Most TU/e programs are having their Bachelor's graduates participate in the joint ceremony on the afternoon of Friday September 21. Exceptions to this are Data Science (it's too early for the program to have graduates) and Computer Science. This program fears that owing to the high number of graduates, the certificates will not be ready in time, tells Liesbeth Castelijns, project leader events at the Communication Expertise Center (CEC).

Back in early March, Cursor reported that various programs feared that not all their graduates would be able to attend. Time was short to get all the grades entered and to combine the event with the departmental ceremony. According to Castelijns, these worries were largely resolved when the earlier date for MomenTUm of September 7 was revised and the festive day was moved to September 21. Almost all the departments will also be holding their own graduation ceremonies in the Auditorium and at their various premises on this same day, either before or after the joint proceedings.

Walk of Fame

During the ceremony and accompanied by music, all the graduates will process in a Walk of Fame into the market hall at MetaForum. All one thousand Bachelor's students will then receive a gown and cap from TU/e, which they may keep. For the graduates and their families a grandstand will be place in the market hall, providing seating for 4,400 people. On the Flux field another audience will be able to watch on a large screen. At the end of the joint ceremony, the caps will be thrown into the air.

Also being presented on this afternoon will be the academic annual awards. The nominees for the best Master's thesis project, the best PDEng project and the best PhD project have now been announced. Also awarded will be an honorary doctorate, and this year the recipient is Professor Ann Dowling of the University of Cambridge. Her honorary supervisor is Ines Lopez Arteaga, who in April 2016 joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering as the first woman professor. The Marina van Damme award will also be presented. The general keynote speaker for the day has now been approached, but has not yet been confirmed, tells Castelijns.

DJ contest

Tom van Teeffelen, President of the Federation of Study Associations Eindhoven (FSE), takes a positive view of the day's planning. The FSE board has been involved in designing the day and is charged with providing the artists and decor for the party night. In addition, it will be running a DJ contest. Van Teeffelen: “The preparations are well underway. The Flux field will be the place to lounge after the ceremony and afterwards performers will be on stage in the market hall. Various winners of the DJ competition will have the chance to perform on the night.”

The organizers are still looking into possibilities for involving the city of Eindhoven in the celebratory day. Castelijns: “On the day we want to hold an activity in the city for students and the ground floor of the Warehouse of Innovation, housed temporarily in the former premises of V&D, will be devoted to TU/e."

MomenTUm will replace various other days, such as the celebration of Founders' Day and the opening of the academic year. The latter academic ceremony will take place in September in a much reduced form. From now on MomenTUm is intended to become TU/e's day of celebration. Whether the program and planning will remain the same in future years is debatable. Castelijns: “We want to learn from this year's event and changes may still be made.”