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interview
verschijnt driemaandelijks
JULI - AUGUSTUS - SEPTEMBER 2012
Jaargang 21, nr. 3
P509015 afgiftekantoor 3000 leuven x
GROUP T’s Newsmagazine
LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
Prof. Dr. Johan De Graeve, President and Chief Executive of GROUP T, Dr. Tarekegn Tadesse, President of Addis Ababa Science and Technololgy University (AASTU),
Prof. Guido Vercammen, Member of the GROUP T Board of Directors and 3 Vice-Presidents of AASTU. (Photo: Li Wei)
GROUP T’s new partner universities
Collaboration with Ethiopia
shifts to a higher gear
After China, Southeast Asia and India, GROUP T extends its international action radius to include Ethiopia, a country
in full development. The recently established collaboration with Ethiopian universities will furthermore be intensified.
From 14 to 20 June 2012, a four-person delegation from GROUP T led by Prof. Dr. Johan De Graeve, President and
Chief Executive of GROUP T, was welcomed in Ethiopia. He had the assistance of Prof. Guido Vercammen, Member
of the Board, Dr. Gebreslasie Gebrehiwot Mekonnen, Advisor to the President and Li Wei, Assistant to the President.
On the program were visits to reputable universities
in Ethiopia headed by the Addis Ababa
University, a top institute where the GROUP T
delegation was received by Prof. Jeilu Oumer,
Academic Vice-President, and Netsanet Yilma, Head of the
Communications Office. Afterwards, the parties signed a
Memorandum of Understanding for establishing collaboration
agreements with a view to the exchange of students,
faculty and collaborative research.
The GROUP T delegation was subsequently received by the
Dire Dawa University where it was welcomed by President
Wagayeku Bekele and Vice-President Dr. Fekadu Lemassa.
Three students of this university had previously come to be
introduced to GROUP T. It is the intention that they return to
do a master’s program after a preparatory year. Dire Dawa is a
young university in full expansion. Up until now, it only offered
bachelor programs but they have the strong ambition to also
start organizing master’s programs. Students who obtained a
master’s degree from GROUP T can play an important part in
this. Meanwhile, GROUP T is assisting in this capacity building.
The GROUP T delegation also met with Dr. Samuel Kifle of
the Gimna University. He has been engaged by GROUP T as a
guest lecturer to teach Financial Management for a semester.
GROUP T has been maintaining contacts with the Addis
Ababa Science & Technology University (AASTU) for some
time already. Concrete forms of collaboration were discussed
further with Dr. Tarekegn Tadesse, President, and four Vice-
Presidents. AASTU, just like Dire Dawa University, is a young
institute that specifically wants to focus on cooperation with
companies, the so-called co-op education. To do so, AASTU
wishes to use GROUP T’s expertise in this area. It is no mere
coincidence that President De Graeve is co-chairholder of
the UNESCO Chair on Co-operation between Higher Engineering
Education and Industries at the Beijing Jiaotong
University. AASTU is organizing for the fall an important
conference on this subject with the purpose of making
policy makers aware of the co-op approach. President De
Graeve is invited to deliver the keynote. AASTU also wants
to launch a new program in Biomedical Engineering. To this
end, too, the knowhow present at GROUP T is being sought.
Furthermore, there are plans to offer GROUP T’s two International
Postgraduate Programs, Enterprising and Logistics
Management, at AASTU.
The mission also included meetings with the Belgian ambassador
Hugues Chantry and with the Belgian consul Mireille
Guinée. The ambassador was consulted on the further collaboration
between Ethiopia and GROUP T. The conversation
with the consul mainly revolved around the visa procedure
once the exchange between the Ethiopian universities
and GROUP T takes off.
Y.P.
«2»
NEw partners
in china
«6»
china
journey 2012
«18»
ENGINEER OF
THE YEAR
«20»
GREEN
INNOVATION

International action radius is extending
New partnerships in China
China is one of the cornerstones of GROUP T’s international strategy. Through China, GROUP T discovered
the world and through GROUP T, great numbers of Chinese students and teachers got to know Europe and
the world. Every year, GROUP T sends out a team on a recruitment mission to maintain existing contacts and
to create new ones. This year there were two: a northern team with Prof. Guido Vercammen, Prof. Sabine
Vercruysse and Sun Zhibin, and a southern team with Prof. Kumar Pinjala, Prof. Koen Eneman and Yunhao Hu.
The northern team already has no fewer than
five new partnerships to show for: Beijing
Normal University with Zhuhai Campus, Harbin
University of Science and Technology,
Qiqihar Institute of Engineering, Tianjin University
and Tianjin University of Technology and Education.
“All these universities are valuable partners”,
Prof. Vercammen explains. “And not only to have
exchange students, there is also the possibility of collaboration
in many other areas. On the other hand
the interest from the Chinese side too is not lacking.
Tianjin University, meanwhile, has already sent a delegation
to GROUP T, led by the president himself, to
get the collaboration off the ground. A memorandum
of understanding has already been signed. It is
important to realize that Tianjin University is not just
any university. It is the oldest in China and has a high
listing in the national and international rankings. All
Jiaotong universities, most of which are partners of
GROUP T, originate from Tianjin University.”
Doors open
“GROUP T’s educational philosophy opens many doors
in China”, Prof. Vercammen and Prof. Kumar continue.
“This has been demonstrated once again this
year. The 5 Es of Engineering, Enterprising, Educating,
Environmenting and Ensembling as the foundation
for the development of innovative engineering
curricula is catching on. Another feather on our cap
is no doubt the English engineering programs and
postgraduates. The International Joint Engineering
Program that we’ve already set up with many partner
universities also appeals to new potential partners.”
In that context, Prof. Vercammen refers to the 2 + 2
formula in which Chinese students first take classes
for two years at their alma mater and subsequently
study at GROUP T for two years with the possibility
of a double degree. “This continues to appeal to the
Chinese students. Add to that our central location
on the doorstep to the capital of Europe and the
fact that increasingly more Chinese companies are
investing in Belgium. This all increases the appeal of
GROUP T.”
Alumni tell their story
In the meantime, almost 200 Chinese engineers have
graduated from GROUP T. Many, or most, return to
China and hold prominent positions in companies, as
well as in government bodies and universities. Some
have started their own companies.
“Almost 200 Chinese
engineers have graduated
from GROUP T and most
return to China and hold
prominent positions.”
“During the recruitment missions, we make use
of the opportunity to strengthen the ties with our
alumni in China”, Prof. Vercammen relates. “Both in
Beijing and in Shanghai we organize reunions where
we bring them together again. Every time, the satisfaction
with which they look back on their training
and stay at GROUP T is striking. Of course, it wasn’t
an obvious choice for any of them and they often
had some difficulty adjusting in the period after
their arrival. However, once that was overcome, a
world opened to them and they are only too happy
to testify to it. In our presentations at the partner
universities, we always invite a few alumni to come
and tell their story. At Beijing Jiaotong University,
for instance, it was Wang Kun, Electromechanics
engineer, who graduated in 2006. After GROUP T,
he went to the University of Newcastle for his Ph.D.
Now he is assistant professor at his alma mater in
Beijing. He, but also others, are wonderful examples
of the enormous opportunities that the engineering
program at GROUP T creates and what that diploma
allows you to do afterwards.”
Engineer-entrepreneur
Prof. Kumar Pinjala, who led the southern recruitment
mission, confirms the crucial input of the alumni. For
the presentations in Chengdu, for instance, he invited
Chen Lei, who heads a company that is active in the
green energy sector and is doing extremely well. At
the Zheijiang University of Technology in Hangzhou,
Prof. Kumar mobilized Zhang Yi, a Ph.D. student who
is running a family business, and Xia Aiexue, Senior
Engineer in a micro electronics company.
“You make an impression in China if your alumni can
start in multinationals such as Google, IBM or Oracle.
And even more so if it turns out that many alumni
are entrepreneurs themselves.”
In Shanghai, the southern recruitment team had an
animated meeting with five enthusiastic alumni. At the
Shanghai Jiaotong University, Prof. Kumar and his colleagues
were discussing an extension of the 2 + 2 agreement
to include the Department of Chemical Engineering
and the Mechanical Engineering School. Also, the
Yunnan University, Chongqing University and the University
of Electronic Science and Technology (UESTC)
showed interest in the 2 + 2 formula. At UESTC, the
third-year bachelor’s students are also interested in
obtaining a master’s degree at GROUP T.
“Both spring recruitment missions did good work”,
Prof. Kumar believes. “Not only did they recruit students,
but they also created new possibilities for collaboration.
By sending out two teams we were able
to significantly extend our action radius and increase
efficiency.”
Y.P.
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
2
The northern recruitment team at Harbin University of Science and Technology. From left to right: Sun Zhibin, International Officer GROUP T; Xi Zhaohui, Director
International Office; Prof. Sabine Vercruysse, Associate Dean Academic Affairs GROUP T; Prof. Guido Vercammen, Member of the Board of Directors GROUP T;
Prof. Meng Dawei, Vice & President; Prof Cha Jianzhong, Member of the Board of Directors GROUP T; Prof. Ge Baojun, Director Teaching Office; Prof. Liu Liqun,
Vice Director International Office.
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012

The delegation from the Faculty of Engineering of Khon Kaen University. Prof. Dr Kanchana Sethanan, Director for Energy Management and Conservation Office;
Prof. Dr. Sununtha Kingpaiboon, Associate Dean for Research and International Affairs; Prof. Dr. Piyada Theerakulpisut, Dept. of Biology, Faculty of Science;
Prof. Dr. Somnuk Theerakulpisut, Dean of Faculty of Engineering; Prof. Arwut Yimtae, Associate Dean for Administration; Prof. Dr. Sutasinee Neramittagapong,
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Collaboration with Khon Kaen University increased
Distinguished guests from
Thailand
On Friday 16 May 2012, GROUP T welcomed a six-head delegation from the Faculty of Engineering of
the Khon Kaen University (Thailand). The delegation was led by Prof. Somnuk Theerakulpisut, Dean of
the Faculty. Topics for discussion included strengthening collaboration in teaching and research projects,
exchange of students and staff and establishment of a Joint International Program in Engineering.
We talked to Kantima Thongkhao of GROUP T’s International Office.
The first contacts between GROUP T and Khon
Kaen University date back to June 2005 when
Prof. Johan De Graeve, President and Chief
Executive, visited the university and met the
then Dean of the Faculty of Engineering later President
of the university, Prof. Kittichai Triratanasirichai.
One year later, a meeting with Vice-President Kulthida
Tuamsuk ensued during the Confucius World Conference
in Beijing.
From that moment, the mutual contacts gained
momentum”, Kantima relates. “In 2007, a first memorandum
of understanding was signed. One year
later, a comprehensive academic collaboration was
created in the framework of global collaboration
between GROUP T and universities from the Greater
Mekong Sub-Region, which, in addition to Thailand,
includes Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and
the South-Chinese province Yannan. In 2011, with
the assistance of President De Graeve, two students
of the National University of Laos could join a master’s
program at the Faculty of Engineering of Khon
Kaen. Meanwhile, several steps were taken toward
a collaboration in the 2 + 2 bachelor’s and the 1 + 1
master’s formulas. In other words, there is a whole
history preceding the visit of the Thai delegation in
May 2012. It is the pinnacle of friendship of many
years between both institutes.”
Strong reputation
The engineering faculty of Khon Kaen University
offers no fewer than 40 diploma programs, including
11 bachelor’s, six special bachelor’s, 15 master’s
and eight Ph.D. programs. In addition, seven new
programs are being prepared.
“The Faculty of Engineering has built itself a strong
reputation and belongs to the absolute top in Thailand”,
Kantima remarks. “The faculty also has quite
a bit of expertise in international collaboration. For
instance, together with the University of Regina in
Canada, it offers a 2 + 2 program in which the students,
after two years at Khon Kaen, continue their
studies in Canada and receive a diploma from both
universities afterwards. This program is already active
in Electrical, Industrial and Environmental Engineering.
It is the intention to establish such a Joint International
Engineering Program with GROUP T as well,
at first in Electronics and Computer Engineering.”
Student and Staff Exchange
Khon Kaen University and the Faculty of Engineering,
in particular, plans to benefit much more from
the international experience, according to Kantima.
“GROUP T is an important partner because of its
experience in the region. It is the intention to arrive
at an effective exchange of students and teachers in
the near future but also to set up educational and
research projects as well as study-abroad arrangements
at all levels from bachelor’s to Ph.D. This is to
be established through some form of Erasmus formula
in which students are exchanged for shorter periods
of time and only obtain a limited number of credits.”
International forum
During the visit, Prof. Somnuk Theerakulpisut
announced that he wanted to actively include
GROUP T in organizing the next edition of the biennial
‘KKU International Engineering Conference’.
“This prestigious conference is a continuation of the
Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development
conferences”, Kantima continues. “The conference
offers an international forum for the presentation
of the most recent technological developments
and research results. Academics, but also business
executives and government bodies from all over the
world meet to exchange information and expertise.
The 2012 theme was ‘Driving Together Towards
ASEAN Economic Community’ about the common
goal of all Asean countries to arrive at a regional economic
integration in 2015. GROUP T has been asked
to play a prominent role in the academic committee
that judges the papers submitted. About 100 papers
from 41 international researchers are expected.”
Thai Embassy
After the visit to GROUP T and the meetings about
bilateral collaboration, the delegation was received
by H.E. Ambassador Apichart Chinwanno at the
Royal Thai Embassy to Belgium and Luxemburg, also
Mission of Thailand to the EU. Kantima was also
there: “The ambassador was briefed by delegation
members about the visit and the plans for further
collaboration. He expressed his appreciation for the
results achieved and hoped that both the Thai and
the Belgian students will seize this opportunity to get
to know each other better.”
Y.P.
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
3
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012

International cooperation expanding
Ethiopian lecturers perfect
themselves at GROUP T
Alongside India and China, Ethiopia is one of GROUP T’s preferential countries in its international strategy
and activities. Cooperation agreements have been concluded with numerous universities in the ICE countries
and there is a busy exchange of students, faculty members and knowhow. In the spring of 2012,
Teame Tilahun Kidanemariam, Melaku Esubalew Cherie and Mohammed Aman Ibrahim came to Leuven
for a month for an introduction to GROUP T’s educational system.
Melaku teaches Engineering Thermodynamics,
Chemical Engineering and
Thermodynamics and Mechanical Unit
Operations in the Engineering bachelor
program in Ethiopia. He also teaches engineering
skills to freshmen. Since 2009, he has been Head of
the Engineering Department at Dira Dawa. Melaku
has carried out projects on waste water management
for the Bahir Dar Tannery, on cellulosic ethanol productions
and small scale biofuel production from animal
manure at Bakir Dar University.
It was the first trip to Belgium for both Melaku and
his two colleagues. “Nice country,” he finds. “Friendly
and helpful people. The same goes for Leuven, small
but enjoyable with a large concentration of students.
The presence of the KU Leuven as well as high-tech
companies and research centers like IMEC make the
city a real knowledge center.”
Method of teaching
Melaku confirms that he has learned many interesting
things at GROUP T. “For instance, Toledo, the
electronic learning platform is a unique instrument
for both students and teachers. Also the method of
teaching offers many advantages. While the professors
in Ethiopia still write everything on the blackboard,
everybody at GROUP T uses PowerPoint presentations
that students can consult on Toledo after
class. That is not only faster but also significantly
increases the learning efficiency.”
“The lecture content is also closer to industrial practice,”
Melaku continues. “This is because of the
problem-based approach and the fact that GROUP T
professors work closely with companies and often
have practical experience as well. In other words,
not theory for the sake of theory but rather always
clearly linked to concrete applications. We can learn
a great deal from this in Ethiopia.”
Complex country
Teame is also associated with the Dire Dawa University.
He started as a graduate assistant for a year and
a half and has been assistant lecturer now for a year
already in the Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering.
He teaches the courses Programming, DSP and Computer
Communication. “The university system in Belgium
is entirely different than the one in Ethiopia,”
he says. “In Ethiopia, all students live on campus
with the result that the university is a true city in the
city. The government pays for all study costs, including
accommodation. Once the students have graduated
and are at work, they repay part of the amount
they received from the government. “Ethiopia is a
complex country with dozens of peoples, cultures
and languages,” Teame remarks. “But Belgium is as
well, even though there are only three communities.
A pleasant surprise for me in Leuven was to see so
many Ethiopian master’s students. They took care of
us wonderfully so that we immediately felt at home.”
Real-world assignments
Teame is impressed by the practical sessions and the
laboratories. “Students are carrying out real-world
tasks there. Particularly interesting are also the Engineering
Experiences (EE) every semester. Students
working in teams on cross-discipline projects with
open assignments they can really indulge in. A very
positive aspect of GROUP T’s engineering program is
the fact that it is strongly market-oriented. In each
project, the students are expected to come up with
a price tag. It’s not enough to just come up with and
put together anything and everything, if it doesn’t
sell, the company goes belly-up and you’ll find yourself
out on the street. This is an essential attitude
that is really impressed upon GROUP T engineers.”
Class management
Mohammed studied Electrical Engineering at the
Jimma University. For a year and a half, just like
Teame, he was a graduate assistant and has been an
assistant lecturer at the Diria Dawa University now
since 2010. In the Department Electrical and Computer
Engineering, he teaches Programming, Control
Engineering and Engineering Skills.
Mohammed finds Belgium a fascinating country
with wealthy historical cities like Brussels, Antwerp,
Brugge and Ghent. The Belgian food took some getting
used to but is not too bad now.
Mohammed also confirms it was an instructive
period. “I have seen how a class can be managed
professionally,” he says. “The auditoriums and classrooms
are all excellently equipped. They all have a
projection system and there is a stimulating learning
environment that entices the students to cooperate
and take initiative. The most fascinating are
indeed the EE projects. We don’t have this concept
in Ethiopia. Text book examples of creativity, entrepreneurship
and project management. And, equally
important, no investments or expensive equipment is
required. Take the EE 2 project in the second semester
of the first bachelor stage. That’s about reverse
engineering. The assignment is to take some defunct
piece of equipment, dismantle it completely, describe
the parts and reassemble it with half the parts ensuring
nevertheless that it works. Doesn’t cost anything,
but it certainly counts as a learning experience. We
want to introduce such examples of creative engineering
in Ethiopia, too.”
The Ethiopian lecturers Teame Tilahun
Kidanemariam, Melaku Esubalew Cherie and
Mohammed Aman Ibrahim came for a month
to GROUP T.
Y.P.
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
4
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012

Second Flemish-Chinese
Job Fair at GROUP T
Belgian
companies flirt
with Chinese
students
“The Chinese are discovering Belgium”, the Standaard
reported at the end of 2011. Chinese companies invested
almost 50 billion dollars in our country last year which is
twice the amount of the previous year. Recently, it became
apparent that a group of 100 Chinese companies chose
our country to set up their European headquarters as a
result of which Flanders has become the European-Chinese
trading hub. But also the reverse process took off some
time ago. Belgian companies are fully in the process of
discovering China and the Chinese students at GROUP T.
The annual Flemish-Chinese Job Fair is an initiative of the Flemish-Chinese
Chamber of Commerce to which the Leuven university college GROUP T is a
structural partner. This year, ten reputable companies (including Agfa Gevaert,
Umicore, Tessenderlo Groep, Daikin Airpower, Atlas Copco, etc.) came down to
Campus Vesalius to offer projects, apprenticeships, topics for master’s theses and jobs to
Chinese engineering students and graduates. The limited number of companies did not
prevent the second edition from attracting great attention from the student audience.
The participants were welcomed by Wang Luxin, Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy
Educational Sector; Gwenn Sonck, Executive Director of the Flemish-Chinese Chamber
of Commerce; Prof. Guido Vercammen, Member of the Board of Directors of GROUP T,
and Song Zhiwei of the Association of Chinese Professionals in Belgium.
“GROUP T has positioned itself as a truly International University College for years
already”, says Prof. Vercammen. “China opened our eyes to the world more than 15 years
ago. Every year, more Chinese youngsters come to Leuven to study with our Flemish students.
As a result, our Chinese engineers are now attractive to Belgian companies just like
our Flemish engineers are increasingly attractive to Chinese entrepreneurs.”
Quality over quantity
Wang Luxin of the Chinese Embassy in Brussels was pleased with the turnout and the
result. “Agreed, it was no mass event, but that wasn’t the intention. At large job fairs
with hundreds of stands and visitors there is little opportunity for personal contact.
It was entirely different at GROUP T. Time was indeed available to properly balance
supply and demand.”
Gwenn Sonck of the Flemish-Chinese Chamber of Commerce shares this view. “We want
to be a platform where Chinese and Flemish enterprise meet each other”, she says. “Our
purpose is to bring Chinese and Flemish partners in touch with each other through information
exchange, interaction, project support in collaboration with companies and the
government. We assist Flemish entrepreneurs that want to conduct business in China and
Chinese companies that wish to invest in Flanders. We organize conferences, workshops,
networking lunches and of course events like the annual Flemish-Chinese Job Fair as well.”
Enthusiastic students
“The entrepreneurs I have spoken with were excited about the turnout and the interest
of students”, Song Zhiwei confirms. “They found the Chinese candidates to be
very enthusiastic. They asked a lot of questions, knew very well what they wanted
and declared themselves prepared to give themselves entirely to their job and their
company. The Chinese graduates, in turn, were very happy that the Belgian companies
did not impose any special demands concerning their command of Dutch.”
In any case, the Flemish-Chinese Job Fair did not target just the Chinese engineering
students and graduates or the graduates from the international postgraduate programs
of GROUP T, students and graduates from the KU Leuven and other universities were
also welcome. A Chinese student from the University of Antwerp was astonished by the
Flemish-Chinese Job Fair in Leuven. Nowhere else in Belgium or elsewhere in Europe
had she encountered such a thing. “Pioneering and different”, was her conclusion.
Ample choice
The companies that attended did not leave the fair empty-handed. The Leuven hightech
company PEC, for instance, offered no fewer than seven vacancies: from Production
Assistant, Production Support Engineer, Technical Purchaser, Quality Inspector to
Service Software Engineer, Service Engineer Electronics and Country Manager China.
Ample choice. In other words, something for everybody.
Y.P.
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
5

China Journey 2012
Impressions of a unique
learning adventure
This year, the well-known GROUP T - Leuven Engineering College classic went into its 13 th edition.
No fewer than 170 engineering students from the third bachelor stage and their supervisors traversed the
immense country from 24 March to 12 April 2012. In the past 13 years, GROUP T has already brought a
Chinese total immersion experience to more than 2,000 students and teachers. On the program this year were
large cities like Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Beijing, Guilin, Wuhan, Hangzhou and Xi’an but also visits
to companies and universities were included as well as a good dousing in local culture. GROUP T’s Confucius
Institute ensured a decent preparation of the China travelers again and organized a photo contest after their
return. Below you’ll see the winning photos with the commentary of the photographers.
Tim Vandendael
3 rd Bac Electromechanical Engineering
In China we started a trend named ‘brooming’.
Its emergence at the University of Elec-
told me there is a Chinese saying which has it
some very nice scenery. Also, at the top, a man
tronic Science and Technology of China was that you are not a man until you have climbed
a pure coincidence. We tried to do it in some the Great Wall. Other places where we did
well-known places but of course there wasn’t some brooming included the Panda base,
always a broom available. The picture above Nanjing Dong Lu, Qing Chen Shu and the Bell
is taken on the Great Wall of China. I selected Tower in Xi’an.
it because it was very beautiful there and had
Maxime Spaas
3 rd Bac Electromechanical Engineering
This is a photo of the red panda. I spotted it none of these animals can go back to the
in the ChengDu panda nursery. Before going wild because their trust in humans would not
there I knew nothing about it. I didn’t know stand them in good stead. In my opinion that
it was closely related to the black and white is a real shame. Every living creature should
panda bear or that they are also an endangered
species. It was nice to see it from close Another downside is that they would not
be able to walk free in their natural habitat.
by and even see it interacting with humans. be able to find food on their own. But then
I guess that by growing up in the nursery again, as long as the nursery ensures their
they get so accustomed to humans they are continued existence that’s a small price to
no longer afraid of them. Still, there are some pay. This way other people like me can get to
upsides and downsides to it. While it presents know this animal and see it in real life.
visitors with the opportunity for a closer look,
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
Alexander Croes
3 rd Bac Electromechanical Engineering
I took this photo in the Forbidden City in tures. There was always someone in your
Beijing. We visited on a beautiful morning way. Until I found a spot on this bridge. The
with a rare blue sky and bright light. But we intense colors of the building across the river
were not the only ones with that agenda. It and the clean white of the stones reflected in
was so crowded! I really had never seen so the water. Not a soul to be seen. A welcome
many people at one tourist attraction. You respite from the crowd.
can imagine it was hard to take good pic-
6
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012

Jeroen Bertels
3 rd Bac Biochemical Engineering
Here is the photo that I will never forget. cious fried fish and rice wine which to me
It was taken on one of the rice terraces of tasted a bit like Delirium Tremens, one of Belgium’s
best beers. After lunch, we were free
Longjin. We visited Longjin on Wednesday 4
April after a tiring 3-hour bus trip. We had to visit the town and explore the rice fields.
already tried to get there the day before I went straight into the fields with two of my
but after an hour and a half of traveling we friends to take some pictures somewhere out
found our way blocked by a giant rock lying of the way. It was very quiet out there and we
in the middle of the road. Since we were had a great view of Longjin. At that moment
traveling with a large bus, we couldn’t get we heard something behind us and that is
around or take a shortcut. The next day we when we took this picture. The woman with
did it all over again with two smaller buses so her little daughter made us all quiet for quite
we could take the shortcut and finally get to some time and left us with more respect than
the rice terraces.
ever before for the people who lived there.
The rice terraces were really magnificent I’m not sure why but the experience of that
and overwhelmed me. I liked the nature very moment was very enriching. Later, we went
much and the combination of a hand-built to a youth hostel and had a good Chinese
bamboo town and the rice terraces were beer together and that is how we spent our
breathtaking. Many women had very long last minutes in Longjin enjoying ourselves.
hair. They could even make their own turban The moments we spent there were some
with it. We ate at a local restaurant and the of the best of the entire China trip and not
food was very tasty, too. We got some deli-
something I will easily forget!
Antonio Bongaerts
3 rd Bac Industrial Sciences
This photo was taken in the YuYuan Garden,
better known as the garden of happiness. The
garden itself is located in the center of the
old city of Shanghai. We selected this photo
for the simple reason that it perfectly depicts
the experience of the China trip. It is a scenic
spot, with a skyscraper visible in the background;
it is a symbol of the new era China
has entered. Shanghai is well-known as the
financial center of China, and the skyline is
dominated by tall buildings, yet the old culture
is still present. As a token of its architectural
beauty, the details of a roof are visible
in the photo; it is a symbol of Chinese art
and culture well-preserved over hundreds of
years. And the foreground of the photo, trees
and flowers represent the scenery of beautiful
gardens and great attractive forests.
Christophe Vandenhoeck
3 rd Bac Industrial Sciences
While walking through Shanghai in search of
a restaurant, we encountered this special car
stacking unit. It serves as a kind of ferris wheel
car park, fitting up to 8 cars in a small space.
I saw this type of set-up in a movie once, but
I was quite amazed to see it being used in real
life. For me, it also symbolizes the creativity
that Chinese people display to be able to live
in a busy city with limited space. It’s also a
very interesting machine from an engineering
student’s point of view.
Maarten Fierens
3 rd Bac Industrial Sciences
This is a photo of man writing Chinese characters
on the ground with water. It was taken
in Beijing at the Summer Palace on our last
day in China. I chose this photo because this
is one of the things that I used to imagine
when I thought of China. In the end, it took
Tijl Crauwels
3 rd Bac Biochemical Engineering
the entire journey to actually see it, so I guess
it isn’t that commonly performed anymore.
I was really impressed by this man because he
used two brushes at the same time to write
two different characters. The characters were
also beautifully drawn.
In the photo there are six Chinese men playing
cards. A sight we would see a lot during
our trip in China. The thing which surprised
me most about this were the spectators.
When Chinese men started a card game, you
could see the spectators just rolling in, sometimes
numbering over twenty.
At first we thought it was just people who
knew each other, but we couldn’t have been
more wrong. Every time we were bored and
we had a deck of cards, we would start a
game of cards ourselves. To our surprise, Chinese
men started gathering around us as well.
After several minutes, there were about ten
to twenty Chinese men and women, watching
us play a game. No doubt this was new
and incomprehensible to them, but they still
liked to watch us play. Some even stayed and
watched the entire time we played, which
was about half an hour.
This is a sight that I won’t forget soon, and
this is why I choose this picture for this assignment.
It surprised me, and still does, how they
could, in such great numbers, be fascinated
by a game they probably didn’t have a clue
how it worked. It’s also just one of those many
things that show the differences between cultures.
There were many more differences to
choose from, but I found this specific one so
intriguing that I picked it.
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
7

International students in the spotlight
Ahmad Azzam:
engineering your future
Ahmad is Lebanese, from the commercial, tourist, economic and educational
heart of the country: the capital and port city of Beirut. The city is known as
the Paris of the East and is ranked ninth in the World Best Awards of the international
Travel and Leisure Magazine after New York but before San Francisco.
Ahmad has been living in Brussels for three years now. After completing secondary school
and with a passion for technology, he went looking for an engineering program that was
familiar with international students.
He almost automatically ended up at GROUP T - International University College Leuven,
the only campus where it is possible to take all your courses in English and where you end
up in a varied multicultural environment.
Ahmad is in the first stage of the Industrial Sciences bachelor program and he found his
way around at GROUP T very quickly. “Not only because of the very international environment”,
he explains. “But also because of the way the program is approached. You are
constantly challenged to prove yourself, to show that you know how to go about doing
things, that you can collaborate with others in the labs or in projects and that you are
sharp, in short, you can organize and manage yourself. At GROUP T, you learn how to
develop yourself, to set goals. Studying to become an engineer is also a test of character
that way. You gain mental strength and you learn how to approach and solve problems.
And you are constantly gaining self-confidence and trust in your own abilities.”
“At GROUP T, you learn how
to develop yourself, to set
goals and you learn how to
approach problems.”
Ahmad’s ambition is to earn a Master’s of Science in Biochemical Engineering. He believes
there is a great future in this because the biotechnology sector is clearly on the rise. After
he graduates, Ahmad would like to gain a few years of practical experience in Belgium
first. He hopes to get his real career going as an engineer in Dubai or the Emirates, a
region where, according to Ahmad, the sky’s the limit.
Y.P.
Latif Kadri: from the
football field to the
engineering program
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
“It is an engineering program with
the prospect of a whole range of
career opportunities.”
Latif is of Hungarian-Algerian descent but he grew up in Bakersfield near Los Angeles.
What was it that brought him to Belgium and, more specifically, Leuven? The
answer is as unexpected as it is simple: football. From childhood on, Latif was passionate
about football and when, three years ago, he was offered a contract with
the youth team of the Oud-Heverlee Leuven (OHL) club he was the luckier for it. This club
has been in Belgium’s Premier League for some time already and measures up to the best
teams in the country with a group of loyal and enthusiastic supporters behind it. Furthermore,
it still has a pleasant and friendly atmosphere.
No matter how great the challenge, once in Leuven, Latif came to the conclusion after
just a few months that he had more going for himself. All the more because in sports,
and especially top sports, careers are rather short by definition. Leuven’s atmosphere as
a centuries-old university city and the presence of tens of thousands of students from all
corners of the world also helped Latif decide to pursue higher education here. In Leuven
that choice was easy for him: as brand-new international student he was going to study
at the International University College GROUP T, the only place that offers the entire
engineering program in English and where there is a truly international learning and
living environment. Moreover, it is an engineering program with the prospect of a whole
range of career opportunities.
Latif is now a student in the Industrial Sciences bachelor program and feels right at home
at GROUP T. He especially appreciates the relatively small classes. This allows students
and professors to become acquainted with each other more quickly and the students to
be more involved. The great variety of international students further adds to the experience.
But also the contact with the Flemish students is going well, Latif says. At GROUP T,
it doesn’t matter much where you come from, what your nationality is or what the color
of your skin is.
Latif’s ambition is to graduate with a Master’s of Science in Biochemical Engineering. To
Latif, it is very clear why: “Biotech is the technology of life and life is the future.”
Y.P.
8
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012

“The whole international
environment with all the foreign
students is a tremendous bonus.”
Chen Keliang: it’s not
just what you study
that matters but also
where you study
Keliang was born in Zigong, in the south-western Chinese province of Sichuan,
known for its spicy cuisine and as the home of the panda.
Keliang started his studies at the Beijing Jiaotong University, one of GROUP T’s
first and still one of its most important partner universities in China. Keliang did
one year of Electrical Engineering there and then came to GROUP T along with a number
of fellow students in the framework of the Joint International Engineering Program.
“It certainly was a radical decision and it wasn’t an obvious one either, but I haven’t
regretted it for a minute,” says Keliang. “After all, GROUP T has many advantages: small
classes, good supervision, attentive and respectful professors, helpful fellow students,
excellent reception by the International Office and of course the whole international
environment with all the foreign students, which is a tremendous bonus and truly prepares
you for the globalized world and the economy that’s in full expansion. Studying at
GROUP T is anticipating your future as an engineer and as a professional.”
The importance that GROUP T attaches to entrepreneurship is another unique selling point
according to Keliang. “We are not really academics”, he says. “We are first of all engineersentrepreneurs.
During our studies we have regular contact with entrepreneurs, we go on
company visits, play management games and also have to do our master’s thesis in a company.
Those who wish to can spread their master’s program over two academic years and
supplement it with a two-semester long Entrepreneurial Engineering Experience, which is
an extra learning track in a company. Those who choose to can accomplish unique projects:
the solar cars built by GROUP T students are the perfect example.”
Keliang is in the third bachelor stage of the Electromechanical Engineering program. During
the past academic year, he was part of the China Project Team, a group of professors and
students who organize the annual study trip to China for third-year students. Keliang acted
as guide for one of the four travel groups in Shanghai, Chongqing, Wuhan and Beijing.
“It was an extraordinary experience and at the same time a great honor to be able to be a
guide in my own country and to return the favor to the Flemish students”, Keliang asserts.
After his studies, Keliang wants to gain some practical experience in Belgium before leaving
the country. “Not for long”, he says. “Because no matter how you look at it, China
offers more opportunities. And also my girlfriend is there in Shanghai.”
Y.P.
Marian Davies: from
Normandy to Leuven
via Brussels
Marian traces his roots to France and more specifically to Saint-Lô in beautiful
Normandy where life is literally and figuratively an art. The career of
Marian’s father with the European Commission in Brussels brought him to
Belgium 17 years ago. He attended the European School in Brussels where
he mastered English.
“The professors expect us to
apply ourselves also in teams.”
Marian still wants to better his command of English even further. Through one of his
friends who studied at GROUP T, he learned that the International University College in
Leuven was the only campus in Belgium where engineering studies are available fully in
English. Furthermore, Leuven is only a stone’s throw away from Brussels so the decision
was an easy one.
Marian is in the first stage of the Industrial Sciences bachelor program in a very international
group. “Belgian, Ethiopian, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Spanish, Nicaraguan, all possible
nationalities blend together effortlessly. The most exotic languages are spoken on and
near the campus but from the moment the company is mixed, everybody spontaneously
switches to English.”
The studies themselves Marian refers to as ‘tough’. The tempo and the pressure should
not be underestimated. The professors are demanding and they aim high. They expect us
to apply ourselves, not only individually but also in teams. There is also the ambition to
make it, first as a student, then as an engineer.”
As far as his personal ambition is concerned, Marian has the following to say: “I want to
get a Master’s in Electromechanical Engineering. Why? Because that is the most polyvalent
program at GROUP T with a great variety of possibilities and perspectives. I’m aiming
for a job in a large international company.”
In his spare time Marian can be found on his bicycle. Cycling has been a passion of his for
years. He is a member of a cycling club and takes part in competitions regularly. “Racing
keeps you not only fit but also sharp, competitive and goal-oriented,” Marian believes.
“All things that come in handy for an engineer in this competitive world.”
Y.P.
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
9

Two-year master tracks at GROUP T
Core: sustainability and the
cooperation
How does one go about reducing the ecological footprint of the Leuven student by a factor of 10 by
2050? How to make Leuven climate-neutral without turning back the clock several centuries? This is the
domain of the student cooperation. CORE works on sustainable solutions that are both technologically and
economically attainable. The project fits perfectly with the ‘International Year of the Cooperations’ and
the ‘International Year of Renewable Energy’. On 9 May 2012, the new cooperation was christened in the
Leuven high-tech center IMEC.
We talked to three passionate CORE
spokespeople: founder and driving
force Stijn De Jonge, lecturer at
GROUP T - Leuven Engineering College,
and students Koen Wauters and Dries Bollaerts,
both of whom elected to do the two-year Electromechanical
Engineering master track. “Thanks to the
way the program was spread, two extra semesters
become available to accomplish an ambitious project”,
says Koen. Dries speaks of “an ideal formula not
only to gain broad technological expertise, but also to
tune your entrepreneurial skills and at the same time,
as a future engineer, to commit yourself socially to a
purpose that is in the best interest of us all: the need
for rational and sustainable energy and the future of
our planet in general.”
Democratic organization
“Everything started last year with a call from the
Roger Van Overstraeten Society, named after the
founder of IMEC, and the Entrepreneuring Agency
to submit a project on cooperative and sustainable
entrepreneurship”, Stijn relates. “Our project proposal
focused on three general areas: nutrition,
transport and buildings. Within these areas we look
for rational and sustainable solutions for companies
or organizations that must lead to a tangible
decrease in their ecological footprint. This is not limited
to the technological implementation, at least
as important is raising awareness with the greater
audience, and young people in particular, to create
greater support base.”
The CORE Team of GROUP T works on
sustainable solutions that are both
technologically and economically attainable.
“Also, we want to promote the cooperation as an
example of sustainable entrepreneurship”, Stijn continues.
“Cooperations are by definition volunteer
organizations, open to anybody who is willing to
take up the responsibility of membership and to be
of service to the other members and other organizations.
In other words, democratic organizations that
are run by members/partners. They are the shareholders
who contribute fairly to the cooperation’s capital,
a capital that they help manage. Any profit first goes
to the further development of the cooperation. At
CORE, we distinguish three categories of shareholders:
the founding partners each with 40 shares valued
at 100 euro/share; the educational institutions and
non-profit organizations with 10 shares each and
finally the students and sympathizers with at least
1 share each. Anyone who would like to step out of
the cooperation at some point can do so because we
work with an open membership.”
Win/win situation
CORE’s first project proposal came from Alma university
restaurants, one of the founding members.
“The sandwich shop on Campus Arenberg had been
dealing with heating problems for some time”, Koen
explains. “So they came to us with a request to devise
and implement a number of energy-saving measures.
We went there to analyze the heat streams and chart
the electricity consumption so that we could draw up
a plan for more rational energy consumption based
on the findings. This has in the meantime been carried
out and has provided the projected outcome.”
“We want to promote
the cooperation as an
example of sustainable
entrepreneurship.”
A second CORE project is now running in Eeklo, a
city in the province of Oost-Vlaanderen. “It involves
several partners”, Dries says. “For starters, the local
household waste incinerator. The steam that is
released with the incineration drives a turbine that
produces green electricity. But what happens to the
steam afterwards? Until now, it was simply allowed
to cool until it turned liquid again which meant a lot
of heat was wasted. Working with the company Ecopower,
also a CORE partner, we are devising a solution
to recuperate the heat and use it for the central
heating of the city. With the appropriate modifications
to the incinerator and the pipework we could
provide the entire city of Eeklo with warm water.
A win-win situation for everyone. It will allow the
association of municipal corporations that runs the
incinerator to deliver more energy and that way gain
more green energy certificates. Ecopower acquires
new expertise and the inhabitants of Eeklo have to
spend less for their heating. And for CORE it looks
good on their calling card.”
Cross fertilization
The five student partners in CORE are passionate
about sustainable development. “Everything revolves
around the three Ps of planet, profit and people”,
Koen clarifies. “First of all, it’s about care for the
environment, but it is also about the economic feasibility
and care for people. Sustainable development
may not lead to impoverishment or social decay.”
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
Another motive is accomplishing broad social support.
“You cannot start early enough with that”, Dries
believes. “So we involve the students of the GROUP T
teacher training program who are involved in CORE,
more particularly the future teachers of Technological
Education. If they take the ideas on sustainable development
with them to school, into the classroom, to
the students and the parents, we reach a broad and
young audience. Young people do leave an ecological
footprint and we’d rather this evolved into an ecological
handshake: a joint commitment to work on
sustainability. Another good reason to involve the
soon-to-be teachers in the project is that they teach a
second subject in addition to Technological Education.
This may be Dutch, but just as well Morality, Economy,
Physics, History or Islamic Religion. There is a lot of
room for sustainable development in these subjects as
well. As a result, you create a veritable cross fertilization,
a cooperation of ideas.”
Y.P.
10
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012

Engineering Experiences no. 4
Racing with the sun
One of the most exciting course units in the engineering curricula is without a doubt the Engineering
Experiences. These are interdisciplinary learning experiences that are spread out over the entire
program. Students work in teams to complete challenging projects through which, by doing them,
they pick up the competencies of a 5-E engineer. Students enrolled in the second Electromechanics
program stage build a mini solar car. Project coordinator Peter Slaets tells us the story.
Make stuff work’ is the main theme of the
Engineering Experiences in the second
program stage. Each of the projects is
taken up in such a way that each of
the teams of students designs and makes an original
and tangible product that effectively works. Moreover,
each team is also expected to investigate whether
there could be potential customers for the product. In
this way, the Electromechanical engineering students
build a mini solar car. Chemistry students devise means
to produce synthesized dyes to color textiles taking
into account environmental regulations and the fields
of application of the textile. Biochemistry students
research how they can turn starch into glucose and
then build a lab-scale bioreactor. And the second-year
ICT-Electronics students experiment to their hearts
content with light, noise and games.
Three cases
“Racing solar cars is naturally a lot of fun and a
challenge, but that’s not the essence of the project”,
Peter explains. “For us, it’s about the technical
aspects of building a mini solar car, the calculations,
the drawings. The achievements during the final race
ultimately account for only 10%. But it’s certainly
true that the competitive element ensures verve and
spectacle and substantial interest from inside and
outside GROUP T. Just like the large Solar Car, our
mini solar cars have become something like the billboard
for GROUP T.”
The common theme that runs through the Engineering
Experiences 4 Electromechanics are three cases
that each team has to handle. “The first case is about
the small solar vehicle”, Peter explains. “The intention
is that each team has thorough knowledge of
how a solar panel works as applied to its car. Whether
you equip your vehicle with three or four wheels will
make a big difference.”
“For us, it’s about the
technical aspects of
building a mini solar car,
the calculations,
the drawings.”
Simulation software is the focal point in the second
case. “It’s the graphic program that has a mainly
mathematical approach,” Peter says. “With it, they
can experiment with all kinds of parameters: the type
of solar panel, the drag, the friction, the DC motor,
the gear, and so on. It’s all in the model and ensures
that each team can simulate how its car will operate.”
Method
“The third case is the strength calculation of the car’s
body”, Peter continues. “This includes a technical
drawing. This is just as important the other cases. It
teaches the students where the priorities are: drag,
weight and so on. It’s also the method for taking on
a project or a problem. ‘Model driven engineering’
it’s called: start with a model, then simulate and then
design.”
Tuesday, 29 May 2012, was demo day and the teams
competed with each other. “We usually race on
the Martelarenplein in front of the station, but the
weather gods weren’t cooperating with us this year”,
Peter tells us. “So the final was held in the atrium at
Vesalius Campus. It’s also a great location, of course,
but nothing beats racing outside in the full sun.”
And who won the race in the end? “The lightest car of
them all”, according to Peter. “At scarcely 750 gram,
a simple design, no superfluous transmission, control
or microprocessors, but very well aligned and efficient.
Moreover, this year, it wasn’t just the speed of the car
that was the deciding factor. Other evaluation criteria
included how innovative and aesthetic the cars were.
Future engineers have to have an eye for that too.”
Y.P.
GROuP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
11
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012

Researchers in the spotlight
Splash controllers:
gaming with water
‘Splash Controller’, that’s the name of the new game controller developed by Prof. Dr. Luc Geurts and
Dr. Vero Vanden Abeele who are associated with GROUP T’s e-Media Lab and KU Leuven’s ESAT and
CUO. The concept is as surprising as it is simple - at least at first glance. The user interacts with computer
technology through water. Literally, playing with water. This presents the researchers with many
opportunities and not only in the entertainment industry but also in the therapeutic sector.
The human interaction with the computer as
we know it today is characterized by a clear
physical separation between the user and
the machine. We spend hours in front of a
screen and give instructions with a mouse and keyboard.
“Even the multi-touch screens barely have a
realistic interaction with the environment”, Vero suggests.
“Our objective is to render the interaction more
‘embodied’, to provide a greater and more direct link
with true day-to-day life. Not from a safe distance, but
in the thick of things. Bare in mind that most daily
interactions with the environment also occur like that.
Going for a walk in the woods invariably results in
leaves sticking to your shoes. Cooking results in stains
on your apron, painting in paint on your hands, etc.
These traces are an inextricable part of the interaction
and result in visible, tangible but also valuable
feedback for the user. Until recently, this would have
been inconceivable in technology. It had to be clean
and sterile.”
Splashing about water
“That’s exactly what we want to move beyond with
our Splash Controller”, Luc continues. “The idea is that
the user literally splashes water or another fluid about
and operates a gaming console in doing so. You fill a
bowl with water and the user moves the bowl about
carelessly as a result of which the side of the bowl gets
wet and the water can ultimately spill over the edge.
The side of the bowl is fitted with electrodes that are
activated by contact with the water. Subsequently, by
means of the electrodes’ signals, the computer is able
to react to the movements of the water and generate
images and/or sounds based on this.”
“Of course, water and electricity are like water and
fire, but since the electrical voltage in the water is
very low, there is no immediate danger of electrocution”,
Vero remarks. “But much more important is
this: you can’t achieve a successful interaction with
the Splash Controller if you are afraid of making a
mess. Quite the contrary, the game only works optimally
if you are not afraid of splashing about. Water
splashing over the user or his environment is essential
for visual and tangible feedback. Actually, it is
a balancing act between carefully manipulating the
water bowl and the sensual pleasure of splashing.
This is precisely why the Splash Controller lends itself
so well to game-like applications.”
“The user literally
splashes water or
another fluid about
and operates a gaming
console in doing so.”
Dr. Vero Vanden Abeele and Prof. Dr. Luc Geurts who
are associated with GROUP T’s Media Lab developed a
new game controller.
“We are not, in fact, introducing anything new”, Luc
believes. “We evolved from water, no life is possible
without it. Children are not afraid of it. Playing with
water truly makes interaction with the Splash Controller
an embodied experience. We have built a prototype,
an altogether simple game that is controlled
in this way, but there are quite a few other applications.
I’m thinking of special toys with water that
are not intended only for children but also for people
with a motor disability. Our game is also interesting
for promoting good hand-eye coordination.
Artists and entertainers will no doubt be inspired by
it. Moreover, both the material and the design are
inexpensive. The technology is cheap and the device
itself robust.”
Video game therapy
GROuP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
It’s not the only thing that Luc Geurts, Vero Vanden
Abeele and their colleagues at the e-Media Lab
have lined up in the way of tangible, embedded and
embodied interactive technology in which you use
your body to control a game. During the international
TEI conference last year in Madrid, they presented a
project on the development of video games for the
benefit of patients with psycho-motor problems. TEI
is the acronym for Tangible, Embedded and Embodied
Interaction. This year, for that matter, the Splash Controller
was presented at the TEI conference in Canada.
“You can easily refer to it as video game therapy”,
Vero confirms. “It uses the same user-centered
design as the Splash Controller. The project also
goes through the same stages of development: from
brainstorming to initial design to the construction
of a prototype and the user tests in a therapeutic
environment in which patients with limited motor
skills learn to carry out appropriate physical exercises
through the game in a relaxed and playful manner.
Now, we are in the process of finding commercial
partners: hospitals, therapists, gaming companies
that develop medical or software applications, etc.
This, too, is increased social value.”
Y.P.
12
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012

Jarno Van Hemelen, praeses of the
student organization Industria and
Pieterjan De Feyter, president of
GROUP T’s Student Council.
Students in the spotlight
Student commitment
Two groups are involved in protecting the interests of GROUP T engineering students: the student movement
Industria and the Student Council. The former vouches for the student experience, the second for the
educational aspect. So both seriousness and merriment are ensured and in the capable hands of praeses Jarno
Van Hemelen and president Pieterjan De Feyter. These two leaders face an academic year full of challenges.
Jarno is in the third program stage of Industrial
Sciences and Pieterjan is a master’s student.
With this, the top of GROUP T student representation
is in the hands of electronics engineers.
They both doubt that this will make any difference.
“We are here for all students and it doesn’t matter
what program they are in, what nationality they are
or what language they speak”, they both agree.
“We should have a more
prominent and visible
presence in the town
scape by cooperating
with the other student
movements.”
Jarno is an experienced Industrian. In the past academic
year he was jointly responsible for business
relations within the student movement. A crucial
service in the activities of the organization because
the responsibilities include sponsoring, for instance,
and the position has quite a bit of influence in terms
of financial management and internal affairs. In the
spring of 2012, Jarno pulled off a stunt in the fiftyyear
history of Industria. In less than three weeks he
assembled a 30-student team for the praeses elections,
ready and willing to take on important functions
including the textbook service, sports, logistics,
R&R, PCs, culture, business relations, PR and editorial
staff, in short, everything that makes student life at
GROUP T the dazzling enterprise it is.
Jarno does not lack ambition. “Industria has been a
household name in Leuven for half a century already.
Still, I feel that we should have a more prominent
and visible presence in the town scape. The strategy
to accomplish this is by cooperating with the other
great Leuven student movements: VTK, VRG, Economica,
and so on. After all, we are not competitors,
certainly not considering the engineering program
will be integrated into the KU Leuven next year. Then
we will be fellow students and colleagues. If we pool
our resources to organize great events, everyone will
be better off. Of course, everybody keeps representing
the interests of their own student population
because they differ from campus to campus and program
to program. They are also all different audiences
with different interests. This is exactly what
makes Leuven student life so unique: the rich mix and
great diversity. It can certainly not be allowed to go
to waste, also not after the integration of academic
programs in the KU Leuven. Industria is GROUP T, just
as GROUP T is Industria.”
Local and international
Otherwise, Jarno has additional priorities in ‘his’
praeses year. First, he mentions the commuting students.
“This is a group of students for whom not
enough has been done”, he feels. “Not nearly everybody
lives in Leuven. And not nearly everybody can
still get home after an evening activity or event. As a
result, Industria still has the reputation as a club for
resident students. We want to change that by creating
a greater diversity of activities.”
Another of Jarno’s focal points is the international
students. “I agree that Industria’s International Relations
service has been strengthened considerably”,
says Jarno. “We want to take that further by expanding
the team with both Flemish and foreign students,
including Flemish students that are taking an English
program. We will also address the international
students more directly than before. We know from
experience that works better.”
Also Industria’s website can expect a face lift according
to the praeses. “Not that it is a bad one, but we
want it to look more professional. We want to use
our business connections better as well as our international
ambitions.”
Education matters
Pieterjan also has Industria roots. Two years ago he
was responsible for sports and during the past academic
year he was department head on the Student
Council as a result of which he held a seat in the education
commissions, program teams and the Departmental
Council. In other words, he is no stranger to
matters of education and wants to continue that
streak.
Pieterjan has already managed to attract attention
on that note. Among other things, he was the driving
force behind the ‘full-is-full’ campaign as a protest
against the overcrowded classrooms. He also
supported the student teams that were set up in the
context of GROUP T’s two-year master track.
As the president of the Student Council, Pieterjan
also has a seat on GROUP T’s highest policy organs:
the General Meeting and the Board of Directors. He
also represents the GROUP T students on the Student
Council of the KU Leuven Association and in the
new Faculty of Industrial Sciences of the university
in which the engineering programs will soon be integrated.
“It is my task to help guard the GROUP T profile
both before and after the integration”, Pieterjan
believes. “Also the curriculum of the two-year master’s
programs in Industrial Sciences will be quite a
challenge. GROUP T has already anticipated this, so
it is already possible here in an organized fashion.
Our formula, a complementary learning track of
two semesters in a company, can be a model for the
entire KU Leuven Association. To continue to safeguard
that for the next generations is also part of the
mission of the Student Council.”
Y.P.
GROuP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
13
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012

Student in the spotlight
Engineering Fairy Tales
What started in the sixth year of primary school as a small amateur band has grown into a successful and
promising professional musical group. We are talking about ‘Geppetto & the Whales’ from Jan Fransen, bass
player and student in the second stage of the Bachelor program at GROUP T, one who is brimming with
enthusiasm and creativity. With a contract with EMI in his pocket, Jan and his band fell into the footsteps of
the great ones: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Cold Play…
Yes, Geppetto & the Whales?” Jan laughs.
“Do you know where we got that name?
It was during a night out when we’d stopped
in a pita bar. We learned that we had
been selected for Humo’s Rock Rally so we needed a
name. Because if you have no name, you don’t exist.
The craziest suggestions came up.”
Until somebody suddenly remembered Carlo Collodi’s
book from 1883 and Walt Disney’s cartoon
from 1940: Pinocchio’s father Geppetto. He was the
poor, childless carpenter who made sad wooden
puppets, one of which was brought to life by the
Blue Fairy. The ideas started to flow and somebody
thought of the whale Monstro, in which Pinocchio,
after long peregrinations, found his father again. So
there it was. With Geppetto & the Whales they can
take it anywhere, just like little Pinocchio. And just
like Jonah who also found himself inside a whale or
Baron von Münchhausen who went through everything,
from the possible to the impossible, flew to
the moon, smoked himself out of a whale and did a
little waltz under Etna with the ravishing Aphrodite
from Botticelli’s painting set in the forge of Vulcan
who was steaming with jealousy.
“You see, we want to evoke with Geppetto & the
Wales all this and much more”, according to Jan.
Jamming with friends
Jan took piano lessons in the conservatory of Oostmalle
in the Antwerp Kempen. In the sixth year of
primary school he formed a cover band with a couple
of friends that immediately went on to steal the
show at the school’s end of year party.
“Everything really started simply and spontaneously”,
Jan remarks. “Just jamming with some pals.
I learned to play the bass on my own by doing it. As
we went along more friends joined, also from other
amateur bands, each with their own talent and contribution.
In the belly of the whale we experimented
until we discovered our strength: polyphony.”
Two years ago came the baptism of fire: the first public
appearance, no stage experience, only a single,
but a damn good one (‘Oh my God’). “The Blue Fairy
must have been in the neighborhood, because it was
a bull’s eye”, Jan continues. “Selected for Humo’s
Rock Rally, the Kunstbende contest, played to death
on Radio 1. Continuing with our élan we came out
with a second single (‘Juno’) that was picked up by
‘De Afrekening’, ‘Vox Top 3’ and landed in the finales
of Humo’s Rock Rally, accompanied by rave reviews
in De Standaard and De Morgen. To top it off, we
received the award of ‘Talent of the Year’ from Cutting
Edge Awards.
“We find ourselves in
the polyphony: the
métier of it, making
things, which is also the
essence of engineering.”
The cherry on top was the contract with EMI according
to Jan. “Like the whale, we gained momentum
but it’s important that we follow Gepetto’s lead and
don’t change. If we do, we might trip over our long
nose like Pinocchio or stumble over our donkey ears.”
Engineering as polyphony
Jan’s band has three songwriters and singers: a jazz
guitarist, a Frank Zappa fan and one possessed by
The Beatles. “A fantastic mix”, Jan finds. “A bubbling
cauldron of creativity. Everybody puts something into
it: a thought, a tune, a sentence, whatever. But, and
this is the essence, it is then picked up by somebody
else; it is discussed, transformed, kneaded, turned
over, tossed back into the brew and, finally, distilled
and put on voice.”
To quote Richard Wagner: “the most beautiful and
best instrument is the human voice.” With voices you
can work magic. The old Flemish polyphonists from
the 15th and 16th century already had polyphony as
their trademark. Orlandus Lassus, Adriaan Willaert,
Guillaume Dufay, Josquin Des Prez, Johannes
Ockeghem, Jacobus de Kerle: they triumphed at all
courts in Europe and laid the foundation for a first
truly international music style, after the Gregorian
chant which was imposed by the Church.
“We find ourselves in the polyphony: the métier of
it, making things, which is also the essence of engineering.
Fine tuning polyphony is top engineering”,
says Jan.
First diploma, the rest will follow
Meanwhile, Jan’s band is laying waste to festivals
and cultural centers around the country as well as
in The Netherlands and Croatia. At GROUP T, Jan
enjoys the special status of student-artist, but keeps
both feet solidly on the ground. “I came to GROUP T
to become an engineer. That is and will remain the
priority. This university college creates an excellent
learning environment to do a variety of things and
explore your interests. The poor Geppetto started
from nothing with a piece of wood and a chisel. He
made a simple puppet that conquered the world and
is now known by everybody. The thing that brought
the wooden puppet to life is inspiration, the magic
wand of the Blue Fairy. She doesn’t have a name - la
fata dai capelli turchini (the fairy with the blue hair)
- but I know she is here on campus. And that she is
there for everybody who has something to offer.”
Y.P.
http://vi.be/geppettoandthewhales
Jan Fransen (left), bass player in the band ‘Geppetto
& the Whales’ and student in the second stage of
the Bachelor program at GROUP T.
GROuP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
14
© Guy Kokken
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012

Alumnus in the
spotlight
We make
art work
Flag spinning machines,
simulators for sun and moon
positions, computer installations
that register face symmetry, an
mp3 player set up with sensors
to detect the movement of
tree branches... Nothing seems
beyond the realm of the possible
for Thomas Nagels, engineer,
entrepreneur and co-founder of
Culture Crew, a company that
brings art to life and makes life
into art.
Thomas Nagels, GROUP T
engineer, entrepreneur
en co-founder of Culture
Crew, a company that
brings art to life and
makes life into art.
Thomas graduated from GROUP T in 2004 with
a degree in Electromechanical Engineering in
the then major Automation. Even before he
obtained his diploma, he had already signed
a contract and led a team of eight people in the
Dutch company Stakebrand, specialized in the design
and construction of theater mechanics.
“Making theater involves quite a lot of technology”,
Thomas states. “My thesis was about the automation
of a hoisting installation for use in fly lofts. It’s a complex
problem, not only mechanically but also in terms
of safety.” Thomas’s design effectively went into production
and is still used in about 30 theaters in Belgium
and The Netherlands.
Technically complex
After heading the company’s electro department for
two years, Thomas felt he was ready for a new challenge,
this time in the shape of a commercial function
in a company specialized in theater textiles, among
other things.
“This, too, is more technically complex than it seems
at first”, Thomas continues. “It is about more than just
putting up a curtain. For instance, theater textiles must
be flame-retardant, sound-dampening, etc. My job consisted
in coming up with and selling tailored solutions.”
Yet another two years later and we would find Thomas
with the lighting company Etap in Malle. He was
responsible for the service contracts of the emergency
lighting department but soon realized that functioning
in greater company structures was not for him, really.
So it was time to start ‘something’ himself. ‘Culture
Crew’ was it and its core business was to offer solutions
for the technical aspect of art installations.
Technical-creative
“In fact it was a leap into the unknown”, Thomas
admits. “The label ‘technical-creative’ can be interpreted
very broadly. You start somewhere, but never
know where it will lead exactly. Every project is different,
just like every artist we work with is unique.”
Thomas’s first project immediately struck gold. “For the
Venice Biennale, we built a computer installation with
Koen Vanmechelen. The installation registers face symmetry
and sends high-resolution moving images through
live internet. Visitors are asked to fill out a questionnaire
about their descent so that correlations can be established
about the extent of facial symmetry. This symmetry
plays an important role in our ideal of beauty.”
Thomas’s installation ran in Venice for six months without
a hitch, which in itself is an achievement.
Meanwhile, the Culture Crew built a new prototype
mp3 player, a machine spinning a flag in three dimensions,
which follows people that walk past it, a simulator
that calculates the precise position of the sun and
the moon from any place and at any time on earth,
and so on.
Unsolvable ideas
“It is the artist who initiates the creative process”,
Thomas asserts. “He or she walks around with an idea
but doesn’t know how to realize it, especially when
it involves technology. Our mission consists in taking
away the unsolvable aspect of an idea and coming up
with a solution together. Many artists who’ve come to
us had come up empty-handed elsewhere. For them a
whole world of possibilities opens up when they learn
that what they have in mind is not undoable after all.”
Whether artists are difficult? “That’s an idée fixe”,
“Our mission consists
in taking away the
unsolvable aspect of
an idea.”
Thomas believes. “The point is that technicians often
don’t understand the artists and artists don’t understand
the technicians. There is no point bombarding
them with complicated technical explanations, because
the how is often not important to them. Still, you must
see to it that by oversimplifying no essential information
is lost. Another crucial factor is trust. A project can
only become a success if a bond of trust is established.
But artists are not really difficult, although it is sometimes
a bit easier to work with experienced people:
they usually know exactly what they want.”
Engineer and inventor
“Electromechanical engineering was a good choice”,
Thomas concludes. “It is the most polyvalent program
and provides an excellent base. A plumber thinks in
terms of pipes and water, an electrician in terms of electricity.
But an Electromechanics engineer doesn’t have
those limitations. That’s why engineers and artists get
along so well. We like to go where nobody has gone
before, to color outside the lines, we like to come up
with new things, we like to do things that seem impossible
at first. We make art work.”
Y.P.
www.culturecrew.be
GROuP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
15
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012

Wiet Vande Velde, GROUP T engineer and full
entrepreneur heading two robust SMEs in the
future-oriented sector of renewable energy.
Alumnus in the spotlight
Engineer & entrepreneur in
heart and soul
25,000 euros. That was the amount of money that Wiet Vande Velde’s mother gave him in 2008 to start his
own company. At that time, Wiet had just graduated from GROUP T as an engineer. During his studies, he
was already busy making plans to start his own company. It certainly was not a smooth ride at first, but Wiet
has since worked himself up to a full entrepreneur heading two robust SMEs in the future-oriented sector of
renewable energy. A portrait.
GROuP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
16
Wiet started his career with an inspection
organization in Melsbroek. But
because it’s not possible to deny
our individual nature, about eight
months later, he was back with his own little startup
called RED (short for ‘Renewable Energy Development’).
The start-up grew to become a fully-fledged
SME that still goes by the same name. “RED started
out as a one-man show”, Wiet explains. “It started
as a BVBA that installed solar panels. I worked with
subcontractors, everything else I did myself. For two
years, I didn’t pay myself a salary and so I was able to
save enough money to collect capital to take over a
slightly larger company and make a new start.”
By the end of 2010, Wiet had accumulated sufficient
financial means to take over the company Vanparijs,
installer of electro-technical and energy-technical
installations. An established name in the Leuven area
with a history of over half a century. “The take-over
required a serious investment and a couple of tough
rounds with the banks”, Wiet relates. “But it worked.
Vanparijs was rechristened Vanparijs-RED. We drew
up a clear mission statement, committed a clear
strategy to paper, developed a well-oiled organization
structure, introduced new energy techniques
like solar panels and heat pumps and attracted new
employees that led to almost a doubling of the workforce
in two years.” After the take-over, Wiet didn’t
lose any momentum. In April 2012, he acquired
MARO, a telecom company in Tessenderlo specialized
in technical installations at great heights like
church spires, towers, apartment blocks, and so on.
“Again financially a huge challenge”, Wiet remarks.
“But again it worked. MARO became a part of the
RED Group, now with about 35 employees, and will
support the further growth of the group.”
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012
All-round entrepreneur
Wiet is an engineer-entrepreneur in heart and soul.
During his studies at GROUP T, he was already taking
over the business his father had started. A one-person
business in the real estate sector that allowed him to
become a proficient all-round entrepreneur. By his
own account, Wiet caught the real bug for entrepreneurship
at GROUP T. “In the management classes,
I heard testimonials from alumni who had made it
as entrepreneur. They were my shining example.
I learned from them that success does not just fall into
your lap. Of course I also learned from my own experiences
in my own business. I am very much aware that
I was just stumbling about in the beginning. But it’s a
matter of keeping at it because it is precisely in that
difficult start-up period that most young entrepreneurs
call it quits. Moreover, it is good training, so you
must be prepared to learn continuously. For instance,
I really had to step up my game in finances, crucial
when you are running a one-person business. Once
extra personnel enter the picture, human resources
management should be your focus. From the moment
you trade in or reshape your one-person business into
a fully-fledged company, your people are even more
important than money.”
More management in curriculum
As engineer-entrepreneur, Wiet gives GROUP T the
following advice: “Bring even more management
into the curriculum: finances and marketing, for
instance. Teach students how to draw up a decent
financial plan. No matter what function they end
up in, they will always have to deal with money and
even more so with people, and not only colleagues,
so you cannot do without well-developed social and
communication skills.”
“Mind you”, Wiet continues, “I’m not criticizing
GROUP T. I am very much aware of the fact that management
and entrepreneurship receive more attention
at GROUP T than at other university colleges. The
many Engineering Experience projects, the Solar Team,
the CQS GROUP T Racing Team, the Formula GROUP T
Team, and so on are all great examples of entrepreneurship
paired up with engineering qualities. But, as
ever, there’s always room for improvement. Nothing is
a greater drag than success. If you start resting on your
laurels, you can quickly become complacent.”
Stimulating entrepreneurship
Wiet does not want to watch from the sidelines when
it comes to developing entrepreneurship among
students. That’s why he set up the RED Challenge,
a competition in which ambitious students and
young people are challenged to turn creative ideas
into a business plan that, in time, is to be at the foundation
of a likely new company.
“We provide the required financial support in the
form of start-up capital”, Wiet says. “Not out of charity,
but to give promising starters that extra push.
Because we believe in them. Because they believe in
themselves. Just like my mother believed in me four
years ago when she put 25,000 euros of her hardearned
savings at my disposal to do my thing. The
opportunity I was given then, I now want to offer
other candidate-entrepreneurs. And to be clear:
I had to pay my mother the 25,000 euros back quite
a while ago.”
Guido Vercammen
Yves Persoons
www.vanparijsred.be
www.aardingenmaro.be

GROUP T alumni activities
Reunion after a year
The air at reunions can often be somewhat stale.
Images of veterans who are seeing each other
again after many years to reminisce about and
delve into exploits of long ago. Not so at GROUP T.
On 5 March 2012, less then a year after their
graduation, the 2011 class of engineers met again.
The occasion was the presentation of the master’s
diplomas but the event clearly had more to it than
just an official document changing hands.
Director general Patrick De Ryck welcomed the many newly established
alumni. “It seems like you never left”, he said. “And your
graduation in July last year seems like only yesterday. Yet meanwhile,
much has been going on and has changed here and in Leuven, more
precisely with respect to the integration of our engineering program into the
KU Leuven in September 2013.”
“You’ve already seen the groundwork for this”, the Director general continued.
“The bachelor/master structure, the Corona project and its effects, more
research in the master’s theses, the establishment of a new Faculty of Industrial
Engineering Sciences within the Sciences Group at the KU Leuven.”
“Integration into the university”, according to Patrick de Ryck, “does not in the
least mean that GROUP T’s identity, built up around its 5E profile and international
character, will suddenly cease to exist. Quite the contrary, this is and will
remain our calling card. The new faculty employs a multi-campus model. Each of
the six respective university colleges with engineers remains on its campus and
continues to tend to its affairs there. Consultation will of course be required,
there are umbrella program and education committees, many services will be
conducted centrally, there will be more collaboration, more research, too. But the
GROUP T spirit will never leave this campus.” Finally, Patrick de Ryck called on the
young alumni to continue to spread and promote the GROUP T profile.”
GROUP T: a life-long experience
Prof. Guido Vercammen, considered pretty much a father-figure by all GROUP T
alumni, delivered the following message: “GROUP T doesn’t leave you when
you leave GROUP T. Also as a KU Leuven student, everybody who studies and
graduates from here will always bear the GROUP T hallmark.”
Guido Vercammen counted 6,348 alumni, amongst whom 250 international,
from all around the globe. “In 1960 we started off with no less than 5 students,
not even a 0.5% market share,” he relates. “After the current Chief Executive
Johan De Graeve took over in 1970, GROUP T rapidly gained momentum: from
3% market share in 1970 to 10% in 1990 and 16% now. A record that has caused
GROUP T to become the second largest engineering school in Flanders.”
“It is our express wish to tighten the bonds with you”, Guido Vercammen
emphasized. “We are already doing that with our alumni in Beijing, Shanghai
and Bangkok, so why not in Leuven? To that end, last year, we established the
Alumni steering committee on the initiative of alumnus Joris Brams, CEO of a
well-known beer group in the United Kingdom. The objective of this steering
committee is to broaden, deepen and support alumni activities and to act as a
sounding board for checking and evaluating ideas and proposals. Those who
feel called upon to join this club, please let me know.”
Informal contact
Guido Vercammen concluded as follows: “GROUP T has always had the ambition
to be a place where students, teachers and entrepreneurs meet each other
and learn from each other. This is how it is and this is how it will remain. Now,
initiatives like these are the perfect way to continue to fulfill this ambition. You
are our ambassadors and your success is also our success.”
On behalf of the young alumni, Jeroen De Wachter, Project Engineer at the
Leuven high-tech company PEC and former Vice-President of Finance of the
Industria student union, took the floor. “We all vividly recall how we started at
GROUP T”, Jeroen says. “Several among us had previously already tried another
program and GROUP T united us in a common adventure. There is no university,
university college or program known to us that propagates such an informal
contact not only between professors and students but also among students.
As young campaigner I believe I am in a position to recall a number of exploits
that are etched in our collective memory: the China trip, the CQS GROUP T Racing
Team, the Solar Team, the Revue and the other Industria activities, but also
our college days on this campus, our professors, the atrium, the spiral walkway,
the facbar Délibéré... we will never forget these. They made us into who we are
now and started us on the road to who we will become.”
Y.P.
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
17

Kim Kiekens, researcher and ‘Engineer of the
Year’.
Kim Kiekens proclaimed ‘Engineer of the Year’
Female engineer at the top
On Thursday, 28 June, Kim Kiekens, researcher at the GROUP T - International University College, was
proclaimed ‘Engineer of the Year’. She had been nominated for this title through an online poll on the website
www.ingenieurvanhetjaar.be, and she managed to convince the jury with her presentation on dimensional
measuring techniques using computer tomography.
GROuP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
18
I
research the accuracy of dimensional measurements
with computer tomography for industrial
applications”, Kim Kiekens, who is connected to
GROUP T - Leuven Engineering College’s Energy
Technology team, relates. “Everybody knows CT scanners
as they are used in hospitals. In the past few decades,
similar appliances were built to inspect industrial
work pieces. For some years now, these appliances
have also been used in the domain of dimensional
measuring techniques. To measure internal forms or
complex structures, this technique is the only possibility
at the moment. What it comes down to in plain
language is that X-rays are used to literally take a look
in the most diverse objects, both simple and complex,
with the purpose of visualizing, inspecting and precisely
measuring them. This allows us, for instance, to
verify in a non-destructive manner whether internal,
REALIA
NIEUWE BESTUURDERS BIJ GROEP T
Stijn Dhert, Decaan GROEP T – Leuven Education College
Tarekegn Tadessi, President Addis Ababa Science and
Technology University
Admassu Tsegaye, President Addis Ababa University
Wang Lin, Chair University Council, University of International
Business and Economics - Beijing
OP STUDIEDAG
L. Bienstman (team Informatie) nam deel aan de
conferentie ‘Trident com 2012: Testbeds, experimentation
and innovation’ in Thessaloniki (Griekenland) van 11 tot
13.06.12.
N. Dekeyser en W. Dewulf (team Energie) namen deel
aan de ‘19th Conference on Life Cycle Engineering’ van
CIRP in Berkeley, CA op 23.05.12.
N. Dekeyser en D. Haeseldonckx (team Energie) namen
deel aan de conferentie ‘i-SUP Innovative Sustainable
Production’ bij VITO-Flanders Cleantech in Kortrijk op
06.05.12.
P. Delcourt (Facilities Manager) nam deel aan de
bijeenkomst ‘Beheer van gebouwen en infrastructuur’
van het Centrum Duurzaam Bouwen in Heusden-Zolder
op 22.05.12.
K. Denis (team Materie) nam deel aan ‘Competitive FP7
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012
proposal writing’ bij Hyperion in Leuven op 12.06.12.
B. De Schutter (team Informatie) nam deel aan
‘ISG-ISARC’ aan de TU Eindhoven op 26.06.12.
S. Desmet (team Informatie) woonde de Eindconferentie
Game Hub bij in Genk op 24.04.12.
W. Dewulf (team Energie) nam deel aan:
- de ‘Conference on Industrial Competed Tomography’
aan de University of Applied Sciences in Wels op
19.09.12;
- ‘CIRP General Assembly’ in Hong Kong op 19.08.12.
A. François (team Materie) nam deel aan ‘Industrial
Practice of Continuous Extraction Processes’ bij KVIV op
10.05.12.
L. Geurts en K. Pelsmaekers (team Informatie) namen
deel aan ‘De millenniumstudent’ bij LESEC in Leuven op
28.02.12.
P. Goethals, K. Goris, L. Pastrav, P. Slaets en S. Swolfs
(team Energie) namen deel aan ‘NCTAM 2012, the 9th
National Congress’ aan de Koninklijke Militaire School in
Brussel op 09.05.12.
K. Goris en P. Slaets (team Energie) namen deel aan de
studiedag ‘Vision and Robotics and Automation Solutions’
in het Mikrocentrum in Veldhoven op 06.06.12.
D. Haeseldonckx (team Energie) nam deel aan ‘Thermalgrid:
gebouwen goedkoper verwarmen’ aan de Karel de
Grote Hogeschool in Geel op 30.05.12.
K. Kiekens en Tan Ye (team Energie) namen deel aan de
‘Conference on Industrial Computed Tomography’ aan de
unreachable cooling ducts were properly formed and
have the correct measurements. By employing new
production techniques in which products are shaped
layer by layer (3D printing), objects can be made with
internal shapes; CT is then the only way to inspect the
quality of an object’s internal parts after production
without destroying it.”
Kim graduated from GROUP T in 2005 with an Electromechanics
Engineering degree. Two years later
with a Civil Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering
in hand, she returned to Campus Vesalius,
this time as an assistant. The first two years, she took
care of various course units. Her function evolved
and at the moment her main assignment consists
in researching dimensional measuring techniques.
She does so in the context of her Ph.D. work and
University of Applied Sciences in Wels op 19.09.12.
K. Lodewyckx (Wetenschapscommunicator) nam
deel aan:
- ‘LNO2-congres’ van het Lerend Netwerk in Brussel op
07.06.12;
- ‘Staten Generaal Stimuleringsplan Exacte Wetenschappen’
in het Vlaams Parlement op 26.04.12.
K. Pelsmaekers (team Informatie) nam deel aan
‘Navigating Internet’s Course Vint Cerf’ bij LICT in Leuven
op 16.05.12.
S. Swolfs (team Energie) nam deel aan het ‘Electronic
Vehicle Symposium 26’ bij EDTA in Los Angeles, CA op
06.05.12.
V. Vanden Abeele (team Informatie) nam deel aan:
- ‘Sic-Chi Belgium Game Hub’ bij BCI Controllers in Genk
op 25.04.12;
- ‘Computer-Human Interaction’ bij ACM SIGCHI in
Austin, Texas op 05.05.12.
L. Vandeurzen (team Informatie) nam deel aan
‘E-mobility: connect & drive’ bij Leuven.Inc op 01.03.12.
K. Van Hoegaerden (dienst Communicatie) nam deel
aan:
- ‘Doelgericht communiceren’ bij VO.CE in Mechelen
op 05.06.12;
- ‘Cursus Webredacteur’ bij Eduvision in Brussel van 30.07
tot 02.08.12;
- ‘Cursus zoekmachine gericht schrijven’ bij Eduvision in
Brussel op 11.05.12.
within the IWT Tetra project that involves not only
GROUP T but also the KU Leuven, the Thomas More
University College (Campus De Nayer) and a number
of high-tech companies (Metris, Materialise,
Sirris, Skyscan, Verhaert Space, Argon Measuring
Solutions, Clijmans&Gelaude, I.T. Goddeeris NV, Uni-
Dent, LayerWise, Leuven Air Bearings, Allard-Europe,
Philips, 3WIN and Econcore).
‘Engineer of the Year’ is an election organized by the
selection office XPE Engineering & ICT that seeks to
highlight the ‘bottleneck’ profession of engineer and
make it more attractive to young students.
J. Van Maele (team Communicatie) nam deel aan:
- ‘Intercultural Communication in International Contexts’
aan de Open University – London op 17.05.12;
- ‘4th Junior Research Meeting in Applied Linguistics’ bij
ABLA – Antwerpen op 29.03.12.
GASTDOCENTEN
T. Anciaux, Consultant: ‘The IT-Professional’s guide to a
successful project’ (25.05.12).
S. Bodvin, Supervisor Logistics – Umicore: ‘Recyclage
door pyrometallurgie’ (03.05.12).
E. Briers, Consultant Beta-Ventures: ‘Applied Immunology’
(11.05.12).
A. Coppens, Zaakvoerster Transaction : ‘Wireless communication’
(01.05.12).
G. Daenen, Beneo Remy: ‘Inleiding productie Beneo
Remy’ (20.03.12).
P. Daenens, Delta-Act: ‘As an assessor to evaluate
student projects’ (23.05.12).
Y. De Glas, Operationeel manager DDG: ‘Visie, missie en
strategie van een onderneming’ (23.04.12).
J. De Tavernier, Hoogleraar KU Leuven: ‘Bioethiek’
(20.04.12).
D. Dehaes, CEO Thromergonomics: ‘The treatment of
eye disorders’ (30.05.12).
J. Dumortier, Hoogleraar KU Leuven: ‘Information
systems’ (26. 04.12).
T. Fontein, Lector: ‘Introduction to SAP’ (11.05.12).
Dr. Katleen Lodewyckx
Science & Technology Communicator
M. Godts, Consultant Synion: ‘Thermohouder’
(18.04.12).
K. Goyvaerts, Consultant Realdolmen: ‘Business
Intelligence’ (11.05.12).
J. Knockaert, Docent HOWEST: ‘Hoogfrequente
problemen in motoren en aandrijvingen’ (22.05.12).
L. Kupers, Communication manager Genzyme:
‘Biotechnological production of therapeutic proteins’
(08.05.12).
B. Monteyne, HR-Manager DGMG: ‘Visie, missie en
strategie van een onderneming’ (23.04.12).
Y. Parrem, Management consultant Deloitte: ‘Project
management en consulting’ (20.04.12).
J. Robert, Medewerker Acerta : ‘Starting up a business’
(20.04.12).
W. Rubens, Consultant Triple Q: ‘G-Sigma and quality
management’ (20.12.11).
J. Sas, Directeur Coservices: ‘Predictief onderhoud aan de
hand van trillingsonderzoek’ (30.05.12).
R. Tack, Rubycom: ‘Begeleiding labs OOP’ (20.02.12).
J. Van de Keybus, Bedrijfsleider Triphase: ‘Elektriciteit van
werktuigen’ (22.05.12).
R. Van Eijsden, Staff Scientist VIB-MAF: ‘Genomics from
microarray’ (09.05.12).
C. Van Hoof, Package & Smart Implants IMEC: ‘Body Erea
Networks’ (02.05.12).
L. Van Roy, Zaakvoerder LVR: ‘Return Logistics: waste
shipments’ (02.03.12).

Erasmus student in the spotlight
Bart Deputter: full speed to Turin
Bart Deputter is a master’s student in
Electromechanical Engineering, option
Intelligent Manufacturing. As a member of
Formula GROUP T, Bart is in the two-year
master track. This gives him the opportunity
to focus on the unique team project for four
semesters: constructing an electrically powered
car which is then used to compete against
more than 100 student teams from around
the world. In Formula GROUP T Bart is jointly
responsible for marketing and company and
sponsor relations. In the next edition of the
international Formula Student Competition in
the new GROUP T team he wants to focus on
the battery pack, a crucial part of the electric
racing car.
Bart has a thing with cars, so it’s no surprise that he used his
Erasmus scholarship to go to one of the most important European
car cities: the Italian Turin, home to the FIAT group. At the
Politecnico di Torino, he took classes from 14 September 2011
to 20 February 2012 in the Management of Industrial Processes major in
the Department of Automotive Engineering.
“The campus for this major is brand new and financed by FIAT”, according
to Bart. “At the inauguration of the building I stood eye to eye with
Sergio Marchionne, the big boss of the FIAT empire. Politecnico itself
counts 30,000 students, as many as the entire KU Leuven, and it trains
engineers, technicians and management for all car products and subcontractors
of the FIAT group.” As a matter of fact, Automotive Engineering
is just a small part of Politecnico. Students have to pass an entrance
exam. Only 180 students are allowed to the program.
During his studies, Bart visited the mega-factory of Alfa Romeo and
went to see how the enormous machines used to mill engine blocks are
produced. During the weekends, he went into town, visited Milan and
Genoa and went snowboarding in the mountains around the Alpine city.
“I made many friends that I’m still in touch with. Italians and Europeans
of course but also Venezuelans, Iraqis, and so on. The subject matter in
Turin suited me more than at GROUP T because it focused more on production
planning. I also really liked the great freedom of choice. Thanks
to the greater choice of subjects, you had more control over your curriculum
than at GROUP T.”
And, last but not least, the icing on the cake: the cuisine and the ‘dolce
vita’ that makes every stay in Italy an incomparable experience.
Y.P.
A. Vande Cappelle, Architect: ‘Ubiquitous Commuting
systems’ (01.05.12).
I. Wanders, Bedrijfsleider Faros: ‘Web Services’
(25.05.12).
EXTERNE ACTIVITEITEN
Bedrijfsbezoeken China Journey 2012
24.03 – 12.04.12
Organisatie: China Project Team
Reisgroep Chemie-Biochemie
Zhejiang University of Technology (26.03.12)
GuangXi Normal University (02.04.12)
Beijing Jiaotong University (07.04.12)
YingLi Solar – Beijing (09.04.12)
Reisgroep Elektronica
Philips Lighting R & D – Shanghai (27.03.12)
Zhejiang University of Technology (29.03.12)
Beijing Jiaotong University (06.04.12)
Technicolor – Beijing (06.04.12)
Rigol Technologies – Beijing (09.04.12)
Reisgroep Elektromechanica Chongqing
Baosteel – Shanghai (28.03.12)
Chongqing University (30.03.12)
Chong’an Automobile Corp. – Chongqing (31.03.12)
Three Gorges dam (05.04.12)
University of International Business and Economy –
Beijing (07.04.12)
Reisgroep Elektromechanica Chengdu
Atlas Copco – Wuxi (27.03.12)
SMEC – Shanghai (28.03.12)
UESTC – Chengdu (29.03.12)
Volvo – Chengdu (29.03.12)
DuJiangYan Irrigation System – Chengdu (31.03.12)
XiDian University – Xi’an (04.04.12)
Xi’an Thiebaut Pharmaceutical Packaging (05.04.12)
Bedrijfsbezoeken Denemarken-reis
26 – 31.03.12
Organisatie: R. Van Opstal – K. Goris
DAF Trucks – Eindhoven
EADS Airbus Deutschland – Finkenwerder
Howaldtswerke – Deutsche Werft – Kiel
CM Wind Power – Lunderskov
Bedrijfsbezoeken Duitsland-reis
26 – 31.03.12
Organisatie: R. Van Opstal – G. Ceulemans – N.
Dehertoghe
Thyssen Krupp Steel – Duisburg
Volkswagen – Wolfsburg
Würfel Kunststofftechnik – Velten
ANDERE BEDRIJFSBEZOEKEN
Labobad Robotles – Diepenbeek (14 en 24.05.12).
Organisatie: J. Buijs (team Energie).
Hansen Transmissions – Edegem (26.03.12). Organisatie:
R. Caubergs (team Energie).
Best Sorting – Heverlee (28.03.12). Organisatie:
R. Caubergs (team Energie).
Elia – Schaarbeek (27.03.12). Organisatie: R. Caubergs
(team Energie)
Electrabel Centrale Drogenbos (28.03.12). Organisatie:
R. Caubergs (team Energie).
Loomans Moldings - Overpelt (21.05.12.). Organisatie:
N. Dehertoghe (team Energie).
Ineos Oxide & Ineos Phenol – Antwerpen (20.03.12).
Organisatie: A. Deschuytere (team Chemie).
ACP Belgium – Heusden-Zolder (22.05.12). Organisatie:
A. Deschuytere (team Chemie).
AB Inbev – Leuven (01.06.12). Organisatie: I. Holsbeeks
(team Leven).
Beverse Kaasmakerij (07.05 en 25.05.12). Organisatie: I.
Holsbeeks (team Leven).
Remy – Leuven (23.04.12). Organisatie: I. Holsbeeks (
team Leven).
Procter & Gamble – Strombeek-Bever (27.04.12).
Organisatie: I. Holsbeeks (team Leven).
Practicum Pyrometallurgie en recyclage KU Leuven
(23.05.12). Organisatie: P. Lievens (team Leven).
Trade Fair Center – Düsseldorf (02.03.12). Organisatie: L.
Pastrav (eenheid Energie).
Deloitte – Diegem (25.05.12). Organisatie: W. Peeters
(team Management).
Special Academic Windows Developer Day – Brussel
(20.04.12). Organisatie: K Pelsmaekers (eenheid
Informatie).
Nationale Bank van België – Brussel (07.03.12). Organisatie:
J. Stevens (team Management).
Belfius – Leuven (22.05.12). Organisatie: J. Stevens
(team Management).
AB Inbev – Leuven (25.04.12). Organisatie:
I. Vanderwegen (team Management).
Ecover – Malle (25.04.12). Organisatie: I. Vanderwegen
(team Management).
Labobad Personalised Location Based Services – Gent
(14.05.12). Organisatie: L. Vandeurzen (team Energie).
OP BEZOEK
GROEP T ontving delegaties van de volgende universiteiten
en organisaties:
University of International Business & Economics – Beijing
(17.04.12).
Tianjin University (19.04.12).
Shanghai Jiaotong University (20.04.12).
University of Science & Technology of China, Chengdu,
University of Technology, Chengdu Technical College
(03.05.12).
Khon Kaen University – Thailand (16.05.12).
Tianjin University of Technology Education (11.06.12).
Manipal University – India (18.06.12).
YaLong Company – China (30.05.12).
Thailand-Belgium Parlementary Friendship Group of the
National Assembly of Thailand (13.07.12)
Bart Deputter, student in het two-year master
track at GROUP T used his Erasmus scholarship
to go to Turin, home of the FIAT group in Italy.
KARDINAAL MERCIER INSTITUUT
D'ANETHANSTRAAT 33
1030 BRUSSEL
T 02 216 21 96
F 02 245 68 65
INFO@KMERCIER.WENK.BE
WWW.KMERCIER.WENK.BE
GROEP T
Leuven Engineering College
Andreas Vesaliusstraat 13, 3000 Leuven
tel. 016-30 10 30 – fax 016-30 10 40
e-mail: group-t@group-t.com
http://www.group-t.com
21 ste jaar gang, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012
Inter view verschijnt driemaandelijks
Ver ant woor de lijke uit ge ver: Jo han De Graeve,
Andreas Vesaliusstraat 13, 3000 Leu ven
Hoofd re dac tie: Yves Per soons
Re dac tie se cre ta ri aat: Mar ti ne Grof fils
Interview online: Seany Geuns
Re dac tie raad: Gui do Ver cam men, Stijn Dhert, Paul
Goos sens, Patrick De Rijck, wim Polet, Ingrid Ilsbroux,
Katleen Lodewyckx, Bavo Van Achte, John Caluwaerts
Coördinatie Engelse vertaling: Kristien Van Hoegaerden
foto’s: Filip Van Loock
Selectie foto’s: Seany Geuns
Vormgeving: there, Leuven, 016-29 24 00
Drukkerij: Artoos, Kampenhout
Op lage: 17.000 exemplaren
Wettelijk Depot: D/2012/2134/11
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
19

Formula GROUP T
The students of Formula GROUP T demonstrate their
new electric racing car Areion. The car accelerates
from 0 tot 100 km/h in just under 4 seconds.
Areion: Green innovation
meets performance
There is no man that shall catch thee by a burst of speed, neither pass thee by, nay, not though in pursuit
he were driving goodly Areion, the swift horse of Adrastus, that was of heavenly stock” to quote from
Homer’s epic ‘Iliad’ (book 23, line 346). The students of Formula GROUP T know their classics. Their new
electric racing car is named Areion, after the mythological horse of the Greek gods. With Areion, they will
compete against more than 100 racing teams from around the globe.
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
20
Formula GROUP T is a spin-off of the CQS
GROUP T Racing Team”, Steven Vandeurzen
explains. Steven is an Electromechanics Engineering
student in the two-year master track. Within
Formula GROUP T he is responsible for public relations in
the Marketing division.
The CQS GROUP T Racing Team started in 2009: that’s
when 31 master’s students went to work on two specimens
of the legendary 2CV and turned them into
modern environmentally-friendly racing cars named
after some of the greats from classical antiquity: the
cunning Odyssee and the winged Pegasus.
“The Odyssee was the electric version”, Steven
relates. “It was powered by a switched reluctance
motor, a first in the automobile industry. The hybrid
Pegasus kept its original engine but was fitted with
an injection system on bioethanol. Additional energy
could be generated by a supplemental electric
engine. By using a Kinetic Energy Recovery System
the car had optimal traction.”
Pegasus shone in the 2010-2011 24-hour endurance race
in Spa-Francorchamps, it was the eye-catcher at the 2011
motor show and the 5th Automotive Congress in Eindhoven,
it has stolen the show in TV programs, and the list
goes on. In 2010, the CQS Team won the UNIZO award
for entrepreneurship and was able to show off its goods
at the 5th International Strategic Energy Forum.
Formula Student Competition
jg. 21, nr. 3, 21 augustus 2012
The new Formula GROUP T consists of 16 passionate
master’s students that want to build on the élan
of their predecessors. “We will maintain our focus
on sustainable development in the automobile sector”,
Steven confirms. “That’s why we use the newest
technologies and materials. What’s more, we want
to demonstrate that alternative ecological technology
is not synonymous to lower performance, hence
our slogan: ‘Green innovation meets performance’.”
This is quite a challenge in and of itself, but the drive is
even greater when a competitive element is added to
the equation. That was the case with the Solar Team in
the World Solar Challenge in Australia and it is no different
with Formula GROUP T. “We are participating in
the Formula Student Competition,” Steven says. “It’s an
international competition that was started in 1981 by
the Society of Automotive Engineers in the USA and in
which about 140 student teams from around the globe
participate every year. The initiative soon spread, first
to the UK, then to Australia and next just about all over
the world. Now, young engineering teams compete
against each other in Germany, Italy, Austria, Hungary,
Spain, Japan and Brazil. All competitions observe nearly
identical rules. The first competition for electrical Formula
Student cars took place in 2008. As of this year,
all types of cars can participate. So the battle between
combustion and electric cars begins.”
High demands
“The mission consisted of designing and building a
small but powerful single-seat racing car”, Steven continues.
“The rules are strict, the expectations high, top
engineers from, to name a few, Audi, BMW and Bosch
watch closely to ensure safety and reliability. Before
you get to the starting line, you must pass a whole
series of tests: safety control, tilt test, brake test, rain
test… But there is also a design presentation, a cost
and reliability analysis and a business presentation.
After all, you must be able to convince the jury that
your project can attract potential investors. Additionally,
there is a minimum performance threshold. For
instance, the car must be able to accelerate quickly
over a distance of 75 m, run a 1 km-circuit within the
allotted time, drive 22 km, over which the energy efficiency
is monitored, and do a figure-eight skidpad
circuit, etc. For each test, the car is given a score that
counts toward the final result.”
During the races themselves, there are also additional
prizes to be won, for instance, for the best
lightweight car, the best newcomer, etc.
As mentioned above, Formula GROUP T is not only about
racing. “If Green Innovation really wants to pull the performance
card, then we must resolutely go the way of
new technologies”, Steven believes. “In the Areion, we
are introducing three so-called key technologies.”
Key technologies
The first is ‘additive manufacturing’. Steven explains:
“This technology is a form of 3D manufacturing,
also referred to as rapid prototyping. What it comes
down to is that an object or product is designed layer
by layer. The parts are no longer machined or milled
but manufactured layer by layer as a result of which
they are made super light. The technologies used are
called Electron Beam Melting and stereolithography
with polymers. The high-tech company Materialise has
mammoth stereolithographic machines at their disposal
that allow them to manufacture large components.”
“Our second key technology is the biocomposite”,
Steven continues. “We have already had some experience
with these. Specifically for the Areion, we built
a brand-new biocomposite racing seat. This is part
of a European research project that involves four
research centers and 39 companies. The matrix of the
biocomposite material uses non-oil based polymer
polyactic acid that are comparable to the biodegradable
bags you get in the supermarket.”
The Areion’s third trump card is the high-voltage
drivetrain. Steven: “We fitted the car with a highperformance
drivetrain and a motor that weighs only
40 kg and has a capacity of 167 kW and efficiency of
96%. In collaboration with Triphase, we developed a
wye-delta connection that allowed our car to accelerate
from 0 to 100 km/h in just under 4 seconds.
I don’t think that Areion could manage that with the
Ancient Greeks.”
In mid-July, the Areion appeared on the Silverstone
circuit, early August in Hockenheim, Germany -
generally considered as the unofficial world championship
- and in September in Italy. In addition to
GROUP T, teams from the Thomas More University
College and the Karel de Grote University College
turned up at the starting line, the former with an
electric car, the latter with a vehicle powered by a
traditional combustion engine.
Y.P.
www.formulagroupt.be