Student
19/06/2015

People with Protractors Rule! (aka How Engineers Change the World)

When you’re eyeball deep into exams, projects and deadlines and stress has a steely grip around your throat, you might sometimes think: Why, oh WHY, did I choose this area of study? I mean, wouldn’t I be happier as a yoga teacher or pilot? If you’ve ever suffered an existential moment about your given career track, this article is for you. Think of it as a combination pat on the back, fist bump and high five for all that hard work you did the past year and confirmation that one day soon, you too will go out there and make the world a better place.

by Angela Daley

While you might not ever build a Hoover Dam or grow a heart in a lab, choosing a career in engineering can be a first step towards doing some pretty monumental, world-changing or, at the very least, interesting projects. Take, for example, the following list of fabulous things engineers have contributed (or are contributing) to the betterment of society. (cue the heroic theme music here)

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Student Campus
07/10/2015

When home is where your heart is

What do university students, soldiers and a 12-year old at summer camp all have in common? They are all at risk for experiencing homesickness - a melancholy sense of nostalgia that can overtake anyone when they’re far from home. For students like Industrial Design undergraduate Lorenzo Giunta, 21, homesickness is something that’s become almost an integral part of his daily life: “I really hate living in the Netherlands. Mostly, I miss my family but I also miss Italian food and our sense of community.”

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Campus
21/09/2015

Peace be upon you: a profile of TU/e’s Muslim community

Look at media coverage of ISIS, Boko Haram, or the Taliban and you might be tempted to conclude that Islam is a frightening and violent religion. However, TU/e’s Muslim students will passionately tell you otherwise. Who are they and what do they believe? And what’s life like for them here? Jumana Mundichipparakkal, 24, (Department of Mathematics and Computer Science) considers the university her haven: “TU/e has been a great blessing in my life. Indian women are not so free when they are Muslim. But TU/e offered me a scholarship. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be here.”

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Campus
10/06/2015

More Women Needed

“Girls need to be stimulated to enjoy math, chemistry and physics and it has to happen at grade school. There are a lot of girls who like these subjects, but they get the idea it’s only for boys. They think, ‘I don’t want to be a mathematician. I’ll be a nurse.’ Noortje Bax from the Department of Biomedical Engineering is a newly-appointed board member of the WISE-Network (Women in Science Eindhoven) and her concerns are an oft-repeated lament - how do we get more young women to choose science? And once they enter these professions, how do we keep them there?

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Campus
05/05/2015

The 21st Century Engineer

“We have a role in creating not only engineers, but people who have a critical perspective on the world they live in. We have a good academic level at TU/e but in a more general sense - helping students to reflect and think critically, for example - that’s an area we could improve in.”

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Campus
12/12/2014

More than Sombreros and Sunshine: A look at TU/e’s Mexican Community

“It’s particularly nice being a Mexican in Holland because it’s exotic for European people. They see us as an interesting people”, explains Sergio Garcia (25), a master’s student in the Mechanical Engineering Department. He continues: “What I like about Dutch people is that they are open-minded. They are interested and want to know from the source what life is like in Mexico. They ask: What is it like to live there? How do you make your life there?” Continuing with our series profiling the university’s various international communities, we’ll try to answer those questions a bit by taking a closer look at the Mexican community, a group of about 50 strong who call TU/e their academic home.

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Campus Student
17/10/2014

Cricket, Curry and Collectivism: A brief guide to TU/e’s Indian community

“We are the proudest people in the world about our culture”, says Bhaskar Patil, 28, a Phd candidate in the Chemical Engineering Department. “There’s so much variety and diversity in our culture and our ideas along the length and width of India. Most Indians are very proud of their culture, like meditation and yoga, which are followed by people all over the world.” Take a stroll across campus and it won’t be long before you spot a student like Patil. TU/e’s Indian population has drastically increased during the past several years and today these students comprise the largest population of internationals on campus. Who are your fellow Indian students? And how do they feel about being an Indian student at TU/e? As part of a new series profiling some of the university’s international students, Cursor begins with our most populous group – the rich, colorful and highly diverse world of India.

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Student Campus
03/10/2014

Into the Darkness: A look at depression and university life

“I couldn’t stop crying. I had a headache all the time and I was always dizzy. And the weather can be terrible in Chongching. The sun doesn’t shine. All I could think was ‘I have to get away from here.’ Xin Xu, 23, is a new master’s student in the Built Environment Department and though he’s very happy with his new life in the Netherlands, his undergraduate program in China was marred by extreme stress and a slip into depression. Like for Xu , the university years are often the first time that many people experience mental health issues. Stress, new personal and academic responsibilities and loneliness can take their toll on students in a way they’ve never experienced before. And for international students, those stresses can sometimes be even greater.

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