Philip Brey (1966): BS / CTIT. New media such as the internet, computer games and mobile phones, have a major impact on work and leisure. How do these changes affect the quality of life and the society? Brey will attempt to answer this question from a philosophical point of view.
Gijs Krijnen (1961): EEMCS / Mesa+. Krijnen recreated synthetically the miniscule and ultra sensitive hairs that a cricket uses to hear. Using nature as an example, micro sensors will be created using noise and mechanical signal processing.
Markus Pollnau (1965): EEMCS / Mesa+. Lasers integrated on a chip are compact and efficient, making them suitable for many applications. Using new crystalline material, he is trying to develop a kind of compact laser that can emit continuous or pulsing light in different colors.
The three UT scientists are members of a select group of 27 people who were told in December that they were getting a Vici grant. 145 researchers had submitted a brief preliminary application. NWO pays seventy percent of the award, the rest is paid by the UT.
What does it say about the University of Twente that three of its scientists have been awarded a Vici grant?
Brey: `I believe Delft and Eindhoven did not get as many Vici grants, so we are doing well. Also, our work seems to be innovative because innovation and risks are important requirements for Vici research.'
Krijnen: `It shows us what the UT has to offer. It also says something about the quality of our chair, of the infrastructure, of the Mesa+ lab. I was able to support my application with our results over the past years. They are not exclusively my achievement, but they also reflect the quality of our technicians and of my colleagues.'
Pollnau: `Ever since I started working here, I have been impressed with the scientific quality of my colleagues at Mesa+. The UT being rewarded with three Vici grants is a confirmation of that positive impression. However, this unique occasion does not make us the leading university of the Netherlands. The competition will not rest and next year it will probably be researchers at other universities who will be successful.'
Trans. Jeroen Latour
