Group t and Beijing Jiaotong university open International ... - Groep T

interview
verschijnt driemaandelijks
september-oktober-november 2010
Jaargang 20, nr. 1
P509015 afgiftekantoor 2000 ANTWERPEN x
GROUP T’S NEWSMAGAZINE
The Opening of the First International Class of GROUP T and Beijing Jiaotong University. From left to
right: Prof. Chen Feng, Vice President of Beijing Jiaotong University; Prof. Johan De Graeve, President –
Chief Executive of GROUP T – International University College Leuven; H.E. Patrick Nijs, Ambassador of
Belgium to China and Prof. Ning Bin, President of Beijing Jiaotong University.
The pinnacle of many years of collaboration with China
Group t and Beijing Jiaotong
University open International Class
On Monday, 13 September 2010, the International Class was inaugurated at the Beijing Jiaotong University, an
engineering program that prepares Chinese students for international studies. This is GROUP T’s crowning initiative
in its collaboration with China. The International Class was officially opened in the presence of H.E. Patrick Nijs,
Belgian ambassador to China, Prof. Johan De Graeve and Prof. Ning Bin, Presidents of GROUP T and Beijing Jiaotong
University (BJTU) respectively, Prof. Guido Vercammen, Director General of GROUP T and the professors Paul Hellings,
Kumar Pinjala and Hu Yanhao.
BJTU is one of GROUP T’s first partner universities
in China. This collaboration is at the core of the
successful Joint Engineering Programs in which
Chinese engineering students come to Leuven
following two years at their home university to complete
coursework here and earn a bachelor or master in Engineering.
In the meantime, that formula has been extended
to many other universities not only in China, but also in
Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India and
Ethiopia. The Joint Engineering Programs have contributed
to the fact that almost 20% of the engineering students at
GROUP T come from abroad.
Three criteria
Forty-one students, selected from a group of 165 candidates,
are enrolled in the new International Class started by
GROUP T and Beijing Jiaotong University. Program coordinator
Prof. Zhu Hengjun explains the course of the procedure.
“There were three stages. First, we took a closer look
at the results of the national entrance exam that allowed
access to the university. Based on that it was decided who
could go to which university. The new crop for BJTU was
informed through our website that they could enter their
candidacy for the new international program. The students
who applied were subsequently tested on their command
of English, a crucial condition to do coursework in English.
«3»
OPENING
ACADEMIC YEAR
2010-2011
«4»
WINNERS
MANAGEMENT
AWARD 2010
«5»
GROUP T’S
NEW SOLAR TEAM
«24»
FLEMISH COMPOSER
AND CHINESE
STUDENTS

to Beijing for a short period. In September, Prof.
Guido Vercammen taught the course Management
and Prof. Paul Hellings the courses on Calculus and
Linear Algebra/Geometry. In December, Stijn De
Jonge will lead a series of seminars on Chemistry,
Biology and Cosmology. In February and March,
Prof. Willy Mariën will teach Physics. Also in March,
Luc Janssens will take care of the Electronic Circuits
course. And at the end of March and beginning of
April, Prof. Raymond Verraedt will teach Calculus.
Prof. Guido Vercammen, who already has quite a bit
of experience in teaching at Chinese universities, is
formal: “It was a unique experience, for me as well
as for the students of the International Class. It was
the first time I had taught first-year students, so
I expected rather timid, expectant students. That was
not the case at all. Quite the contrary, I was immediately
struck by their creativity, their independence
and their interactivity. The way in which they
approached the case studies, dared to ask questions,
really impressed me. That was also the case for the
presentation they gave on the company visit to the
Yanjing Beer Brewery. Particularly instructive was
also the testimony by Lin Xiaoli, BJTU and GROUP T
alumnus and now working as a consultant at Price
Waterhouse Coopers in Beijing.”
Prof. Paul Hellings and Prof. Zhu Hengjun,
Academic Coordinators of the First International
Class of GROUP T and Beijing Jiaotong University.
They were also requested to fill out a questionnaire
on their motivation to enroll in the International
Class, their willingness to go abroad during or after
their studies and their ambitions for the future: do
they see themselves as an engineer or rather as a
scientist? The selection procedure was concluded
with an intake interview which again pays special
attention to English language skills, both speaking
and listening skills.”
“One thing certainly appeared a constant in the
answers to the questionnaire and the intake interviews”,
Prof. Zhu Hengjun continues. “The students’
great enthusiasm to widen their horizons and go out
into the world. They really see the International Class
as a gateway to the world, a leg up to an international
career.”
Homogeneous group
According to Prof. Paul Hellings who coordinates
the new International Class for GROUP T, the selection
procedure has led to a sound and homogeneous
group of students. “In terms of knowledge of the
elementary sciences, intellectual level and motivation
as well as their command of English, we have a
strong student population. Also the Chinese professors
involved in the International Class are not just
anyone. They have all studied abroad and all have an
excellent command of English.”
There was intensive preliminary consultation
between both institutions. “For each of the courses,
tandem professors were appointed from both
GROUP T and BJTU, also for the courses for which
a teacher exchange was not immediately in the
books”, Prof. Hellings continues. “The task of the
Flemish-Chinese tandems is to attune the courses
properly. Our goal is to make the course contents
and the didactic materials as equivalent as possible
so that students can migrate smoothly from BJTU to
GROUP T. In practice, BJTU and GROUP T still have
their own syllabuses and course books, but we have
made sure they are equivalent.”
Unique experience
This academic year, six GROUP T professors will go
Flying start
Prof. Hellings confirms whole-heartedly: “Before
the start of the course I was not sure whether there
would be sufficient mathematical background
knowledge present, but that worry turned out to be
completely unfounded. Everybody was immediately
able to follow me. Mathematics, of course, has the
advantage of being the universal language. But also
the command of English is excellent. BJTU’s selection
procedure worked very well.
The Professors Guido Vercammen, Zhu Hengjun
and Paul Hellings agree. GROUP T and BJTU’s new
International Class has taken a flying start. For the
41 Chinese students that were selected, it means
a dream opportunity for international study and
career. “Indeed, some are already in full preparation”,
Prof. Vercammen remarks. “They asked me
to contact some GROUP T students in order to find
out more about Belgium, Leuven and student life via
email and other channels. When they arrive in Leuven
soon, they will not step onto the ice unprepared.
In any case, we are looking forward to their arrival.
Their presence will – just like that of the other international
students – mean considerable added value
from which the whole of GROUP T will benefit.
Y.P.
GROUP T
2
The students of the First International
Class during the Opening Ceremony at
Beijing Jiaotong University.
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010

Opening academic year 2010-2011
GROUP T :
the international dimension
GROUP T hasn’t stolen its name. We’re not called ‘Internationale Hogeschool Leuven’ – ‘International
University College Leuven’ by mere chance. It is precisely this international dimension – linked to a
distinguished vision and mission – that manifests and establishes GROUP T in the educational landscape
in Belgium and abroad, in Flanders and the world.
Prof. Guido Vercammen,
Director General of Group T.
engineering program that started 13 September
last and in which four colleagues are teaching;
e. and – last but not least – an honorary doctorate
for President Johan De Graeve in China. Johan De
Graeve joins Paul Janssen of Janssen Pharmaceutics
and Jacques Rogge of the International Olympic
Committee as a Belgian honorary doctor in China.
Promising alternative
With the intensive collaboration in Asia and China,
GROUP T accomplishes a few things at the same time.
As you know, Asia and China are in full development
and are strongly advancing. As a power as well as a
market. Chinese education cannot meet the need for
international and entrepreneurial engineers. Nor is
it just a quantitative gap. The fact that the existing
curricula do not sufficiently anticipate the engineering
profile that China requires, increases this problem.
Our international engineering program is recognized
in China today as a promising alternative. The
International Class that started recently at the Beijing
Jiaotong University bares witness to this. At the same
time, we cease the opportunity of the collaboration
with our stakeholders from China and Asia to develop
distinguishing competencies with our students and
teachers. Again, this is a movement that manifests
itself in width as well as in depth. By offering a program
in which Flemish students work together with
Asian students, GROUP T anticipates the growing
need for engineers that can offer an added value for
companies that are targeting Asia. In sum: for the
Asian students, GROUP T is the gateway to Europe,
for the Flemish students it’s the gateway to Asia.
Global society
Allow me to start with a piece of wisdom
from ancient China: Zi Xia, having become
the governor of Jufu, asked for advice on
governing. The Master said: “Do not try
to do things in a hurry. Do not intend on small gains.
What is done quickly is not done thoroughly, and if
small gains are considered, great things remain unaccomplished.”
These are the words of Kong Fuzi (Master
Kong), better known here as Confucius. He uttered
them more then 2,000 years ago and they apply
perfectly to the international strategy GROUP T
charted for its engineering and teacher training programs
15 years ago and from which we are now reaping
the benefits.
Learning experiences
Our mission is ‘educing essence by experiencing existence.’
It’s about discovering and developing talents
but also about creating a learning environment that
allows you to develop your essence to the best extent
possible. At GROUP T this is established by: exposing
them to their future professional practice as an
engineer or as a teacher as early and as intensively
as possible. This is done by immersing them in a rich,
international learning and living environment.
Fifteen years ago, the first GROUP T mission went
to China, led by President Johan De Graeve. At that
time, the Chinese Ministry of Education had asked
GROUP T to audit and where necessary improve the
education programs of the Radio Industry College
in Wuhan (Central China). What was then a modest
start – some were wondering what we were doing in
China – has now grown into a wide network of more
than 20 partner universities spread over the entire
country. In addition to that collaboration, GROUP T
has extended its action radius to the entire Mekong
region with countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Laos,
Cambodia, Myanmar and the Chinese province Yunnan.
In India and Ethiopia, too, the first steps have
been taken towards collaboration.
Results
Concrete results of this international strategy include:
a. the increasing popularity of English-language
joint engineering programs: 20% of the Leuven
Engineering College student population is international;
b. the China Journey Project, the annual study trip
that has taken nearly 2,000 students and teachers
to China in ten years time;
c. the Confucius Institute at GROUP T, the first Confucius
Institute in Flanders for the promotion of the
Chinese language and culture;
d. the establishment of an International Class at the
Beijing Jiaoting University, an English-language
Back to Confucius. Another well-known aphorism of
his goes as follows:
“When planning for a year, plant corn
When planning for a decade, plant trees
When planning for life, train and educate people”.
A teacher is more than ever part of the society. Society
is becoming more and more global. And school
and class have gained more and more color. At
GROUP T you learn how to deal with that diversity.
You are actively introduced to intercultural education.
Through independent work placements abroad
and international projects the world becomes your
home. GROUP T offers you a cosmopolitan teacher
training program that literally and figuratively
pushes back frontiers.
Today we open the new academic year. At the same
time, GROUP T also opens the world to you just as
the university college opens itself up to the world. I
wish each and every one of you success on this fascinating
journey. See more, look further and keep in
mind the wise words of Confucius: “People do not
fall over mountains, they stumble over molehills.”
Prof. Guido Vercammen
Director General
GROUP T
3
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010

Jan Nickmans and Bart Peetermans
with Prof. Geert Waeyenbergh,
An Molenaers and Mrs Els De
Keukelaere (KPMG).
20 years of KPMG Management Award
Group t students develop
total cost model for spare parts
management
A perfect mix of technology, management and teamwork with a distinct international flavor.
The KPMG jury had no difficulties selecting the winners of the 20 th edition of the Management Award.
Bart Peetermans and Jan Nickmans, two Electromechanics engineers, were awarded for their pioneering
thesis at Continental Temic Electronics in Calamba City in the Philippines.
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
4
Six master’s theses were submitted for the
20 th edition of the Management Award from
the auditing company KPMG. In each of the
works, one or more aspects of management
are discussed, and these include investment analysis,
cost evaluation, production planning, market study,
plant layout, information management, quality
management, and so on. One master’s thesis stood
out head and shoulders above the rest. Bart and Jan’s
project was not only awarded the highest score but it
stood out in other ways as well.
From July to September 2009, the pair stayed in the
Philippines. “Prof. Guido Vercammen put us in touch
with Dirk Verhaeren, a GROUP T alumnus who now
works for the Continental plant in Calamba”, Bart
relates. “He offered us three interesting project
proposals in the company. In consultation with our
supervisors, professors Geert Waeyenbergh and An
Molenaers, we opted for optimizing the spare parts
management.”
Optimal stock
Continental Temic Electronics is part of the Continental
Corporation Automotive Group. The plant in Calamba
manufactures electronic components, more particularly
pressure sensors, for the car industry. “As usual
in the electronics sector, Continental has a fully automated
sequential production layout”, Jan continues.
“Of course that has its advantages, but there is also
a weak point. Any link in the chain has the potential
of shutting down the entire line. So there have to be
enough spare parts available on a permanent basis to
repair or replace a defective part immediately.”
“And that is exactly where the problem was at Continental”,
Bart adds. “How big a stock of spare parts
do you need? These parts are not cheap, after all. If
your stock is too large, the company has a needlessly
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
great expense. If it is too small, you risk the entire
production coming to a standstill if there is a breakdown
and then suffering considerable loss.”
“Our model allowed
Continental to increase
production reliability.”
Establishing and managing the optimal stock of spare
parts, that was the challenge Bart and Jan faced.
“We started with drawing up an inventory of the
company’s stocks”, Jan says. “Via the data in the SAP
system we soon found out that there were clearly too
many machine parts in stock. This was also revealed
in the many conversations we had with the managers
who were responsible for logistics and maintenance.
In the next phase of our research we carried out a socalled
Failure Mode and Effect Analysis. This consists
in checking, for each part, what could happen if it
brakes or fails. If you know how a part can fail, you
can also assess the risks and draw up an appropriate
maintenance plan of the components that require
monitoring. This will enable you to formulate a preventive
ranking of critical parts.”
Total cost
Subsequently, Bart and Jan had a look at the financial
picture. “Based on the available financial data,
the before-mentioned risk analysis and the expected
usage pattern, we mapped the annual cost of every
part”, explains Bart. “While the conventional prediction
models provide a good indication of a part’s use
over a certain period, they cannot predict the optimal
stock that has to be available. To do this, you
have to have a precise understanding of the costs. So
we developed a model that accurately assesses the
annual cost for various stock levels. Using this model
we can determine the minimum, the maximum and
the so-called safety stock level. Our total cost model
offers clear stock control decision criteria that are
easy to interpret. Once the optimal stock quantity
and value have been determined, ordering parts can
be perfectly aligned to maintenance planning.”
Bart and Jan’s work did not go unnoticed at Continental.
“One thing is for sure, it did lead to a greater
financial awareness among management,” Jan confirms.
“They were genuinely amazed to learn how
much money the stocks represent in the company.
Our model allowed Continental to increase production
reliability.”
Extra reference
Both laureates speak very positively of their stay on
the Philippines. “A pleasant country with hospitable,
friendly people who furthermore speak good
English. We were given a good reception and were
coached well, also locally by Dirk Verhaeren. What
was remarkable was also the great freedom we were
given in the company as well as the helpfulness of
the personnel at all levels. We felt like colleagues
right from the outset.”
Meanwhile, Jan has started at an IT company in South
Africa, and Bart has registered in the Applied Economic
Sciences master’s program at the K.U.Leuven.
After that, he hopes to get a challenging job in logistics
or production planning, preferably with a large
international company. The KPMG Management
Award 2010 on his CV already represents an additional
reference.
Y.P.

Fourth Umicore Solar Team ready for take-off
Innovating energy,
energizing innovation
Thirteen ambitious engineering students and two dedicated alumni. They form the new GROUP T Solar
Team. Six years after the first team churned out Belgium’s first solar car, team manager Thomas Sterken
and his team take up this great challenge again: build an even better performing car for the prestigious
World Solar Challenge 2011, the unofficial world championship for solar-energy powered cars.
Our sole goal is not to design and build
a solar car and secure a spot in the top
three in Australia”, Thomas clarifies. “The
Solar Team placed this undertaking in a
broader perspective right from the outset. First of
all, we want to make the greater public aware of the
exhaustibility of fossil fuels. Solar energy is one of the
valid alternatives. We want to contribute to its further
development and demonstrate to the public an
accessible application. Technology is a crucial factor in
this. In our country, much know-how is already available
in this field, spread out over various high-tech
companies and research centers. A project like ours
is a great opportunity to bring this top technology
together and promote it, which is our second goal.
Our third objective is to stimulate entrepreneurship.
Building a solar car is a complex process which
requires not only technical expertise but also specific
competencies in leadership and management.
Our most largest target audience is no doubt young
people. With our project we want to warm them up
to technology, innovation and entrepreneurship so
that more of them will choose technical studies and
professions. As the number of jobs in green energy
increases, the need for technically skilled professionals
will be greater than ever.”
What about the crash?
After two successful entries in the World Solar
Challenge, 2009 was a complete disaster. Because
of a sudden fierce gust of wind the Umicar Inspire
crashed into a tree at 110 km/hour and the Solar
Team’s dream went up in smoke after only 400km of
the race. How can this be prevented from happening
again in 2011?
“In the first place there is a different team mentality”,
answers Thomas. “We no longer want to look
at racing and performing alone but we also want to
focus more on the challenge itself. This same mentality
change is seen in the Formula 1 world as well.
There too, they have come to the conclusion that
racing in the extreme leads to risky behavior and
accidents. The organizers of the World Solar Challenge,
in the meantime, have also taken measures to
improve safety.”
One of the most significant changes in the contest
regulations of the 2011 edition relates to the
car’s solar panel. “The surface area is simply cut in
half from 6m 2 to 3m 2 of germanium cells”, Thomas
explains. “That means less power, so less speed but
also it’s also significantly cheaper so that more teams
can afford to participate. At the same time, it’s a new
challenge to produce a high-performance solar car
again in spite of these restrictions.”
Mechanics, Energy and Marketing
The new Solar Team is organized as a true company.
Team manager Thomas heads the three departments.
The first is the Mechanics department. “They take
care of the structural design of the solar car”, Thomas
explains. “Important elements in this are the aerodynamics,
the suspension, the engine and the ergonomics.
As with all sports cars, aerodynamics play an
essential role. The carrying structure of the car must
on the one hand be rigid to protect the pilot but on
the other it needs to be sufficiently light to remain
race worthy. The suspension, in turn, takes care of the
connection between the chassis and the wheels.”
The Energy department is responsible for the car’s
entire energy management. “The solar energy that is
captured by the solar cells is used to propel the electric
engine”, Thomas continues. “Any energy surplus
is stored in the battery pack. If there is a shortage
the engine can draw from the stored energy. Furthermore,
this team takes care of the racing strategy by
taking into consideration factors like weather and
road surface conditions, and so on, to the greatest
extent possible.”
Finally, there is the Marketing department. “These
people take care of the non-technical aspects of the
project. Logistics support, for instance, but also important
tasks like public relations, finances, sponsorship
and the organization of events like the Solar Olympics
for schools and the Solar Tour across Belgium.”
Extensive network
Throughout the years, the different Solar Teams have
set up a wide network. “We can count on the more
than 100 partners who we work with intensively”,
says Thomas. “Not only multinationals but also SMEs,
research centers and universities in Belgium and
abroad. They make not only material but also knowhow
available. We invite our partners to GROUP T
a few times throughout the course of the project.
During these networking evenings they can meet
each other in an informal atmosphere and exchange
information. This way, we create a professional entrepreneurs’
forum. The fact that none of the partners
pulled out after the crash of 2009 proves that the confidence
in the Solar Project remained unscathed.”
Umicore Solar Team International
While the previous Solar Teams were uniquely Flemish,
the team now has a Chinese student in its ranks.
“Kang Zhou spontaneously applied and passed the
application procedure with flying colors”, Thomas
confirms. “In the Mechanics department his responsibilities
include the solar car’s aerodynamics and
engine, two of its crucial elements. His contribution
will no doubt add to the technological resourcefulness
of our team.”
By mid-December 2010, the concept of the new solar
car must be ready according to Thomas. Then its optimization
and design will begin. Actual production
will start in May 2011, and an intense testing period
will follow during the summer months. In September,
the entire Solar Team flies to Australia. On Sunday,
16 October 2011, the starting shot will sound in Darwin.
Propelled by the silent, pure power of nature,
the competition will race right down through the
continent to Adelaide, an adventure of more than
3,000km.
Y.P.
www.solarteam.be
www.worldsolarchallenge.org
The new GROUP T Solar Team
takes up the challenge to build
a performing solar car.
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
5

Kim Kiekens at the
10 th International
Symposium on Measurement
and quality Control
in Osaka.
10th International Symposium on
Measurement and Quality Control
Kim Kiekens wins young
researcher award in japan
First paper and right away a prize. This ‘happened’ to Kim Kiekens at the 10 th International Symposium on
Measurement and Quality Control at the beginning of September 2010 at the University of Osaka. Kim is
connected to the Energy Technology unit at GROUP T – Leuven Engineering College. Her field of research
is dimensional measurement technique with computer tomography. Using this technology with X-rays, it is
possible to look at the inside of every conceivable object without having to open it up or break it into pieces.
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
6
Kim’s research was part of her doctoral
thesis. In it, she researched methods for
charting and optimizing the precision of
machines for dimensional measurement.
Her promoters Dr. Wim Dewulf (GROUP T) and Prof.
Jean-Pierre Kruth (K.U.Leuven) were the ones who,
in the spring of 2010, advised her to submit a paper
for the symposium in Japan. It was accepted immediately.
In fact, Kim also got the chance to give a talk.
“No fewer than 150 speakers were present,” Kim
relates. “Coming from every continent. I was the
only Belgian speaker at this world summit of measurement
techniques and quality control.”
Calibration object
Kim presented a new ‘calibration object’ in Osaka.
She called it a ‘cactus step gage block,’ a neologism
of size. “I designed it specifically to improve dimensional
measurements with computer tomography,”
she explains. “You have to imagine it as a little aluminum
block with an inside structure that truly looks like
a cactus. With the CT scanner, we take black and white
images of it from different 360° angles. These images
are put together to form a 3D model, composed of
voxels, the 3-D equivalent of pixels. Dimensional measurements
can be taken of this model.”
“The image of the object is enlarged by moving it. The
closer to the source of the X-ray, the larger the image
becomes. This can be compared with a candle that throws
a shadow on a wall. The closer your hand is to the flame,
the larger the shadow becomes. The more the image is
enlarged, the better the resolution of the 3D model.”
“Two problems arise when measurements are being
taken. First, after taking the measurements, you have
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
to rescale the object to its real size. That is, you have
to know precisely how many times it has been magnified.
Second, the edge of the object is made up of a
whole range of grayscales between white and black
and you have to determine which grayscale determines
the border between the material and the
background (surrounding light). The software here
sometimes goes wrong, so a correction is necessary.
Well, the method illustrated using this calibration
object allows both rescaling to the correct size and
correcting the grayscale.”
“The method that Kim
has developed can also
be used on industrial
workpieces.”
“To do the calibration (rescaling and correcting the
edge), a number of measurements of the object are
also taken with a coordinate measuring machine,”
Kim continues. “It’s true, this can only measure outer
forms, but it is much more precise so that we have
a reference to compare with our CT measurements.
Based on this, we can correct the inside measurements
so that these become more precise. It is precisely here
where the difference lies between the conventional
measurement techniques and computer tomography.
This offers an indispensable addition to the conventional
techniques. Alone, these measurements are less
accurate and therefore corrections are needed.”
Real workpieces
The method that Kim has developed can also be used
on industrial workpieces. In the TETRA project, in
which not only GROUP T, Lessius University College
and K.U.Leuven, but also a number of high-tech companies
were involved, the method was tested on real
cases. Kim uses LayerWise and Materialise as examples.
“They make objects through a layered production
method. Using this, complex workpieces can be
made with internal forms, for example, internal cooling
channels. Whether these channels have the correct
measurements can only be checked using computer
tomography. The method developed here can significantly
improve the accuracy of these measurements.”
Further research
According to Kim, the demand for dimensional measurement
techniques with computer tomography will
rise rapidly over the next few years. And so she is
happy that she and her colleagues at GROUP T, Lessius
University College and K.U.Leuven can buy a very
expensive machine through the Hercules program, a
machine that will let them continue and expand their
research. “In fact, we’ve submitted a project application
to the Research Foundation Flanders – FWO and
the Industrial Research Fund to pursue this research
further. Here we will also look at the workpieces that
are composed of different materials, something that
makes it more complex. More than enough material
for more exciting doctoral work...”
Y.P.

Studenten in de kijker
CQS GROUP T Racing Team:
ingenieus & ondernemend
GROEP T – Leuven Engineering College behaalde dit jaar de tweede finaleplaats in de UNIZO-prijs
voor Ondernemingszin. Deze selectie dankt de hogeschool aan het CQS GROUP T Racing Team, een
groep van 31 gedreven masterstudenten. Ze namen twee exemplaren van de legendarische oldtimer
2 PK onder handen en bouwden ze om tot moderne racewagens: een hybride en een elektrische. Niet
alleen technologisch maar ook organisatorisch een hele onderneming. Sietze Swolfs, een van de twee
teamleiders, geeft tekst en uitleg.
Creativiteit, zin voor initiatief en ondernemen,
dat zijn de belangrijkste criteria die
UNIZO hanteert bij de nominatie van kandidaten
voor de jaarlijkse prijs voor Ondernemingszin.
De ingediende projecten moeten bovendien
het bewijs leveren dat ze een bron van inspiratie
zijn voor anderen en voor de nodige ‘schwung’ kunnen
zorgen in hun hogeschool of universiteit.
Met 85.000 leden is de Unie voor Zelfstandige Ondernemers
(UNIZO) de grootste ondernemersorganisatie
in Vlaanderen en Brussel. Ze vertegenwoordigt zelfstandigen,
KMO’s van éénmanszaken tot groeibedrijven
uit alle sectoren. UNIZO behartigt hun belangen
bij de overheid, in de media en bij de publieke opinie
en begeleidt de aangesloten ondernemingen bij hun
verdere ontwikkeling via opleiding en netwerking.
Een belangrijke doelstelling van UNIZO is het bevorderen
van de ondernemingszin bij jongeren, de ondernemers
van de toekomst. Een van de initiatieven is de
prijs voor Ondernemingszin die in 3 categorieën wordt
ingedeeld: basis-, secundair en hoger onderwijs.
Odyssee en Pegasus
Het CQS GROUP T Racing Team stelde zich begin 2010
kandidaat voor de UNIZO Ondernemingsprijs. Twee
wagens zijn gebouwd: de Odyssee, dit is de elektrische
versie van de 2PK en de Pegasus, het hybride ‘geitje’.
“Het design van beide wagens is vrijwel dezelfde”,
legt Sietze uit. “Net zoals de aerodynamische racebody
trouwens, bestaande uit voor 100 % recycleerbaar
biocomposietmateriaal. Het verschil bevindt zich
in eerste instantie onder de motorkap. In de Odyssee
hebben we een innovatieve elektrische Switched
Reluctance Motor (SRM) ingebouwd die efficiënt
wordt aangestuurd door speciaal door ons geschreven
software. Ook het batterijpakket van de Odyssee
is niet alledaags. Het gaat om 112 lithiumijzerfosfaatcellen,
verpakt in modules zodat ze snel verwisselbaar
zijn; duur maar wel erg performant.”
“De hybride Pegasus heeft zijn originele 2 PK-motor
behouden, maar die is nu wel afgesteld op bio-ethanol”,
vervolgt Sietze. “Op de achteras hebben we een
elektromotor met batterijpakket gemonteerd die bij
het remmen de energie recupereert en na de bocht
deze weer kan vrijgeven. Deze ingreep zorgt wel voor
meer gewicht, maar daar staat dan weer een groter
vermogen en acceleratiesnelheid tegenover.”
Inspirerend en uitdagend
Hoe inspirerend het CQS GROUP T-project wel heeft
gewerkt, blijkt alleen al uit het feit dat niet minder dan
31 masterstudenten van GROEP T zich aangesloten hebben
bij het initiatief van prof. dr. ir. Geert Waeyenbergh.
Dit is de eerste keer dat een team van die omvang in
een dergelijk project aan de slag is gegaan. “Uiteraard
is dat een uitstekende zaak, maar het creëert tegelijkertijd
ook een grote uitdaging op gebied van organisatie,
communicatie en management in het algemeen”,
vertelt Sietze. “Voor elk team is een heldere structuur
uitgewerkt bestaande uit een teamleider en drie
departementen: ‘Marketing Management’, ‘Energy’ en
‘Mechanical Integration’. Bij de Pegasus van teamleider
Cele Van den Haute komt er ook nog een departement
‘Engine’ bij. Die departementen bestaan op hun beurt
uit subafdelingen waar specifieke onderdelen van het
project worden ontwikkeld of gebouwd. Bij het Marketing
Management departement is dat bijvoorbeeld
‘Sponsoring & Business Relations’, ‘Public Relations’ en
‘Events’. Bij het Energiedepartement van de Odyssee
heb je bijvoorbeeld ‘Architecture Drivetrain’, ‘Battery
System’, ‘SRM’ en ‘Main Computer’. De teamleden hebben
zich verdeeld over de subafdelingen en weten wat
hen te doen staat en aan wie ze moeten rapporteren.”
Schwung en competitie
Ook voor de ‘schwung’ in de hogeschool tekende het
CQS GROUP T Racing Team. “Het competitie-element
zorgt ongetwijfeld voor de nodige spanning”, bevestigt
Sietze. “Onze auto’s moeten zich tenslotte bewijzen
in een heuse race op het Formule 1 circuit van Francorchamps.
Begin augustus startten we de testritten op
het parcours van Zolder en in september presenteerden
we onze beide wagens aan de verzamelde pers.”
“Oorspronkelijk – ik spreek nu over 26 jaar geleden –
namen enkel klassieke 2 PK-oldtimers het tegen elkaar
op, maar inmiddels zijn er nog 4 andere categorieën
bijgekomen”, gaat Sietze verder. “Om te beginnen de
zgn. ‘améliorées’ die kleine aanpassingen mogen doen,
dan heb je de ‘prototypes’ waarvan de cilinderinhoud is
uitgebreid tot 652 cc en dus nog een groter vermogen
hebben. Verder zijn er de ‘hybrids’ die uitgerust zijn met
een 850 cc BMW-boxer motor en bijgevolg nog sneller
gaan en ten slotte zijn er de ‘experimentals’”.
Voor deze laatste categorie meldden zich in Francorchamps
4 2 PK’s aan waaronder de Odyssee en de Pegasus.
“Om te winnen is het ons eigenlijk niet echt te
doen”, besluit Sietze. “De race uitrijden en bewijzen dat
we niet moeten onderdoen voor andere professionele
teams is voor ons het bijzonderste. Ook de publicitaire
waarde van de race mag niet onderschat worden. Die
zorgt dan weer voor inspiratie en ‘schwung’ voor onze
opvolgers in het nieuwe CQS GROUP T Racing Team.”
GROUP T – Leuven Engineering College came second
this year in the UNIZO competition for Entrepreneurship.
The university college owes this selection
to the CQS GROUP T Racing Team, a group of
31 enthusiastic master’s students. They took two
legendary 2CV old-timers and turned them into
modern racing cars: one hybrid and one electrical.
Not only technologically but also logistically quite
an undertaking. Sietze Swolfs, one of the two
team leaders, provides the commentary.
Y.P.
Het CQS GROUPT T Racing
Team nam 2 exemplaren van
de legendarische oldtimer 2 PK
onder handen.
GROEP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
7

Students in the spotlight
The Master Project:
an international experience
Realizing a master’s thesis as a team: it’s a matter of course at GROUP T. And an increasing number of
students of different origins still find each other. They form an international team, a carbon copy of
the business world they will soon be part of. We wanted to know whether that cooperation is running
smoothly and also whether it effectively provides an added value. We spoke to two teams.
Toon Goris and Pan Taibo come from Belgium
and China, respectively. They are both master’s
students in Electronics Engineering and
know each other from a previous project on
which they were working with four other students.
That project related to Digital Image Processing (DSP),
a topic they wanted to explore further in their master’s
thesis. After a meeting at NXP, a Leuven-based
company for semiconductors, they were able to set to
work there to do their research. It is their intention
to use the results in the communication between two
hearing aids to improve the hearing experience.
Pan Taibo and Toon Goris
form an international team.
Majid Abdulameer and Joost Vanreusel are both
master’s students in Electromechanical Engineering.
Joost is Belgian and Majid comes from Iraq, a country
he fled some years ago to build a new life here. He
is more than 15 years older than his fellow students
as he already obtained a degree as an Aeronautics
Engineer in his country and had been working there
as an engineer for some time. Because his degree is
not acknowledged in Belgium, he decided to study
Electromechanical Engineering at GROUP T so that he
could also work here as an engineer. So in their case,
there is not only a difference in nationality to overcome
but also a difference in age. But their interests
are similar: airplanes and space travel. In the company
Verhaert Space, they are collaborating in the development
of a treadmill that will be used in the International
Space Station (ISS) to allow astronauts to do
running exercises and keep their muscles flexible.
Complementary
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
8
They are unanimously positive about their experiences.
They complement each other well because
they are good at different aspects of the work. For
instance, Toon is more familiar with the control
aspects of DSP research while Thaibo can do his thing
in programming. Majid brings his 15 years of experience
as an aeronautics engineer and comes up with
solutions Joost would never have considered. Joost,
in turn, is good at the software development that is
to go alongside in implementing these ideas. Both
teams have the opportunity to function in an international
environment. Thanks to their good command
of English, they do not encounter too many
problems on their way.
To learn how to work together with a partner from
another country and with a different background
requires some effort. As such, communication in a language
that, after all, is not the mother tongue for either
partner remains somewhat of a barrier that needs to
be taken into consideration. Describing a problem so
that your partner understands what you mean is not
always easy and takes time. The advantage, though,
is that the problem is analyzed more thoroughly. Furthermore,
you get to know each other better after
some months of working together and the process of
mutual understanding will develop at a higher pace.
With Majid and Joost, the different backgrounds and
training were sometimes an issue. For instance, in very
limited time, Majid was required to brush up on his
knowledge of basic software that is taught at GROUP T
in the bachelor years. In addition, he also had to familiarize
himself with work model handled at GROUP T
for projects and project management. But yet again
it showed that intense collaboration is a good basis to
reduce these differences quickly.
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
Intercultural added value
Getting to know your partner’s culture turned out
to be a great added value for both teams. This getting
to know one another occurs spontaneously at
work, for instance, when they shared their favorite
music, or ate together afterwards and explored the
different tastes that are associated with their eating
culture. Joost thought it important to learn more
about the complex situation in Iraq. Majid not only
appreciated the interest but also Joost’s concern for
the safety of his family when there was yet another
attack. Together they liked to philosophize on the
differences and similarities of cultures in the world.
Would they recommend an international collaboration
of students to their successors? Absolutely. It is
highly recommended. Foreign students are going
through great efforts, also financially, to come study
in Belgium and by extension at GROUP T. By joining
an international team and therefore leaving their
familiar environment, they learn, in practice, how
to interact in an entirely new environment. The
same is true for the Flemish: they, too, are offered
the opportunity to expand their horizons, to learn
how to deal positively with differences in culture and
background, to set aside prejudice and to have an
eye for everybody’s talent.
Jan Jaspers

Dr. Inge Holsbeeks,
manager of the
Life Technology unit.
Researcher in the spotlight
Engineering to the bone
Tissue engineering is the research domain where engineers, biologists and surgeons meet. It is a
combination of cells, engineering, material sciences and biochemical and physiochemical elements with
the purpose of relieving biological functions but also repairing or replacing damaged tissues like bone.
The latter is what Dr. Inge Holsbeeks, manager of the Life Technology unit, deals with. She is a member of
the Prometheus research group and deals with growing full bone tissue out of bone cells in the controlled
environment of a bioreactor.
Tissue engineering is a true multidisciplinary
domain,” Inge explains. “One of the most
common definitions describes it as ‘the application
of the principles of engineering and life
sciences toward the development of biological substitutes
that restore, maintain, or improve tissue function
or a whole organ’. The starting point is that using the
natural biology of an organ or body part offers more
chances of success for the replacement, the recovery,
maintenance or improvement of it than other methods.
In other words, if you understand how tissues grow and
develop themselves, then you can apply these insights
to producing new tissue for clinical use. It is no coincidence
that tissue engineering is often named together
with regenerative medicine although this comparison
is not entirely valid. In regenerative medicine for
instance, there is a greater use of stem cells, while tissue
engineering mostly works with existing, already
functional cells as engineering material.”
Smart mechanisms
From a young age, Inge’s interest was in sciences,
biology in particular appealed to her but so did
engineering. Her study choice, then, was obvious:
Bioengineering at the K.U.Leuven, majoring in Cell
and Gene Biotechnology. Her thesis dealt with making
banana plants resistant to viruses and infections
by introducing an extra gene. “Very interesting
research,” Inge says. “Only it is a long time before
you see any results. Transforming cells takes time. It
is mainly waiting for a mature plant.”
After graduation, Inge remained associated with the
Bioengineering faculty as an assistant. In the framework
of her Ph.D., she researches how bakers’ yeast
can detect nutrients in its vicinity. “These are really
smart mechanisms that are able to trace nutritious
components like amino acids or nitrogen components
before they are absorbed. In other words, they anticipate
and do not simply react to what presents itself.”
Research focus points
In 2004, Inge obtained her doctoral degree at the K.U.
Leuven. That same year, she started at GROUP T as an
assistant in the Life Technology unit. “I arrived at the
right moment,” she continues. “The University College
in general and the Life Technology unit, in particular,
in the framework of the forthcoming academization,
had started with the systematic expansion of
scientific research. This assignment was given to Prof.
Ingrid Ilsbroux who was promoted from manager of
my unit to Associate Dean Innovation. In consultation
with the K.U. Leuven, GROUP T defined a number of
so-called research focus points. For the Life Technology
unit that became Tissue Engineering with a focus
on the repair or the replacement of bones.”
Together with her colleagues Prof. Paul Hellings,
Saartje Impens, Luc Janssens and Tina Theys, Inge
started with the expansion of this research group at
GROUP T. “Mind you, we are not doing this alone,”
she clarifies. “We are part of Prometheus which is a
multidisciplinary research platform in which also the
faculties of Medicine, Engineering and Bioengineering
are involved. The surgeons are responsible for the
clinical part, the engineers for, among other things,
designing tools to set bones and developing carriers
to apply bone cells.”
Biological and non-biological
“Also within GROUP T, we have divided the tasks
clearly,” Inge relates. “Tina and Paul do the modulating,
using computer models to examine how bone
grows in order to be able to guide the processes,
while Saartje and I focus on the bioreactor research. A
bioreactor is a controlled biologically active environment
in which cells can grow to establish tissue that
can replace or repair bone. The cells are introduced
to a culture so that they can be applied to a carrier at
a subsequent stage. This may be calcium-based material
or it may also be inert titanium. This combined
application of biological and non-biological elements
is one of the most important characteristics of tissue
engineering.”
The research of Inge’s group is still in a preclinical
phase. In other words, the results are not yet used
in surgical practice. “We are indeed still working on
the bioreactor design,” Inge confirms. “This is pretty
complex engineering. Our results must, after all, be
optimally tuned to clinical use. It involves many different
disciplines: biology and biochemistry obviously,
but also electronics for the sensors, IT for programming
the reactor, etc. Engineers who want to
work in a multidisciplinary environment can do their
own thing here.”
Research and education
Inge combines her research work with an education
assignment. She has taken on a number of biology
courses from the first bachelor year to the master program,
supervises projects and is responsible for coaching
of master’s theses. In the meantime, she has also
succeeded Prof. Ilsbroux as the manager of the Life
Technology unit. It is a continuous challenge to apply
for new projects to continue financing the ongoing
research and, if possible, to expand it. “So I am very
happy that our master students join in the fray,” she
says. “Zhou Xiaochua, a motivated Chinese senior in
Biochemical Engineering, is conducting research in the
framework of her two-year master path. Also Maarten
Sonnaert, a Biochemistry master student at GROUP T,
is applying for a Ph.D. scholarship. We have clearly not
reached the peak of our potential yet.”
Y.P.
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
9
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010

Student Conference Best Paper Award
Group t engineers awarded on
World Automotive Congress 2010
in Budapest
‘Development and Production of an Advanced Composite Monocoque Structure for a Solar Power Race
Vehicle.’ With this paper and presentation Diederik van Tricht, master student in Electromechanical
Engineering and member of the third Solar Team, engineer Brecht Van Hooreweder, and Prof. Guido
Ceulemans went to the 33 rd World Automotive Congress in Budapest. On 3 June 2010, during the closing
ceremony, they received a Student Conference Best Paper Award.
The automotive industry is at a crossroads in
its history,” Brecht, Electromechanics Engineering
doctoral student and member of
GROUP T’s second Solar Team, explains. “In
fact, the sector has to reinvent itself entirely to face
the challenges of the radically changing market. The
customers’ demands and expectations have changed,
there are new and tougher regulations as regards
environment, fuel efficiency, CO2 emissions, safety
and traffic management. New technologies and
lighter materials are in the pipeline. In addition, at
present, more than half of the world population lives
in cities, which requires another form of mobility as
well as another type of vehicles.”
“Therefore, a drastic change in direction is required
from the current car manufacturers,” Brecht believes.
“The approach and the technologies that made them
big are no longer enough. Furthermore, an increasing
number of new players will emerge on the market
with entirely different concepts and solutions.”
Young engineers
These changes did not go unnoticed by the International
Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies
(FISITA) either. The federation is an association
of organizations and companies in the automotive
sector in 38 countries around the world. During the
biennial conference, top international experts are
invited to share their ideas about how the technology
and the customers as well as the authorities and
structural market changes will affect the sector in the
years to come. The 33 rd world conference in Budapest
was organized jointly by the Vehicle Division of
the Hungarian Scientific Society for Mechanical Engineering
(GTE).
great. “After the magnificent second place of Solar
Team 2 in the Australian race, the expectations were
high,” Brecht says. “No matter what, the next team
had to build an even better car, deliver an even better
performance and, at last, be the first to cross the
finish line in Adelaide. One of the most important
technological innovations that were to make this
happen was a new kind of chassis made of carbon
fiber.”
Lighter and more aerodynamic
There was much intensive study and a great deal of
computational work at the basis of the construction
of this kind of composite monocoque structure. “The
intention was to make the new solar car significantly
lighter but also to reduce the aerodynamic resistance.
That way, the car’s energy use would be reduced and
the performance improved. In addition, the robustness
and strength could not be compromised. Compared
to previous editions, the safety measures for
the 2009 race were even more stringent,” according
to Diederik.
Once the concept was developed, production could
begin, and Brecht had the following to say about
this: “First a positive model was made from polyurethane
foam onto which layers of synthetic fiber
were glued. This way a negative mold was created
in which the fibers were applied in layers. We used a
vacuum installation to avoid air remaining between
Prof. Guido Ceulemans, Brecht
Van Hooreweder and Diederik
van Tricht received the Student
Conference Best Paper Award.
synthetic layers. Subsequently, the construction was
hardened in an oven and finally lacquered to make
the surface perfectly smooth.”
The result is a solid structure of 4.3 m x 1.8 m x 1.2 m
with a weight of only 48 kg. “That is 6 kg less than
the previous car with an aluminum pipe frame,”
Diederik says. “The new monocoque structure also
resulted in a 23% reduction of the complete frontal
surface area which in turn resulted in a significantly
lower drag.”
Reliable and solid
The fact that the lightweight composite monocoque
structure of the Umicore Inspire could take a beating
was demonstrated after 400 km of racing in Australia.
Because of an unexpectedly strong gust of
wind, the solar car crashed into a tree at 110 km/h
and the dream to finish first evaporated on the spot.
“The car was completely destroyed but the cockpit
hadn’t budged,” Diederik remarks. “The driver was
almost immediately able to get out of the wreckage
safely and in one piece. A better proof of reliability
and solidity is hardly imaginable. The knowledge of
that certainly played a role in the decision of the conference
jury in Budapest. Post factum still some good
luck from great bad luck.”
Y.P.
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
10
“It was indeed a world conference,” Brecht confirms.
“No less than 700 papers and abstracts were submitted.
This year, special attention went to engineers
still studying and to recently graduated engineers.
They were invited to submit a technical paper on one
or more of the key topics of the conference. This Student
Conference was held at the same time as the
other although all papers are jointly published in the
Conference Proceedings.”
Composite materials
The presentation of the GROUP T trio was scheduled
under ‘Development of Vehicle Parts and Systems’
and then again under the subcategory ‘New Materials,
Concepts and Body Design’.
“Our contribution in Budapest dealt with the body
of the third Belgian solar car, the Umicore Inspire,”
Brecht continues. “Contrary to the first and the
second car, it no longer consisted of an aluminum
pipe frame but of a completely new monocoque
structure from composite materials.”
The challenge faced by the third GROUP T Solar Team
at the start of their ambitious undertaking was very
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010

Bedrijven palmen campus in
9 Maart 2011:
Ondernemersdag bij groep t
Studenten, docenten en ondernemers zijn de drie ‘natuurlijke’ partners van GROEP T - Leuven
Engineering College. In die mate dat ze de drie belangrijkste ‘klanten’ van de hogeschool worden
genoemd. Eén van de hoogdagen waarop partners en klanten elkaar professioneel en informeel kunnen
ontmoeten is de jaarlijkse Ondernemersdag. De hele campus wordt dan omgebouwd tot een groot
interactief forum. Op 9 maart 2011 is het weer zover. VOKA-Kamer van Koophandel Leuven staat
opnieuw in voor de welkome support.
De Ondernemersdag is een service van
GROEP T aan zijn hoofdklanten: studenten,
docenten en ondernemers. Doel van
het evenement is hen een forum te bieden
om contacten te leggen. Dat kan gebeuren met
het oog op de rekrutering van nieuwe medewerkers
maar evengoed in het kader van andere vormen van
samenwerking zoals projecten, stages en masterproeven.
Het concept is dus dubbel. Aan de ene kant is
de Ondernemersdag een jobmarkt voor de laatstejaars
van de ingenieursopleiding, van het masterprogramma
in e-Media, van de internationale postgraduaten
in Enterprising en in Logistics Management
en van de 10 graduaten van ACE, GROEP T’s Centrum
voor volwassenenonderwijs. Aan de andere kant is de
Ondernemersdag eveneens een projectenmarkt met
als belangrijkste doelgroep de derde bachelors ingenieurs
die in het tweede semester uitkijken naar een
onderwerp voor hun masterproef.
Tweejarig mastertraject
Maar ook voor studenten die opteren voor de tweejarige
masterformule van GROEP T biedt de Ondernemersdag
interessante mogelijkheden. In deze
formule wordt het klassieke éénjarige masterprogramma
immers aangevuld en verrijkt met een zgn.
‘Entrepreneurial Engineering Experience’, dit is een
op maat gesneden leertraject van twee semesters in
een onderneming. Een unieke gelegenheid voor de
masterstudent om nog tijdens zijn/haar opleiding
bijkomende bedrijfscompetenties en –ervaring te
verwerven.
En wie na zijn/haar studie bij GROEP T wil verder studeren,
vindt eveneens zijn/haar gading op 9 maart.
Elk jaar zijn verschillende universiteiten en hogescholen
present om informatie te verschaffen over hun
aanbod voor afgestudeerde ingenieurs.
Aantrekkelijk
Ook in tijden van economische crisis en een krimpende
arbeidsmarkt blijft de Ondernemersdag van
GROEP T aantrekkelijk. Voor de editie 2010 meldden
zich 80 bedrijven aan, dit is maar een tiental minder
dan het vorige (record)jaar. Bij de deelnemers niet
alleen multinationals maar ook KMO’s, selectiebureaus
en overheidsbedrijven. Opvallend tijdens de
editie 2010 was de afwezigheid van de banken, de
autoconstructeurs en de chemische industrie. Niet
toevallig de sectoren die het sterkst hebben moeten
snoeien in hun aanwervingen. Anderzijds waren de
energiebedrijven wel opvallend present evenals hightech-ondernemingen
als IMEC, LMS International,
Materialise, enz. Dankzij de medewerking van VOKA-
Kamer van Koophandel Leuven was de Leuvense
bedrijfswereld opnieuw goed vertegenwoordigd.
Overigens is de Ondernemersdag van GROEP T al
lang geen lokaal of Vlaams evenement meer. De aanwezigheid
van de buitenlandse studenten – 20 % van
de populatie in Leuven Engineering College – geeft
aan het gebeuren een internationaal karakter. De
ondernemingen pikken daar uiteraard op in. De buitenlandse
studenten vormen een interessante doelgroep
voor bedrijven met internationale activiteiten
en ambities. Vooral de afstuderenden uit China en
Zuidoost-Azië zijn daarbij erg ‘gegeerd’.
Chase an engineer
Cruciaal voor het welslagen van de Ondernemersdag
is de voorbereiding van de deelnemers. Daar
wordt ook in de editie 2011 bijzondere aandacht aan
besteed. Zo kunnen de ondernemers ruim vooraf de
CV’s van de laatstejaarsstudenten online consulteren.
Dit stelt hen in staat om op voorhand interessante
kandidaten op het spoor te komen en eventueel al
een afspraak te maken. Dit bevordert de goede planning
van de Ondernemersdag.
Maar ook de studenten komen niet onbeslagen op
het ijs. Zij kunnen vooraf de profielen van de bedrijven
inkijken om zich te informeren over het job- en
projectenaanbod. Daar komt nog bij dat de masterstudenten
tijdens de communicatieseminaries een
stevige training ‘Applying for a job’ krijgen. Daar
leren ze hoe je een overtuigend CV opstelt en een
degelijk sollicitatiegesprek voert. Daarbij kunnen ze
gebruik maken van de ‘Competence Indicator’ van
Vacature en het ‘Chase an Engineer Assignment’, dit
is een door het Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ontwikkelde methode om een goed inzicht te krijgen
in de ingenieurspraktijk en de competenties die
nodig zijn om er professioneel in te kunnen functioneren.
Voor studenten die zich nog verder willen
bekwamen, wordt tijdens de Ondernemersdag zelf
nog een sollicitatietraining georganiseerd, verzorgd
door een selectiebureau, gespecialiseerd in de rekrutering
van ingenieurs.
Sinds de komst van internet zijn de meeste vacatures
niet meer in de kranten te vinden maar wel in een
ruim aanbod van jobsites waar je ook online kunt
solliciteren. Hoe belangrijk deze rekrutering ook
geworden is, toch blijft een gesprek nog altijd de
beste manier om te weten of het klikt tusssen mensen.
Het succes van de Ondernemersdag is daar elk
jaar opnieuw het bewijs van.
Y.P.
De Ondernemersdag heeft plaats op Campus Vesalius.
Start om 13 uur, einde om 17 uur. Ondernemingen
schrijven zich in via www.groept.be
Students, professors and entrepreneurs are
GROUP T – Leuven Engineering College’s ‘natural’
partners. To such an extent that they are called
the three most important ‘clients’ of the university
college. One of the most important events
for partners and clients to meet both professionally
and informally is the annual Entrepreneurs’
Day. The entire campus becomes a huge, interactive
forum. The next one is scheduled for March
9, 2011. Once again we welcome Voka-Chamber
of Commerce and Industry Leuven’s support.
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
GROeP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
11

Studenten in de kijker
De bezielers van het studentenleven
Hoger onderwijs en studentenverenigingen zijn onlosmakelijk met elkaar verbonden. Ze kruiden het
studentenleven, brengen kleur en leven op de campus, ontworstelen zich meer en meer van het
negatieve imago van overmatig drinken en fuiven. Maar de studentenvereniging anno 2010 moet
het nog steeds hebben van inzet van een groot aantal enthousiaste medewerkers en vooral van de
ploeggeest die gaandeweg ontstaat en bergen kan verzetten. Bij GROEP T - Internationale Hogeschool
zijn twee studentenverenigingen actief: Educata voor de studenten van de lerarenopleiding en
Industria voor de ingenieursstudenten. Daarnaast is er de Studentenraad, het officiële orgaan voor
studentenparticipatie.
Jens Damen en Thomas Ceusters van Educata.
Om de werking van Educata nog sterker in de verf te
zetten, zal de communicatie meer aandacht krijgen.
Leden moeten weten waarvoor Educata staat. Jens:
“Educata is meer dan een feesttent en organiseert heel
wat sport- en cultuuractiviteiten. We willen ook dat de
leden zo direct mogelijk communiceren met het presidium,
zodat wij goed weten wat er bij hen leeft.”
Wat drijft hen om deel uit te maken van het presidium
van Educata? Voor Bram is het een leuke manier
om andere studenten te leren kennen. Maar hij wil
als cultuurverantwoordelijke in de eerste plaats zijn
medestudenten in contact brengen met wat er op
cultureel vlak in Leuven leeft. Jens ziet daarenboven
dit engagement als een goede ervaring om later als
leerkracht beter te functioneren.
Educata: betere communicatie
met de leden
Door de kortere periode waarin studenten aan de
lerarenopleiding studeren, nl. 3 jaar, kampt Educata
voortdurend met continuïteit en rekrutering van de
bestuursploeg. Doorgaans zijn het de studenten
van het 2 de bac die het presidium trekken. Omwille
van stages kunnen de studenten van het laatste jaar
zich immers minder in de vereniging engageren. We
spraken met Jens Damen (preses), Thomas Ceusters
(vice-preses) en Bram Vancauwenbergh (cultuur)
die deel uitmaken van het nieuwe Educata-team.
“Ons belangrijkste doel is de studenten beter bij de
werking van Educata betrekken en hen meer laten
samenkomen.” Het is niet zozeer een probleem van
ledenwerving: haast ieder student wordt lid van de
vereniging, al is het maar omwille van de korting
die ze als lid krijgen bij de cursusdienst. Wel stellen
ze vast dat slechts een beperkt aantal leden ook
regelmatig aan hun activiteiten deelneemt. “Een
belangrijk deel van onze medestudenten zit niet
op kot in Leuven en zoekt zijn ontspanning elders.
Door de aard van onze opleiding, met zijn groot
aantal verschillende richtingen, is er niet meteen
een groot groepsgevoel tussen de studenten en
hebben ze minder contact met elkaar. We willen
dus echt werk maken van het deelnemen aan onze
activiteiten, niet alleen de feestjes maar ook sport
en cultuur.”
de andere studentenorganisaties binnen GROEP T:
Industria, DELI en de Studentenraad”. Niet toevallig
zijn dat de punten waarmee in het verleden problemen
waren.
Voor vice-preses Thomas is een goede cursusdienst
essentieel. “Het moet voor alle studenten vanaf de
eerste dag duidelijk zijn welke cursussen ze effectief
nodig hebben.” Daarom werd de dienst grondig
geherstructureerd, met een verantwoordelijke per
richting (kleuter, lager en secundair onderwijs) en
vaste openingsuren en wordt werk gemaakt van een
goed en regelmatig overleg met de lectoren.
Industria: inzetten op het
internationale karakter van
GROEP T
Een afvaardiging van het Industria-presidium, met
Jens Smeers (preses), Matthias Vanaverbeke (vicepreses),
Anneleen Decsi (cultuur), Michael Koolen en
Hoang Duy Can (international relations) vertelde ons
over hun plannen voor het academiejaar 2010-2011.
Daarin willen ze een belangrijk accent leggen op de
communicatie tussen de Vlaamse en de internationale
studenten. Jens voerde een klein onderzoek bij
de buitenlandse studenten omdat zij zo weinig participeerden
aan de activiteiten van Industria en vroeg
hen waarvoor ze zich interesseerden. Zo bleek onder
meer dat ze graag België en dan vooral de kust en
de historische steden zoals Brugge wilden leren kennen
en dat hun favoriete sport basket is. Ze nemen
zelden aan avondactiviteiten deel omdat ze vaak op
kot gamingavonden en LAN-party’s organiseren. Dit
was voor Jens een “eyeopener” en de reden om in
het nieuwe presidium in een sterkere internationale
GROEP T
12
Het nieuwe Educata-team ging net na de examens
van juni op werkweekend om na te denken over de
actiepunten en de planning voor het nieuwe academiejaar
uit te tekenen. “We definieerden drie grote
werkpunten”, zegt preses Jens. “We willen een
goede cursusdienst met stevige fundamenten, we
willen beter communiceren met de leden en meer
mensen bereiken op onze activiteiten én we gaan
voor een betere interactie en samenwerking met
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
Matthias Vanaverbeke, Jens Smeers en Anneleen Decsi van Industria.

aanwezigheid te voorzien. Daarvoor staan Michael
en Can in. Michael was vorig jaar al lid van het presidium
en heeft toen een aantal initiatieven genomen
om binnen- en buitenlandse studenten met elkaar in
contact te brengen. Zo was er een peter en meteravond,
de cook-off en een karaoke-avond. Dit jaar
willen ze dat verder uitbouwen door ook de buitenlandse
studenten sterker bij de werking te betrekken.
En om daarmee een begin te maken, worden
de bestuursvergaderingen voortaan in het Engels
gehouden.
Industria wil sterk inzetten op de communicatie.
Een ploeg van drie verantwoordelijken moet daarvoor
zorgen. Niet alleen intern: zo wordt het wekelijkse
T-Magazine grondig aangepast. De externe
communicatie met de andere studentenorganisaties
bij GROEP T en met het bedrijfsleven wordt eveneens
aangescherpt. Jens: “Wij willen de slagkracht
door de samenwerking verbeteren. Ieder speelt zijn
rol maar door samen te werken maak je gebruik
van elkaars sterke punten. Daarom vinden we het
belangrijk om bijvoorbeeld de Studentenraad een
grotere visibiliteit te geven.” De contacten met
bedrijven hebben een dubbel doel: enerzijds sponsoring
verwerven voor de activiteiten van Industria,
maar anderzijds ook kansen creëren voor de toekomstige
afgestudeerden. Jens: “In dat kader past
het idee om een Alumni-vzw op te richten. Hierdoor
willen we de relatie met de bedrijfswereld waarin
de afgestudeerden van GROEP T werken, nauwer
aanhalen. We bereiden met deze vzw de viering voor
van het 50 ste werkjaar van Industria. Dat moet een
spetterend feest worden.” Anneleen vindt de samenwerking
tussen Industria en Educata erg belangrijk.
“We willen onze kalenders op elkaar afstemmen,
maar ook gezamenlijke activiteiten opzetten, waarin
we gebruik maken van elkaars sterke punten. Industria
is bekend om zijn organisatorische kwaliteiten,
maar Educata scoort hoog op de inkleding van hun
feesten. Door samen te werken kan je dan alleen
maar winnen.”
Waarom ze dit doen? De sfeer en vriendschap zijn
erg belangrijke drijfveren. Je bouwt op korte tijd
een hechte band op en krijgt ook veel terug. En het
moet gezegd: het lidmaatschap van het presidium
van Industria staat niet slecht op je CV. Je leert er
immers heel veel dingen die je in je beroepsleven kan
gebruiken: engagement, leren organiseren, met budgetten
omgaan en de laatste jaren ook meer en meer
je Engels oefenen in de contacten met buitenlandse
studenten.
Studentenraad: go between
tussen studenten en hogeschool
De Studentenraad is een officieel orgaan, waarvan de
taken en de samenstelling wettelijk zijn vastgelegd.
De raad overkoepelt de beide departementen van
GROEP T: Engineering College en Education College
en is dus samengesteld uit studenten van de beide
opleidingen. Christophe van de Weygert (voorzitter)
en Tim Winters (ondervoorzitter) ontvingen ons in
het lokaal van de SR.
Wat studentenraden moeten doen en hoe ze worden
samengesteld, is wettelijk vastgelegd in het Vlaamse
Participatiedecreet. Daardoor verloopt de verkiezing
van de Studentenraad bij GROEP T helemaal anders
dan deze van Industria en Educata. Je stelt je individueel
kandidaat voor de raad, terwijl de studentenverenigingen
een ploeg aan de kiezers voorstellen.
De 20 verkozen leden vormen de algemene vergadering
van de Studentenraad en die kiest op zijn beurt
een raad van bestuur van 6 leden. Het is ook de algemene
vergadering die de functies, zoals voorzitter en
ondervoorzitter toewijst. Dit oogt allemaal officieel,
maar je mag het belang ervan niet onderschatten.
Christophe: “De Studentenraad brengt advies uit
aan het bestuur en de verschillende overlegorganen
van de hogeschool over alles wat de studenten aanbelangt.
Je moet daarbij niet afwachten wat er in
die overlegorganen ter sprake zal komen, maar zelf
initiatief nemen, informatie sprokkelen in de wandelgangen,
op onderzoek uitgaan en een standpunt
voorbereiden dat door de meerderheid van de studenten
gedragen wordt. Een goed voorbeeld hiervan
is de diplomaruimte: daarop hebben wij tijdig
onze visie kunnen ontwikkelen waardoor wij goed
voorbereid naar de gesprekken met de hogeschool
gingen.” De Studentenraad vertegenwoordigt de
studenten van GROEP T ook in InterS, de vzw die de
sociale voorzieningen voor de studenten beheert.
Michael Koolen en Hoang Duy Can van Industria.
Tim: “Niet onbelangrijk, als je weet dat via die weg
het leven van de studenten aangenamer gemaakt
wordt. Alma, gratis STUK- en CJP-kaart, studentenarts,
huisvestingsdienst, individuele hulp aan studenten:
het valt er allemaal onder. Dus is het goed
dat studenten zelf kunnen meepraten over wat hen
direct aanbelangt.”
De Studentenraad beperkt zich niet tot wat er zich
binnen GROEP T afspeelt. In de overlegstructuren
binnen de Associatie K.U.Leuven (LOKO en STAL) en
op niveau van alle Vlaamse studentenraden (VVS)
laten ze met aandrang de stem van de studenten van
GROEP T horen. Tim ziet daar een uitdaging voor dit
academiejaar: “We willen in deze overlegstructuren
meer proactief te werk gaan door zelf agendapunten
aan te brengen. Die punten willen we detecteren via
de werkgroepen van onze algemene vergadering.”
Het kersverse bestuur heeft voor dit werkjaar al een
aantal werkpunten gedefinieerd. In hun lijstje staan
toetsenbeleid en diplomaruimte voorop. Vooral voor
dit laatste zijn er nog een aantal werkpunten waarbij
de Studentenraad graag betrokken wil worden.
Een ander aandachtspunt is de verbetering van de
communicatie met de studenten. Christophe: “Wij
vinden het belangrijk dat de studenten goed weten
waarmee de Studentenraad bezig is. Wij verdedigen
immers hun belangen.” Hij wil dat de Studentenraad
ook als meldpunt optreedt in geval van problemen
of klachten. “Het systeem van de groepsverantwoordelijken
kan hiervoor uitstekend werken. Zij komen
regelmatig samen en wisselen informatie uit.”
Naast al deze ernst is er ook nog plaats voor ontspanning
met ondermeer een fac-feestje. En ze denken
eraan om opnieuw een open weekend te organiseren,
waarin de studenten op vrijblijvende basis en in
ontspannen omstandigheden met de werking van de
Studentenraad kunnen kennismaken.
Jan Jaspers
Tim Winters en Christophe van de Weygert van Studentenraad.
Higher education and student associations are
inextricably linked to each other. They spice up
student life, add color and life to the campus,
and more and more are wresting themselves free
of the negative image of excessive drinking and
partying. Still, in 2010, the student association
continues to rely on the commitment of a great
number of enthusiastic contributors and, in particular,
of the team spirit that gradually arises
and can move mountains. At GROUP T – International
University College, there are two student
associations active: Educata for the students of
the teacher training program and Industria for
the engineering students. In addition, there is
the Student Council, the official body for student
participation.
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
GROEP T
13

Het Fablab-team van Leuven:
Dr. Wim Dewulf (GROEP T), de professoren
Bert Lauwers en Marc Lombaerts (K.U.Leuven)
en Christel Willemaerts (GROEP T).
Nieuwe leervormen in de ingenieursopleidingen
Fablab: een smeltkroes
van innovatie
Op 27 mei 2010 opende Fablab-Leuven zijn deuren. Fablab staat voor Fabricaton Laboratory.
Het concept is ontwikkeld aan het Massachusetts Institute of Technology met als doel een technologische
leeromgeving te creëren waarbinnen uiteenlopende doelgroepen eigen productideeën kunnen uitwerken.
De realisatie ervan gebeurt met behulp van prototyping en fabricatietechnieken. Bij dit project zijn
verschillende partners betrokken, waaronder GROEP T. Fablab wordt dit academiejaar geïntegreerd in
de ingenieurscurricula van GROEP T en de K.U.Leuven.
GROEP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
14
Binnen technologische opleidingsonderdelen
als ‘Probleemoplossen en Ontwerpen’
(K.U.Leuven) en de ‘Engineering Experiences’
(GROEP T) worden de studenten uitgedaagd
om vakoverschrijdend, creatief en in team een
technologische probleemstelling aan te pakken. Het
ontbreekt hen meestal aan de mogelijkheden om hun
creatieve ideeën daadwerkelijk in een functioneel
prototype om te zetten. Er is m.a.w. behoefte aan een
werkomgeving waar studenten met een minimale uitrusting
toch concrete producten kunnen fabriceren.
De oplossing biedt Fablab. Het is een open werkruimte
(open source hardware) waarin een aantal gebruiksvriendelijke
machines staan waarmee de studenten
eigen ideeën kunnen uitwerken en effectief realiseren
via o.m. rapid prototyping of andere fabricatietechnieken
alsook bijbehorende software voor het ontwerp
en de aansturing van de machines. Met deze combinatie
van apparatuur kan je quasi alles maken uit
hout, kunststof of lichte metalen. Een basisopstelling
van een Fablab bestaat uit een computergestuurde
3D-printer, een freesmachine en een lasercutter.
Gezamenlijk project
De faculteiten Ingenieurswetenschappen, Economie en
Bedrijfswetenschappen K.U.Leuven Research & Development,
GROEP T, de Roger Van Overstraeten Society, de
Stad Leuven en I-Propeller sloegen in september 2009
de handen in elkaar om in Leuven een Fablab uit te bouwen.
Het lab wordt gehuisvest in de gebouwen van het
Departement Werktuigkunde. De Provincie Vlaams-Brabant
besliste het project van de nodige subsidies te voorzien.
Tijdens de eerste acht maanden werd het concept
uitgewerkt. Dit omvatte o.m. de keuze en installatie van
de machines, de ontwikkeling van documentatiemateriaal
en het contacteren van de verschillende doelgroepen,
in dit geval studenten hoger onderwijs en leerlingen uit
secundaire scholen. Het gebruik van Fablab blijft overigens
niet beperkt tot ingenieursstudenten of leerlingen
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
“Het Fablab kan synergie
creëren tussen heel
uiteenlopende doelgroepen.”
uit het technisch onderwijs. Ook andere niet-technische
opleidingen kunnen ermee aan de slag. Architectuur
bijvoorbeeld voor de fabricatie van maquettes. Of economisten
in spe die op een actieve manier het ondernemerschap
onder de knie willen krijgen.
Didactische werkvormen
Eenmaal de nodige hardware was geïnstalleerd,
werd nagegaan hoe Fablab ingepast kan worden in
de betrokken curricula. Welke didactische werkvormen
zijn het meest geschikt voor de verschillende
toepassingen? Veel van de vooropgestelde competenties
kunnen gemakkelijk via e-learning verworven
worden. Op die manier komen de studenten goed
voorbereid naar het lab, wordt er tijd bespaard waardoor
meer studenten bediend kunnen worden.
Om communicatievaardigheden, teamspirit, initiatiefzin,
creativiteit en probleemoplossend vermogen aan
te scherpen wordt een ICT-ondersteund leernetwerk
opgezet waarbij studenten van en met elkaar, maar
ook van andere Fablabs wereldwijd kunnen leren.
Het Fablabproject werd in 2009 erkend als OOF-Project
(Onderwijsontwikkelingsfonds) van de Associatie
K.U.Leuven. Het kadert immers in tal van prioritaire
domeinen, zoals onderwijskundige professionalisering,
de afstemming op de beroepspraktijk, flexibilisering
en het verlagen van de drempel naar het hoger
onderwijs. Een belangrijke troef van het project is dat
het multicampusonderwijs aanbiedt. Er is niet alleen
in Leuven een lab geïnstalleerd, ook Campus De
Nayer van de Lessius Hogeschool heeft er een. Beide
zijn opgenomen in een internationaal netwerk.
Breed inzetbaar
Niet alleen onderwijsinstellingen maken gebruik van
Fablab. Het project mikt eveneens op kunstenaars en
al wie een persoonlijke touch aan van alles en nog
wat wil geven. Zo wordt Fablab een smeltkroes van
innovatie waar ingenieurs, artiesten en andere creatievelingen
elkaar kunnen inspireren. Elders in de
wereld heeft het Fablabconcept alvast zijn sporen
verdiend. In India ontwikkelden arme boeren een
eigen melktester waardoor ze veel geld besparen. In
de USA gebruiken werklozen en kansarmen de technologie
om hun kansen op de arbeidsmarkt te vergroten.
Probleemjongeren kunnen er dan weer een
nuttige tijdsbesteding in vinden.
Wat Fablab-Leuven echt vernieuwend maakt is de
synergie die het kan creëren tussen heel uiteenlopende
doelgroepen. Het brengt het secundair onderwijs
in contact met het hoger, het slaat een brug
tussen scholen en bedrijven, het verbindt lagere- en
hogergeschoolden en haalt de banden aan tussen de
profit- en de non-profitsector.
Dr. ir. Wim Dewulf
Copromotor GROEP T
On 27 May 2010, Fablab-Leuven opened its doors.
Fablab stands for Fabrication Laboratory. The concept
was designed at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology with the objective of creating a technological
learning environment within which various
target groups could produce their own product
ideas. Such is carried out by means of prototyping
and manufacturing techniques. Several partners,
among which GROUP T, are involved in this project.
Fablab will be integrated into the engineering
curricula of GROUP T and the K.U.Leuven this
academic year.

Erasmus students in the spotlight
Symbol As, atomic number 33
Those who know something about chemistry, know immediately what it is about: arsenic. One of the
most dangerous chemical elements and at the same time one of the most common substances in the
earth’s crust. In particular, it can often be found in the groundwater in (too) great concentrations.
Meanwhile, various techniques have been developed to remove the substance from the water although
unfortunately, these cannot be used in all situations. That is why Christiaan Franz and Matthias De Rycke,
two Chemistry master’s students at GROUP T went to the University of Calabria, South Italy, with an
Erasmus scholarship to finalize a new purification technique.
The ancient Chinese, Greeks and Egyptians
were already familiar with the chemical,
but it would not be until 1250 until the German
(al)chemist Albertus Magnus identified
arsenic as an element for the first time. Only four centuries
later, the element was isolated successfully. The
name itself comes from the Greek ‘arsenikon’ which
translates into ‘yellow pigment’ but in its best known
form arsenic is grey.
“Over time, arsenic was used for many different
things,” Christiaan relates. “In the treatment of
syphilis, as a pesticide in fruit farming, for stuffing
animals, as pigment for paint, and so on. Today, too,
arsenic is used a lot in the chemical and electronics
industry. Did you know that the extremely toxic
arsenic gas plays an important role in the manufacturing
process of microchips and transistors?”
“In any form, arsenic has always had a bad reputation,”
Matthias continues. “Because it was practically
undetectable, arsenic compounds were very
popular for poisoning people. The most well-known
victim is probably Napoleon. After examination at his
place of exile, it turned out that his body contained
large quantities of arsenic. At the time, the finger
was pointed at his English guards. Later, it turned
out that it was not all that extraordinary because, in
Napoleon’s time, people were exposed to 100 times
more than people are these days.”
Membrane technology
Christiaan Franz and Matthias
De Rycke went to the University
of Calabria, South Italy.
Back to the present. Early February 2010, Christiaan
and Matthias packed their bags for 11 weeks of
research at the University of Calabria. Their supervisor
Prof. Chantal Block had got them ready for it and had
taken care of the required contacts. Both master’s students
could go to work at the Institute on Membrane
Technology that was established on the campus.
“Well, we did not exactly leave unprepared,” Christiaan
explains. “In September 2009, we went to prospect
for a week to learn what precisely was expected
of us. Our local co-supervisor provided us with a lot of
material so that we could start studying the literature
thoroughly during the first semester.”
As has already been said, arsenic can be found almost
everywhere in the soil. “The groundwater also contains
arsenic which is dissolved in the soil in the process
of rock erosion,” Matthias clarifies. “The water seeps
into the soil and picks up the toxic substance. In countries
like India, Vietnam and Bangladesh where millions
of people depend on groundwater with a high
level of arsenic, chronic arsenic poisoning is the order
of the day. Symptoms include skin and other cancers,
tumors on bladder, lungs, kidneys, liver, etc.”
Micro spheres
“At the University of Calabria, research has already
been carried out for some time now into how to
remove arsenic from the groundwater using membranes,”
Christiaan continues. “The membranes are
built into large filters that can be deployed at a large
scale. The problem is that poor, rural areas do not
have the means available to use such equipment.
So we opted to approach it on a smaller scale. We
started to make micro spheres based on polymers.
These micro spheres have a 1.5 mm cross section
and can be best compared to polystyrene globules.
They act as a carrier of titanium dioxide (TiO 2
for
the experts), a compound that absorbs arsenic. TiO 2
,
in other words, is the active ingredient that draws
out and binds the poisonous arsenic like a magnet.
The micro spheres with the TiO 2
are like the tea in
a tea bag.”
“One could indeed just toss the TiO 2
in the water, but
that raises the problem of getting it back out and
this time with the arsenic included,” Matthias adds.
“This is possible in principle, there are technologies
to do this, only poor regions wouldn’t be able to
afford that. So it is necessary to immobilize the TiO 2
in our micro spheres which are easy to remove and
can also be recuperated, TiO 2
and all. A good wash
in an extremely acidic or alkaline solution suffices to
make it ready for use again.”
International critical level
The required tests were carried out in collaboration
with the University of Karlsruhe in Germany. “Successfully,”
says Christiaan. “You have to know that
the World Health Organization sets a critical level of
10 micrograms of arsenic per liter. We are substantially
below that with out polymer capsules. With
5 grams of those micro spheres we can easily purify
50 liters. If you consider that in countries like Bangladesh
it is everyday practice to consume water with
50 micrograms arsenic per liter, it is clear that our
technique can be very useful there.”
An important step in the right direction, in other
words, but it is always possible to do better. Both students
realize this. “The technique can definitely be
perfected further,” Matthias confirms. “For instance,
the polluted water did not yet fully penetrate to the
core of the TiO 2
in the micro sphere. As a result, a
part remains unused. If we succeed in making the
outer part more porous still, the result will be noticeably
better. But that will be up to our successors.”
Italian pace
Of course, an Erasmus student enjoys more than only
laboratory work, although it was only after several
weeks of intensive experiments that Christiaan and
Matthias were allowed some time off to explore
the region, head to the nearby sea, visit Rome and
Cosenza and of course enjoy the excellent gastronomic
qualities of Southern Italy. “After a while, we
were indeed less stressed and got used to the more
easygoing Italian tempo,” Matthias says. To the
extent even that both GROUP T students were asked
to return after their studies to do a Ph.D. in Italy.
There is little chance of that, though. Christiaan prefers
to go study Industrial Management. And Matthias
sees himself in the footsteps of his father: starting
as an independent engineer in the construction
sector. One thing they both agree on: the Erasmus
adventure was certainly not poisoned gift.
Y.P.
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
15
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010

Alumni in de kijker
Van ingenieur Elektromechanica
tot Business Analyst
“Eerst in de winkel werken, vóór je hem kan runnen”, dat is het devies van Ine Beeterens en Hilde
Eylenbosch. Beiden studeerden in 2007 bij GROEP T af als ingenieur Elektromechanica, niet meteen een
richting met een sterke vrouwelijke aanwezigheid. Na drie jaar vinden ze elkaar terug bij Deloitte als
Business Analyst in Supply Chain Management.
Ine is afkomstig uit Geetbets, een kleine gemeente in de buurt van Sint-Truiden,
op de grens tussen Limburg en Vlaams-Brabant. Voor haar humaniorastudies
trok zij naar het nabijgelegen Herk-de-Stad. In het laatste jaar secundair
onderwijs stond het voor haar vast dat ze ingenieursstudies zou aanvatten.
De universiteitsstad Leuven was voor haar een evidente keuze en ook de aantrekkingskracht
van het studentenleven speelde een rol. GROEP T stond bovendien
goed aangeschreven in haar school en haar broer studeerde er. Na de infodagen
was het voor haar duidelijk: ze ging voor Elektromechanica omwille van de brede
kijk die deze richting biedt.
Ine Beeterens en Hilde Eylenbosch
vonden elkaar terug als Business
Analysts bij Deloitte.
Hildes roots liggen in Lennik. Ook voor haar stond het al vrij snel vast dat ze ingenieur
wilde worden. Omdat haar zus in Oostende studeerde, heeft ze even getwijfeld
of ze naar de kust zou trekken. Maar uiteindelijk werd ze verleid door het bruisende
kotleven van Leuven, gecombineerd met de unieke opleiding van GROEP T,
met dat belangrijk accent op management. “Ik heb me er meteen thuis gevoeld: de
dag vóór de start van het academiejaar kon je me al vinden in Den Délibéré”.
Kleine afstand
Ze hebben beiden uitstekende herinneringen aan hun studieperiode. Vooral treft
het hen nu hoe klein de afstand hier is tussen professoren en studenten. “Mijn huidige
collega’s staan telkens verbaasd als we hen vertellen hoe gemakkelijk we naar
onze proffen konden stappen met een vraag of een probleem”, zegt Ine. Hilde
vindt het ook een pluspunt dat het studentensecretariaat van GROEP T vlot bereikbaar
is. “Het personeel helpt je graag en je wordt niet van het kastje naar de muur
gestuurd.” Ze voelden zich ook goed thuis in hun studierichting, die traditioneel
bestempeld wordt als een ‘mannenwereld’. Dat betekent dat je je als studente ook
iets harder moet bewijzen ten opzichte van je mannelijke studiegenoten.
“We ervaren de ingenieursstudie en de
aanvullende managementopleiding als
een gedroomde combinatie.”
GROEP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
16
Ine en Hilde hebben zich na hun ingenieursopleiding verder vervolmaakt in
management. Tijdens het laatste jaar bij GROEP T was Ine in contact gekomen met
de Vlerick Management School, dus koos ze ervoor om daar ‘Master in General
Management’ te volgen. Ze vond dat deze bijkomende opleiding haar meer kansen
zou bieden op de arbeidsmarkt. Hilde opteerde voor de opleiding ‘Master in
Management’ van de K.U.Leuven. Zij liet zich vooral leiden door het universitaire
niveau en de goede reputatie van de Leuvense managementopleiding. In december
van het jaar van haar bijkomende studies, kwam ze via een kennismakingssessie in
contact met Deloitte, solliciteerde er en werd aangenomen. Hetzelfde overkwam
Ine, die er einde maart haar contract tekende. Zij werd erg aangesproken door de
menselijke benadering, de steile leercurve en afwisselende projecten.
Coaches en counselors
En zo kwamen Ine en Hilde elkaar, na aparte trajecten, terug tegen. Ze zijn erg
te spreken over de positieve, dynamische sfeer in het bedrijf. “Elke nieuwkomer
wordt opgenomen in de groep via een coach. Dat is een collega die het jaar
voordien bij Deloitte begonnen is. Bij hem of haar kan je terecht met je dagelijkse
vraagjes. Daarnaast heb je een counselor, een begeleider, die je carriere-advies
geeft en je ‘verdedigt’ tijdens je beoordeling. En ten slotte is er je projectleider
die je stuurt en beoordeelt tijdens je activiteiten bij de klant. Je wordt dus als
beginner goed omkaderd. Dit systeem blijft trouwens functioneren gedurende
je verdere loopbaan bij Deloitte.”
Ine en Hilde zijn beiden als Business Analyst in Supply Chain Management verantwoordelijk
voor de implementatie van SAP, een geïntegreerd informatie- en besturingssysteem
waarmee bedrijfsmatige processen (zoals aankoop, productie, verkoop
en boekhouding) kunnen worden vastgelegd en beheerd. Hilde is toegewezen aan
een grote overheidsinstelling, Ine werkt in opdracht van Deloitte voor een grote
bandenfabrikant. Daar werkt ze in teamverband aan de integratie van een overgenomen
bedrijf, dit steeds met oog op productie en logistiek. Hiervoor onderzoeken
de consultants ‘business needs’, analyseren de verschillende mogelijkheden en
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
implementeren de beste oplossingen. Zij stellen niet alleen expertise ter beschikking,
maar zijn ook concreet begaan met change management. Dit betekent dat zij
ter plaatse nauw samenwerken met de klant en deze opleiden en begeleiden.
Doorgroeien naar consultant
Deze eerste werkervaringen geven hen zin om zich in de toekomst verder toe te
leggen op strategisch advies aan bedrijven. Door echt op de werkvloer te staan,
leren ze vandaag alle processen goed kennen. In deze fase van hun loopbaan
zien ze veel klanten uit verschillende sectoren en doen ze veel projectervaring op,
ook in het buitenland. Ze hopen te kunnen doorgroeien naar consultant. Deloitte
geeft hen die mogelijkheid onder meer door extra opleidingen aan te bieden.
Ze ervaren de ingenieursstudie en de aanvullende managementopleiding als een
gedroomde combinatie. “Je hebt iets extra in je rugzak, dat je een voetje voor
geeft, nl. de technische knowhow samen met het managementinzicht”.
Voor Ine en Hilde was dit korte bezoek aan GROEP T een beetje als ‘thuiskomen’.
Ze bewaren zeer goede herinneringen aan hun opleiding en aan het gebouw.
“Het is geen mastodont, je kent er iedereen, ziet je medestudenten regelmatig in
grote en kleine groepen. Bovendien was de Chinareis de reis van ons leven.”
Guido Vercammen
Jan Jaspers
“Work in the store first, before you can run it”, this is the advice of Ine
Beeterens and Hilde Eylenbosch. Both graduated from GROUP T in 2007 as
Electromechanics engineers, not directly a program with a strong female
presence. After three years, they find each other again at Deloitte as Business
Analysts in Supply Chain Management.

Ecologische voertuigen houden halt bij GROEP T
Groene wagens
en hun technologie
Odyssee, Pegasus, Umicar I, Infinity en Inspire. Klinkende namen van alternatief aangedreven voertuigen
die studenten van GROEP T door de jaren heen ontwikkelden. De ene rijdt op zonne-energie, de andere is
hybride, maar allemaal hebben ze hetzelfde doel: het grote publiek bewust maken van het potentieel van
alternatieve energiebronnen!
En laat dat nu net het doel zijn van de WATT
Roadshow. WATT (Wagens, Alternatieve
Transportmiddelen en Technologie) is een
project van Bond Beter Leefmilieu en ASBE.
Met een karavaan van elektrische wagens, fietsen en
scooters, hybridewagens, voertuigen op aardgas en
LPG en allerhande alternatieve brandstoffen zetten
de organisatoren een nieuwe, milieuvriendelijkere
generatie voertuigen en brandstoffen in de kijker.
De WATT Roadshow streek neer in zestien Vlaamse
steden en sloeg op zondag 3 oktober, tijdens de
Open Bedrijvendag, zijn tenten op bij GROEP T in
Leuven. Meer dan 1000 bezoekers bezochten er de
info- en demomarkt en kropen zelf achter het stuur
voor een testrit.
De kleine bezoekers konden ondertussen een gepersonaliseerde
sleutelhanger maken, lege blikjes frisdrank
omtoveren tot theelichthouders of ontdekken
dat LED-lampen minder energie verbruiken dan
spaar-, halogeen- of gloeilampen.
Ecovoertuigen
WATT richt zich niet enkel op consumenten maar
ook op professionele gebruikers. Op maandag
4 oktober kwamen deskundigen uit het veld samen
om bedrijfsleiders en lokale besturen te informeren
over de beschikbare voertuigen en de economische
en ecologische voordelen.
Prof. Dr. Ir. Joeri van Mierlo van de Vrije Universiteit
Brussel verschafte meer informatie over de gebruikte
technologieën in milieuvriendelijke voertuigen. “Het
milieuvriendelijkst is om geen auto te gebruiken”, zo
startte hij zijn toespraak, “maar naast het terugdringen
van het aantal gereden voertuigkilometers is een
vergroening van het wagenpark zelf een noodzaak.”
Ecologisch en economisch?
Voertuigen met alternatieve aandrijving zijn zuiniger,
alternatieve brandstoffen zijn aan de pomp duidelijk
goedkoper en bij de aanschaf van een ecologische
auto deelt de overheid premies uit. Het lijkt logisch
dat rijden met een groene auto voordelig is. Maar is
dat ook zo?
“Als we alles in rekening brengen is het verschil in de
gemiddelde kost per kilometer tussen een klassieke
auto en een groene auto maar enkele eurocenten”,
stelt Van Mierlo, “wil je echt goedkoper rijden dan is
de aankoop van een kleiner model efficiënter dan te
veranderen van aandrijving of brandstof”. Dat maakt
het dus moeilijk om de doorsnee burger te sensibiliseren
voor ecologische voertuigen. Voor bedrijven en
overheden zijn de fiscale voordelen duidelijker.
Al in 1899 werd het allereerste elektrische voertuig,
de ‘Jamais Contente’, gebouwd die meer dan 100 km/
uur kon rijden. Ook hybride voertuigen bestonden al in
1900. De eerste was de Lohner-Porche met twee elektrische
motoren vooraan, aangedreven door een generator
met verbrandingsmotor. Ondertussen is de technologie
van ecologische voertuigen er op vooruitgegaan,
maar blijft het wachten tot de grote doorbraak…
Dr. Katleen Lodewyckx
Wetenschapscommunicator
Odyssee, Pegasus, Umicar I, Infinity and Inspire:
the resounding names of alternatively driven
vehicles developed by GROUP T students over
the past years. Most use solar energy, one is a
hybrid, but they all have the same cause: raising
awareness among the general public concerning
the potential of alternative energy sources!
GROEP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
17
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010

Kaat Van Horen, Thomas Ceusters
and Kris De Ridder registered for
the option Buddhism in the teacher
training program.
Plurality of world visions
Does Buddhism make you
a better teacher?
Answer: no. Not a better teacher as such, but a different one. One who brings peace and harmony, one
who surpasses the daily worries and concerns in class and at school, one who can distinguish the important
from the less important and, mainly, one who can create an inspiring educational environment in which
the students learn to be happy. This is the opinion of Kaat Van Horen, Kris De Ridder and Thomas Ceusters,
three third-year students of the Secondary Education teacher training program at GROUP T.
GROUP T - LEUVEN EDUCATION COLLEGE
18
Kaat takes Biology and Mathematics, Kris
chose Dutch and Art Project Classes and
Thomas opted for History and English.
Three very different directions but with
one thing in common. All three of them registered
for the option Buddhism, taught by Dr. Edel Maex,
one of the authorities in Belgium in this field. And,
by their own accounts, it was a choice that changed
them not only as students and future teachers but
also as human beings. More about that later.
It is common knowledge that GROUP T values
highly the plurality of world visions. It is, moreover,
one of the fundamental pillars of the University
College’s identity. In the teacher training program,
this plurality manifests itself in the four philosophical
courses on offer: Roman-Catholic religion, nonconfessional
ethics, Islamic religion and, for two
years now, Buddhism.
Unity in diversity
For Kaat, Kris and Thomas, the option Buddhism did
effectively play a role in their decision to choose the
teacher training program at GROUP T. Kaat tells us
that the religion course in secondary school roused
her interest in Eastern philosophy. Thomas’ interest
in culture and history spontaneously led him to
Buddhism. And Kris, who has been on a quest for
meaning for a little longer already, believes he can
find the desired spiritual depth in Buddhism.
One of the most important characteristics of Buddhism
is unity in diversity which means that there
is a great deal of room for personal interpretation.
And that is something we notice from the three
students. What appeals most to Kaat in Buddhism
is that there are no dogmas, nothing is imposed.
“Quite the contrary,” she says. “In the many stories
you continuously run into yourself. I have a very
analytical mind but at the same time I often react
very emotionally. Well, thanks to the insights of the
Buddha I am now better equipped to deal with this
paradox and attain a higher level of harmony.”
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
Questions of life and death
For Thomas, Buddhism offers answers to many a question:
“What is all the fuss about in the end? Are we
still able to distinguish essentials from side-issues? Do
we make our well-being too dependent on external
factors? Are we pursuing material needs too much?
Are we deluding ourselves about a future that is not
yet here? How can you be or become happy if you
know that this happiness is often at the cost of others?
Is there any time at all left for peace and reflection?”
Similar questions are also raised by Kris. “From everything
that I have done and seen, I learned one thing:
the importance of standing still every once in a while,
to stop time and reflect on what you are doing. There
is no need to retreat systematically from reality into
a completely spiritual or disjointed world. That’s for
the advanced level. Reflection, as we are also obliged
to practice in the teacher training program, is a first
modest step to meditation. Moreover, thanks to Buddhism
our reflection is given greater depth. It can be
compared to a slow awakening. It is no coincidence
that the word ‘Buddha’ means literally ‘awoken’.”
Buddhism and education
In his brief introduction to Buddhism, Dr. Edel Maex
tells a striking story. During his wanderings, villagers
would often ask Buddha the following question:
“Teachers come by here the whole time. One
after one they announce that they speak the truth
and declare that others speak nonsense. Who do we
believe?” To this Buddha answered “I understand
your confusion. Well, do not rely on tradition, on
scriptures, on authority or on philosophy.”
“There is nothing wrong with these things in and
of themselves,” Kaat explains. “What is remarkable,
however, is that Buddha encourages people to find
out for themselves what is important to them. Transpose
this message to the classroom and you will see
that it fits seamlessly with the changing role of the
teacher and that is evolving from a directing instructor
to a supporting guide of learning processes. From
actor to facilitator. At the same time, the learners are
no longer the passive consumers who regurgitate
knowledge, rather they take control of their learning
process. For the teacher it comes down to creating
a powerful learning environment in which this
transformation can take place. This is exactly what
Buddha teaches us: he points to our responsibility,
dismisses our dependence.”
For Thomas too, Buddhism offers an excellent framework
for being a teacher. “Indeed, you do not set
yourself up as an omniscient authority, but invite
your students to a common quest that goes further
and deeper than amalgamating knowledge or culling
factoids that disappear as quickly as they appear.
Call it an expedition to wisdom and, finally, happiness
if you like.”
The ability of happiness
Kris looks at it from a different angle. “Maybe you
do not have to go looking for wisdom and happiness.
Creating the right conditions for it within yourself
is at least as important. This means making your
heart and mind free and open to the extent that
they become accessible. Then, you will automatically
find wisdom and happiness on your way. We are
constantly occupied with competencies in our training
and later in our professional career. Well, being
happy is one of them. Education is a way to master
this competence through insight and virtue.”
Even though Kaat, Thomas and Kris are passionate
about Buddhism, they are not inclined to spread the
word, let alone try to win over or convert others.
“That would be completely against the true nature
of Buddhism,” is their unanimous response. “The
Buddha only invites you to live a good life. To achieve
that, he has two, apparently obvious and simple
recommendations: do not cling onto illusions and
share the good in your life with others.”
Y.P.

Plurality of world visions
On happiness: the message of
Ajahn Jayasaro
“It is essential that Buddhist life is measured by the way it is lived and not by the extent to which laws and
regulations are obeyed,” according to the honorable monk Ajahn Jayasaro. On 28 May 2010, he was guest
at GROUP T on the invitation of H.E. Pisan Manawapat, Ambassador of Thailand in Belgium. Ajahn Jayasaro
gave an illuminating lecture on a topic that touches and captivates every human being: happiness.
Ajahn Jayasaro is of English origin but has
been living in Thailand for quite some
time. As a young man, he was introduced
to Buddhism by reading the standard work
“The Way of Zen” by Allan Watts. This made such an
impression on him that, at 17 years of age, he went
to India for a year. After that, in England, he came
into contact with a group of Buddhist monks, got to
know their way of life and in 1978, decided to leave
for northern Thailand. There he became student of
one of the most important masters of meditation:
Ajahn Cha. Although the life of a Buddhist monk is
very hard, he knew immediately that this was what
he had always been looking for. Ajahn Cha guided
him to his inauguration as a monk and subsequently
he stayed at various forest monasteries in Thailand.
After having been the abbot of the forest monastery
Wat Pa Nanacha for some time, he retreated to
the foot of the Kow Yai mountain. He now teaches
meditation there and has written several books on
Buddhism in Thai, the language that has in the meantime
become his second mother tongue.
Enlightenment
According to Ajahn Jayasaho, the ultimate goal of a
Buddhist is to arrive at a state of enlightenment, of
full understanding, a state that Buddha had attained
during his life. A Buddhist believes that we all have
the capacity to achieve this enlightenment and thus
can clear our minds of fear, pain and anything negative.
However, it is not limited to faith alone: a Buddhist
also effectively wants to achieve this, just as a
scientist tests a hypothesis. “The Buddha wants us to
question ourselves and the way we live, to bring to
fruition what is pure and beautiful.”
Continuing his lecture, Ajahn Jayasaro elaborated
on the “Four noble truths” that constitute the
foundation for all Buddhist students. A key word in
these truths is ‘dukkha.’ Our Western languages do
not have an equivalent for this word and it is usually
translated by approximation as ‘suffering.’ This
translation is misleading, however. Here, we come
across an essential given, namely, that ‘understanding’
relies heavily on language. Since Western languages
do not have words for certain concepts and
subtle differences, it is not easy for us to grasp the
core of Buddhist teachings which are closely related
to Eastern languages. From his English background,
Ajahn Jayasaro put us in the right direction: “The
expression ‘life’s not easy’ is a better description of
what is meant by ‘dukkha.’” According to a Buddhist,
our lives lack true happiness as unenlightened people.
Because we ‘know’ there is such a thing as true
happiness, we feel the lack of it. Buddhist training
is a way to achieve this happiness. “For the Buddha,
it is necessary to accomplish an equilibrium in your
relation with the external and the internal world:
the material world, social aspects, one’s emotions
and, finally, wisdom.” For Ajahn Jayasaro, it is not
enough to take one element, for instance meditation,
no matter how valuable it may be. An example
of this, according to him, is when meditation is used
for, among other purposes, therapy. Buddhism, after
all, is a holistic system.
Experiences
People experience a sense of incompleteness, a lack
of happiness. “It is strange that everybody wants to
be happy, but that education systems worldwide in
school and family do not have the achievement of
happiness as their primary goal.” Happiness is far
from the experience of pleasure, of satisfaction. Not
that Buddhism is puritan and seeks to create feelings
of guilt. “As regards pleasant, agreeable experiences,
human beings do not have an internal mechanism
or principle that tells them that that experience is
enough. As a result, they always strive for more, the
stimulus must be increased to maintain the same
experience of pleasure, there will always be an experience
missing and, in the worst case, the result will
be jealousy or theft.” For Ajahn Jayasaro, Buddhist
teachings offer a way out here. They teach you how
to analyze and question a pleasurable situation or an
agreeable object in order to verify whether it leads
to true happiness.
Another way to true happiness is to give to your fellow
human being. “Giving to others is a foundation
of Buddhist teachings because it allows you to examine
how much you are attached to the material. It is
also the proof that there is meaning to life.”
Mental peace
On our way to happiness, we are often hindered by
our impulses, our desires. “Just like animals, we have
impulses. But unlike animals, we have the ability to
distance ourselves from them and to learn how to deal
with these impulses. As a result, negative feelings are
reduced and mental peace is accomplished.” In fact, to
Ajahn Jayasaro, this reflection constitutes meditation.
“The Thai word for this is ‘Otton’: continually exercising
patience or being at peace with the unpleasant.
If you can do this, you reinforce your inner strength.”
The extent to which language can be a hindrance to
truly grasping the subtleties in life views is shown from
the fact that Thai has two words for desire. “The word
Tanha one could describe as the desire that issues
from mistaken understanding, the not knowing, while
Shanda ensues from knowledge, the desire to help.”
Buddhism describes itself as lifelong learning in the
search for understanding ourselves and others. By coming
to a better understanding, Buddhists experience
more refined forms of happiness which they can share
with others. Being happy is closely related to the clarity
of our vision. Meditation plays an important role in
this: these are moments in which you shield yourself
from external stimuli and during which you experience
what it is like to be alone with yourself with no
distractions. “We all know the news from all over the
world, but we are unaware of the news in ourselves.
It is very important to get in touch with yourself, that
gives you a new perspective, a new dimension. Maybe
it is better, therefore, to speak of well-being rather
than happiness.”
Technology
Ajahn Jayasaro was given a guided tour by
Director General Guido Vercammen.
At the end of his lecture, Ajahn Sayaharo took a
great deal of time to answer questions from the
audience. In addition to questions about the life of
a Buddhist monk, a member of the audience asked
whether technology could contribute to happiness.
According to Ajahn Jayasaro we must ask ourselves
by which values we want to live and, more specifically,
try to find out what is ‘enough’ for us, what
we want to use the technology for and how much
of the world we want to devote to our consumption.
A Buddhist has not an a priori negative disposition
towards technological advancement. Where useful,
he uses it. For instance, modern technology brought
along YouTube which enabled Ajahn Jayasaro’s to
share quite a few of his lectures and to reach a multitude
of listeners with his message.
Jan Jaspers
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
GROUP T
19

Project ‘De wereld@groept’ in de lerarenopleiding
De kers op de taart
Eind mei 2010 was Campus Vesalius weer een kleurrijke staalkaart van vijf continenten van onze blauwe
planeet. Veertig projectteams van laatstejaars pakten uit met presentaties, fotomontages, videobeelden,
grafieken van onderzoeksresultaten, logboeken, ‘authentic materials’ en – vooral – een overvloed aan
authentieke hapjes en drankjes.
Aan dit conviviale evenement was wel heel wat vooraf gegaan. De
bedoeling van dit laatste project is dat elk team een rapport schrijft
over hoe men over de grens in een school of instelling met diversiteit
omgaat. Naast bewijzen leveren van onderzoekscompetenties wordt
er van de studenten ook verwacht dat ze tijdens hun projectweek ter plekke een
interculturele activiteit organiseren. En in de toepassing van wat ze in de pedagogische
projecten eerder in hun opleiding al hebben verworven kunnen creativiteit
en inventiviteit nu echt uitgeleefd worden. De evaluatie van de logboeken gebeurt
door de tutoren, de studenten evalueren elkaar via een digitaal assessment en de
tweedejaars evalueren de infostands op zowel inhoudelijk als esthetisch vlak.
Projectwijzer
De input kregen de studenten al begin oktober toen door de tutoren de ‘Projectwijzer’
werd voorgesteld. Hoewel er aan de studenten een ruime mate van
vrijheid wordt geboden voor de invulling van hun project, toch staan er ook richtlijnen
en antwoorden op FAQs te lezen in de Projectwijzer. Zo kunnen teams van
4 à 5 studenten heterogeen worden samengesteld, wat op zichzelf al blikverruimend
kan werken, en moeten ze minimaal over de taalgrens gaan. Ook kan een
team bestaan uit leden die in verschillende hoeken van de wereld zitten tijdens
de realisatie van hun project. Communicatie vóór vertrek en na terugkeer, maar
ook tijdens de projectweken verloopt via het elektronisch leerplatform Toledo.
Projectvoorstellen werden, eventueel na aanpassingen, uiterlijk begin januari
goedgekeurd, en tijdens een vergadering tussen tutor en projectgroep werden
de laatste puntjes op de i gezet. Er moest zelfs een plan B worden voorgesteld.
Pas daarna konden de studenten hun projectweek inroosteren, tussen begin
februari en midden mei. Maar om de deadlines te kunnen halen moesten de
studenten ook kunnen rekenen op een vlotte communicatie met de gastscholen
en de mentoren over de grenzen. Dat stelde geen problemen als voor dit project
de studenten hoe dan ook al aanwezig waren in de betrokken scholen voor hun
zelfstandige buitenlandse stage, of als andere studenten, die hun stage elders
hadden gedaan, hen daar kwamen vervoegen.
Nieuwe bestemmingen
De zoektocht naar een school begon dus al begin oktober, en het internet is
daarbij een onmisbaar instrument. Sinds vorig jaar doet de stuurgroep immers
slechts een suggestie als een team op een dood spoor zit. Die stuurgroep,
bemand door Jan Deglinne, Joris De Roy, Jeroen Thys en Arjan van der Star, zorgt
er voor dat alle GROEP T-studenten tijdens hun opleiding internationale ervaring
opdoen en ze groeien als leraar, als individu en als teamlid. En zelf zoeken naar
een gastschool maakt daar deel van uit, ook als blijkt dat toevallige persoonlijke
contacten makkelijker deuren openen…
GROeP T - LEUVEN EDUCATION COLLEGE
“Alle GROEP T-studenten doen tijdens
hun opleiding internationale ervaring op
en groeien zo als leraar, als individu
en als teamlid.”
Opvallende nieuwe bestemmingen waren Nieuw-Zeeland, Finland, Kroatië, Roemenië,
Malta, Costa Rica en Sint-Maarten. En ook dit keer konden enkele studenten
rekenen op een financiële tussenkomst van Inter S, dat ressorteert onder
de studentenvoorzieningen van GROEP T.
Opvallend tijdens de wereldbeurs was het enthousiasme en het engagement
waarmee de studenten hun project voorstelden en toelichtten aan alle bezoekers.
Hun buitenlandse ervaring maakt dat velen graag terug willen reizen naar
hun gastland of naar de school waarin ze actief waren geweest. Ook hier geldt
dus “the proof of the pudding is in the eating” en soms smaakt dat naar nog…
John Caluwaerts
Late May 2010, Campus Vesalius once again was a colorful sample card of
our blue planet’s five continents. Forty project teams of final-year students
turned up with presentations, photo exhibits, video footage, diagrams of
research results, journals, ‘authentic materials’ and – especially – an abundance
of authentic snacks and beverages.
20
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010

Carolien Martens, Hiltje Zijlstra
and Lindsay Vanhellemont went
to Sibiu Christian in Romania.
STUDENTs in the spotlight
Diversity in Transsylvania
How is diversity dealt with abroad? That is the assignment for the final project for GROUP T’s teacher
training program: ‘de wereld@groept’. To answer this question, final-year students swarm out to schools
all over the world. In April 2010, Hiltje Zijlstra, Lindsay Vanhellemont, Carolien Martens and Nora
Tilkin-Franssens set out for Sibiu Christian, a village in the middle of nowhere, deeply hidden in the
Transylvanian forests of Romania.
Romania, literally on the outskirts of the
European Union, is a diverse country. Not
only as regards nature and geography, but
also as regards population. In addition to
Romanians, the country has a significant number of
minorities of gypsies, Hungarians, Jews and other
groups. Another factor is, as is the case in so many
former Warsaw Pact countries, the ever-widening
gap between the prosperous and the struggling. At
school, children of all these population groups come
together. A dream environment for discovering how
diversity is dealt with there.
Tutoring in the afternoon
The four student teachers intentionally ruled out large
cities like Bucharest, Cluj or Timisoara. “It seemed
much more interesting to us to go have a look at the
countryside in the remote parts of Transylvania,” Hiltje
notes. Thanks to a Romanian student who took part in
an exchange project in Leuven, the necessary contacts
were established with the local elementary school
in the village of Sibiu Christian. The same Romanian
student also organized the transport and the local
accommodation. Especially the local transport on the
winding mountain roads ensured exciting moments.
The four students have nothing but praise for the
reception they received from the host family and the
school. “We were welcomed like royalty,” Carolien
confirms. “We could count on the full cooperation
of both the managerial staff and the teachers for the
observation assignments, questionnaires, interviews
and various activities that we organized there. We
communicated alternately in French, German and
English and in sign language.”
In the school itself the four students, divided into
teams of two for the occasion, mainly had a closer
look at the care system. “A care teacher, who is
appointed, remains available for an extra hour every
day after class,” Nora explains. “School starts at 8 am
but most of the teachers and students call it a day as
early as noon. In the afternoon there are extra lessons
planned but the parents have to pay extra for that as
a result of which many students are not able to take
advantage of this opportunity.”
Representative sample
“You immediately notice the heterogeneity of the
classes by the way the students dress,” Lindsay continues.
“Some wear expensive, fashionable outfits,
others come to school in threadbare clothes. Despite
these noticeable differences, there was no clear sign
of discrimination. This mix, after all, is a representative
sample of Romanian society where luxurious
limos and horse-drawn carts pass each other regularly.
Those who can afford it, send their children to
a German immersion school to increase their chances
on the European labor market.”
“We can manage
with less and it works at
least as well.”
“What we also noticed was that the radiators in the
classrooms were donated by the K.U.Leuven,” says
Hiltje. “And that is not the only area in which the
school gets help from Leuven, they also get educational
materials. Students from the K.U.Leuven visit
regularly to co-supervise. Generally, compared to
Flanders, there was not all that much material available
but the material they did have, was of good
quality.”
The four GROUP T students unveiled their Belgian
traveling trunk at the local school. “Every day we
would dig out something different,” says Lindsay.
“That way, every class could set to work with a different
part of the trunk and all students were able to
learn something about Belgium. We also included a
cookbook, a map, a memory game and the daily schedule
of a Belgian student. Nora even translated a Marc
de Bel book into English especially for the school.”
Professional practice
“Not only were the managerial staff and the teachers
in Sibu Christian particularly helpful, they were
also very open, spontaneous and enthusiastic,” Nora
remarks. “In spite of circumstances that were at
times difficult, you never heard them complain. They
enjoy their work a lot.” Even after returning, the
four have stayed in touch with the teachers in the
far-away Transylvania. When the occasion presents
itself, they definitely want to go back to get to know
the country better. “What we saw and did there will
certainly prove useful to us in our later professional
career,” Carolien believes. Meanwhile, Carolien has
started to work as a educational supervisor at Kid-
Pointplus where she develops educational games
for preschoolers as well as sensomotor material for
toddlers. “I can now build on what I have learned at
GROUP T to develop creative and therapeutic materials
and to optimize everything for a young target
audience. My function consists of improving the ability
to do things independently, to offer extra structure
and footing, to stimulate group play as well as
motor skills.” Carolien combines her job with a parttime
study Family Sciences.
Sustainable and multi-functional
After their experience in the modest classrooms in
Romania, none of the four wants to clog up their
future classroom with posters or other didactic material.
“We want a quiet space without too much visual
distraction. We can manage with less and it works at
least as well. Material must be there according to the
learning objectives and the learning process and not
the other way around. The procurement of didactic
material should therefore be well thought out. Sustainability
and multi-functionality are important criteria
here,” Hiltje concludes.
Yves Persoons
John Caluwaerts
GROUP T - LEUVEN EDUCATION COLLEGE
21
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010

Student in the spotlight
Finland immersion
A three-month Comenius assistant scholarship does have its advantages: as a foreign student teacher you
are assigned a school that was screened and the scholarship associated to is more than enough to cover
costs. The disadvantages are that you do not always get what you asked for and that in the beginning
you are on your own in one or another European country. But that was not a problem for Dries Radeur.
And what’s more, he did get the destination at the top of his list: Finland, although another Scandinavian
country would have suited just as well. It became “Helsingin ranskalais-suomalainen koulu / Lycée francofinlandais
d’Helsinki”, a bilingual immersion school.
I
had heard before that Finland had the best education
system and that was confirmed by what I
learned from the speakers on ‘De werelddag van
de leraar’ last year on Campus Vesalius. There is
a limited cascade system, the drop-out numbers in
secondary education is small, the students score the
highest on international tests and they are much
further in terms of ICT infrastructure. That’s what
made me decide to go there to do my independent
foreign teacher training,” Dries relates, having
recently graduated as a primary school teacher.
“I left on 31 January 2010 and arrived in a dark Helsinki
that lay under a meter of snow and freezing temperatures.
During the first weekend there were info
sessions scheduled and during that introduction I got
to know the other Comenius assistants whom I would
see again later in Helsinki and elsewhere. The local
housing service had put me in an unfurnished apartment
that I shared with two Fins. At first, I slept on an
air mattress, a little later on I graduated to a mattress
on the floor and after three weeks, I was able to borrow
a little table and a two chairs from a colleague.
Warm meals were provided for free at school for both
the students and the teachers so I didn’t cook much
myself. Of course, food products are 20% more expensive
than in Belgium. By living economically, I was able
to use the money from my scholarship to pay for the
excursions and trips in my spare time.”
Care teacher
“At school, I was met with a very diverse audience:
pupils from other European countries and even from
Africa. Very a-typically Finnish in other words. And
also half of the teachers were French or Canadian.
The courses I was teaching there in French were
Mathematics, Physical Education, History, Geography
and, of course, French. But, most of all, I was
‘care teacher’, and in that capacity I taught groups
of about five students each, differentiating between
the weaker and the stronger. Furthermore, I taught
math privately to a student who had been skipping
school a lot and had to repeat the year twice. But
because at first I didn’t know his history and he didn’t
know mine, we were able to build a good relationship
without prejudice and were able to make some
headway. In addition, I also did homework and game
supervision in French because a language is learned
while playing as well. I worked 22 hours a week while
I was only contractually obliged to do 16, but I did it
voluntarily and happily. I was lucky enough to get a
great teaching practice and to have learned a great
deal from the strong care system.”
Sightseeing
“There’s no Easter vacation in Finland, but there is
spring vacation. During that week and also during
the last week of my stay I did some traveling. By train
in Finland and then I explored the originally Swedish
Åland island group with a rental bike. I slept in a
Dries Radeur went with a Comenius
assistant scholarship to Finland.
borrowed tent. I also traveled to Saint-Petersburg in
Russia and walked around in the medieval center of
Tallinn in Estonia which has rightly been declared a
World Heritage Site.”
“And on 27 February I ran in the ‘Arctic Ice Marathon’ in
Kemi, Lapland, near the most northern point of the Baltic
Sea. I couldn’t let that opportunity pass. It was my fourth
half marathon after two in Brussels and one in Leuven.”
“I would love to go back, preferably in summer since
I missed the midnight sun. Also on the program is a
hiking trip in Lapland but living permanently in the
high north is not for me. The atmosphere during the
dark, long, hard winter was quite depressing but as
soon as daylight hours started to increase quickly,
people come back to life.”
John Caluwaerts
GROUP T - LEUVEN EDUCATION COLLEGE
22
REALIA
OP STUDIEDAG
LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
S. De Jonge (unit Materie) en P. Lievens (unit Leven)
namen deel aan de Workshop Ecolizer 2.0. bij Design
Vlaanderen in Brussel op 16.09.10.
P. Delcourt (Facility Manager) nam deel aan ‘Think
Future’ bij Siemens in Brussel op 21.09.10.
W. Dewulf en K. Kiekens (unit Energie) namen
deel aan het ‘10 th International Symposium on
Measurement and Quality Control’ in Osaka (Japan)
van 4 tot 10.09.10.
W. Dewulf (unit Energie) nam deel aan ‘Going
Green-Care Innovation 2010’ bij Care Electronics in
Wenen op 08.11.10
D. Haeseldonckx (unit Informatie) nam deel aan
‘Smart Grids. Opportuniteiten in Vlaanderen’ bij
Leuven.inc. op 05.10.10.
I. Ilsbroux (Associate Dean Innovation) nam deel aan
‘How to obtain FP7 funds for European projects’ bij
Welcome Europe in Parijs op 29.06.10.
J. Jaspers (Cultuurcoördinator) nam deel aan ‘Joining
the dots. Conferentie voor een duurzaam internationaal
kunstenbeleid’ in Brussel op 25.10.10.
P. Lievens (unit Leven) nam deel aan de ‘Hazardous
and Industrial Waste Management Conference’ aan
de Technische Universiteit van Kreta op 05.10.10.
J. Loeckx (unit Energie) nam deel aan het ‘NX CAE
Seminar 2010’ bij Siemens PLM in Zaventem op
17.06.10.
A. Molenaers (unit Management) nam deel aan ‘Reliability
Engineering: de kracht van betrouwbaarheid’
bij Mainnovaton in Rotterdam op 02.06.10.
L. Pastrav (unit Informatie) nam deel aan de ‘International
Conference on Noise and Vibration Engineering’
aan de K.U.Leuven op 20.09.10.
K. Pelsmaekers (unit Informatie) nam deel aan de
‘Conference for Javaholics’ bij Devoxx in Antwerpen
op 15.11.10.
R. Renaldi (unit Informatie) nam deel aan de
‘ERSCP-EMSU 2010 Conference aan de Technische
Universiteit Delft op 25.10.10.
D. Vanbeveren (unit Informatie) gaf de volgende
lezingen:
- ‘Modest-10 Modeling Dense Stellar Systems’ aan de
Peking University and Chinese Academy of Sciences
op 30.08.10;
- ‘Binary star evolution: mass loss, accretion and
mergers’ aan CIERA in Mykonos (Griekenland) op
22.06.10.
L.Vandeurzen (unit Informatie ) nam deel aan:
- ‘het ‘EFRO seminarie cleantechniek’ bij het
Agentschap Ondernemer in Brussel op 21.09.10;
- ‘het ‘Academia to business forum 2010’ bij DSP
Valley in Gent op 23.09.10;
- ‘Elektrische mobiliteit 2020’ bij bvba Evident in
Brussel op 14.09.10.
J. Mannaerts (Studentendecaan) nam deel aan ‘De
veerkracht van flexibilisering’ bij Vlhora in Brussel op
18.10.10.
V. Vanden Abeele (unit Informatie) nam deel aan
‘Using Visio for interaction design’ bij Nahman in
Brussel op 17.06.10.
J. Van der Velpen (ICT-dienst) nam deel aan:
- ‘’Mifare Plus/Desfire EV1’ bij Eutronix in Waver
op 23.10.10;
- The future of WiFi’ bij Intech in Vilvoorde op
14.09.10.
J. Van Eeckhout (Webcommunicator) nam deel aan:
- ‘de opleiding ‘Webmaster’ bij Syntra in Antwerpen
op 20.09.10;
- ‘Cursus ‘Web PR’ bij Eduvision in Antwerpen op
09.10.10.
P. Verheyden (Financiën) nam deel aan de ‘Exact
ProAcc SEPA Update’ bij Exact Software Belgium in
Groot-Bijgaarden op 12.10.10.
OP STUDIEDAG
LEUVEN EDUCATION COLLEGE
G. Coppens (eenheid Humane Wet.) nam deel aan
het ‘Contact Seminarie Leonardo da Vinci’ bij NA Ldv
in Finland op 07.06.10.
J. Cops (eenheid Wetenschappen) nam deel aan
‘Technology enhanced learning in the workplace’ aan
KH.Limburg op 20.10.10.
K. Coussement (eenheid Talen) nam deel aan de
opleiding ‘Expert Taalbeleid Hoger Onderwijs’ aan
het Centrum voor Taalbeleid van de K.U.Leuven op
23.09.10.
J. Deglinne (team Internationalisering) nam deel aan:
- ‘Intercommunautaire uitwisseling in het hoger
onderwijs’ bij de Koning Boudewijnstichting in
Brussel op 01.06.10;
- ‘de infosessie ‘Lerarenopleiding’ bij e-Tuning
Vlaanderen in Antwerpen op 15.09.10;
- ‘Impact interculturele uitwisseling’ bij AFS in Brussel
op 23.09.10.
R. de Waardt (eenheid Talen) nam deel aan ‘Cursus
Frans F: intensief gecombineerd’ bij Apple Languages
in Parijs op 02.08.10.
S.Dhert (Decaan) woonde de uitreiking van de
UNESCO-school certificaten bij in Den Haag op
09.06.10.
J. Heyvaert (Codecaan) nam deel aan:
- ‘Online bronnen en informatievaardigheden in het
hoger onderwijs’ bij de Associatie K.U.Leuven op
19.09.10;
- ‘De veerkracht van flexibilisering’ bij Vlhora op
18.10.10.
J. Jaspers (cultuurcoördinator) nam deel aan ‘Lerarenopleiding
in 2030’ bij School Of Education te Leuven
op 23.08.10.
X. Killens (eenheid Expressie) nam deel aan de
workshop ‘Bind je eigen boekje’ bij het Pedagogisch
Didactisch Centrum in Leuven op 18.10.10.
P. Leën (eenheid Talen) nam deel aan:
- ‘Cultureel parcours Frans via videomateriaal op het
internet’ bij CNO Antwerpen op 12.10.10;
- ‘Onderzoekscompetenties en Europees
referentiekader voor moderne vreemde talen’
bij CNO Antwerpen op 20.10.10.
E. Martens nam deel aan ‘Onderzoek innoveert
onderwijs’ aan de Artevelde Hogeschool in Gent op
27.04.10.
K. Mertens (Pluraliteitscoördinator) nam deel aan de
‘International Conference on Social Sciences’ aan de
Social Sciences Researcher Society in Izmir (Turkije)
op 08.10.10.
J. Thys (eenheid Wetenschappen) woonde het
UNESCO Education Leaders Forum bij in Warschau
(Polen) op 06.07.10.
A. van der Star (eenheid Wetenschappen) nam deel
aan de ‘International Polar Conference’ en de ‘Polar
Teacher Conference’ aan de Oslo University (Noorwegen)
op 05.06.10.
L. Van Dessel (eenheid Humane Wetenschappen)
nam deel aan de studiedag ‘Kinderen onder elkaar.
Interactie en welbevinden bij de allerjongsten’ aan de
KHLeuven op 25.11.10.
G. Van Helleputte (eenheid L.O.) nam deel aan
‘Bewegen en zoveel meer’ bij het Pedagogisch Didactisch
Centrum in Leuven op 10.06.10.
K. Vercammen (eenheid Humane Wetenschappen)
nam deel aan ‘Coöperatief leren en clim’ bij het
Steunpunt Diversiteit en Leren in Gent op 20.10.10.
L. Vogels (eenheid Humane Wetenschappen) nam
deel aan de studiedag ‘Leerplannen, kinderrechtenconcepten,
vakoverschrijdende eindtermen’ bij het
Ministerie van Onderwijs op 03.06.10.
GASTDOCENTEN
LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
K. Sterckx, research scholar Bangkok University:
‘Optical wirelesss communication and software
defined radio’ (19.04.10).
C. Naessens, consultant Deloitte: ‘Inventory and
forecasting’ (19.04.10).
D. Callaerts, CEO Eyetronics: ‘Visie, missie, strategie’
(19.04.10).
B. Van Loon, CEO Zero Point: ‘Visie, missie, strategie’
(19.04.10).
E. Briers, consultant Beta Ventures: ‘Introduction to
immunology’ (22.04.10), ‘Monoclonal Antibodies’
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010

STUDENT in the spotlight
Georgia on her mind
When Isabelle Brees came to GROUP T’s info day in September 2007, she knew exactly what she wanted:
to become an English and history teacher. Because of circumstances beyond her control, she could only
get started in 2009. In the meantime she was working at the aliens’ office in Tienen where her task was
to ensure that all foreigners in the city of sugar received the required papers. She did this for asylum
seekers and for Africans seeking family reunification alike. Meanwhile, experience abroad had become
mandatory in the third year of the program at the Leuven Education College, but Isabelle had already had
a long ride through Asia by then...
Isabelle Brees realised
her final project in
Georgia (USA).
After her secondary education, Isabelle took
on the studies of Applied Economic Sciences.
In her second year, she got to know
the Australian Glen Chadwick of the Union
Cycliste Internationale in Leuven who was later to
become her husband. When the team management
offered her a job after one interview, as an adventurous
20-year-old, she seized the opportunity with both
hands. Her bags were quickly packed and in 2003, she
moved to Taichung, Taiwan. Becoming a commercial
engineer never really was her cup of tea, anyway.
From Chinglish to English
For a year and a half, her activity grid stretched over
Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.
Her job was simultaneous interpretation of Chinglish
to English, and this she usually did from one of the
cars that follows the cyclists to the race director’s car
and to the racers’ earpieces. Furthermore, as assistant
to the director, she was also responsible for arranging
all practical matters like accommodation, catering
and so on. As the only woman in a man’s world
where even the norms of interaction between the
two sexes differ from those in Europe, Isabelle was
forced to have her contract adjusted a few times. The
harsh tempo of the racing schedule, the tough competition
sport and the stress of simultaneous interpretation
sent Isabelle back to Belgium in mid 2004.
Her Australian (now ex-)husband followed her a few
months later and after a two-year relationship they
got married. Their daughter Jade saw the light of day
in March 2006.
Studying at GROUP T
Isabelle had prepared for her return from the Far East
with a successful job application with the Ministry
of Finance where she would start in mid 2004, nine
days after she returned from Asia. For her daughter
Jade’s sake, she looked for a job closer to home after
the birth. In April 2007, she started in Tienen where
she was allowed to take a career break to go back to
studying. Meanwhile, Isabelle graduated with distinction
in her first bachelor year of secondary teacher
education and will combine the 2 nd and 3 rd year training
programs in the academic year 2010-2011. She
will complete all her third-year teaching practice as
well as the final project ‘dewereld@groept’ when she
is in the United States. Isabelle is full of praise for her
lecturers and coaches for the support and the facilities
they offered to set up this program.
Georgia
Isabelle’s fiancé Nicolas Dhont, a transport pilot who
carries out humanitarian missions with a C130 in
areas where the Belgian Defense Ministry provides
aid, will be stationed in a US military town in ‘back
state’ Georgia called Valdosta for three years in the
framework of an exchange program. Isabelle will join
him there as soon as she has completed her examinations
in June 2011. Together, they had already visited
Valdosta and had looked at their future house there.
The move and the accommodation will be arranged
by the army.
Volunteer work
Isabelle relates: “I’ve been to New York once in the
past and compared to Georgia, the atmosphere of
that city seemed more European. The introduction
to the south of the United States was still quite a
culture shock, despite my experiences in Asia. I don’t
have a problem with this because I see other cultures
as opportunities for personal improvement.”
“Labor law in America doesn’t allow me to look
for paid work, but I can devote myself to the local
community. I see myself working as a volunteer in
local schools, teaching English to the many Hispanics
who have difficulties with the language, do homework
supervision and so on. My daughter will be
five by then and able to go to school there as well.
The American school system is different from ours
and differs, furthermore, from state to state. Most
schools in Georgia are Christian and the people are
very attached to religious rituals, also at school.”
The right choice
“Still, we’re not there yet. Now I will have to study and
work hard. Thankfully, my parents help where they can
and I’d like to repeat here what I once said to a journalist
from De Morgen. A better choice than GROUP T I
could not have made. The assistance I got to sketch out
my own study path was natural here. I am now 27 and
reflecting on my own study and work experience I have
to say that such a thing is rather exceptional.”
“My fiancé and I will communicate through Skype
and email. In March, he’ll come to Belgium on holiday.
My parents will be able to come and pay their
daughter and granddaughter a long visit in Valdosta
a year from now.”
John Caluwaerts
(29.04.10) en ‘In Vitro Diagnostica’ (03.05.10).
K. Goyvaerts, BI consulting Real Software: ‘Business
intelligence and development’ (23.04.10).
L. Peeters, general manager Rogil: ‘Market research
and business plans’ (23.04.10).
F. Frederix, program manager Biosensor: ‘Biosensor
technology’ (26.04.10).
P. De Langhe, VP Emergency Lighting ETAP: ‘Organiseren
en organisatiestructuur’ (26.04.10).
T. Debaere, support engineer EADS Secure Network:
‘Spread spectrum WiFi en telecommunicatie’
(26.04.10).
R. Boeckaert, Bayer-Antwerpen: ‘Reach’ (27.04.10).
B. Callebaut, HR manager Dataflow-Leuven:
‘Organiseren en organisatiestructuur’ (27.04.10).
L. Kupers, directeur Science & Communication
Genzyme Flanders-Geel: ‘Biotechnological Production
of Therapeutic Proteins’ (29.04.10) en ‘International
Conference on Harmonization’ (10.05.10).
Y. Parren, consultant Deloitte: ‘Consultancy world
and project management’ (30.04.10).
M. Glassec, researcher IMEC-Leuven: ‘Wireless
systems and standards’ (30.04.10).
I. Craeye, projectmanager Carrefour: ‘SAP: introduction
and exercises’ (30.04.10).
R. Van Eijsden, researcher VIB-Leuven: ‘Micro Array
Technology’ (03.05.10).
M. Op de Beeck, researcher IMEC-Leuven: ‘Mobiele
netwerken’ (08.05.10).
W. Rosier, HR director BAC-Heist-op-den-Berg:
‘Motiveren en leiding geven’ (10.05.10).
F. Peeters, entiteitsmanager Electrabel-Heist-op-den-
Berg: ‘Motiveren en leidinggeven’ (11.05.10).
J. Sas, directeur Coservice: ‘Predictief onderhoud met
trillingsanalyse’(18.05.10).
M. Hotome, managing director Professional Procurement
Consultancy–Beveren: ‘Negotiation techniques’
(18.05.10).
L. Franckx, project manager Arcadis-Deurne: ‘Transport
and the environment’ (20.05.10).
P. Daenens, general manager Delta-ACT-Herent:
‘Starting up your own company’ (21.05.10).
V. De Smedt, research assistant ESAT/K.U.Leuven:
‘Zigbee and UWB’ (21.05.10).
P. Beyls, kunstenaar: ‘Kunst en technologie’
(25.05.10).
J. De Tavernier, hoogleraar K.U.Leuven: ‘Bio-ethiek’
(31.05.10).
J. Knockaert, docent PIH-Kortrijk: ‘EMC in aandrijvingen’
(01.06.10).
B. De Moor, vice-rector K.U.Leuven: ‘ICT & e-health’
(25.11.10).
J. Van Mierlo, hoogleraar V.U.Brussel: ‘Watt kiezen
voor uw wagenpark? De voor- en nadelen van Wattvoertuigen’
(04.10.10.)
R. Vanderbeuren, Bond Beter Leefmilieu: ‘Financiële
stimulansen voor bedrijven en lokale besturen’
(04.10.10).
J. De ridder, Avere Sectie België: ‘WATT Roadshow
2010’ (04.10.10).
GASTDOCENTEN
LEUVEN EDUCATION COLLEGE
M. de Heyst, coördinator toetsontwikkeling
K.U.Leuven: ‘Wiskunde initiatie’ (01.04.10).
W. Van Esh, kunstenaar: ‘Aquarel: de verrassing van
water en kleur’ (19.04.10).
B. Seyen, desktop management assistant: ‘Informatiseren
van geschiedenislessen’ (20.04 en 12.05.10).
G. Dendooven, auteur: ‘Visie en evaluatie van het
project Kick off lerarenopleiding in 2030 (21.04.10).
S. Vander Borght, lerares De Wijnpers Leuven: ‘Vermeerderingstechnieken’
(06.05 en 20.05.10).
B. Verswijfel, leraar: ‘Good practices voor digitale
media uit het werkveld’ (28.06.10).
OP BEZOEK
Prof. Zhu Hengjun en prof. Bai Yanlei van Beijing
Jiaotong University, prof. Xiao Kai van Beijing
Normal University, prof. Worm Verner van het
Copenhagen Confucius Institute, prof. Li Jing van
het Pisa Confucius Institute, prof. Du Xiangyun van
het University of Aalborg Confucius Institute en prof.
Zhang van Brussels Confucius Institute waren van
4 tot 10 juli 2010 op werkbezoek bij het Confucius
Institute at GROUP T.
Een delegatie van Beijing Normal University kwam op
bezoek van 17 tot 20 augustus: prof. Liu Chuansheng,
Chairwoman of University Council; prof. Hao
Fanghua, Vice-President; prof. Chen Li, Director
for Academic Planning; prof. Zhang Jian, Dean of
School of Chinese Language & Literature en prof.
Kiao Kai, Vice-Director of International Office.
Prof. Ding Lieyun, Chancellor of Governing Board en
prof. Zhang Yichuan, Deputy Director of Internatoinal
Office van de Huazhong Normal University waren
te gast op 16 augustus 2010.
Prof. Dr. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor en Rector
van de Universiteit van de Vrijstaat Bloemfontein
(Zuid-Afrika) was te gast op 21 september 2010.
Op 22 september 2010 ontving GROEP T een
delegatie van de Universidad de Cádiz: prof. Ignacio
Tirias, Head of the School; prof. Mariluz Martin,
Erasmus co-ordinator; prof. Antonio Gil, Erasmus
co-ordinator en prof. Javier Ganzález, Subdirector
of International Relations.
EXTERNE ACTIVITEITEN
LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
Deloitte – Diegem (28.05.10)
BASF – Antwerpen (11.05.10)
Huntsman – Everberg (15 en 18.05.10)
Alken-Maes (26.05.10)
Beverse Kaasmakerij – Bever (31.05.10)
Genzyme – Geel (29.04.10)
UMICORE – Olen (26.05.10)
NBB – Brussel (29.04.10)
Open Universiteit Nederland – Eindhoven (07.05.10
Jungheinrich – Haasrode (23.04.10)
Andere activiteiten
Cultuurbezoek stad Brussel (02.04.10)
Supply Chain Beurs – Brussel (24.03.10)
EXTERNE ACTIVITEITEN
LEUVEN EDUCATION COLLEGE
Bezoek Jupille Rénoleux – Jupille (11.05.10)
UNESCO Seminar – Amsterdam (27.05.10)
Stadsbezoek Parijs (28.05.10)
Provinciaal Veiligheidsinstituut – Antwerpen
(12.05.10)
Geïntegreerde werkperiode – Brugge (19.04.10)
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
Internationale Hogeschool Leuven
Andreas Vesaliusstraat 13, 3000 Leuven
tel. 016-30 10 30 – fax 016-30 10 40
e-mail: groept@groept.be
http://www.groept.be
20 ste jaar gang, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
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, Jan Jaspers, Christophe Van
de Weygert
Coördinatie Engelse vertaling: Kristien Van
Hoegaerden
foto’s: Filip Van Loock
Selectie foto’s: Seany Geuns
Vormgeving: EDISON, Leuven,
016-29 24 00
Drukkerij: Artoos, Kampenhout
Op lage: 17.000 exemplaren
Wettelijk Depot: D/2010/2134/5
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
GROUP T - LEUVEN EDUCATION COLLEGE
23

Piet Swerts, A Liya and Ma
Jinhua designed and built an
innovative interface.
Questioning the essence of Western music
Flemish composer and Chinese
master students reinvent polyphony
A harmonious duet of art and technology is one way to describe the collaboration between Piet Swerts,
one of Belgium’s best known and most productive composers, and A Liya and Ma Jinhua, final year
students in Electronics Engineering at GROUP T. The Chinese duo designed and built an innovative
interface that allows the composer to experiment with old compositional techniques in order to create a
new musical grammar and tonality.
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
24
Piet Swerts is no stranger to GROUP T either.
In 1995, on the occasion of the inauguration
of GROUP T’s new Leuven campus, he
composed the ‘Vesalius Overture’ for fourhanded
piano. Three years later, commissioned by
GROUP T, he wrote the sequentia ‘Lauda Sion Salvatorem’
which he created on 8 April 1998 on the
occasion of the official opening of the ‘Leuven City
Hall 550 th anniversary’. At the time, Piet Swerts, as a
composer, was already an internationally renowned
authority. His breakthrough came in 1987 when he
was allowed to write the compulsory piece for the
Queen Elisabeth Competition: ‘Rotations’ for piano
and orchestra. In 1993 his violin concerto ‘Zodiac’
made him the first Belgian to win the Grand Prize
for composition at the International Queen Elisabeth
Music Competition which counted 154 participants
from 28 countries. A year after the Vesalius overture,
he produced the grand opera ‘Les liaisons dangereuses’
in the Vlaamse Opera.
Meanwhile, Piet Swerts’s work is performed all over
the world and he is an esteemed guest conductor
and professor at many music houses, conservatories
and universities.
Musical highlight
Piet Swerts is associated with the Leuven Lemmens
Institute as a composition and analysis professor. Since
2007, he has been working on his PhD at the Institute
of Research into the Arts of the University of Leuven
Association. His research topic is ‘Imitatio et aemulatio:
the l’Homme armé tradition in present and past
as a source of inspiration for a renewed (vocal?) compositional
language: renaissance of the polyphony.’
The composer shares the following about it: “No
doubt the polyphonic music from the Renaissance
is one of the apogees of Western artistic ability. It’s
interesting to know that Flanders, at that time, was
at the top with composers like Josquin des Prez, Jacob
Obrecht, Orlandus Lassus, Johannes Ockeghem and
many others. In the second half of the 15 th century
jg. 20, nr. 1, 15 december 2010
one melody in particular became hugely popular, the
so-called ‘l’homme armé.’ More than 40 polyphonic
masses used that theme in various ingenious ways.
The virtuoso manner in which the composers dealt
with this melody at that time is really incredible. It is
the perfect material for examining the compositional
techniques from that era and to work out what we
can learn from it for contemporary use.”
From 5 to 6
Reworking old polyphony compositional techniques
into a contemporary musical context is easier said than
done. “The musical layers were more complex and
the way in which the musical climax was established
differs considerably from what we are used to after
Bach”, Piet Swerts continues. “The same is also true
for the musical grounds of whether or not to use certain
techniques. The greatest issue remains the musical
notation. We are familiar with the classic five-lined
staffs but at the time of the polyphony, there was less
uniformity. The custom varied from four to as many as
ten lines. If you want to transpose this notation to the
contemporary one, you are confronted with problems,
not only technically but also – and especially – in the
reproduction of sound. The solution I want to try is
a notation system that consists of six lines. However,
there is no notation software currently on the market
for that purpose. Special software and new instruments
are required. For instance, Chris Maene, an
authority in the area of pianos, is building me a new
acoustic instrument with six white and six black keys in
which every note is equal. For the computer software I
came knocking on GROUP T’s door.”
Signal correction
A Liya and Ma Jinhua are two students at the Beijing
Jiaotong University who registered in 2007 for
GROUP T’s Joint International Engineering Program.
They accepted Piet Swerts’s request without hesitation.
Not only are they both fascinated by electronics
but they are also passionate music practitioners.
“Before we effectively started programming, we
familiarized ourselves with the MIDI protocol, which is
the software system that is currently used to interface
between instrument and notation and vice versa,”
Jinhua relates. “Our assignment was to develop new
software that could correct any flawed signals – as an
adverse effect from the transposition to the staff of six
lines. To do so, we wrote an adapted version of MIDI
that converts the signals into the correct audio.”
The interface of both students is built into a little
suitcase with 24 white and black keys that correspond
to as many notes. “Via three special buttons we can
extend the range to 72 notes,” Liya adds. “To compare,
a classic concert grand piano has 86 to 88 keys
for as many notes. We manage with one octave less
but can easily handle all old polyphony with it. But
there is more. Our software also works in the other
direction. Therefore, not only can we transpose old
notation to a new one but also vice versa.”
New possibilities
Piet Swerts is certainly excited: “Technologically, Liya’s
and Jinhua’s system is perfect. Their software finally
allows me to explore the artistic possibilities. I expect
quite a lot from it. Not only as a new approach to
studying old polyphony but also for my own future
composing process. For instance, I am planning 24
new works inspired by structures I analyzed in the
‘l’homme armé corpus’.”
Finally, it is much more to the composer than the creation
of spin-offs of Renaissance compositional techniques.
“All this might result in a new kind of musical
grammar,” he says. “Also, how do we approach the
compositions of Mozart, Beethoven or Schönberg in
the new system? The significance of Liya’s and Jinhua’s
work may be far greater than can be judged
now. I will always be grateful to them for that.”
Y.P.