.com/AlumniUT? These days, the entire house – and the people next 61.’ Some people actually have that registered as their Get in touch via door – will know it when the infamous DADA game is address!” [email protected]

41 MY JOB

Djuri Baars was building websites by the time he was six years old. Later, he moved on to building his own computers. He was an early adopter of bitcoin and stu- died Business Information Technology (BIT) in Twente. These days, he is in charge of Rabobank’s blockchain

team. BY Hans van Eerden PHOTOGRAPHY Shutterstock and private image

FROM BIT TO BLOCKCHAIN

“The BIT programme taught me everything I need to know”

42 AGENDA & COLOPHON The blockchain is mostly famous because of the ­bitcoin and other forms of cryptocurrency: a crypto- graphic encryption provides a fully reliable and secure data-sharing method. It can be used wherever information is exchanged: in the financial, govern- ment, industry and healthcare sectors, etcetera. AGENDA Entrepreneurial Djuri Baars (1989) was “messing around” with Sunday 12 until Tuesday 21 August Saturday 6 October ­computers and websites at an early age. He became CuriuousU, Summer school of the Twente Science Night interested in bitcoin way back in 2009. “I wanted to University of Twente know what this new technology was all about.” He Friday 30 November took a masterclass in cryptography, took part in Wednesday 22 until Thursday 30 August Dies Natalis ­hackathons and even won one related to open data. Kick-In, introduction days His entrepreneurial spirit inspired him to set up his Further information: own business and come to Twente. From Heemstede, Monday 3 September www.utwente.nl/en/events where he completed his high school education, Opening of the Academic Year ­Enschede was not the nearest university town. After carefully examining his options, he chose the UT be- cause of the combination of business administration and information technology that the BIT programme offers. “It has given me a solid foundation for my career. Some people call for the introduction of a ­separate block chain programme. I do not think that UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE is a PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS is necessary, because the BIT programme taught me modern, enterprising research university. Rikkert Harink, Gijs van Ouwerkerk, everything I need to know.” We work to develop the technologies Arjan Reef, Eric Brinkhorst and that will define the future of ICT, Claudia Kamergorodsk biotechnology and nanotechnology. Identity We are already acknowledged as world CONCEPT AND DESIGN leaders in several areas. We approach For his final thesis project, Baars conducted research Josta Bischoff Tulleken & Jan Mak new technology in the context of its MagSite.nl, Wormer into the blockchain at Rabobank. “I could really let relevance to society, applying insights my creativity run wild there. That is why I decided to from the social sciences and management PRINTED BY disciplines. The combination of ‘high- SMG groep Hasselt close my own business and get a job at the bank.” tech’ and ‘human touch’ is extremely He now puts the insights he acquired during the BIT important to us. We are known for a CONTACT design-led approach that addresses the programme into practice as a Co-lead Blockchain University of Twente, Marketing & needs of the private sector, and for the Communications, Spiegel Building, Team in the Digital Transformation Office. Together creation of new, innovative companies. P.O Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, with his former fellow student Chris Huls, he guides We work on groundbreaking solutions to tel. +31 53 489 2212, the major societal issues of the day, such e-mail: [email protected] the bank into the blockchain era and researches its as energy scarcity, sustainability, safety Change of address (alumni): applications: identity (proving who you are online), and security, and health. The University of utwente.nl/alumni or Twente has over 2.600 staff, more than payments and “smart contracts.” For example, a [email protected] 10.000 students, a network of 47,000 alum- Change of address (others): blockchain may make the time-consuming and ni and some 1.000 spin-off companies. [email protected] ­error-prone administration involved in a mortgage For an online version of this application a thing of the past. “The Rabobank al- COLOPHON magazine in English please visit: University of Twente is the magazine for ready advertises with its one-week mortgage offers; www.utwente.nl/magazine/en alumni and partners of the University of if all the information were available via a blockchain, Twente. and an edition of Marketing & Communications this process could be sped up even more.” ISSN 2210-8173 EDITOR OPLAGE 36.000 National coalition Atilla Kerpisci This new technology will only work if “everyone” EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Printed on FSC-certified paper adopts it. That is why the National Blockchain Coali­ Joost Bruysters, Maurice Essers, tion was formed, of which Baars is a member on Joe Laufer, Ratna Toering and Wiebe van der Veen ­behalf of Rabobank. “Back in 2015, we were already evaluating the possibilities of identity on a blockchain. COÖRDINATION Sandra Pool Rechten: Niets uit deze uitgave mag op We quickly learned that this is only possible if you do ­enigerlei wijze worden overgenomen, it together. Several knowledge institutes are part of TEXT ­gereproduceerd of vermenigvuldigd­ the coalition as well, although the UT is not one of Joost Bruysters, Hans van Eerden, zonder voorafgaande schriftelijke toe- Marco Krijnsen, Peter-Paul Verbeek, stemming van de uitgever. Ten aanzien them yet. My main concern is the lack of academic Wiebe van der Veen, Marieke Vroom and van de juistheid kunnen wij derhalve geen validation. There is room for improvement there.” Frederike Krommendijk enkele aansprakelijkheid aanvaarden.

43 MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND PARTNERS SUMMER 2018 SPIN-OFF

LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS WITH APPS

BY Hans van Eerden PHOTOGRAPHY Arjan Reef

“We want to make geo-information publicly accessible and usable,” says Valentijn Venus, researcher at the Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) faculty. In 2016, he launched the spin-off Ramani (Swahili for “map”). The company shares data such as satellite images of crops and roads, weather reports and informa- tion gathered from smartphones via crowd sourcing. Ramani developed a toolkit that gives app developers ac- cess to these information resources. “We have an app that informs drivers carrying perishable goods about obstructions on their route. Another app informs mango farmers about the optimal times at which to harvest and dry the fruit. Journalists can use an app to report misconduct such as bribery. The app Cheetah, which tackles loss of food in Africa, has already won several awards.”

Ramani is part of Ujuizi (“wisdom,” “in- telligence”), a holding that collaborates with corporations and uses the UT’s intellectual property to improve mobile technology in developing countries. “There are several Ujuizi Laboratories, one in Ghana and Indonesia. Recently discussions with local entrepreneurs in Kenya and South Africa have started to explore the same.” Venus appreciates the efforts of “The app Cheetah, experts such as Nikolet Zwart, who which tackles loss of food offers local entrepreneurs legal and WERE YOU THERE? financial advice. Support also comes in Africa, has already from the ITC’s Natural Resources won several awards” Open House 2018 Management department and from Novel-T. “They help us develop business models that allow local COLLABORATING WITH THE VU independent entrepreneurs to create Joint Mechanical Engineering bachelor’s programme an impact. In doing so, they also facilitate the ITC faculty’s transition to an entrepreneurial faculty.” For more information: WAR FOR TALENT ramani.ujuizi.com The hunt for highly educated technicians