Joint prize awarded in exciting final round of 2007 Shell Bachelor Master Awards
18 February 2008 by TNWToday | M&CThe quality of the submissions for the 2007 Shell Bachelor Master Awards was so high that the jury chose to declare not two, but three winners: Dominique van Mullem and Paul Robeerst from TU Eindhoven and Rutger van Raalten from TU Delft. “The theses submitted were so impressive that we had no choice but to award the prize to all three students", said one jury member.
From left to right: Dominique van Mullen, Paul Robeerst and Rutger van Raalten
Dominique van Mullem of TU Eindhoven wrote his Bachelor’s thesis on the subject of pulsed combustion, a method that allows any gas to be burned as fuel, resulting in lower emissions. “The jury felt that my research was promising, innovative and fundamental," said Van Mullem of his award. When it came time to select the best Master’s thesis on the subject of sustainability, the jury decided to award a joint first place to two students with excellent theses.
TU Delft student Rutger van Raalten impressed the jury with the fundamental nature of his research project, a sustainable fuel cell. Plans are currently underway to patent the fuel cell. “I’m passionate about the environment and about sustainability, so I definitely want to develop this further”, says Van Raalten.
Rutger was supervised by Dr Ger Koper and PhD student Khrishna Kowlgi of DelftChemTech’s/DCT’s Self-Assembled Systems research group. His thesis professor was Prof. Stephen Picken of DCT''s Nanostructured Materials research group. Rutger’s work focused on the application of self assembly techniques to produce fuel cells more cheaply and efficiently. Costs are reduced by making more efficient use of expensive catalysts.
TU Eindhoven student Paul Robeerst shared first place with Van Raalten. Robeerst’s Master’s thesis, which dealt with thin film technology on the reverse of solar cells, was lauded for its practical applicability, and represents a breakthrough in solar cell technology. “I really hope to find work related to sustainable development in the future”, says Robeerst. “Preferably in education, so that I can ensure that these vitally important developments get the attention they deserve.”
Shell organises the Bachelor Master Awards on a yearly basis. The Awards are geared toward encouraging young, talented students to get involved in the field of sustainable development.
Note for the editorial staff:
For additional information and photographic materials, please contact: Shell Media Relations, tel: +31 (0)70 - 377 8750, e-mail: media-nl@shell.com
Ineke Boneschansker, TU Delft Research Information Office, tel: +31 (0)15 278 8499, e-mail: i.boneschansker@tudelft.nl
