Cursor 2 - year 57

2

Biweekly magazine of the Eindhoven University of Technology

18 September 2014 | year 57

For the latest news: www.cursor.tue.nl/en and follow @TUeCursor_news on

Cursor goes Matrix 16 September - By the end of this week, Cursor will be moving to Matrix. Along with the entire Communications Expertise Center (CEC), the editorial staff will be leaving the Laplace building to make room for the Department of Industrial Design. The moves are necessary because of the renovation of Hoofdgebouw, which has to be cleared entirely.

and tuecursor on

KPMG investigates education at TU/e 16 September - Consultancy agency KPMG is researching how the organization and development of education at TU/e may be improved. The final report is due early December.

The Executive Board hopes the results will put a stop to the increasing workload for teachers and supporting staff. At the University Council meeting held last Monday, the screening by KPMG was mentioned for the first time.

According to Board member Jo van Ham, an investigation is well overdue, since TU/e has undergone many fundamental changes over the past years. The most important change for Van Ham has been the establishment of a centrally coordinated Bachelor College where all bachelor programs are joined together.

First TU/e supermarket in Flux 8 September - It’s been decided, finally: from April 2015, TU/e campus will have its own supermarket. No Jumbo, Albert Heijn of Super de Boer, but a Spar University: the take-away concept of the larger Spar supermarket chain. The small store will be housed in Flux, the new home to Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering.

The anticipated supermarket was cause for complaint recently because of fear of space shortage, but those have been largely removed.

Paid parking not until Apr i

l 2015

16 September - TU/e staff will be off the hook another three for months before they will be ch two euros a da arged y for parking on campus. Initial paid parking w ly, as to be implem ented on Janu 2015, but sinc ary 1, e the license-p late recognition still has to be system contracted ou t and tested, In Affairs expect ternal s the system to be put to use no than the end of earlier March.

Clmn

More news on www.cursor.tue.nl/en

Eindhoven and the six degrees of separation (or maybe less)

Once upon a time, before the Facebook era, a bearded social psychologist called Stanley Milgram claimed that everyone is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world. In other words, a chain of ‘a friend of a friend’ statements is the only thing you need to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. Six degrees of separation, also called the ‘small-world phenomenon’. Have you ever heard of it?

Now, I want to be the first in the world (wow!) to prove that the six-degreesof-separation theory perfectly applies to ESWP, aka the ‘Eindhoven Small World Phenomenon’. How? With the help of some randomly selected TU/e students, a challenging game, and a few rules to be followed rigidly.

Should you find one, don’t be shy: pick it up. See that beautiful face in the bottom left corner? Well, that’s me. Compliments are highly appreciated, thanks. Anyway, back to the research project.

Have you ever seen my (awesome) face before?

If so, return the postcard to me, and we’ll celebrate the successful conclusion of the experiment together.

In the more likely case you don’t recognize my face at all - I’m not that popular, even though I’m working on it - leave your mark by printing out your picture and sticking it on the postcard (follow the arrows and choose the first available spot).

Think of a friend you know who is more likely to know me. Leave them the card and hope the next connection will be the lucky one closing the chain!

Research question: will the card eventually reach me in fewer than 6 steps?

First of all you, reader, start looking all around TU/e campus. I left special postcards everywhere that are waiting to be collected.

I bet it will, but you don’t believe me, do you? So let the game begin.

For results and data analysis, stay tuned for my next column!

Let me tell you a story about acquaintances, short chains and travelling postcards.

Valentina Bon at Biomed ito, PhD candidate ical Engine ering

People | 21

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And how are things in Bangkok?

More and more TU/e students go abroad for their studies to follow courses, internships or a doctorate path.

What is it like to find your way in a new country? Students tell their stories.

Early August I arrived in Thailand for my Final Master Project. Thailand is well known for its historical sites, massage parlors and of course, the lady boys.

That being said, you might wonder what’s so interesting for about Thailand for an Industrial Designer?

The answer is Bumrungrad International Hospital, a hospital that looks more like a 5-star hotel than a hospital. It’s the largest private international hospital in Southeast Asia, receiving over 1 million international patients every year who’ve traveled to Thailand specifically for medical enquiries, health check-ups, or procedures. Of those one million, almost half are visitors from the Arabian Peninsula (Arabic Patients, as they are called by the hospital management) who often speak little or bad English.

The goal of my project is to develop a system that helps these Arabic Patients connect with their Thai medical staff and interpreters on a socio-emotional level. This socio-emotional support is difficult to achieve when you are from different cultures, do not speak the same languages properly and, in the case of the patients, are ill and far from home. The system has to support both Arabic and Thai culture, and that’s not an easy task, believe me!

I spent part of my youth in Thailand myself, which has made me aware of many aspects of the local culture. Sadly, Thailand’s reputation has gotten worse and unstable over the past years because of the international news media. But I can assure you that you’ll notice very little or nothing that supports that reputation anywhere in Bangkok. It’s the ‘land of smiles’ for a reason: people are and remain kind, welcoming, and open.

If you are planning a trip to Bangkok soon, be sure to check out Sukumvit soi 36 for absolutely amazing Thai street food while sitting on the street and sharing your meal with the locals! It is definitely worth a visit!

Sawadi kha and I hope to see you soon!

Sop Mastheire Brenny, Indus studen trial D t, esign Would you also like to write an article about your time abroad? Please send an email to cursor@tue.nl.

Read more stories online: www.cursor.tue.nl/en

Life after TU/e

Name: Rodolfo Veltri Gomes Place of Birth: Santos, Brazil Date of Birth: 2 September, 1963 At TU/e: 1987-1988: Master of Electrical Engineering at Philips Internat ional Institute (which was moved from Royal Philips Electronics in 1990 and was then renamed the Eindhoven International Institute, being part of TU/e from 1990-19 94) Current position: Senior Field Application Engineer at NXP Semiconductors , Italy How did you find a job after graduating?

When I was finishing my master’s degree in Electrical Engineering in Eindhoven, my landlady, Mrs. Fox, gave me the name and contact details of a former student who used to live at her house, Mr. Carlos Baradello. I phoned Carlos in the winter of 1988, and he advised me to contact Dott. F. Ardemagni in Roma. I had an interview with Ardemagni at Easter of 1988, and in September of that year I started as an electronic engineer - for the first time in my life - in Rome. I’m now a Senior Field Application Engineer at NXP Semiconductors Italy, taking care of Europea n customers interested in identification and security solutions provided by our compan y.

How do you reflect on your student time in Eindhoven?

Actually, I took part in a Master’s Degree Scholarship program offered

by Philips International Institute. the institute was moved from Royal Philips Electron ics in 1990 and was renamed Eindhoven International Institute, being part of TU/e from 1990- 1994. After that, the curtain dropped for the Eindhoven Internat ional Institute.

The time I spent in Eindhoven as a student triggered a second stay in the same area: In 1999 Philips hired me, and I moved back to Eindhoven with my whole family between to stay until 2004. After 2004, I moved from Eindhoven to Monza to work at the same Philips branch I still work at today. So, my Master’s Degree has changed my life quite a bit. I’m the current chairman of the PEIAA alumni associa tion (Philips International Institute and Eindhoven International Institute) and have organized and supported several events and conferences over the past twenty years.

What happens to international students after they graduate from TU/e? Do they go job hunting in the Netherlands, pack their bags and explore the world, or return to their home countries? International TU/e graduates talk about their lives after TU/e.

What advice would you give current students?

I actually prepared a lecture on that subject that I presented at a PEIAA conference in 2010. Consider it my contribution to the lives of current TU/e student s: Presentation: http://tinyurl.com/q2d9use Paper: http://tinyurl.com/ofnwlbs I would appreciate to get feedback from TU/e students.

22 | Zoom in

18 September 2014

Bridge between Ein Text | Freke Sens They are talented and work all-out: two reasons why Chinese students are such welcome guests at TU/e. They form the second largest nationality among the campus dwellers – after the Dutch. Besides, there is good chemistry in the area of research. This is manifested in intensive relations between China and Eindhoven, the flagship being the university-wide cooperation with Zhejiang University. So it looks as if this love is mutual. Nonetheless, there are plenty of cultural differences that need to be overcome.

It is a familiar sight during lunch break: Chinese staff members and students seeking each other out.

This is also true for the two doctoral candidates (Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics & Computer Science) and the Master student (Mathematics & Computer Science) in the market hall of MetaForum.

The three are having lunch, while talking in Mandarin. They partly embody the prejudice often heard about Chinese (PhD) students.

They work hard, are no partygoers, are often a bit timid – which is why they do not want their names to be published in Cursor, for “Chinese don’t really like publicity” – and think that the Chinese cuisine is the best there is.

While they may prefer to keep a low profile, their presence on campus is unmistakable. The number of Chinese nationals on the TU/e campus has grown steadily over the past few years. Out of the eleven thousand campus residents there are over four hundred of Chinese nationality. The Chinese form the largest group of both international staff members and foreign students.

China, apart from Brazil, Singapore and Taiwan, is one of the focus countries of TU/e. This means that, in addition to countless joint ventures between Chinese and

Eindhoven groups, at university level there are also partnerships with Chinese institutions. One of the Chinese universities with which TU/e works closely together is Zhejiang University in Hangzhou.

Whereas the contacts with the other university, Northeastern University in Shenyang, are mainly in the area of biomedical engineering, the partnership with Zhejiang University is far more extensive.

“Our universities may be the brains, but Philips forms the bridge” The ties with Zhejiang University, one of China’s oldest universities, arise in 2005 when a TU/e dele­ gation travels to Hangzhou on the initiative of Philips. The electronics company is interested in a partnership between its own research departments in Eindhoven and Shanghai and the two universities nearby. Even that same year the three parties sign a cooperation agreement called BrainBridge.

It involves cooperation in the area of education, but especially research. Master students and

doctoral candidates of both universities work on research projects in the fields of electrical engineering, industrial design and biomedical technology. Philips is closely involved in these projects.

According to prof. dr. ir. Ton Backx, dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering, BrainBridge is unique.

“International cooperation at university level is rare anyway. That a company is involved in this occurs even more seldom.” In China they find the cooperation with Philips special as well. Prof. Xudong Lu, professor of Biomedical Computer Science at Zhejiang University: “Our universities may be the brains, but Philips forms the bridge that links them.”

Next year will see the tenth anniversary of BrainBridge.

The parties involved at TU/e are pleased with the cooperation with the Chinese university. Dr. Karen Ali, head of the Education and Student Service Center, visits Hangzhou every year to give students information about TU/e.

“It’s a top university in which the Chinese governments invests significantly. The students often have high grades and their English is relatively good.” According to vice Rector internationalization prof. dr. ir. Aarnout Brombacher there

is also great chemistry in the area of research. “Contacts between Zhejiang University and the business community are quite intensive. The same is true for TU/e. This makes the cooperation interesting for both parties.” Recently talks have been started about the participation of TU/e in a new international campus between Hangzhou and Shanghai.

Brombacher: “This involves the physical presence of TU/e abroad, which is quite special.”

Eindhoven’s praise is not restricted to the partner university. Chinese students and researchers in general have an excellent reputation. Ali: “Chinese students are interesting because they are talented, often decide on engineering, are willing to go abroad and stay there.”

Brombacher emphasizes the quality of science in that country. “In China live 1.3 billion people who work all-out; the best 0.1 percent of that is the absolute top.” Internationalization officer Willem van Hoorn: “The average Chinese employee or student works very long days.

Sometimes they clock as many as eighty hours per week. They are friendly, polite and highly motivated.

Those core qualities are definitely spotted here.”

Within the Departments and groups the Chinese are also welcome guests.

Their number considerably exceeds the number of Italians, who form the second-largest group of foreign staff members. In the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Chemical Engineering and Chemistry in particular, there are many Chinese staff members to be found.

Professor dr. ir. Jaap Schouten, dean of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, the Department does not pursue any targeted policy. “The fact is that

China is a huge country with excellent research groups in areas that have great relevance to the Department.”

The ties with China are found especially between separate groups within the Department and groups at various Chinese universities.

Thus, Schouten’s own group has been collaborating several years with a research group at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Within some other Departments there is also collaboration going on at the Departmental level; Industrial Design, for instance, maintains contact with design institutions in Wuxi and Hangzhou. The cooperation activities often go hand in hand with the exchange of staff members and researchers.

Cooperation between Dutch and Chinese: let me check…

Despite the interfaces in the field of science, there are plenty of cultural differences that need to be overcome.

According to Willem van Hoorn the western task-oriented culture clashes with the Chinese relationoriented culture. “The Dutch get right to the point, whereas the Chinese first explore the social landscape. When Chinese and Dutch people work together, there is a high risk of frustration.

The Dutch often think that things are going too slowly while the Chinese often feel disregarded.”

Van Hoorn also points to the differences in the educational tradition. “In China academics have been trained for two thousand years according to the teachings of

“Going abroad was a logical step” Jin Zhang (28) and Lei Wu (29), doctoral candidates at EE, are walking across the campus in an animated conversation in Mandarin during lunch. They met each other at Aachen University, where they followed the same Master study. After their graduation in 2010 they came to TU/e. Before they went to Germany they had never heard of Eindhoven. “Many of our friends in China do know Eindhoven, because of PSV and Philips.”

For Lei it was a logical step to go abroad. “I had decided to do so even at secondary school. Everybody told me that things were better abroad. Which is actually true. Education, healthcare… In fact everything is better, except the food.” For Jin things were different. “I was offered a job after my Bachelor, but I didn’t fancy doing the same work for thirty years at a government desk. Besides, I wanted to have more freedom; our generation is getting an overwhelming amount of attention from our parents because we are from one-child families.”

Whereas cultural differences may have been an important factor initially, this impact is declining after four years, say Jin and Lei. “Dutch people are very open and not afraid of speaking their mind. Chinese people have trouble saying no. Moreover, they are hesitant about voicing a different opinion for fear of insulting other people.” They both think they have lost some of their initial shyness. Also, they are trying hard to learn Dutch. “We really want to adjust, but we’ll only manage to do so when we know the language.”

Although they do not want to go back to China, they understand why many of their fellow-countrymen do.

“We have a relationship, so it’s easy for us. For Chinese singles, though, especially the men, it is difficult to find a partner here, because of the cultural differences and the language. It can make you very lonely.

The Chinese community may be large, but it’s not as if there is a party every weekend.”

Lei Wu and Jin Zhang.

Zoom in | 23

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ndhoven and China Confucius: press the footsteps of your master as best you can.

Many Dutch people do not get this and consider the Chinese to be dependent.” This is recognizable for Yan Li, a doctoral candidate at Electrical Engineering and until recently chairman of the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars in Eindhoven. “In China students are given detailed instructions by professors, but here professors want you to express your own opinion. This is awkward for Chinese students, who are afraid of giving the wrong answer.”

Because of the traditional contacts with Philips, the Department of Electrical Engineering plays an important part within BrainBridge.

As a result the Department numbers many Chinese Master students and doctoral candidates. “The first Chinese students coming here completed their subjects with excellent grades”, says Backx.

“However, when it came to their traineeship, where everything revolves around initiative and creativity, they got stuck. They took assignments very literally, rather than interpreting them in an individual manner. If you don’t succeed in achieving this in a study program, you will not get the most out of those talents.” Which is why several years ago the Department started organizing cultural lessons and role-playing to give all parties a better insight into cultural differences.

“When a Rector leaves, so do all the deans” The cooperation with Zhejiang University also comes with ‘cultural challenges’, Ali explains. “When an administration changes in China, the president as well as the whole network around him steps down, so that everybody needs to present their credentials anew. In the Netherlands it is inconceivable that when the Rector leaves, the deans step down as well.” In addition, there is a stronger hierarchy.

“Many things in China need to be arranged at the level of the institution, while here this can be done by the Departments.”

For that matter, there is also a gain from the differences between the Chinese and Dutch cultures.

Uzay Kaymak, professor at Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences, works closely together with the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Zhejiang University within the framework of BrainBridge.

Doctoral candidates from both universities are developing an information system to lay down healthcare programs. Chinese and Dutch hospitals are involved as

well. Kaymak: “The very fact that the universities are located in countries with widely differing systems contributes to the cooperation. Those different approaches form an eye-opener for Chinese and Dutch researchers alike.”

Brombacher, who is also dean of the Department of Industrial Design, equally emphasizes the value of cultural differences.

“I always say: work in China for three months and your designs will never be the same again. Besides, you learn to develop things for an entirely different target group.

For instance, it is a mortal sin to develop something white for the Chinese market, because the color white is the color of death.”

This is why ID encourages students to follow a semester in China, preferably at one of the institutions with which TU/e or the Department maintains ties. “We want our students to come to a warm environment. At a partner institution you can be certain of this”, says Brombacher. Nevertheless, university-wide there is especially exchange taking place towards the Netherlands. Ali: “There are Dutch students going to China alright, but their numbers could be higher.”

Meanwhile, Eindhoven seems to be gaining popularity among Chinese students. Professor of Biomedical Computer Science at Zhejiang University Xudong Lu: “Not so long ago Chinese students wanted to go mostly to the United States, but that is beginning to change.” Lu thinks that the short lines between the university and the industry are a factor here. This is confirmed by Yan Li, chairman of the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars in Eindhoven: “Until recently Chinese students only knew about Delft.

By now, Eindhoven is almost as well-known. It is particularly the cooperation with the industry that makes it very attractive.” Willem van Hoorn also sees an important role

Photo | Shutterstock. Editing | Bart van Overbeeke.

for the reputation of Eindhoven Brainport. “Its election as smartest region in the world was very helpful indeed. We are being mentioned in many places.”

For the time being many Chinese form part of the TU/e community for short periods only. That is true not only for Chinese students, but also for staff members who often have temporary jobs. Backx adds that that return is stimulated by the Chinese government. “The govern-

ment really likes its students to follow a Master’s program or PhD abroad and subsequently to take their knowledge back to China.”

Li sees yet other reasons. “For us it is difficult to make a career in the Netherlands due to the differences in culture and language. Moreover, youngsters find life in China much more colorful. There you go out for a meal together at least three times a week, to massage parlors or karaoke bars. The Dutch often go

straight home after work.” According to Li it is difficult for Chinese people to make friends with the Dutch.

Consequently the Chinese tend to stick together. Still, he does have the impression that this is changing gradually. “As the Chinese community is growing, more events are organized to bridge the gap between our cultures, like the Chinese New Year and the Asian Week. That is definitely helpful.”

China / TU/e in figures University-wide joint ventures with China: • Zhejiang University (Hangzhou): The Departments of EE, BMT, ID, IE&IS, Mathematics and Computer Science and Applied Physics are actively involved with BrainBridge.

Joint projects include microfluidic systems for the detection of cancer cells, brain-computer interfaces, decision support systems for clinical paths, LED lighting systems for glasshouse cultivation and horticulture, photonic crystals and optical tomography.

• Northeastern University (Shenyang): Since 2005 there has been cooperation between the Department of BMT and Northeastern University in the area of biomedical engineering. This has resulted in a local Biomedical School according to the model of the BMT Department.

Numbers of Chinese staff members and students: Total number of Chinese staff members at this moment: 242 (of whom 127 on payroll and 115 not on payroll).

Source | Service for Personnel and Organization

Total number of Chinese students at this moment: 233 (51 Bachelor students and 182 Master students) Source | Education and Student Service Center

In addition, there are various cooperation activities at Departmental and group levels.

Photo | Bart van Overbeeke

24 | Research

18 September 2014

Kim Peerenboom, Qi Wang and Jan van Dijk.

Research | 25

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Solar energy in gas grid Fuels that are made using solar power and wind power can be stored and transported much more easily than electricity: in the existing gas grid, for example. With three new projects, TU/e plasma experts want to secure renewable energy (and CO2) in methane and methanol.

Giant wind parks far away at sea and huge solar farms in the Sahara are places to generate tons of renewable energy efficiently - and without bothering a soul. Unfortunately, there isn’t too much demand for electricity at sea or in the desert.

Some way or another, it will have to be transported to populated areas.

And that’s not easy, as the experts at distribution network Alliander know. When transporting electricity a lot is lost, and to get the electricity generated by a field of solar panels in the Sahara to Europe, you’d need a cable duct that’s two kilometers wide.

It would make sense, then, to use existing infrastructure for gas transportation. In part of the Netherlands (including Eindhoven) that grid is managed by Alliander.

Two pipes would suffice to connect Europe to the Sahara, and the elaborate grid under the Netherlands allows for large amounts of gas to be stored (the equivalent of 100 TWh, about the amount of electricity the Netherlands uses in a year). It’s impossible to store such large amounts of energy as electricity for an extended period of time.

The challenge is to secure solar energy or wind energy in an energy-rich gas like methane - the main component of natural gas, which is currently flowing through the pipes. We can already make methane with electricity, but that requires an extra step where water is separated with an electric current (electrolysis) and that’s a rather laborious and expensive process.

There is another way, too: using plasma, CO2 can be converted into CO, which in turn can react with water to form methane. Renewable electrical energy is used to power a microwave-type machine that generates the plasma, and so, using a detour, the solar/wind energy is indirectly stored in methane.

A promising technique, as far as funding agent STW was concerned, so it decided to set up the Plasma Conversion of CO2 program with financial support of Alliander.

Last summer, the program accepted three projects, and each project features TU/e researchers.

“It’s a reverse combustion process” Dr.ir. Jan van Dijk, researcher at Elementary Processes in Gas Discharges (EPG) and his colleague dr.ir. Kim Peerenboom are involved in even two of the projects, along with colleagues of the DIFFER Institute and Twente University.

Initially, Van Dijk was surprised to hear of the STW program, he admits. “My first reaction was: that’s impossible. But then I heard Alliander was funding part of the project, I figured it had to be a serious idea.” After deliberating he and Peerenboom - who graduated with honors at EPG last year, and who will soon return on a WISE tenure track from Brussels, where she’s currently gaining postdoc

experience at the Université Libre - decided to take a head-on approach to this socially relevant challenge.

“In both projects, the objective is to produce methane with plasmas from recycled CO2”, says Van Dijk.

“The main difference is the moment water vapor is added.” The essence of the suggested plasma technique is to separate CO2 into carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen.

Because the CO2 molecules collide with the rapidly moving plasma electrons, the former collect enough internal energy to release an oxygen atom. “It’s a reverse combustion process, in a way”, the plasma physicist explains. “Which is why it’s important the oxygen is removed quickly, before the CO combusts and turns back into CO2.

To that end we intend to use membranes, and that’s where Twente University comes in.”

When producing CO, the idea is to lose as little energy as possible.

“And for that you need a plasma with perfect characteristics”, says Van Dijk. To determine those perfect conditions, the TU/e researchers will compare computer simulations with experiments that will be conducted by their colleagues at DIFFER (that will move to TU/e campus next year). “There are so many variables, so many switches to turn, that you really need the interplay between simulations and actual experiments to give direction to the project.”

Eventually, the method is to be implemented on a large scale, and

that limits the possibilities for the researchers. “We have to keep in mind the entire chain. It’s no use working in conditions where a huge amount of CO is released, but where there’s no way of extracting the oxygen. Regular meetings with all parties involved are therefore imperative – and those include intended end users like Alliander.”

“The synergy between plasma and catalyst hasn’t been researched properly yet” The third STW project is a TU/e exclusive, and has a slightly different approach. The plan of dr.

Qi Wang (Micro Flow Chemistry & Process Technology) doesn’t involve the creation of methane, but rather the liquid fuel methanol. The first step is the same, however: converting recycled CO2 into CO. “For that we use technology from our industrial partner Evonik”, says Wang. “The idea is to add hydrogen, too. Combined with the right catalyst, we should be able to create methanol quite efficiently.”

The plan to convert CO2 into methanol using plasma technology isn’t entirely new, the Chinese researcher explains, but the process hasn’t been researched widely, and profits are still very modest. “Profits depend on the synergy between

plasma and catalyst, and that hasn’t been researched properly yet.

Besides, nobody has figured out how to expand this process to an industrial level.”

Wang does intend to figure that out over the next few years, and to do so she’ll be working closely with catalyst expert prof.dr. Emile Hensen, and flow expert prof.dr. Federico Toschi. She’ll get additional input from an elaborate user panel that was put together by prof.dr. Volkel Hessel: the main applicant of the STW grant. Wang will probably be exchanging her findings with Jan van Dijk and his colleagues at Applied Physics every now and then. “We have to, since this project requires a multidisciplinary approach. We’ve been in touch already. I’d love to learn more about the physics part, and the physicists in turn were interested in my knowledge of chemical engineering.

I’m positive we can teach each other many useful things.”

Interview | Tom Jeltes Photo | Bart van Overbeeke

26 | Research

18 September 2014

4 burning questions

Huang-Ming Chang | Industrial Design

Emotions in media

1 ’s on f your o r e ov the c rtation? disse What

2 Wh a peo t do y ou t ple a t par ell whe n t abo ut y they a ies our s rese k arch ?

1 | cover

3 What person, technology, or device has been essential for your research?

4

does w o H efit n e b ty socie our work? y from

You see a calm, dark corner of an old house and a speck of daylight seeping through the window.

What I want to convey with this image is that people usually think they know what they are feeling, yet large part of their emotions are hidden in the dark, waiting to be discovered.

2 | parties People like watching media content such as movies mainly because they enjoy experiencing complex emotions while being immersed in a story. I’ve been researching the relationship between media content and emotions. We developed a method for analyzing media content according to psychoanalytic theories, and then investigated the emotions induced by archetypal media content. Different from explicit emotions such as joy and anger, we found that emotions elicited by archetypal media content are rather implicit, and even subconscious.

3 | essential We applied Affective Computing techniques in our study, measuring participants’ physiological signals because through physiological signals, we might discover unspoken psychological activities. Within this project, my colleague Dr. Leonid Ivonin contri­ buted tremendously on signal processing and data mining.

4 | society benefit

(edited by Tom Jeltes) Photos | Bart van Overbeeke

Media and society are inseparable. Our study provides a new method for analyzing media content, and gaining a deeper understanding of the media we perceive every day. The findings of our research might also facilitate the development of new types of entertainment and other application domains.

Research | 27

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Vladimir Dmitrovic | Chemical Engineering

Crystals inspired by nature 1 | cover The cover of my thesis represents an old wooden box in which crystals are stored. The idea behind it is to show a few examples of beautiful calcium carbonate crystals I have made during my PhD. All crystals are labeled with a number referring to the name and specifications of the crystal, as would be the case in a (museum) collection.

2 | parties My work is inspired by nature, so I usually explain people about certain natural phenomena like coral formation, mollusk shells, or pearls, and then I go on to explain that we would like to be able to make hybrid materials with similar properties in our laboratory. Who wouldn’t like to be able to grow, shape and color their own pearls?

3 | essential I mostly worked with a peptide synthesizer and scanning electron microscope (SEM) but, in my opinion, the people I worked with were truly indispensable: my supervisors, colleagues and collaborators.

4 | society benefit Being able to understand and apply strategies from nature could potentially lead to the production of synthetic hybrid materials with superior properties to the synthetic materials that we know today.

Stephan van Reenen | Applied Physics

Luminous cells 1 | cover Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) convert electricity into light. In LECs, the electric current runs through material that normally has a high resistance. By adding ions (the pluses and minuses on the cover) to the active layer you get electrochemical doping, which lowers the resistance and increases the electrical current substantially.

2 | parties How LECs work exactly was unknown until quite recently. For one thing, there were two conflicting models. On top of that, there are several types of LECs, all with major differences in material. In my work, I show that all these LECs ultimately work the same way, and that both models can be unified into a single one.

3 | essential In order to study how LECs work exactly, I really needed ‘scanning Kelvin probe microscopy’.

It’s a technique that can accurately determine where the electric fields are in the active layer between the electrodes. Whenever a LEC is switched on, the ions are redistributed causing the formation of large electric fields between the active layer and the electrodes on the one hand, and between the electrodes and the light-emitting area on the other hand. This field distribution is a fingerprint of LECs.

4 | society benefit A better understanding of LECs allows scientists to improve their lifespan, efficiency, and on/off switch time. Eventually, LECs might then be used as economical and efficient lighting.

18 September

Thursday throughou

12

- Sunday October, n (just foll ow the lig hts)

t Eindhove

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The Lichtje every autu sroute (Route of Lig on 18 Sep mn in Eindhoven. It hts) is a festival he Eindhoventember, celebrating starts with a parad ld ‘fairytales The Lichtje during World War II the liberation of e will find nuin light’. Throughou s o ro n u th te at da is ce the liberati You can do merous ornaments t Eindhoven you on, but als lebrated not only tote in 1944. m the Lichtje o o to create sroute on ade out of light. ­ orate r by car. bike, walk an illusioncommem ing, of www.lichtj esroute.org

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don’t TU/e and Eindhoven so you Cursor collects all events at , and nts eve ic athletic and academ have to. Symposiums, films, notify can You nl. ue. or.t urs w.c at ww to parties: you can find them all ail em an d sen website, please e us of new events through our her will ine gaz Ma sor Cur do so. cursor@tue.nl if you want to ing happenings. publish a selection of upcom

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Saterdag September 11 :00-21:00h, Auditorium T U/e

Made In In done Moving Forw sia 2014: ard This ev

ent is in Eindhoven)organized by PPI/e (Indone and innovati . It showcases the best sian Students Associatio of ons for Indone n It aims to insp sia. It is not juIndonesian innovation ir e st yo a un cu g ltu people to thin move a coun ral event. will be held intry forward to a better futuk how innovations can re th . e An morning, follo innovation se performance wed minar centre (includs in the afternoon. The exby a stage of cultural hi in bi g ti w on or ks , ex ho the whole da peri ps), and food y. market will beence available Language: En gl is h Entrance fee: www.madeini 3 EUR (free for students ) ndonesia2014 .nl

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Enemy is dopplega a surreal psycholo who seemnger tradition. Ad gical thriller that b a movie o s disinterested evam Bell is a glum, reathes new life in a bit-part n the recommendaen in his beautifu disheveled history to the lg actor nam p ti ed Anthonon of a colleague, irlfriend, Mary. W rofessor, atching Adam spo y Clair, an ts d decides Language to track h his double, : English im down. with Dutc Entrance hs after showfee: 7,50 euro, stud ubtitles Entree: G ing their collegep ents pay 3,50 euro ratis ass

30

Tuesday September, 10:30-12 :00h, Blauwe Zaal, Auditoriu m

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Dinsdag september, 20:00-22:15 uur, Boekhandel Van Piere, Nieuwe Emmasin gel

Science Café: Cyberoorlog

Heineken Award Pu blic Lecture: Alzheimer’s diseas e and other plague s Plagues ha

44, Eindhoven

ve changed and altered the fate of history, stopped armies in their tracks ways of preventing mo nations. Major challenges now are to find dern ‘plagues’, such as ageing populations. Pro those facing our research that offers ho fessor Dobson will be looking at scientifi pe for current and fut c ure generations.

Language event: Engli sh Entrance fee: none

De cyberoorlog is al lang begonnen. Burg ers, bedrijven en overheden zijn steeds vaker slachtoffer van cybercrim Een internetsocioloog, cyberkolonel en inaliteit en cyberterrorisme. over de maatschappelijke gevolgen, het hoogleraar computerveiligheid cyberprogramma van Defensie en manieren om ons te wapenen.

Voertaal: Nederlands

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