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Quarterly • September-October-November-December 2023 • Delivery Office 3000 Leuven 1 • PB919663

Magazine of the Faculty of Engineering Technology KU Leuven

NR. 23 - November 2023

INTERNATIONAL

SOLAR TEAM EXTENDS WORLD TITLE IN AUSTRALIA

• 10th Anniversary Faculty of Engineering Technology • KU Leuven Medal of Honour • Research Centre for Affordable Health Technology • NeuroTech: Engineering the Brain • 1st Belgian Womenpreneur & VINCI Energies Award • Immersive Technologies in Education • E-health services in Poland • Doing Business with the Sun • Engineering (in) the Metaverse 1

RESEARCHERS FROM GEEL CAMPUS SEND SATELLITE INTO SPACE On the night of October 8-9, 2023, an Arianespace Vega-C rocket departed French Guiana with on board a satellite developed at Geel Campus in collaboration with the European Centre for Particle Physics CERN in Switzerland. The satellite contains a sensor that maps radiation levels around the Earth. Radiation measurements on board spacecraft are important to identify faulty operations and protect electronics. The sensor is based on a silicon memory chip developed in 2016 by a master’s student from the campus. Professor Jeffrey Prinzie of the AdvISE research group is the driving force behind the space project. The group develops radiation-resistant electronics for space applications and particle physics experiments.

CONTENT

COLOPHON ConnectING is the magazine of the Faculty of Engineering Technology of KU Leuven. It is published three times a year and is intended for all students and staff of the faculty and its 6 campuses, alumni, external relations and the broad social field with which the faculty maintains a network.

• Editorial

• Faculty news

• Campus news

• Student in focus

• Professor in focus

• Researcher in focus

• PhD defences

• Faculty worldwide

• Alumni in focus

Editorial Adress: ConnectING Faculty of Engineering Technology Willem de Croylaan 56, building E, bus 2203 3001 Heverlee (Belgium) +00 32 53 72 71 86 (Secretariat) connecting@kuleuven.be  www.fet.kuleuven.be

• Alumni news

Photos: Yasmina Besseghir, Joren De Weerdt, Julie Feyaerts, Tom Talloen, Johan Van Droogenbroeck, Filip Van Loock

Responsible publisher: Prof. Bert Lauwers, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Technology Editorial board: Sofie Craps (Chairwoman), Bert Lauwers, Dorine Bruneel, Koen Eneman, Kris Henrioulle, Hilde Lauwereys, Inge Van Cauter, Louis van Hoye, Niels De Brier, Rens Vervaeke Editor: Yves Persoons, Hettie de Kruijf | Editorial Secretariat: Inge Van Cauter

Layout and printing Office:  artoos group – www.artoosgroup.eu

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EDITORIAL

READY FOR THE GO-AHEAD? I n this issue, we reflect on the tenth anniversary of the Faculty of Engineering Technology. What is there to celebrate? What future does the young faculty see for itself? What does it want to bet on? And what can it lean on to turn its vision into reality?

These questions were addressed at an academic ceremony on 30 October 2023. What was told there inspires joy and hope. In barely a decade, the young multi-campus faculty has become unavoidable in the big university that is KU Leuven. The newcomer has marketed its own engineering profile. It has succeeded in joining the forces of six campuses with each their own engineering programmes, developing new curricula, introducing innovative forms of education, strengthening ties with the business and industry, and expanding international activities and cooperation. Thanks to the substantial expansion of applied scientific and technological research, the faculty plays a key role in the valorisation of basic research and its translation to industry and society. The stage is set for a solid move into the next decade when rapid technological advances and global challenges demand innovative and entrepreneurial engineers more than ever. Our faculty and its six campuses are ready to educate them. With a birthday comes gifts. We received the best birthday present from Australia. There, the engineering students of the Solar Team became world champions in the World Solar Challenge for the second time in a row and picked up the coveted innovation prize. An extraordinary feat of engineering, entrepreneurship, and team spirit. Another boost was the medal of honour presented by KU Leuven on 30 October to Filip Timmermans, alumnus of our faculty. He received this high distinction for his achievements as an innovative engineer and visionary entrepreneur. Earlier, researchers from the AdvISe group on Geel Campus worked their way into the spotlight by sending a satellite along with an Arianne Vega-C rocket. The satellite contains a sensor that maps radiation levels around the earth that could be harmful to electronic data traffic in space. In July, Phi Tran, a recent master’s graduate in Chemical Engineering Technology, brought great honor to our faculty by winning the first Belgian Womenpreneur & VINCI Award. Phi was chosen among twenty other engineers from across the country as a role model for current and future female engineers. Another eye-catcher in this issue is the new Leuven Research Centre for Affordable Health Technology that was recently established. Ten professors and researchers from the

departments of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science have joined forces to design medical technology that is affordable in several countries and regions where there are insufficient financial and logistic resources to install sophisticated and expensive applications. We are proud to host this new centre on our Leuven campus. The rapid rise of research at our faculty is also reflected in this issue. We focus on research on the quality of bioplastics (KU Leuven-Bruges), on immersive technologies in education (KU Leuven-Ghent), on the use of digital technologies based on AI in healthcare (Group T Leuven Campus) and on the competences underlying lifelong learning (De Nayer Campus). The latter study yielded remarkable results. For instance, it showed that barely 1% of current learning outcomes in engineering education focus on Lifelong Learning (LLL) competences. Moreover, some competencies were often found to be present in courses that are not part of the engineering curriculum. There appears to be few systematic competence building in LLL throughout the programme. These results indicate that there is still a lot of work to be done regarding LLL in the curricula. Let us take this as a challenge for the second decade. We are ready for the goaround, are we not?

Professor Bert Lauwers Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Technology CONNECTING

FACULTY NEWS

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY CELEBRATES TH 10 ANNIVERSARY On 30 October 2023, the jubilee year started with an academic ceremony at the Rector’s Office of KU Leuven. There the participants looked back on a fruitful decade and looked ahead to a promising future in which educating engineers will become increasingly important not only technologically but also economically and socially.

en years ago, KU Leuven gained a new engineering faculty, good for 6,000 students, 600 staff members and six campuses spread across Flanders. In his opening speech, Professor Bert Lauwers, dean of the faculty, called this moment a milestone in the university’s 600-year history. “KU Leuven enriched its impact with one of the most coveted degrees on the labour market and an extensive network at home and abroad. Each of the new campuses brought its own history and culture to the new constellation of a multi-campus faculty. Unity in diversity became the cornerstone of the policy. The faculty joined forces and organised intensive, cross-campus cooperation.” 4

Association The Faculty of Engineering Technology owes its creation to the integration of engineering programmes from six Flemish university colleges into KU Leuven. During the ceremony, Professor Lauwers paid tribute to the three pioneers who played a decisive role. “The mastermind of the operation ‘integration’ was then rector André Oosterlinck,” said the dean. “When European higher education was redrawn in Bologna, he was in the cockpit as a director of the Conference of European Rectors. He came up with the idea of integrating academic college courses into the university. And the structure that had to be set up for this also sprung from his brain: the associations around a

university.” The first director of the KU Leuven Association was Professor Frank Baert. He would later make himself very useful as academic director and rectoral integration advisor. “The leading lady of the integration was Professor Karen Maex, then vice-rector,” the dean continued. “She and with her Frank Baert saw the integration as an opportunity not to merge but to sharpen the profiles of the engineering courses. That was also the reason why KU Leuven did not absorb the newcomers into the existing engineering faculty but gave them the chance to form and build their own faculty.”

Founding Fathers Once the strategy was outlined, the operational work began. In this area, too, a trio of pioneers made themselves extremely deserving. To such an extent, in fact, that Professor Lauwers honoured them as the faculty’s Founding Fathers. “First in line was Willy Asselman, then director of De Nayer Campus. Anticipating association formation, he, and several colleagues from other university colleges established an Associate Faculty of Engineering Technology in 2005, of which he became the first dean. In 2008, Professor Chris Van Keer from Ghent took over the torch until, in November 2011, the Associated Faculty was officially installed as KU Leuven’s fourteenth

faculty with Professor Kris Willems as dean. Organisationally and structurally, he got everything ready for the launch on 1 October 2013.” New curricula “I am convinced that after ten years, we can present a good report,” said the dean. “We developed new curricula including a better alignment with the labour market, new forms of education such as the Engineering Experiences and more attention to entrepreneurship and social and professional skills.” “Inspired by the Solar Team - twice world champions by now - new student teams formed from which start-ups have

emerged since then as living proof of the innovative and entrepreneurial engineer. Our faculty also profiled itself abroad with new, international advanced master’s programmes and a sharply increased foreign student population. With an English-language offer of almost all Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes, we are leading the way in becoming the truly international university that KU Leuven aspires to be.” According to the dean, the most notable achievement of the young faculty is the strong expansion of applied science and technology research. “Witness the sharp increase in the number of PhD students from barely 12 in 2013 to 528 in 2023. CONNECTING

Our engineers thus play a key role in the valorisation of basic research and its translation to companies.” Innovation Professor Koenraad Debackere, Chairman of KU Leuven Research & Development and of the Association KU Leuven then gave his views on the faculty’s role for innovation in society. “The application orientation of both teaching and research make the faculty a crucial player in the innovation landscape,”

said Professor Debackere. “At KU Leuven LRD, we see the faculty’s impact increasing by the year. On all dimensions of innovation, it is prominent. A good indicator is the participation in European research and development projects funded by the European Regional Development Fund in which companies are also involved each time.” Another good indicator, according to Professor Debackere, is the creation of spin-offs -with CoMoveIT as the eye-catcher- and the steady growth of the patent portfolio.

Innovation may be an important goal, but even more important is the translation to the economy and the creation of added value. This is another area in which the faculty is doing well, according to Professor Debackere. “The connection of the campuses with local socio-economic life is an important asset here. The cooperation with the professional bachelor programmes on different campuses also benefits the transfer of knowledge and know-how to local needs. In time, the faculty should evolve into an

entrepreneurial and decisive ecosystem that functions as an engine for wealth creation. The foundations have been laid. Integration into the university has succeeded. All conditions have been met for a future full of innovation.”

almost 3,000 PhD students and 750 professors. “With 31% of the students, the faculty is the largest in the group and cannot be left out, also because of its profile and uniqueness in terms of teaching and research.”

Centres of Excellence Professor Gerard Govers situated the young faculty in the Science, Engineering and Technology Group that he leads as vice-rector. That group comprises five faculties and has 4,000 researchers,

A long way has been covered in barely a decade, but the challenges remain great, the vice-rector believes. “The campuses must grow into academic centres of excellence around a number of wellchosen focusses. This requires far-reaching integration of the campuses into supra-local entities. That way, resources can be spent more efficiently and flexibly and there is sufficient critical mass to achieve this goal.” Diversity Speaking on behalf of faculty alumni was Charlotte Van de Voorde, Engineering Manager at Boeing in London. In her young career -Charlotte graduated from KU Leuven-Brugge in 2021- this driven alumna has repeatedly come into the spotlight as a role model for female engineers. This started back in 2021 when she became the first woman to win the Flemish Aerospace Initiatives prize. After her studies, she became the first female Initial Airworthiness Engineer at Sabena Aerospace at Brussels Airport. And for the past year, she has been the first female engineer in the Payloads & Interior Modification department at Boeing in London. A rebel with a cause, Charlotte stands up for more diversity and inclusion in the engineering profession but also in companies and society. She testified to this in her remarkable speech. “With the challenges ahead, we can no longer afford to leave talent untapped. Diversity is as important as innovation. The more diversity, the greater the chance of innovation.”

Charlotte Van de Voorde © Johan Van Droogenbroeck

To encourage diversity, Charlotte says role models are needed. “Good examples show that diversity works, that way

people start to believe it. Even better is to teach people to experience diversity by creating inclusive environments. In the engineering world, there is still a lot of work to be done in that respect.” Future What future does the faculty see for itself? A few leaders shared their views on this. Professor Dorine Bruneel, vice-dean of Education, argued for more creativity in engineering education, not only within specialisations but also across disciplines. At the same time, she wants more attention to social and communication skills and the use of new educational technologies. Her colleague, Professor Koen Eneman, vice-dean of Internationalisation, wants to focus on developing the intercultural competences of future engineers. He also advocates the development of several strategic partnerships with top foreign universities for the exchange of students and staff and the setting up of joint research projects. According to Professor Maarten Vergauwen, chairman of the Faculty Doctoral Committee, it remains important that research stays in touch with industry and benefits education. Future engineers should also be able to benefit from it, for example by adopting an inquiring reflex or investigative mindset. Professor Lauwers states that the next decade should be all about collaboration with businesses and lifelong learning. Just as there should be work while learning, there should be learning while working. Moreover, the activation of the alumni network on all campuses deserves special attention. “There are many thousands of them, the graduates from before and after integration into the university. Tapping into this huge reservoir of knowledge, experience and connections will be one of the priorities of the next decade.”

Yves Persoons CONNECTING

FACULTY NEWS

KU LEUVEN PRESENTS MEDAL OF HONOUR TO ENGINEER-ENTREPRENEUR On the occasion of the Faculty of Engineering Technology’s tenth anniversary, KU Leuven presented an honorary medal on 30 October 2023 to a promising young engineer who is a model for the programme’s profile. The laureate was Filip Timmermans, founder and managing director of Skilpod, an innovative construction company specialized in compact and sustainable homes and apartments.

Prof. Gerard Govers & Filip Timmermans 8

ilip studied Electromechanical Engineering Technology at Group T Campus in Leuven. In just ten years, he managed to turn the construction world upside down and make his company the market leader in the niche market of modular and flexible housing construction, based on the use of wooden units. Started in a small 300m² workshop, Skilpod now covers an area of more than 10,000m². From two employees, it evolved to thirty-five.

Success factors Skilpod’s robust growth can be traced to four factors. First, there is Philip’s vision of the housing market that starts from demographics. “The family composition is changing; more people are living alone, and the population is ageing. This means that the demand for smaller homes will continue to rise,” Filip explains. “Moreover, residents are becoming more environmentally conscious and prefer energy-neutral places to live.” “In addition, the open space still available has to be used sparingly. That is why we developed timber frames that make it possible to build five stories high, thus limiting the number of square metres of floor space. This immediately makes our houses a good deal cheaper.” The third success factor is Philip’s business model based on cost-efficient production and installation. On that, he says: “Traditional house construction easily takes up to two years and is subject to the vagaries of the weather and uncertainties regarding deliveries and finishing. In contrast, we deliver a custombuilt, move-in ready home in a matter of weeks. Production takes place in our central workshop in Geel. On-site installation and connection take a day at most.” Skilpod’s fourth asset is its integral service. “We are a multidisciplinary team of engineers, architects, product developers, designers and craftsmen,” Filip confirms. “That means we control the entire process ourselves, including aftersales service.” Growth market In recent months, Skilpod has regularly been in the news with record-breaking achievements. In September 2022, the company built ten houses in four days in Lokeren. A year later, it completed a similar job in the historic centre of

Tongeren. There, a completely new residential area was built in four days, finished, and decorated with a special historical façade. From the Geel site, Skilpod can only guarantee optimal and fast service within a 200 km radius. “If we want to grow further, we are obliged to expand our territory and set up foreign production and assembly sites,” says Filip. “In the Netherlands, we have already opened a branch in Eindhoven. Plans for France and Germany are in the pipeline.” In the Netherlands, Skilpod has not missed its mark. In 2020, Filip built an entire village of one hundred homes brought in by boat on the island of Texel. In spring 2023, Skilpod signed a contract with Aedes, the umbrella association of Dutch housing associations, for the accelerated construction of 28,000 homes over the next three years. “It represents an important step forward in alleviating the social housing shortage,” Filip notes. “Meanwhile, we have expanded the production of housing for one- or two-person households to include classrooms, care homes, childcare centres and holiday homes.” Service company As a young entrepreneur and market leader, Filip is already looking beyond. “From a production and construction company, we want to evolve into a service company that offers a total package to the customer: an all-in home, including services and maintenance. In time, we are evolving towards new housing concepts where we do not offer the product ‘house’ but rather the service ‘living’. That includes not only a physical place and a construction but all aspects that make life pleasant and comfortable. Skilpod will set the course for a new era. Yves Persoons

 www.skilpod.com

CONNECTING

FACULTY NEWS

CROSSING THE RIVER BY FEELING THE STONES “Stay alert, ready to respond to the needs of companies and demands from society.” That is Professor Frank Baert’s message to the ten-year-old Faculty of Engineering Technology. That much has been achieved in a decade is beyond doubt. However, the speed at which technology evolves and the world changes requires a new mindset. Vigilance and adaptation are crucial.

he Faculty of Engineering Technology is the result of three radical processes of change in higher education in Flanders: the association of the then university colleges around a university, the academisation of the Engineering Technology programmes and their eventual integration into the university. In each of these processes, KU Leuven played a pioneering role with Professor Baert as copilot. From 2002 to 2006, he was director of the KU Leuven Association and from 2012 to 2020 academic director of the integrated programmes in Ghent and Leuven. Professor Baert was also rectoral adviser Integration. Since 2020, he has been policy advisor Lifelong Learning and, in that role, closely involved in the development and launch of Continue, the Lifelong Learning network of the KU Leuven Association, accounting for more than 10

1,000 continuing education courses online and at 23 locations in Flanders and Brussels. Profile Together with then vice-rector Karen Maex, Professor Baert saw from the outset the unique opportunity of integration to raise the profile of the programmes involved. “There were fears that the practical focus would be endangered, contact with industry would weaken and research yet to be launched would be threatened. Well, by focusing on clearly defining the profile of the programmes and research in the Science, Engineering & Technology Group, all parties have emerged strengthened from the integration. Housing the integrated programme in a separate faculty structurally anchored the Engineering Technology profile in the university.”

Prof. Frank Baert © Julie Feyaerts

In terms of research, the integration into the research departments of the Science, Engineering & Technology Group has created an unprecedented dynamic on the campuses of the new faculty. In ten years, the number of PhD researchers evolved from 12 to over 500. According to Professor Baert the integration had opened the scope widely. “The profiling strengthened the identity of the programme but did not narrow it down either. On the contrary, the clear profile made it possible to create cross-links and fully focus on innovation. Internationally, integration has provided a strong boost. Every campus offers at least one Englishlanguage programme and in Leuven, where you can also follow all engineering courses in English, there are already more international first-year students than Belgian ones.”

Assets Once you put a profile in the market, you must keep working on it, Professor Baert believes. “It comes down to nurture and play off assets. I am thinking of the regional interconnectedness and cooperation with the community (business, care, ...). Other examples are the approachability, the good first-line guidance of students and the quality of the lecturers. They are an integral part of the uniqueness of both the faculty and the campuses.”

Incidentally, cooperation need not be limited to the Science, Engineering & Technology Group. “I am more than ever in favour of strengthening the ties with e.g., the social sciences and art schools. As technology penetrates further into all domains of society, engineers need to broaden their field of vision and radius of action. The faculty must actively respond to this. In Ghent, a good start has already been made with the ‘creative makers’ that wants to connect creative disciplines through new technologies.”

“Strong profiling should not be an obstacle to cooperation,” Professor Baert continues. “A multi-campus faculty is precisely based on complementarity and cooperation. The great progress made in research is the result of the intertwining of the research groups.”

Preparation Professor Baert prefers not to venture into distant future predictions. “In an uncertain world, the one we are heading into, we are subject to surprises and upheavals: economic, geopolitical but also technological, just think of the rise of generative AI. We can learn a lot from high-tech

companies and organisations in terms of being alert and adapting to change along the way. To be clear, alertness and adaptation do not really exist as qualities of their own. They presuppose a tool kit of back up preparedness: people, ideas, possibilities, attitudes, and equipment that allow you to construct solutions quickly. A Chinese proverb is very apt in that context: ‘Crossing the river by feeling the stones’. The faculty profile contains the stones for crossing safely the river of uncertainty.”

Yves Persoons CONNECTING

CAMPUS NEWS

POST UNIVERSITY CENTRE KU LEUVEN: PARTNER IN LIFELONG LEARNING “Our centre may not be a part of the Faculty of Engineering Technology, but that does not prevent us from offering a comprehensive service that seamlessly complements the expertise on the campuses,” said Jorie Soltic, Manager of the Post University Centre of KU Leuven. Together with Benedicte Seynhaeve, Céline Platteau and Stefaan Gruytaert, she forms the Science, Engineering and Technology team of the centre. ”

he Post University Centre can boost on a rich history and dynamism,” says Benedicte. “Founded in 1976 as a local Centre for Advanced Education for Professionals, it has grown into an umbrella institution for continuing education for the KU Leuven campuses in Bruges, Ghent and Kortrijk. The offerings originally tailored only to the Faculty of Medicine expanded to eight major fields of study, together accounting for more than 130 courses and 10,000 students per year. Our training programmes range from workshops, lectures and master classes to full-year courses and blended courses.” Bridge “The Post University Centre unites the best of both worlds,” Céline continues. “We build a bridge between the academic-scientific world on the one hand and professional practice on the other. As many societal challenges inherently demand an interdisciplinary approach, we also serve as the bridge between various disciplines and provide a rich and ‘multiperspective’ range of courses.” “Most of the lecturers are affiliated to the university. They share their knowledge and know-how to meet the needs and requirements of professionals. The courses are also designed in such a way that they can be combined with a job. To this end, we have an extensive set of learning formats and technologies at our disposal.” In translating theory into practice, the advisory groups within the Post University Centre play an essential role. They consist of academics and industry representatives and act as a think tank. They not only detect the educational needs of professionals but are also closely involved in the organisation of the courses.

“In the Science, Engineering and Technology domain alone, no fewer than 12 advisory groups are active in addition to an umbrella steering committee,” says Stefaan. “The number of advisory groups and their composition is a dynamic factor. They may disappear or be created depending on the need. For example, a specific advisory group focused on Artificial Intelligence was recently established because of the high demand for education in that field.” Points of interest Just how well the Post University Centre’s course offerings dovetail with the research expertise of the Faculty of Engineering Technology is evident on the Ghent and Bruges campuses. For all the research foci that both campuses share, Jorie can easily place a related postgraduate programme. The research on ‘Sustainable Constructions’ finds its translation in the Postgraduate Programme People and Environmentally Friendly Construction. Completely in line with ‘Materials4Ever’ is the postgraduate programme Sustainable Polymers in a Circular Economy. A similar link can be found between ‘Sustainable Logistics’ and the postgraduate programme Smart Logistics and between ‘Mechatronics for Industry’ and the postgraduate programme Smart Operations and Maintenance in Industry. But there is more. “We also have smaller, more specific modules or study days on offer that relate to these or related research foci,” says Jorie. “Take, for example, the ‘Industrial Internet of Things’ series that ties into the ‘Wireless and Secure Systems’ research area.”

“The benefits for the trainees are numerous,” Benedicte confirms. “The participants are assured of up-to-date knowledge that they can apply almost immediately in their professional practice. Moreover, our courses also enable them to meet other professionals in the sector, yet also outside their own sector, given the interdisciplinary nature of many courses. This allows them to learn from each other and build their own network.” Continuous Since May 2023, the Post University Centre’s offer has been included in KU Leuven Continue, the new online platform for lifelong learning. There you will find more than 1,000 continuing education courses in 11 fields and 6 higher education institutions, spread across 23 campuses in Flanders and Brussels.

“With its new platform, KU Leuven resolutely draws the card of lifelong learning as a necessary mindset to keep pace with the rapid evolutions in all sectors of society,” says Stefaan. “That is a basic prerequisite for growth and innovation. What is true for the average professional is even more true for engineers. Since they are at the basis of new products, processes and services, their lifelong learning helps determine the competitive position of companies and the prosperity of society. That makes the Faculty of Engineering and the Post University Centre partners for life.”

Yves Persoons

 www.puc.kuleuven.be  www.continue.be

Jorie Soltic, Céline Plateau & Benedicte Seynhaeve

CONNECTING

CAMPUS NEWS

Melkamu Hunegnaw Asmare & Prof. Luc Geurts © Julie Feyaerts 14

IN SEARCH OF AFFORDABLE HEALTH TECHNOLOGY “Good health and well-being’ are one of the global Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN for 2030. Emerging technologies such as AI, 3-D printing, wearables, and nanotechnology are making an important contribution to this. However, the high costs make the applications almost too inaccessible in the less affluent regions in the world. That is exactly the challenge the new Leuven Research Centre for Affordable Health Technology wants to take up.”

ince this year, Campus Group T houses a new, multidisciplinary research centre. Ten professors and researchers from the departments of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science join forces to develop medical technology that is affordable and usable in countries and regions where there are insufficient financial or logistical resources to install sophisticated and expensive applications. The centre mainly focusses on the Global South.

‘Capacity building is another important objective’ Ethiopia “That Group T Campus plays a pioneering role in this is no coincidence,” says Professor Luc Geurts, Director of the new centre. “Of the research groups, almost half are working on health-related technologies. In the past three years, we have been establishing a master-after-master in Innovative Health Technology that attracts students from the Global South. Furthermore, the campus has been cooperating with universities from Ethiopia for over 15 years now. Students but also lecturers come to Leuven to work on health issues in their country.” One such student was Melkamu Hunegnaw Asmare from Addis Ababa University. He did his PhD in

Leuven on the detection of rheumatic heart disease in young people and has been coordinator of the research centre since 2023. Screening What should we imagine by affordable health technology? Melkamu gives the example of a project carried out by an Ethiopian PhD student at Group T Campus. It involves the timely detection of the pernicious eye disease glaucoma. “Currently, around 60 million individuals worldwide suffer from glaucoma, a number projected to exceed 111 million by 2040,” Melkamu explains. “Ethiopia, in particular, faces a high prevalence of glaucoma, which contributes to vison loss despite being preventable if detected early. Early-stage screening is crucial for halting disease progression. However, the scarcity of ophthalmology professionals, along with limited access to expensive medical equipment in primary healthcare centres, amplifies the threat of glaucoma in rural areas where the majority of Ethiopia’s population resides.” “In this project, a comprehensive approach combining subjective and objective assessments were developed to evaluate and predict glaucoma,” Melkamu continued. “It resulted in a low-cost and portable glaucoma visual field screening platform for the early detection of glau-

coma, using a smartphone and a virtual reality headset. The application was first thoroughly tested at the University Hospital of Leuven and then successfully trialled with enough volunteer participants in Ethiopia. The cost-effective and user-friendly application will soon be launched for early glaucoma screening in the rural areas.” Network Besides developing and implementing accessible health technology, the centre has other goals in mind. One of them is to build a network with academic and industrial partners. “You need such a network to build prototypes but also to train people to work with the technology on site,” says Professor Geurts. Capacity building is another important objective to ensure the sustainability of the projects in distant and often remote regions. And -last but not least- there is fundraising. “The technologies we develop may be affordable, but setting up such projects also presupposes a sustainable source of funding,” Professor Geurts concludes.

Yves Persoons

 www.set.kuleuven.be/caht CONNECTING

CAMPUS NEWS

LEARNING TO LEARN FOR LIFE That lifelong learning is necessary, everyone is now convinced. But what do you need to know and be able to do to be a lifelong learner? And how do we prepare today’s students -the learners of tomorrow- for this during their education? Lynn Van de Broeck, postdoctoral researcher at the ETHER research group, gave an instructive keynote on this subject at the LESEC Annual Event on 6 June 2023 in Leuven.

”

earning for Life’ was the theme of the annual meeting of the Leuven Engineering & Science Education Centre (LESEC), a dynamic community of researchers and practitioners contributing to the advancement of education in the Science, Engineering & Technology Group of KU Leuven. The moment was well timed because during the same period, the university and its partner university colleges launched KU Continue, a lifelong learning platform that groups all continuing education initiatives in more than a dozen fields. The choice of keynote speaker was also a hit. In the ETHER research group, Lynn coordinates two projects on lifelong learning (LLL): REFL³ECT on self-regulation in LLL and TRAINengPDP, a European project that aims to give LLL a place in the personal development process of (future) engineers. Seven competencies In her keynote, Lynn addressed two questions. What competences are required to be prepared for a life full of learning? And -secondly- how can educators support the development of student’s LLL competencies? From an extensive literature review, the ETHER researchers distilled seven essential competencies, including e.g., motivation and self-regulation, a professional should possess to be a live long learner. At the same time, they compared different methods of measuring these competences. From seven possibilities, two validated questionnaires were selected for use in further research. First, however, the researchers wanted to know how students but also lecturers perceive these competences. “This survey revealed some remarkable differences,” Lynn said. “Lecturers emphasise the importance of LLL in general, whereas students seem to value the attitudinal and concrete aspects of LLL more, such as motivation or information literacy. It was also noteworthy that while teaching staff recognised the importance of the competences, they did not consider them their primary teaching goals. The degree of assessment scored even lower, but that may be because these competencies are often difficult to assess.”

courses and 1,600 predefined learning outcomes spread across the programme. “Barely 1% of the learning outcomes focused on LLL competencies”, said Lynn. “Moreover, some competencies were often found to be more present in courses that are not part of the core engineering curriculum. And there was no competency development throughout the programme at all. Of course, learning outcomes are not always a perfect representation of what goes on in the lecture hall. But nevertheless, this result indicates that there is still a lot of work to be done regarding LLL competency development in the curriculum.” Lynn listed some possible approaches. “The use of student-centred teaching methods such as problem/project-based learning. Also, a stronger and explicit focus on self-regulation through e-portfolios, personal development plans and the use of peer and self-assessment. On numerous points, lecturers who filled in a survey declared to agree. Student-centred teaching and the use of peer and self-assessment and communication, for example, were counted as part of their responsibilities. They also agreed on the fact that reflective practice and self-regulation tools are important for the future.” Integrated “If we are serious about LLL, then the associated competences need to be co-integrated into the curriculum,” Lynn concluded. “They are not a by-product but deserve to be translated into concrete learnable and testable outcomes. There is no magic bullet. The key is to start systematically building these life-necessary competences from day 1 of training. This assumes a longitudinal and planned approach. You cannot expect all lecturers to be comfortable with this from the start. Therefore, the TRAINeng project will develop a toolkit to support lecturers.” Curious about other results of these projects? Lynn tells more about it in an episode of the SEFI podcast.

Yves Persoons Learning outcomes To what extent are LLL competences present in the learning outcomes? The researchers screened existing engineering

 https://open.spotify.com/

episode/4CUjT6Am7qiH5wueupZ8Am?sj=51c91460add24170

 https://iiw.kuleuven.be/onderzoek/ether

Lynn Van den Broeck © Joren De Weerdt CONNECTING

STUDENT IN FOCUS

WE ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS! KU Leuven’s Innoptus Solar Team finished first at the World Solar Car Challenge in Australia. In doing so, they grab gold for the second time as the Leuven engineering students also won the previous edition in 2019. Team leader Cedric Verlinden talks about an unparalleled adventure.

n 22 October 2023, the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge got underway in Darwin. Forty-two student teams from thirty-five different countries appeared at the start. Mission: to cover the 3021 km between Darwin and Adelaide with a self-built solar car, a route that runs through the Australian desert from the furthest north to the deepest south.

Belgium’s Innoptus Solar Team left as favourites in the challenge class for single seaters. Cedric confirmed that victory in 2019 created extra pressure. “As reigning world champions, we knew all eyes would be on us. We therefore went all out not only to build the highest-performing car technically but also to get the best out of ourselves.”

Optimise After 15 months of hard work, the team presented the Infinite, Belgium’s tenth solar car, in July 2023. “We perfected the car in numerous ways,” Cedric explains. “For example, we designed our own battery pack that allows the car to drive 900 km even when the sun is not shining. That is 200 km more than the autonomy of the previous solar car.”

“The Dutch team from Twente did put the heat on us,” says Cedric. “On Tuesday and Wednesday, they came dangerously close, but in the end, they were stranded in second place 20 km from us. In third place followed another Dutch team, from Delft. Teams from Michigan and Aachen finished fourth and fifth. Only half of the solar cars that started in Darwin made it to the finish line.”

In addition, the team built a new engine that reaches a top speed of 170 km/hour. Its efficiency is 93.3%. That is 2% higher than the highest-performance Tesla engine and over 40% better than a traditional internal combustion engine. Furthermore, the team perfected the fin that sits on the cockpit and folds out in crosswinds. This fin allows the car to sail on the wind and consumes up to four times less energy. In Australia, the solar car with a fin was a first. “During the race, this innovation would provide a significant competitive advantage,” Cedric said.

During the second day, the teams had to deal with clouds of smoke on the course caused by fires in the area. The following days then saw strong crosswinds. This caused the wheel covers that keep the solar car streamlined to come loose. “Fortunately, we were prepared for this and lost little time in repairing them,” says Cedric. “All in all, we encountered few technical problems. In that respect, we drove a flawless course.”

Finally, the design and mechanical design were also taken in hand. As a result, the Infinite is the narrowest solar car ever and is even more streamlined than its predecessors. This makes it the fastest and most energy-efficient solar car built by the Leuven engineering students since 2005. First place On Saturday 21 October, the qualification rounds took place in Darwin. The Leuven students achieved second place after the team from Aachen (Germany). During the first run a day later, the German team was passed within the first hour of the race. The Solar Team was able to keep the lead until the finish four days later.

Innovation Along with the world title, the Solar Team picked up another prestigious prize: the coveted award for the best innovation to a solar car. “The competition jury was impressed by the rotating fin that allows our car to surf with the wind,” says Cedric. “In strong crosswinds, the fin proved invaluable.” Meanwhile, in Leuven, a new Solar Team is already near its time to take over the torch. In September 2024, these students will compete in the Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa with, no doubt, an even higher-performing Infinite.

Yves Persoons

 www.solarteam.be CONNECTING

STUDENT IN FOCUS

IGEM TEAM: FROM USED COOKING OIL TO MEDICINE Belgium is world-famous for its ‘French’ fries. The large amount of cooking oil involved does create a major waste problem with a substantial risk content. The iGEM student team is working on a method to turn waste oil into useful steroid drug precursors through synthetic biology. Team captain Tom Konings, master in Drug Development, commented.

hirteen team members with ten nationalities from six faculties. That, briefly, is the iGEM KU Leuven team taking part in the prestigious international iGEM competition in 2023. The challenge is to solve a concrete problem in the local community by means of synthetic biology. “Actually, it’s about the application of engineering principles to biology,” Tom explains. “More specifically, it is the design and construction of new biological pathways, devices and systems or the re-design of existing biological systems for useful purposes.” Technovation Hub iGEM KU Leuven is by far the most heterogeneous team within Technovation Hub, the incubator and promoter of innovative entrepreneurship in the Faculty of Engineering Technology. “Although our team does not include engineering students, Technovation Hub offers the opportunity and support to gain useful experience in entrepreneurship, teamwork, PR and communication”, Tom continues. “Taking part in an international competition inevitably also puts your social skills to the test.” Carbon source The local problem the Leuven team wants to tackle is the vast amount of waste oil that results from preparing fried food. “This oil contains a lot of carbon,” Tom explains. “To maximise the availability of the carbon source from the oil, we engineer a chassis for biosurfactant production and quantify the increase in yeast growth rate. Currently, chemically derived polymers are used as emulsifiers to increase yield and promote uptake of lipids in micro-organisms. It would save a lot of time and money to express biosurfactants instead of using the chemically derived polymers.” 20

“Another problem we are addressing relates to the production of steroid drug precursors,” Tom continues. “These are complex molecules that are very difficult to synthesize from scratch. Currently, methods are already in place to metabolize intermediates such as Campesterol to useful therapeutics but these intermediates still need to be extracted from plants or animals. Interestingly, steroid drugs have many applications such as the use of corticosteroids to treat inflammation and sex hormones. They represent the second largest market of pharmaceuticals after antibiotics.” Biosurfactants “Our aim is to tackle the waste cooking oil and the steroid problem at once while developing a platform to express biosurfactants,” says Tom. “Therefore, we use a microorganism -more particularly the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica- to transform lipids present in waste cooking oil into campesterol with the help of bio emulsifiers. We focus on expressing biosurfactants which are important in the later stages of successfully growing the yeast strains on a harsh oil substrate. Besides campesterol synthesis in Yarrowia lipolytica, we are also experimenting with biosurfactant production in other organisms such as S. cerevisae and E. coli.” “Furthermore, several team members are working on optimally designing experiments to enhance the system’s efficiency. We engage in simulating the behaviour of the yeast under different conditions, using molecular dynamics and dynamical systems simulations. These applications will provide us with valuable in-

sights into how our conditions and engineered organisms affect the yield. We also want to incorporate human practices to our project and will conduct a stakeholder analysis. Moreover, we are looking for opportunities to increase awareness for treating hazardous waste or otherwise educate the public about synthetic biology.”

Left to right top row: Vlad Batagui, Junfei Chen, Shekoufeh Mir Mohammad Sadeghi, Brigitte Bais, Tom Konings, Dania El Abyad, Zofia Urbaniak, Julia Bandera. Left to right bottom row: Abykhair Muhammad, JeongHo Choic, Yinfu Liu. ©Julie Feyaerts

Jamboree From 2 to 5 November 2023, the Leuven team participated in the Grand Jamboree in Paris, the most important global synthetic biology competition, and won the Silver Medal. A great accomplishment since four hundred university teams from fifty countries presented their projects and competed for the medals. “The 2023 Jamboree was a very special event as the iGEM competition celebrated its 20th anniversary. We made a lot of effort to achieve this memorable result,” Tom concludes.

Yves Persoons 21

STUDENT IN FOCUS

ROCHELLE AUBRY: ENGINEERING THE BRAIN “Although much is yet unknown about its full capabilities, we are convinced that neurotechnology will improve quality of life of millions of people,” says Rochelle Aubry, master’s student in Biochemical Engineering Technology at Group T Campus and leader of NeuroTech Leuven. With her teammates, she wants to enthuse both students and the public about the unprecedented possibilities of neurotechnology.

euroTech Leuven is the youngest of now seven enterprising student teams working with heart and soul on an innovative product or project with which they want to compete with the best teams in the world. At the same time, they also strive to raise awareness about sustainability and how technology can contribute to a better world. “Our team consists of 15 master students from different faculties,” Rochelle explains. “We pool our knowledge and skills in neuroscience, advanced electronics, signal analysis, machine learning, artificial intelligence and biochemistry as well as medicine, psychology and economics. Our common goal is to understand the human brain, visualise its processes and repair or improve its functions. We are not doing this for our own glory. We want to bring the neurotechnology that still scares many people today closer to the public.” Roots Rochelle was born and raised in Mexico. She studied Biochemical Engineering for two years at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional in Mexico City and then crossed the ocean to continue her studies at KU Leuven-Group T Campus. What drives a young Mexican to trade her familiar surroundings for faraway Leuven? “Ambition and curiosity,” reads the answer. “Ambition to get a degree at a highly ranked foreign university. And curiosity about my roots. My grandfather was a Belgian who emigrated at a youthful age to seek his fortune in Mexico. In the French-speaking part of Belgium, you can still find plenty of Aubrys related to my grandfather. Studying in Leuven gives me the opportunity to get to know better the people and culture I come from.”

At a job fair in Leuven, Rochelle met Anthony Vorias, an ambitious master’s student in Nano Science and Neurotechnology who was looking for supporters for the NeuroTech student team he had founded. He planned to participate in the international NTX Student Club Competition from September 2022 to April 2023. “In spring 2022, Anthony wanted to put the new team on the map with a big event,” Rochelle continued. “That challenge appealed to me and so I became one of the first members of the fledgling NeuroTech Leuven. I was immediately promoted to Event Manager with the task of organising the first Mindseed.” Mindseed Rochelle’s baptism of fire on 27 April 2022 was an instant hit. At least five experts explained the latest developments in neuroscience and technology. ‘Engineering the extra-ordinary’ ran like a thread through the presentations by high-tech companies such as Medtronic, ReVision and Epihunter, the Leuven research centre NERF and the innovation platform Lucidity. “Most of the topics were related to mental health,” says Rochelle. “That in itself is not surprising because an estimated one in six people on this planet suffers from some kind of brain disease. Dementia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s are widely known, but there are plenty of other neurodegenerative diseases. Neurotechnologists can not only record or measure brain activity but also stimulate or restore it. The most appealing to the imagination is the ‘brain on-a-chip’ or in vitro generation of neurons.” BrainBrowsR On 25 April 2023, Rochelle hosted the second edition of Mindseed. There, the team unpacked a first: the BrainBrowsR, developed for the NTX Student Club Competition. “BrainBrowsR

is an example of neural communication technology,” Rochelle explains. “Patients with ALS, the disease suffered by physicist and cosmologist Stephan Hawking, learn how to communicate with a computer via brain signals. We developed a computer stack that enables ALS patients and people with locked-in syndrome to be active on social media. By using SSVEP (Steady State Visually Evoked Potentials), BrainBrowsR analyses brain signals and determines what the user is focusing on. You could describe it as navigating the web by using your brain.” It earned the team a deserving 5th place among one hundred finalists in the NTX Student Club Competition.

As team leader, Rochelle has set two priorities for this academic year. On the one hand, she wants more focus on biochemical and biotechnological aspects. “Our brain, it’s not just data, it’s living matter”, she notes. Furthermore, Rochelle does not want to focus only on healthcare. “Beyond medical applications, neurotechnology has the potential to elevate human experiences and functioning in many other ways. For example, enhancing human learning ability, boosting physical performances, and enabling efficiencies like brain-controlled devices. As neurotechnology can potentially affect everything and everyone, we also need to orient ourselves more broadly.” Yves Persoons

 www.ntxl.org

Rochelle Aubry

CONNECTING

STUDENT IN FOCUS

PHI TRAN WINS FIRST BELGIAN WOMENPRENEUR & VINCI E NERGIES AWARD To attract more female talent to technical professions, international organisation Womenpreneur Initiative and technology company VINCI Energies Belgium awarded the best master’s thesis realised by a female engineering student in Belgium on 9 June 2023. Phi Tran, Group T Campus master student Chemical Engineering Technology, was selected the first winner. A portrait of a role model for current and future engineers.

” enjoy learning experiences which are both difficult and enriching, helping me to develop my communication, strategic thinking and problem-solving skills and elevate them to a higher level.” This statement typifies Phi to the full and runs like a thread through her academic career and personal life. Repeatedly, she characterizes as a go-getter who does not shy away from obstacles to achieve her goal. Becoming an engineer has been Phi’s dream since childhood. Not only does she find science and technology interesting, but she is convinced they are tools that allow you to be useful in society. And that is what Phi is mostly all about. As the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, she knows how difficult it is to find your way in a new culture and environment.

waste Treatment Systems) research group, she made a techno-economic design of a hydrometallurgical process for recovery of antimony from ashes of incinerated plastic waste derived from electronic and electrical appliances. “Antimony is a silver-grey metalloid used in the semiconductor industry, more specifically in the production of integrated circuits or chips,” explains Phi. “As this raw material is not found in Europe, the EU is dependent on imports from China, among others, which makes it vulnerable to price fluctuations or geopolitical tensions. The recovery of antimony from plastic waste therefore has significant advantages, not only ecological but also economic and strategic.”

Own business To support herself, Phi opens the first Vietnamese snack bar in Leuven as a first-year student at Campus Group T. Students looking for a quick, cheap, and tasty bite soon find their way to Phi’s restaurant. As the number of customers increases, the time she can devote to her studies diminishes. Before long, she faces a choice: her business or her studies. Mindful of her childhood dream, she opts for the studies. She looks for an operator for the restaurant and manages to enrol for the Master of Chemical Engineering Technology, through a professional bachelor’s programme and a preparatory programme.

Multiple winner On 4 May 2023, a theme evening ‘Women Entrepreneurs in Tech: Inspiring Role Models’ took place at Group T Campus. There, Womenpreneur Initiative and VINCI Energies Belgium presented their new award for an engineering student who could submit the best master’s thesis in the field of environmental protection, resource optimisation and addressing ecological and economic challenges in general. Phi did not let this opportunity pass her by and submitted her master’s thesis. A masterstroke, as it turned out, because out of twenty submissions -particularly from Frenchspeaking universities- her work scored as the winner. Barely a month later, she received the award in the prestigious setting of The Merode in Brussels in the presence of top politicians and entrepreneurs.

Phi’s master’s thesis, not coincidentally, deals with a topic that includes not only technological but also economic and ecological aspects. Under the guidance of Professor Giuseppe Granata of the ChEMaRTS (Chemistry for Energy & Materials Recovery in

With this award Phi was not on her trial run. In spring, she and three fellow students already won the Best Pitch Award at the Belgian final of the Clean Tech Challenge. “There too, the challenge was to find a sustainable solution for a better future and to

pitch it in front of a jury,” says Phi. “We managed to develop an out-of-the-box solution that should not only solve real-life problems but also had a profitable business model.” Resilience In her scarce spare time, Phi practices a little-known hobby: kickboxing, a martial art that combines the punches of boxing with the kicks from sports such as karate and taekwondo. “For me, it’s not so much about the fighting, but rather the physical training,” Phi clarifies. “Kickboxing is a full-body workout that also boosts your mental strength and resilience, because you are repeatedly provoked. And in the end, your career and professional life is also one big challenge.”

After her graduation, Phi could immediately start working at VINCI Energies Belgium. There, for a year, she will follow a special path during which she can become acquainted with each of the four areas in which the company operates: Construction, Infrastructure, Engineering, and ICT. After this exploration, it will be determined where and how Phi’s versatile talent can develop to its full potential.

Yves Persoons

From left to right : Sana Afouaiz, Phi Tran, Marc Lemaire © Niño Studios

CONNECTING

PROFESSOR IN FOCUS

GIFTED STUDENTS DESERVE MORE ATTENTION We fancy ourselves to be a knowledge economy, but gifted children and students rarely end up where they can fully develop their intellectual capacities. Kim Kiekens, a lecturer at Group T Campus, wants to change that. In 2019, she founded ‘Spring-Stof’, an organisation that provides a complementary learning path for cognitively gifted children aged 4 to 18. When will university follow?

Kim Kiekens © Julie Feyaerts

n average, people have an IQ of 100. In 2% of the population, the figure is significantly higher, up to 130 and above. That doesn’t seem like much, but it does mean that Belgium alone has 200,000 gifted people. At KU Leuven, this would involve at least 280 students. “You rarely hear anything about this group and when they are in the news, it is often negative,” Kim notes. “Superintelligent people are still portrayed as if there is something wrong with them. They quickly get the name of being anti-social, maladjusted, or even arrogant.”

Diversity As the mother of three gifted children, Kim knows what she is talking about. Before, she had noticed clever students who easily passed secondary school failing their engineering studies for seemingly inexplicable reasons. Once confronted with the phenomenon of giftedness herself, the pieces of the puzzle fell together. “Our education system and the whole society is tailored to those with average intelligence. For those below

this level, remediation and extra support are provided. Those who score higher, on the other hand, receive little or no attention. The concept of diversity is thus given a very one-sided interpretation.” What immediately struck Kim was how differently sporting top talent is treated. “Children with a talent for sports are encouraged to develop that further. The most promising can enter top sports schools. In higher education, top athletes enjoy all kinds of facilities, including their own status. Why don’t similar opportunities exist for top intellectuals?” Speed Finding it hard to get a hearing from mainstream education providers, Kim took the initiative herself and founded her own top talent initiative. In doing so, she had two goals in mind. “On the one hand, we offer learning programmes tailored to cognitively talented young people. On the other hand, we share our expertise through guest lectures, study days and work closely with regular schools and educational researchers. Therefore, what we do is based on the results of scientific research.” Kim’s initiative caught on immediately. At Spring-Stof, 150 children and young people already follow their own pathway alongside regular school education. “What distinguishes gifted pupils from others is the speed with which they acquire knowledge,” Kim explains. “Our offer therefore consists of both subject acceleration and year acceleration. In the first case, it involves packages on maths, science, history, and languages. In the second case, it involves total packages. Each learning group has a maximum of six pupils per teacher so that we can best meet individual needs. We develop most of the teaching material ourselves, although we sometimes use examples and exercises from international meth-

ods. In addition to knowledge acquisition, we also focus on perseverance, research skills, planning and problem-solving.” Higher education Soon, Kim also hopes to offer a Higher Education track. “We see several children who at 11 or 12 have already mastered the entire secondary school curriculum for several subjects and who would like to continue learning. They would benefit from a university-level offer in an age-appropriate context.” Once in higher education, gifted students face problems all over again. “It may sound strange, but there are things these students have never learned,” Kim explains. “ We call these learning pitfalls. Planning is one of those, failure is another. These students have never had the chance to make mistakes and so have not learnt to deal with them. That’s why we identify learned fear of failure that causes them to underperform, lose heart and sometimes even drop out.” Unlike primary and secondary schools, subject or year accelerations are not possible at Flemish universities. “The rigid structures lead to the cognitively strongest performing not at their full intellectual capacity or moving abroad,” Kim said. “Precious talent that our companies and our economy desperately need is thus underused or lost. That is why I advocate an expansion of diversity policies at universities that include attention to gifted students. And not just attention but opportunities, pathways, and sufficient flexibility to give excellence every chance to develop. Inspiring the outstanding is difficult to reconcile with an over-regularised environment.” Yves Persoons

 www.spring-stof.be

PROFESSOR IN FOCUS

BETWEEN WASTE PLANT AND WINE CELLAR Engineer, consultant, researcher, and connoisseur of Hungarian wines. Professor Johan De Greef cannot be taken for granted. Versatility and cross-disciplinary thinking are the hallmark of his academic and professional career. Add to this his rich industrial experience and vast cultural baggage, and you have the perfect professor to train the engineers of the future.

s a bioprocess engineer and PhD in Chemical Engineering, Professor De Greef is familiar with both living and non-living matter and materials. Both need to be used sparingly and waste as little as possible. “As a student, I already realised that waste would become an indispensable resource to replace fossil fuels and natural ores. And that significant efforts were needed to increase the recovery of materials, minerals, molecules, and chemical elements.” Technology Manager After his PhD in 2005, Johan swapped academia for industry and joined Keppels Seghers Belgium, a leading player in environmental technology and services with a broad experience in the design, engineering, procurement, and construction of waste-to-energy plants. “At Keppels Seghers, I found exactly what I was looking for. Challenges to work in multidisciplinary teams and opportunities for personal growth.” Johan started as a proposal engineer. Two years later, he is already proposal manager and another two years later Technology Manager, responsible for applied research and problem solving in waste-to-energy plants, R&D in innovation project management and technological consulting for waste projects. “In the company, they saw in me mainly an academic. I considered myself a real engineer. I met many master’s in engineering technology. What struck me was their problem-solving ability and broad employability.” Consult After 13 years in the industry, the Technology Manager decided to go his own way and founded DEG Engineering Consult. “We tar-

get companies, operators, project developers and designers in the waste business who want to optimise their -existing or new-tobuild- plants or processes.” Major players such as Aquafin and Indaver are clients of DEG Engineering Consult. Shortly before starting his own business, Johan was elected Chair of the Board of the prestigious PREWIN European Network which includes 175 companies active in the waste-to-energy sector. Twice a year, members meet to exchange knowledge and experiences. Professor In 2020, Johan returned to academia and becomes associate professor of Materials Engineering at Group T Campus. At the same time, he is also one of the stalwarts of ChEMaRTs research group. “Our research covers a range from waste management over performance models for waste processing to chemical and thermal phenomena at waste or ash particle level,” Johan explains. “We conduct research on topics with high industrial and societal relevance and are proud of our close collaboration with industry.” The professor has completely overhauled his teaching method. “Unlike before, I now start from industrial practice and concrete cases. The theoretical knowledge is thus brought to life and served to the engineer in a tailor-made way.” Wine connoisseur The French Sun King Louis XIV called him the ‘king of wines’. Russian Tsarina Catherine the Great had her personal stock guarded by Cossacks. And Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph gave it each year as a birthday gift to England’s Queen Victoria. We are

talking about the Tokaj, the number one Hungarian white wine. “Under communism, the quality and reputation of Hungarian wines dropped to an all-time low, but nowadays Hungarian varieties are on the rise again and Hungary is well on its way to becoming a top wine country,” Johan says. His love for Hungarian wines dates to 2013. During a folk festival in Denmark where Johan was performing with the Roots Music band, he met a group of Hungarians. It clicked immediately and Johan became fascinated by the language and culture but especially by wine. “Hungary has no less than 22 wine regions with more than 100 grape varieties. Wine culture dates to Roman times,” Johan continues. “Central Hungary is where most of the wines are grown. They are mostly fresh and light wines. In the west around Lake Balaton, you find full-bodied white wines but also robust reds. Northern Hungary is the best-known grape region with top wines like the white Tokay and the red Egri Bikavér.”

Every year, Johan travels to Hungary to discover new flavours and varieties. By now, he is already a familiar face with numerous local winemakers who entrusted him with the secrets of wine making. He even learnt Hungarian specifically for it, which he believes to be the most mathematical language, so a cue for engineers. According to Johan, language and wine are the best gateways that give out to an unusually rich part of European culture.

Yves Persoons

Professor Johan De Greef © Julie Feyaerts 29

RESEARCHER IN FOCUS

Ineke Velghe © Tom Talloen 30

HOW TO GARANTEE THE QUALITY OF BIOPLASTICS? Plastic made from biodegradable raw materials like sugar beet, maize, and wheat. Is this the panacea that could eliminate conventional plastics from petroleum chemicals once and for all? Ineke Velghe, PhD student at KU Leuven-Brugge, does not see it going that fast just yet. First, a sustainable solution must be found for the degradation of the material during processing. Moreover, bioplastics will mainly be used for specific applications.

neke studied Industrial Design at the University of Antwerp. In 2018, she moved to KU Leuven-Brugge to pursue further studies in plastics processing. The reason is not far off. “As a product developer, you are constantly working with materials. Gradually, I became so fascinated by materials science and plastics that I wanted to learn more about them. The master’s programme at KU LeuvenBrugge appealed to me the most, even though it meant two years of additional study.” We are now five years on and Ineke is still at the Bruges campus. She is attached to Professor Frederik Desplentere’s research group ProPolis (Processing of Polymers and Innovative Material Systems), a division of the umbrella ‘New Materials Group’. Packaging Within the vast field of plastics processing, Ineke conducts research into sustainable plastic applications. As a case study, she chose PLA or polylactic acid, a thermoplastic polymer made from lactic acid. “PLA is gaining popularity because of its image as a bio-based and biodegradable alternative to conventional plastic,” explains Ineke. “In fact, it is already widely used to package food or for implants in surgery. Furthermore, it is also the most widely used filament type for 3D printing.

You can make detailed prints in all the colours of the rainbow with it.” According to Ineke, PLA or other biodegradable plastics will never be able to completely replace conventional plastics. “Both materials will continue to co-exist in the future, each with its own applications. For example, in agriculture or fisheries where the material may inevitably end up in nature, bioplastics are most appropriate.” Degradation As is often the case, not all that glitters is gold. So, PLA also presents a downside. “The problem is situated in the manufacturing process, more specifically in injection molding and extrusion”, explains Ineke. “The polymer chains fall apart into smaller pieces which leads to the degradation of the material. This manifests itself in a change of the mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties, affecting stretch, stiffness, meltability, fluidity and colour. This, of course, does not benefit producers. Their aim is precisely a consistently high quality of their product. Consequently, they want to be able to estimate exactly how much degradation will occur during processing and its impact on the final product.” Estimating the degradation process has been guess work to date. It comes down

to trial and error by each producer and a high degree of uncertainty remains. Therefore, Ineke set out to develop a quantitative model that can predict the extent of degradation. To do so, she uses fundamental parameters such as shear stress, melting temperature and moisture content that do not depend on the processing equipment used. “In my research, processing is done by single-screw extrusion using molecular weight as an indicator of degradation,” says Ineke. Transition For bioplastics producers, the future looks promising. The results of Ineke’s research will allow them to predict the expected degradation during the processing process and minimise its effects. In doing so, the Bruges researcher kills two birds with one stone. It makes bioplastics even more attractive to companies and it also means a big boost for the transition to biodegradable materials in a circular economy. Ineke’s research mandate at ProPolis in Bruges expires in 2025. There is a real chance that she will pick up the thread of product development after that. Enriched with so much material knowledge and research experience, a promising future as an industrial designer awaits her.

Yves Persoons

CONNECTING

RESEARCHER IN FOCUS

IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION Both teachers and principals are open to digital media in education. But they need support in the form of better equipment, advice on strategic and operational decisions, intensive training, and additional support from IT experts. That is the conclusion of a survey of 324 teachers from twenty-four countries in Europe. Professor Ignace Martens, coordinator of the Lean Learning Academy at KU Leuven Ghent summarises the results. 32

Prof. Ignace Martens © Yasmina Besseghir

“However, the survey of teachers shows that there is still a long way to go,” Ignace Martens warns. “53% of teachers have never come into contact with immersive technologies, another 25% at most 3 times. Knowledge and skills in dealing with XR technology are only marginally developed. 91% indicate having no experience at all in using it in the classroom.”

o situate. Two years ago, as part of an Erasmus project, research was started into the impact of the lockdown and other COVID 19 restrictions on digital teaching. It also surveyed teachers’ attitudes towards the use of XR technology in education and learning. XR technology is the umbrella term of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR), as well as the future realisations that immersive technologies can create. Promising The prospects for XR in education and learning seem promising. Enthusiastic experts predict that XR technology will be widespread in education and training by 2025, profoundly changing the way we learn and work.

Access to XR technology also appears to be anything but evident. “42% of teachers say they have no access at all. In the end, about 20% turn out to have access through the school or the educational institution. But even those who do have access, therefore, do not yet start using it. The difficulties encountered by respondents have to do with lack of knowledge, lack of time to upskill, high costs in procurement and too little support from IT specialists. Classroom design also often hinders the use of immersive working methods,” says Ignace Martens. Investment “In themselves, most of the obstacles are not really insurmountable,” Ignace Martens believes. “They will cost a lot of money to get rid of, that’s for sure. But there is not much choice. At all costs, we must prevent Europe from missing the connection with the digital age. Currently, most investments are made by leading companies in this sector located in the US and in China, but also in Japan, South Korea, Canada, and Australia. Europe already has a backlog to catch up.”

In all this, according to Ignace Martens, we should also not forget that digitisation includes only methods and tools that are as good or as bad as the way they are used. “Like any method and tool, digitised tools are not universally applicable. It takes interdisciplinary groups of experts consisting of education experts, psychologists, IT specialists, sociologists, … to determine exactly in which areas digitisation should be promoted in the first place.” Motivation It is clear that the lockdowns and restrictions due to the C-19 pandemic have caused a breakthrough in the digitisation of education. The survey also shows that despite the obstacles, teachers’ motivation to take digital education further is higher than expected. “The ball is now in the policymakers’ camp,” says Ignace Martens; “ Now it is a matter of updating teachers quickly and efficiently. This should not be at the expense of traditional teaching and working methods, but rather enrich them. The essence is not the question of which methods one personally likes or dislikes, but rather which methods best prepare pupils for the challenges of today and tomorrow.”

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Yves Persoons The Green Paper with the research findings is consultable at www.xr4ped.eu

PHD DEFENCES

NEW DOCTORATES (JULY – NOVEMBER 2023)

Geometry Estimation of Twin Robot X-Ray Computed Tomography Systems • Prof. Wim Dewulf (supervisor) • Prof. Peter Slaets (co-supervisor)

Siebe Lievens GEEL CAMPUS Exploring the interactions between polyvinyl chloride (micro) plastics and black soldier fly larvae: a biological and a chemical approach • Prof. Michael Van Der Borght (supervisor), KU Leuven • Dr. Adrian Covaci (Antwerp University) • Jeroen De Smet (co-supervisor) • Dr. Giulia Poma

3/07/2023

7/09/2023

27/06/2023 Risheng Kang

GROUP T CAMPUS

Ellen Gorrens GEEL CAMPUS Exploration and exploitation of the gut m icrobiota of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) • Prof. Bart Lievens (supervisor) • Jeroen De Smet (co-supervisor)

Floris De Feyter DE NAYER CAMPUS Deep Visual Recognition for the Real World • Prof. Toon Goedemé (supervisor) • Kristof Van Beeck (co-supervisor)

5/07/2023

Jie Zhang DE NAYER CAMPUS Thermal analyses and characterisation of fused filament fabrication • Prof. Eleonora Ferraris (supervisor) • Prof. Brecht Van Hooreweder (co-supervisor)

Vinícius Gandra Martins Santos GHENT CAMPUS Optimization algorithms for vehicle routing problems with multiple decision levels • Prof. Greet Vanden Berghe (supervisor) • Prof. Marco Antonio Moreiro de Carvalho (supervisor), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto • Hatice Çalik (co-supervisor) • Prof. Túlio A. Machado Toffolo (co-supervisor), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto 5/07/2023 Liesbet Wilberts GROUP T CAMPUS Use of endophytic entomopathogenic fungi to improve biological control of pest • Prof. Bart Lievens (supervisor) • Prof. Hans Jacquemyn (co-supervisor) 5/07/2023 Hasan Dad Ansari Mohammad GROUP T CAMPUS Novel magnetic technologies for endovascular applications • Prof. Emmanuel Vander Poorten (supervisor) • Prof. Arianna Menciassi (supervisor), Scuaola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa 6/07/2023 Matija Pavicevic GROUP T CAMPUS Capturing the complexity of integrated energy systems through model linking • Prof. Sylvain Auoilin (supervisor) 7/07/2023 Cédric De Schrijver BRUGES CAMPUS Magnetically controlled morphology of short ferromagnetic fibres in viscous fluids • Prof. Frederik Desplentere (supervisor) • Prof. Davy Pissoort (co-supervisor) 25/08/2023 Carlo Sulzbach Sartori GHENT CAMPUS Efficient algorithms for driver scheduling with interdependent routes • Prof. Greet Vanden Berghe (supervisor) • Dr. Pieter Smet (co-supervisor)

5/09/2023

14/09/2023

15/09/2023 Wouter Groeneveld CAMPUS DIEPENBEEK Identifying and Amplifying Non-Technical Skills in Software Engineering Education • Prof. Joost Vennekens (supervisor) • Prof. Kris Aerts (co-supervisor) 19/09/2023 Sien Dieltiens GHENT CAMPUS Influence of Pedal Power Assistance on Cycling Biomechanics: Instrumentation and Experiments • Prof. Eric Demeester (supervisor) • Prof. Kurt Claeys (co-supervisor) • Prof. Marc Juwet (co-supervisor) 19/09/2023 Zhu Yang GROUP T CAMPUS Design and Optimization of a Swirling Flow Reactor for SolidLiquid Mixing • Prof. Maarten vanierschot (supervisor) • Dr. Bert Lagrain (co-supervisor) • Prof. Bert Sels (co-supervisor) 27/09/2023 Laurens Van de Perre GHENT CAMPUS Correlation between objective and subjective descriptors of a lit indoor environment • Prof. Wouter Ryckaert Gerling (supervisor) • Prof. Marc Dujardin (co-supervisor) • Prof. Kevin Smet (co-supervisor) 4/10/2023 Hasan Habib BRUGES CAMPUS IEC 61508 Techniques & Measures for EMI Risk Reduction: EMI detectors as a warning system? • Prof. Davy Pissoort (supervisor) • Prof. Guy Vandenbosch (co-supervisor) • Prof. Tim Claeys (co-supervisor)

9/10/2023

16/11/2023

Aleš Hrouda GROUP T CAMPUS Development of a membrane-covered hip implant to prevent osteolysis • Prof. Kathleen Denis (supervisor) • Prof. Maarten vanierschot (co-supervisor) • Prof. Lukás Capek (co-supervisor), Technical University of Liberec

Theodora Akritidou GHENT CAMPUS Survival of foodborne pathogens in the human upper gastro intestinal tract: Design and analysis of an in vitro model system incorporating gut microbiota and absorption phenomena • Prof. Jan Van Impe (supervisor) • Prof. Tom Van de Wiele (co-supervisor), UGent 17/11/2023

20/10/2023 Arindam Mishra GEEL CAMPUS Smart Hybrid DC-DC converters for L i-ion Battery Operated Portable Electronics • Prof. Valentijn De Smedt (supervisor)

Jewel Ann Joseph GHENT CAMPUS Numerical and experimental optimization of blind rivet nuts for novel applications • Prof. Jan Van Impe (supervisor) 20/11/2023

20/10/2023 Thomas Deckers GROUP T CAMPUS The development of automated, image-based monitoring strategies for tissue engineering applications • Prof. Veerle Bloemen (supervisor) • Prof. Jean-Marie Aerts (co-supervisor)

Tianlei Miao BRUGES CAMPUS Efficient Autonomous Sailing System in Real-life Scenarios Advanced multi-object tracking and collision avoidance algorithms • Prof. Davy Pissoort (supervisor) • Prof. Peter Slaets (co-supervisor)

23/10/2023

23/11/2023

Aleksandr Ovechkin BRUGES CAMPUS Making connectivity work reliably in harsh electromagnetic environments. Narrowband interference removal algorithms for OFDM-based communication • Prof. Davy Pissoort (supervisor) • Prof. Guy Vandenbosch (co-supervisor) • Dries Vanoost (co-supervisor)

Laurens Le Jeune DIEPENBEEK CAMPUS Machine Learning for Network Intrusion Detection on FPGA • Prof. Nele Mentens (supervisor) • Prof. Toon Goedemé (co-supervisor)

31/10/2023 Ulderico Di Caprio DIEPENBEEK CAMPUS Application of AI for complex separation problems • Prof. Mumin Enis Leblebici (supervisor) • Prof. Steffen Waldherr (co-supervisor), University of Vienna • Prof. Peter Hellinckx (co-supervisor), Antwerp University 6/11/2023 Maxim Vandaele BRUGES CAMPUS Analysis and prediction of heat transfer and powder flow in rotational moulding • Prof. Frederik Desplentere (supervisor) • Prof. Wim Thielemans (co-supervisor) 6/11/2023 Tuur Mertens GHENT CAMPUS Strategies to Reduce the Iron Intake Strategies to Reduce the Iron Intake During the Brewing Process with respect to Flavour Stability • Prof. Guido Aerts (supervisor), KU Leuven • Prof. Brian Gibson (co-supervisor), TU Berlin • Dr. Thomas Kunz (co-supervisor), TU Berlin 9/11/2023 Arne Van de Velde GHENT CAMPUS Numerical and experimental optimization of blind rivet nuts for novel applications • Prof. Sam Coppieters (supervisor) • Prof. Martine Wevers (co-supervisor) • Prof. Jan Ivens (co-supervisor)

23/11/2023 Benoît Paermentier GHENT CAMPUS Advancements in fracture control for high-pressure pipelines: Exploring the dynamic tensile tear test to characterise failure behaviour of high-grade steels • Prof. Reza Talemi (supervisor) • Prof. Sam Coppieters (co-supervisor) 24/11/2023 Gabriel Mauricio Probst GHENT CAMPUS Methods for assessing source and manipulator stability in Dimensional X-ray Computed Tomography • Prof. Wim Dewulf (supervisor) • Prof. Jean-Pierre Kruth (co-supervisor) 27/11/2023 Guus Leenders GHENT CAMPUS Use case adaptive multi-mode platform for energy efficient devices in the internet of things • Prof. Lieven De Strycker (supervisor) • Prof. Liesbet Van der Perre (co-supervisor) 29/11/2023 Hoàng Ngoc Dûng Ngô GHENT CAMPUS Climate Resilient Neighbourhood Typologies in Hot-Humid Climate - Case Study of Ha Tinh, Viet Nam • Prof. Hilde Breesch (supervisor) • Alexis Versele (co-supervisor) • Dr. Emilia Motoasca, VITO (co-supervisor) • Prof. Pham Hung Cuong, National University of Civil Engineering (co-supervisor)

FACULTY WORLDWIDE

FROM RESEARCH TO USE: E-HEALTH IN POLAND In 2020, KU Leuven stepped into an ambitious European project on the use of digital technologies based on Artificial Intelligence in the health sector. REINITIALISE investigates how fundamental human rights may be safeguarded in the growing number of e-health services. Work is ongoing at the Marie Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin to translate the research to stakeholders in professional practice. Greet Bilsen, valorisation coordinator of the Leuven Centre of Information & Communication Technology on ICT and Marc Van Aken, lecturer on KU Leuven-Group T Campus, tell the story.

”

igital technologies using AI are opening the doors to unseen opportunities and applications”, Greet says. “At the same time, their growing impact also poses a real threat to fundamental human rights such as privacy, data ownership, etc. The REINITIALISE project - funded by the EU Horizon 2020 Twinning Programme - aims precisely to bring together the knowledge and expertise needed to develop and implement digital applications that are compatible with ethical principles.” Three years ago, Marie Curie-Sklodowska University (UMSC) engaged KU Leuven and the University of Macerata and the organisation Eurocentro in Italy to take up the challenge. “For practical reasons, it was agreed to focus on two subdomains in e-health: technologies for active ageing and digital tools for prevention care in nutrition and dietetics,” Greet continues. “In a first phase, Belgian, Italian and Polish researchers brought together a bunch of research results in an interactive knowledge platform via staff exchanges and symposiums. Phase 2 is currently in progress: the transfer of this knowledge to

health professionals in various organisations with a view to the co-creation of concrete products and services.” Raising awareness November 2022 kicked off in Lublin with a Winter School in Innovation for Polish researchers and local stakeholders. They attended seminars on entrepreneurship, internal and external communication and other social skills that contribute to smooth cooperation with people outside your familiar environment. “More than training per se, we emphasise sensitisation,” Marc clarifies. “Our main goal is to create an open mindset among Polish researchers that is set up to share results with relevant audiences. Knowledge transfer should become their second nature. The translation to professional practice stands or falls with such attitude. By focusing on awareness-raising, we want to create a more sustainable impact. That way, once the project ends, it will be possible to continue along the same path.” Research lines Other components of the second phase are showcase events of successful Belgian

and Italian cooperation experiences and partnerships and a venture lab in which researchers and stakeholders in the health sector work together. The work package ‘Boosting Innovation Capacity’ contains five research lines in which the researchers prepare cooperation agreements with local stakeholders. “The themes cover a wide area of e-health services,” explains Greet. “From electroencephalography assessing the effect of rehabilitation to patient centred support for people with autism. Given the increasingly ageing population, the elderly are an important target group. Since many older adults have little or no familiarity with smartphones and apps, a research line is looking into developing appropriate training on e-health tools. In the same direction is the health-related e-media communication to hard-to-reach target groups such as people with disabilities or a migration background. In turn, the fifth line of research is relevant to everyone: first aid in the digital age. This involves rethinking campaigns and training on first aid in accidents.” Startup Marc is already looking beyond. From the project, he already sees innovative business ideas and even startups emerging jointly developed by researchers and stakeholders. “The first is already in the pipeline: a digital voice assistant, entirely in line with ethical standards and privacy protection.”



Yves Persoons www.reinitialise.eu

FACULTY WORLDWIDE

EXPLORING METALS P LASTICITY IN GHENT AND TOKYO Following his postdoc in Tokyo, Professor Sam Coppieters has been commuting up and down between KU Leuven-Ghent and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology for the past decade. This year, he is officially appointed as an associate professor at the Global Institute for Research of TUAT and combines teaching and research on both locations.

rofessor Coppieters is an academic staff member of the Metal Performance Innovation Lab at KU Leuven-Ghent. The research activities of this lab are aimed at gaining a better understanding of the performance of metallic materials in industrial application using innovative techniques. In this lab Sam Coppieters’ team concentrates on plastic behaviour of metallic materials and its joints. “Light weight metals and their plasticity is my specialization”, explains Sam Coppieters. “In this domain I found ample interesting expertise at TUAT.” “When I plan a stay in Tokyo, I send research samples a month before and then I can start experiments as soon as I arrive, together with a team of Japanese master and doctoral students in the laboratory.” “Different from the European practice is that Japanese master students are effectively part of the laboratory activities. They integrate into the research group and even regularly publish papers during their master studies. This is not surprising, given the fact that the engineering study in Japan is 6 years in duration (4 years undergraduate and 2 years of graduate programmes).” Why the choice for TUAT and Japan? “After finishing my PhD in 2012 - at KU Leuven, I applied for a JSPS post-doctoral fellowship in Japan. My application was successful, and it was through the guidance of Prof. Van Bael that I was introduced to Prof. Kuwabara, who served as my host professor at TUAT. The postdoc position introduced me to Japanese research and universities, and the fascination has never disappeared since.” What is your research focused on? “My postdoc supervisor, professor Kuwabara, is an expert in plasticity of metals. A state-of-the-art research laboratory was set up by him over the years, attracting American and European researchers. The experiments are conducted to understand the behaviour of metals, and to create material models, used to sim-

ulate the behavior of metals in specific circumstances, when being shaped into products.” “My research is mainly focused on how to reduce the experimental test campaigns for calibration (and the related costs) to a more condense level. The research that I recently performed in Japan focuses mostly on a comparison between my results and professor Kuwabara’s.” “A direct line runs from the research conducted at TUAT to the type of research activities in materials science in our Faculty of Engineering Technology at KU Leuven-Ghent. In our faculty and at TUAT, research has a strong link with industrial applications.” After years of collaboration in Japan, you can probably appreciate the intercultural specificities. “It took some time to gain the confidence of the colleagues and students in the university, but once this happened, the collaboration ran perfectly. For example: the first 6 months, TUAT students did not dare to enter my office but now I really feel integrated into the research and teaching activities.” “In Japan there is a general respect for hierarchy and for older more experienced people in general, which leads many Europeans to see Japanese universities as very hierarchical. I have never experienced this; I was welcomed by my Japanese colleagues from the start. Nevertheless, I am not afraid to say that even after all these years, I understand maybe 5% of the way the Japanese society works.” What will the future bring? “Professor Kuwabara is approaching retirement from TUAT, but my intention is to continue the engagement at TUAT, as well as continuing the activities in his laboratory. Throughout the years, I also established a good relationship with Prof. Yamanaka (TUAT), so it seems the future collaboration with Japan is ensured !.”

Hilde Lauwereys

ALUMNUS IN FOCUS

ELS VANDENBERGHE: I LIKE VARIETY University or industry? In 2015, Els was faced with a choice. As a newly doctored researcher, she was familiar with academia. Industry, on the other hand, was unknown territory. Nevertheless, she took the plunge into limbo. A good decision, it turns out, because less than a decade later, Els is the plant manager of a B2B food company.

ince May 2023, Els has been the top woman at Taura in Olen (Belgium), a subsidiary of US multinational IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances), an industry leader in food, beverage, health, and biosciences. “The name Taura may not tell you much, but our products are familiar to everyone,” says Els. “Taura’s fruit pieces and fruit paste can be found in chocolate bars, chocolates, pralines, snacks, cereals, cakes, confectionery and other treats. How many brands use our ingredients and fillings, I would not be able to say even approximately.” Research After secondary school, Els had big plans. She wanted to become a general in the Belgian army, attracted as she was by the varied nature of a military career and her eagerness to break into the men’s bastion of the army brass. However, training at the Royal Higher Institute for Defence turned out not to be for her, so Els changed tack and decided to study engineering at the then KH Kempen University College (now KU Leuven-Geel Campus). There she graduated in 2009 with a master’s degree in Food Science and Technology.

Technical Leader of the Inclusions business unit. Both geographically and substantively, it means a significant expansion of her responsibilities. Specifically, Els becomes responsible for the Innovation, Creation & Design Department (ICD) in five plants in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The list of products also gets longer: not just more fruit pieces or paste but also Gelato ice cream and bubble tea. To gain more product knowledge, Els takes classes at the Gelato Master School. Surroundings For her daily activities, this promotion did have a big impact, says Els. “I was used to being in the middle of the staff. That personal contact was now largely lost. Added to that was the pandemic. During these years, I was never able to go to Brazil or New Zealand because there was a travel ban. Managing online is not directly my cup of tea.”

“During my studies, I did an internship at the Lab4Food and came into contact with applied scientific research on campus,” Els says. “Gradually, my interest in delving into a specific topic grew. At the MeBioS Division of KU Leuven’s Biosystems Department, I was able to start working as a doctoral researcher. For four years, I concentrated on the finite element modelling of the wire cutting of Gouda cheese. In itself very interesting and also useful, but I must confess that after my PhD I was quite relieved that it was behind me.”

Since June 2023, Els has been functioning again in her familiar environment close to or among the employees. There are significantly more of them now than six years ago, because as plant manager, Els is now responsible for all operations in the company: from infrastructure, facilities, and quality assurance to supply chain, safety, and customer service. “Fortunately, I am very familiar with the production processes and know the 70 staff members and they know me. That enables me to focus on the many things I still need to learn. IFF does provide the necessary support through plant management training in the 110 plants worldwide. What struck me immediately was that I am one of very few women in a group of more than one hundred peers. Women in tech are rare but women entrepreneurs in tech are even more so.”

Management After an interlude as Food Technologist at the Analysis Centre for Food Research (LOVAP) in Geel, Els became Product Development Engineer at the food company Taura Natural Ingredients in 2017. She joins the R&D team and immediately feels like a fish in the water there. In less than two years, Els worked her way up to R&D manager leading a team of seven food technologists and lab technicians with a focus on new product development and innovation.

Guest professor Els will have no lack of professional variety in the next few years. Moreover, she holds another trump card: a guest lectureship at Geel Campus. After her move to industry, Els continued to teach the course ‘Physicochemistry of Foodstuffs’, a ‘spicy’ 5-credit course required for all masters in Life Sciences. They can already consider themselves lucky. Being taught by a plant manager. What future engineer could wish for something better?

When Taura is acquired by IFF in 2021, Els’ career also moves into high gear. From R&D management, she evolves into Global



Yves Persoons www.tauraurc.com

ALUMNI IN FOCUS

CHRISTOPHER HEX: FREELANCE PRODUCT GENERALIST The blood crawls where it cannot go. In many ways, this expression applies to Christopher Hex, alumnus of Group T Campus. As a child, he already played ‘business’ with his cousins and even founded a fictitious computer firm. After more than seven years of experience in various startups, Christopher is going his own way as a ‘freelance digital product builder’. Portrait of a born engineer-entrepreneur.

rom problem to idea. From idea to MVP (Minimum Viable Product). From MVP to concrete product. And from product to market. Under this motto, Christopher offers his services. His range is very varied but mainly focuses on products with a digital component. He regards his customers more as partners than customers. “With every order, we first develop a joint product vision. Suppose a customer asks us to develop an application in Java. Well, then we first check whether Java is the right choice. Maybe there is a better solution. A clear product vision significantly increases the chances of success.” Software as a service Christopher graduated in 2015 as an engineer Electronics-ICT with a well-deserved ‘magna cum laude’ (high distinction). During his studies, he was active as a student assistant in the Computer Network Lab and successfully participated in the Best Student Recognition Event organised by the IBM Centre for Advanced Studies in Amsterdam.

Christopher spread his master’s degree over two years which allowed him to take the Postgraduate Certificate in Innovative Entrepreneurship for Engineers. During that time, he and two fellow students started the Eventigrate project. “In the spirit of ‘software as a service’, we came up with the idea of developing a smart badge that would enable participants at conferences and events to get more value out of the time they spend there. We built a platform and a mobile app that allow visitors to network in a more targeted and efficient way. Organisers also benefit. They can closely monitor the movements and intensity of contacts,” Christopher says. With their product, the trio reaches the European finals of the Indus Entrepreneurs Business Plan Competition, which means they are automatically selected for the prestigious Rice Business Competition in Houston (Texas). There, they will compete against 42 teams from all over the world. Colour recognition After two years, Christopher is swapping Eventigrate for another promising startup:

Ticto, which specialises in security devices for buildings and events including the Oscars ceremony in Hollywood. As a backend developer, Christopher is behind the implementation of Tictogram, a now patented technology that works with colour patterns. When the company is acquired by RightCrowd in 2019, Christopher will be promoted to Software Engineering Lead-New Products. The 2020 COVID epidemic is turning the security and health monitoring sector on its head. “Besides ‘presence’, ‘distance’ also becomes a crucial factor,” Christopher explains. “That’s why we developed a distance detection on our smart badge. Green indicates you are sufficiently far away from bystanders; orange means

your position is OK and red warns you to put more distance between you and them.” The system is becoming a commercial success. But Christopher is already thinking further: what to do when the pandemic is over? And above all, won’t I be better off exploring new horizons? The new horizon is literally called ‘Extra Horizon’. Christopher will start working there in 2021. First in a technical position building a cloud platform for companies developing medical apps, then as a product manager. The introduction to product management two years later would take his career in a completely different direction.

Freelance In February 2023, Christopher decides to become a freelance product builder. His product is a service to companies looking to bring a new product to market. “My job is a mix of various competences,” says Christopher. “Engineering, marketing, communication, strategic thinking, but also feel for the market, empathy and, of course, product knowledge.” As versatile as its founder, the company’s activities are Creinto. It ranges from consultancy, product development and design to hardware and mobile application development.

Christopher calls himself a ‘generalist’, although he gives it his own interpretation. “A generalist is often characterised as someone who knows a little about everything as opposed to a specialist who knows everything about very little. It is not that simple. Even as a generalist, you must be able to quickly familiarise yourself with specialised subjects and then apply your broad view and all-round experience to them so that you raise the whole thing to a higher level. At Group T Campus, this used to be called dynamic polyvalence.”

Yves Persoons 43

ALUMNI IN FOCUS

DOING BUSINESS WITH THE SUN A solar installer developing solar software for other solar installers? It is unseen in the solar business. Hervé Billiet accomplished it and casts himself as an authority in the growing sector. Who is this innovative and entrepreneurial engineer? What is his background and what drove him to Washington DC to pursue a career? A portrait.

he engineers who graduated from the then Group T university college in Leuven in 2006 are still known as the ‘golden generation’. They owe that title to a group of fifteen students who had the talent and guts to build Belgium’s first solar car and take it to Australia to compete in the World Solar Challenge, the unofficial world championship for self-built solar cars. One of the pioneers was Hervé Billiet, an Electromechanical Engineering student whose responsibilities included the technical design and construction of the solar racking system and the mechanical calculations of the structure supporting the solar panels. In between, he co-founded the Solar Olympics (now renamed Solar Olympiade), a national competition for high school students to develop creative applications on solar energy. Hervé also produced the bright idea of looking out for the follow-up after the first team had already started. In this way, he laid the foundations of what would become one of the Leuven Solar Team’s greatest assets: continuity.

After his studies, Hervé joins Atlas Copco as an Energy Audit Engineer. A year later, he leaves for Huntsville (Alabama) to pursue an MBA. However, what drew him to the US was not this degree but rather love. He found it wonderfully in Beijing during Group T’s annual study trip to China. “In a busy market, I suddenly heard English talking. It turned out to be an American young lady from Huntsville. The spark immediately struck, and we decided to stay in touch. Since then, I kept looking forward to a moment to join her. In 2008, the time finally came.”

What few inside and outside Group T would have thought possible happened. A year later, the team set off for Australia with the first Belgian solar car and finished in a more than deserving eleventh place. It marked the beginning of a success story that continues to this day and has

In Alabama, Hervé observes that there is 40% more sunshine than in Belgium, this gave him the idea to set up a solar panel business. “That turned out to be easier said than done,” Hervé continues. “To begin with, the population was not waiting for solar energy. On top of that came the

since inspired other and new student teams and start-ups. Love Seventeen years later, we find Hervé back in Washington DC as co-founder and CEO of Ipsun Solar and Ipsun Sunvoy, not coincidentally both in the solar business. His passion for renewable energy may have remained, but things have changed quite a bit since 2006.

monetary crisis but also inexperience on my part. I could do something about the latter, so I took an MBA course at the University of Alabama.” Ipsun Solar In 2010, Mr and Mrs Billiet move to Washington DC. Hervé was able to join Accenture as Strategy Consultant & System Integrator. Among other things, he advised the US Department of Energy on the technical assessment of renewable energy projects and provided account strategy and sales support to major clients such as the IMF and the World Bank. For the US Postal Service, he helped to develop a mobile strategy. Six years later, Hervé and a friend from the US Department of Energy thought the time had come to do business on their

own. Together, they set up Ipsun Solar. “We design, install and maintain solar energy systems for residential and commercial clients,” says Hervé. “You can think of us as to One-Stop-Shop for green tech including solar PV, electric car chargers, solar car points, solar awnings and home energy monitoring systems. We take care of everything from permitting and engineering to installation and maintenance.” What failed in Alabama is becoming a resounding success in Washington DC. Ipsun Solar now has sixty employees and more than 1,000 customers in the capital and the surrounding states of Virginia and Maryland. On the roof of the impressive Belgian embassy to the US are solar panels installed by Ipsun Solar.

Ipsun Sunvoy Like any solar installer, Ipsun Solar struggled with customer and supplier data management. Hervé explains, “We counted over ten different platforms where we have to always enter the same information. If you sell three hundred systems a year and your employees need to enter the same data into ten platforms which takes them ten minutes each. That is almost 1 month of 24/7 in lost productivity just for repetitive work.” In 2021, Hervé launched Ipsun Sunvoy, an app for solar installers. “It provides them with their own branded custom portal, referral management system and automation tool. Moreover, Sunvoy can bring their entire solar array fleet into one system, with a universal view that is filterable and sortable. Sunvoy is the missing

piece of software we wished existed years ago.” While Ipsun Solar operates in the local market, Sunvoy software knows no borders. Consequently, Hervé has started prospecting foreign markets. He is convinced that with the help of his software, solar installers worldwide will be able to concentrate more and better on their core business: promoting green energy and securing the future of the next generations. This was also the mission of the Leuven Solar Team 17 years ago. Hervé and with him other team members have made it their life’s work.

Yves Persoons

 www.ipsunsolar.com www.sunvoy.com

ALUMNI IN FOCUS

THE ROYAL SERVICE OF ENERGYKING 2,500 satisfied customers, ten years’ experience, and six and a half years’ average payback period. These are figures that Leuven-based engineering firm EnergyKing is happy to crank out. Wiet Vande Velde and Lucas Robberechts, two engineers from Group T Campus who founded the company in 2013, set the bar high. “We only work with the most sustainable materials so that that our installations continue to work and pay off as long as possible,” they say.

olar panels, air conditioning, heat pumps, charging stations, home batteries and ventilation systems. After ten years, EnergyKing’s product range has diversified to such an extent that a suitable answer can be given to every demand for renewable energy. “When we started EnergyKing, we had a central goal in mind,” explains Wiet. “That was and still is bringing cheap and renewable energy within reach of the widest possible audience. Ecology and economy should be able to go hand in hand. It is our duty to leave the planet and humanity better than we got it.” Joining forces Wiet graduated in 2007 as an electromechanical engineer from the then Group T University College. Not only engineering but also entrepreneurship is in his genes. Barely 16 years old, he founded his own small business and started restoring old houses and then selling them. A serial entrepreneur, Wiet came into the sights of the still fledgling Technovation Hub, the incubator of innovation and entrepreneurship of the Faculty of Engineering Technology, which regularly invited him as a guest lecturer in the Postgraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Engineers. One of the students who followed Wiet’s lectures with more than ordinary attention was Lucas, a recent graduate in Electromechanical Engineering. He and five fellow students had set up an audit firm advising companies on how to produce and operate more efficiently. Things clicked immediately between the experienced entrepreneur and the young team leader. Both decided to join forces and founded EnergyKing in 2013. The founders immediately divided the roles. Lucas would focus on the technical aspects of the projects. Wiet on sales and the long-term strategy. The formula worked. The company now employs 45 people, seven of whom are engineers from Group T Campus. On site, 70 engineers are permanently working on an average of 20 sites. The company building is soon bursting at the seams. In 2023, EnergyKing will move into a brand-new complex in Herent near Leuven. Ecosystem With the energy transition gaining momentum, companies providing all kinds of services are springing up like mushrooms. Mostly they are installers of solar panels, charging stations, heat pumps, etc. “Our strength is our holistic vision of renewable en-

ergy,” says Wiet. “We do not start from standard solutions but look at each question in a broader context. Smart networks, known as smart grids, play a crucial role here. These advanced grids facilitate the integration of different renewable energy sources and allow us to deal flexibly with fluctuations in supply and demand.” “By the way, the future of renewable energy is not only in the energy sector,” Wiet continues. “We are moving towards an integrated energy ecosystem that includes other sectors such as transport and construction. Electric vehicles, smart buildings and circular economies will further accelerate the energy transition.” Customer-friendly EnergyKing’s second asset is a full service and support. “Regardless of the size of the assignment or the client’s budget, we follow a five-step model,” Lucas explains. “We start with an informal intake meeting in which we identify the client’s desiderata as accurately as possible. Based on this, we look for or develop a tailor-made solution including a price tag. Once this is approved, several technical visits follow in preparation for the actual implementation. Once the installation has started, we continue to follow up the site until its completion. Of course, we also have an extensive after-sales service.” EnergyKing is not only friendly to the customer. Its own staff are also well looked after. Wiet labels the complementarity of talents as the company’s third major asset. “Project managers, department heads, ICT people, the back office, the sales staff, consultants and technicians, together they form a perfect mix of age, study background and gender,” Wiet confirms. The test is the numbers. EnergyKing has been doubling its sales every year since 2015. A recent online consumer review also speaks volumes. On a scale of five, the company scores 4.8 on quality, 4.7 on price and 4.5 on service. For the entrepreneurial engineering duo, these figures confirm that a shared ambition can go hand in hand with sound financial management and a pronounced social commitment.

Yves Persoons

 www.energyking.be

ALUMNI NEWS

BIOMOLECULAR BREAST CANCER DETECTION In Belgium, one in 10 women will ever develop breast cancer. This is 10,000 patients a year. The earlier the cancer is detected, the lower the risk of metastasis. Mammography, ultrasound, puncture, and MRI are the most common detection methods. In her master’s thesis, Kaat Verleye, master’s student in Biochemical Engineering Technology at Group T Campus, investigated an alternative method. It earned her a final place in the VBI Student Research Award 2023.

BI is the alumni association of bioengineers and masters in Biochemical Engineering Technology and Biosciences at KU Leuven. Every year, the organisation awards the best master’s theses. Kaat was named Faculty of Engineering Technology laureate by the jury for her innovative work on the timely detection of breast cancer. Particles In her master’s thesis, Kaat investigated the usefulness of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a biomarker for breast cancer. “EVs are ultra-small particles secreted by cells -healthy and unhealthy- that circulate throughout the body,” Kaat explains. “What makes EVs so interesting is that they pass molecules-in this case particles-from their cell of origin to other cells. EVs derived from breast cancer cells can contain a specific membrane protein with the cryptic name CXCR7. Timely detection of this protein can prevent the cancer from spreading.” “Conventional techniques to analyse EVs are cumbersome or require a large number of samples,” Kaat continues. “In the classic and widely used ELISA technique, for example, detection is done by binding proteins that are labelled. The binding to an enzyme can trigger a colour signal indicating EVs from breast cancer cells.” Interactions In her master’s thesis, Kaat opted for an alternative method, specifically surface plasmon resonance. “SPR is a label-free method for detecting biomolecular interactions in real time. SPR occurs when electrons on a thin metal plate are excited by light directed at the plate from a certain angle of incidence. Through SPR, interactions with low concentrations of molecules can be detected in a relatively simple way.”

At present, SPR is rarely used to study extracellular vesicles. “Proteins usually change conformation when they move outside the cell membrane,” explains Kaat. “This change also usually leads to the loss of function. This makes it very difficult to analyse these proteins outside the cell. With extracellular vesicles it is easier, as those are vesicles originating from the cell with a lipid double layer that ensures the correct conformation. When the protein is then transferred to the extracellular vesicles, it is possible to study this with SPR and also in doing so to be able to look for drugs that act on the correct conformation of the protein.” Diagnostic Kaats study consists of two parts. One is a diagnostic assay for the detection of breast cancer and the other is a kinetic analysis with the previously mentioned CXCR7. “The results showed that SPR applied to EVs is quite useful as a diagnostic method. Furthermore, there are also clear indications that EVs are useful for kinetic analysis of molecules that can bind on proteins important in various disease symptoms. The latter in turn opens up prospects for the development of new drugs.” In this way, Kaat kills two birds with one stone. She introduces a rapid method for the timely detection of breast cancer and shows a way to look for an appropriate medication for those whose detection came too late. “In recovery, we can indeed look for drugs that act on CXCR7 which will prevent tumour metastasis. If a compound is found against CXCR7, the pharmaceutical industry will come up with a lot of money as it can help not only against breast cancer but also against lung and prostate cancer. With SPR, we already have a good technique to search for these compounds.”

Yves Persoons

ALUMNI NEWS

ENGINEERING (IN) THE METAVERSE: BEYOND THE HYPE? The new internet is coming. What until very recently was dismissed as a hype is gaining considerable momentum in business, industry, and everyday life. But what exactly is the metaverse? And how will it increase the efficiency of design, manufacturing, maintenance, marketing, and sales? On 25 October 2023, Alumni Engineers KU Leuven and EY Belgium organised a theme night on this subject at Group T Campus in Leuven.

ver since sci-fi author Neil Stephenson named an alternate digital reality ‘metaverse’ in his 1992 novel ‘Snow Crash’, the word has taken on a life of its own. It became hype when, in 2021, Facebook changed its name to ‘Meta’ and CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicted that 1 billion more people would move into the metaverse this decade and hundreds of millions of dollars would be generated in digital commerce. Meanwhile, excitement has given way to sobriety and the possibilities can be assessed more realistically. In his keynote, computer scientist and science communicator Jeroen Baert looked at the metaverse in the light of the digital transition. “Our world is becoming more digital; our customers are becoming more digital, and everything is increasingly taking place online. The metaverse is the merging of VR and AR technologies and online environments in a future phase of the internet. Users can make new con tacts there with their digital doppelganger but also work, meet, build, play games, shop and even do business.” Virtual 3D Jeroen was formal: ‘There is no such thing as THE metaverse. In practice, there is a now incalculable number of virtual 3D spaces in which the most diverse user

groups are active. However diverse the metaverses may be, they have some characteristics in common. These allow us to give a form of definition. I characterise a metaverse as an autonomous, persistent virtual 3D world to which we can make sensory connection to let our avatar (that is the digital doppelganger) communicate and create with other sources. In essence, it is about interaction, or -even better- new forms of collaboration. In a business environment, these can lead to significant increases in productivity and reductions in costs.” According to Jeroen, the future of the metaverse is inextricably linked to technological advances. “Currently, the hardware to be active in the metaverse -think of VR glasses- is just good enough but not yet optimal. Many people still get nauseous when they put on such glasses. When really good products will come to the market soon, the metaverse will really break through.” Digital twins The combination of the real and virtual worlds is perhaps most advanced in the so-called Industrial Metaverse. Bart Demaegdt, Digitalization Technology Manager at Siemens Belgium, spoke about that. As a world leader in industrial automation, the company is also a pio-

neer in the use of digital twins in virtual 3D spaces. “Digital twins are at the heart of the Industrial Metaverse,” explained Bart. “As virtual representations of physical objects in the real world, they can greatly facilitate the planning and layout of factories, buildings and even entire city districts. By connecting the digital twins to their real-world equivalents and by leveraging their data, we can improve all operations of the entire life cycle.” For companies, a new world opens, literally and figuratively. The Industrial Metaverse is an ideal tool to help operators perform their tasks better. To assist company managers in their entry into the metaverse, Siemens developed the digital business platform Xcelerator. “Its solu-

tions are easy to integrate and work together seamlessly,” Bart told us. “It can be adopted very precisely to specific industrial needs. Your digital transformation can start with one machine or an entire factory.” Convergence Wim Hoogedeure, Global Client Service Partner at EY Belgium, and outside-thebox thinker specialising in AI solutions and capabilities, looked ahead to the future in his keynote. He outlined how the convergence of GenAI, metaverse and Web3 will shape the internet of tomorrow. “Investing USD 1.4 billion, we have engineered EY.ai, a secure capability akin to ChatGPT, to offer our clients faster and superior services. With EY.ai, we build confidence in

both the data and the results, fostering exponential value and unlocking the full potential of welfare,” said Wim. The keynotes were followed by a debate with Lawrence Landeloos, Web3 entrepreneur and founder of OneGrid, Evarist Schoofs, co-founder of One BonsaiMetaverse Solutions and Martin Meganck, professor of Ethics in Business and Engineering at KU Leuven. The discussion included the use of metaverse and immersive technologies for training purposes, the opportunities for content creators to empower brands and rewarding fan experiences. Of course, the risks were also discussed. “You build a playground in the metaverse, so to speak, that everyone can enter, including un-

wanted visitors,” Professor Meganck noted. “A killer app does not exist as yet.” The biggest issue remains the protection of your data and privacy. Care should be taken when moving into the metaverse or creating your own. Jeroen summed it up as follows: “Take a balanced approach. Instead of diving headfirst into the metaverse, conduct thorough risks assessments to understand the potential pitfalls. Start with smaller pilot programmes to gauge effectiveness and return on investment. The first internet was not created in a day. Its successor will be much more of a never-ending story.” Yves Persoons

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