DEAN USA Alumni Tour - 7-14 September 2023

Get ready for an out-of-this-world experience with fellow alumni at an exclusive afternoon tour of NASA's Johnson Space Center, led by TU Delft alumnus and head of the European Space Agency (ESA) Houston office, Eric van der Wal.

Enjoy a unique 'behind the scenes' three hour visit on Thursday September 7th with stops at the JSC Mission Control, the Astronaut Training Facility and the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, while hearing from Eric about his experiences working with NASA as well as a few other colleagues including also hopefully one or two astronauts linked to his current programs.

Join this special DEAN* event highlighting the impact of 4TU alumni around the world and reach of y(our) network! In addition to exploring the largest organization in the USA of scientists, engineers and technologists making studying our solar system possible we will also have a chance to conclude our visit with an informal ‘borrel’ at one of the traditional local NASA hangouts in the area.

Participants will have an opportunity during the tour to meet fellow alumni not only from Twente but also TU Delft, TU Eindhoven & Wageningen University. 

Please note that space is limited for this activity to 20 people! This event is free for alumni from the Dutch Technical Universities but for logistical reasons, prior registration is required via the online form (sign ups are processed by TU Delft Alumni Office).

Participants will meet first at the JSC Rocket Park before boarding a NASA bus that will take us around for the tour. Detailed directions will be provided in the final confirmation message – please see below for a general outline of the programme.

Practical information
Date: Thursday September 7th
Time: 12:45PM – 5:30PM

Programme

Alumni from the area who are unable to join this gathering but wish to be notified of our future DEAN activities can submit/update their contact details using the event's registration form. A special DEAN USA Linkedin group also exists to faciliate sharing information and networking between nearly 8000 graduates living in the country - to request to become a member click here.    

Get a glimpse into the inner workings of international organizations and their impact on our world through mini-presentations by TU alumni, who will talk about their careers at the World Bank and the European Space Agency during a special gathering in Washington DC on Tuesday 12 September.

The DEAN* event will be hosted at the Dutch Embassy in Washington DC with two great speakers! Hear from Siet Meijer (alumna WUR) about working as a Senior Environmental Specialist at the World Bank and a her career spanning over 18 years. Learn from Maurice te Plate (alumnus UT) about the role of ESA NIRSpec Systems Engineer in the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) project and thoughts about an effort that has lasted him over two decades. The programme also includes updates from both the Embassy as well as our TUs, and concludes with a networking 'borrel'. Prior registration is necessary to attend so please sign up using the link below. 

Participants will have an opportunity to meet fellow alumni not only from Wageningen but also TU Twente, TU Delft and TU Eindhoven. With nearly 500 TU graduates living in the greater Washington DC region there will be a great cross selection of participants from different companies, sectors and roles – the closing reception/borrel will be organized to maximize networking opportunities.

This event is free for alumni from the Dutch Technical Universities but for logistical and security reasons, prior registration is required via this online form (registration is being handled by the TU Delft Alumni Office).

Practical information
Date: Tuesday September 12th 2023
Time: 5:30PM to 9:00PM (EDT)
Location: Embassy of the Netherlands, 4200 Linnean Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20008

Programme

Alumni from the Washington DC area who are unable to join this gathering but wish to be notified of our future DEAN activities can submit/update their contact details using the event's registration form. A special DEAN USA Linkedin group also exists to faciliate sharing information and networking between nearly 8000 graduates living in the country - to request to become a member click here.    

Get a glimpse into the inner workings of international organizations and their impact on our world from the perspective of 4TU alumni who will talk about their jobs at the United Nations during a special gathering in New York on Thursday 14 September.

The DEAN* event will be hosted at the Dutch Consulate General in New York with both a great keynote speaker as well as panelists! Hear from Ard Venema (alumnus UT) about his career of over eighteen years at the United Nations. Ard originally started with the Procurement Division in 2005 and has been involved in many initiatives to improve procurement policies and supply chain management processes of the UN Secretariat. He is currently responsible for contracting strategic commodities such as engineering, medical, life support (fuel and rations), vehicle fleet and security equipment, in support of UN field missions around the world.

Afterwards explore what it's like to work for the UN from recent hirees during a panel discussion with Rob Lafeber (alumnus TU Delft) and Carlos Montenegro Pinto (alumnus WUR). The programme also includes opening words by Wageningen University President Sjoukje Heimovaara, updates from both the Embassy as well as our TUs, and concludes with a networking 'borrel'. Prior registration is necessary to attend so please sign up using the link below. 

Participants will have an opportunity to meet fellow alumni not only from Wageningen, but also TU Twente, TU Delft and TU Eindhoven. With over 1000 TU graduates living in the greater New York City region there will be a great cross selection of participants from different companies, sectors and roles – the closing reception/borrel will be organized to maximize networking opportunities.

This event is free for alumni from the Dutch Technical Universities but for logistical and security reasons, prior registration is required via this online form (registration is being handled by the TU Delft Alumni Office).

Practical information
Date: Thursday September 14th 2023
Time: 5:30PM to 9:00PM (EDT)
Location: Consulate General of the Netherlands, 666 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10017

Programme

Alumni from the New York area who are unable to join this gathering but wish to be notified of our future DEAN activities can submit/update their contact details using the event's registration form. A special DEAN USA Linkedin group also exists to faciliate sharing information and networking between nearly 8000 graduates living in the country - to request to become a member click here.   

The events are free of charge and open to all alumni of the 4TU but prior registration is required. If you cannot attend but still wish to be informed about future events, please complete the registration form with your current contact information.

Please feel free to forward this invitation to 4TU alumni that you know!

Please note that registrations are processed by the alumni office of TU Delft.

Rob Lafeber

Rob Lafeber graduated in 1998 from the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the TU Delft. In June 2019 he joined the United Nations as a Political Affairs Officer in the Security Council Affairs Division (SCAD) within the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA). Within SCAD, Rob works in the 2231/Iran-team that is responsible for the reporting on the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015), that was unanimously adopted by the Security Council on 20 July 2015 and endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) concluded on 14 July 2015. In the 2231/Iran-team, Rob is responsible for the monitoring and reporting on the specific restrictions as set out in Annex B to resolution 2231 (2015). Rob’s previous work experience included a brief stint (following his graduation) as an IT-consultant with Cap Gemini and 4 years at ADSE Consulting & Engineering, a company founded by former Fokker engineers after the bankruptcy of the Dutch aircraft manufacturer. From 2005 till 2019, Rob worked with the Dutch Ministry of Defense as a senior intelligence analyst. In this capacity, he performed and managed the research and analysis of missile and UAV programmes of countries of concern, like Iran and North Korea. From 2010 to 2018, Rob also acted as the chairman of the Information Exchange Meeting of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). The MTCR is an informal political understanding among 35 states seeking to limit missiles and missile technology proliferation.

Siet Meijer

Siet Meijer is a Senior Environmental Specialist at the World Bank. She started her new role as the World Bank Global Environment Facility (GEF) Coordinator in the Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy Department this July. Prior to that she worked in Climate Change Global Practice for 5 years where she was the Program Manager for both Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and the BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL) Funds working on Carbon Crediting. During her time at the World Bank she has also worked in East Asia Environment and South Asia Environment as well as the Africa Energy Departments. Before joining the Bank, Siet worked at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on food projection models and also at the World Resources Institute (WRI) focusing on nutrient trading. Siet holds an MSc in Rural Development and Environmental Economics from Wageningen University & Research.

Carlos Montenegro Pinto

Carlos Montenegro Pinto has over 10 years of experience in environmental issues. He has focused his attention on local sustainable development, environmental policy, and climate change by joining national and international NGOs, civil society organizations and other UN agencies including WFP and UNV. He holds a master's degree in Environmental Sciences from Wageningen University and a Fulbright fellowship in environmental policy and climate change from Cornell University. He has worked at the Charles Darwin Foundation at the Galapagos Islands as the leader of the Ecotourism project for local communities. He also worked at the European Commission in Brussels and upon his return to Ecuador he collaborated with UNDP Ecuador country office in local and Global collaborations including NASA and with the Governments of Colombia and Peru. Recently Carlos was acting as the regional Monitoring and Evaluation Manager at Conservation International, where he designed and implemented a monitoring and evaluation system to oversee projects implementation in the Amazon region working with indigenous and local populations (IPLCs from Latin America and the Caribbean) focused on climate change and sustainable development. Carlos has returned to UNDP HQ and started working at the Global level first as a Portfolio Oversight specialist for enabling activities and transparency projects in LAC, Africa, and Europe and currently is a Global technical specialist for the Small Grant Programme working in LAC, Africa and Europe. Outside of work, Carlos enjoys biking, cooking, salsa dancing, hiking and meditation.

Maurice te Plate

Maurice te Plate is an optical physicist at the European Space Agency (ESA). He is currently holding the position of ESA NIRSpec Systems Engineer for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Maurice is based at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD and also has an office at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD from which the JWST mission is led. His main technical fields of expertise are physics and optics. Specialties: Optics, Opto-Mechanics, optical design and analysis, spectroscopy, imaging, assembly integration and testing, calibration. Maurice studied at the University of Twente from 1988 to 1993 and earned an MSc in Applied Physics. His previous work experience has included a brief stint following his graduation at Abbot Laboratories (1994), 7 years at the TNO Institute of Applied Physics (1995-2001), and 11 years at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (2001-2012) which is the ESA’s main technology development and test facility for spacecraft and space technology.    

Ard Venema

Ard Venema currently serves as Officer-in-Charge of the Sourcing Support Service in the Logistics Division, Office of Supply Chain Management, at the United Nations Secretariat in New York, where he is responsible for contracting strategic commodities such as engineering, medical, life support (fuel and rations), vehicle fleet and security equipment, in support of UN field missions. Ard has been working with the UN for more than eighteen years, originally starting with the Procurement Division in 2005 and has been involved in many initiatives to improve procurement policies and supply chain management processes of the UN Secretariat. During 2008 and 2009 Ard served as Chief Procurement Officer in UNDOF on the Golan Heights, while living in Damascus. Before joining the United Nations, Ard worked in the private sector for ten years, as procurement manager in the telecommunications industry in the Netherlands, and as project manager and strategic sourcing consultant in Ireland and Australia. Ard holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering (‘Technische Bedrijfskunde’) from the University of Twente.