- Corona , The University , Research
- 26/03/2020
EPC seeks new design assignments
With the workshop run by TU/e's Equipment & Prototyping Center (EPC) now closed, director Wim Peters is appealing to researchers to continue sending in design assignments. As he says, while working from home his staff can still play a valuable role for doctoral candidates and other researchers.
Last week, EPC's computers were delivered to the home addresses of the center's staff, explains director Wim Peters. “We need good hardware to run the programs we use and, besides, some of our staff don't own a laptop.” The plug was pulled on the last machine in the workshop, he says, this week Monday. “But the design of equipment, software, circuit boards, wiring diagrams and the like is simply being carried on from home. In view of this, I'd like to ask researchers looking to have this kind of work done, to please contact us. For the coming weeks we have some work to be getting on with, but after that we hope to stay busy working on assignments.”
Some of the custom work can be outsourced, Peter is keen to emphasize. “Many companies are still open, and if need be they can work with our designs.” Nonetheless, he is concerned about how long this situation will last. “Many PhD candidates depend on what we make for them and would still like to obtain their doctorates on time.”
As it is difficult for all employees to make themselves equally useful at home, EPC is also using the enforced break to provide in-service training. “We are taking online courses, to improve our English for example, but we also have employees who are doing a technical training at TU/e.” EPC is also looking at whether some of its working methods can be improved and now has enough time to clean up its digital archive. “In addition, we are working on bids for contracts to build machines. Now we can give these bids the time they need.”
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