http://www.vub.ac.be Nieuwsberichten Vrije Universiteit Brussel nl-be Vrije Universiteit Brussel Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:03:37 -0400 http://www.rssfeedssubmit.com/rss-generator/ http://www.vub.ac.be/image/VUB_logo_compact_thumb.jpg http://www.vub.ac.be 110 34 Institute for European Studies (IES) of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in cooperation with the Turkish Ministry for EU Affairs, invites you to the keynote speech Turkey in Europe given by the Turkish Minister for European Union Affairs and Chief Negotiator, Egemen Bagıs. The event will take place on Wednesday 9 November 2011 from 11.30, with the keynote speech of the Minister at 12.00, followed by Q and A until 13.00. A reception will take place after the lecture. Together with the official launch of the IES book On The Road To EU Membership: The Economic Transformation Of Turkey. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1320418918&archive=&start_from=&ucat=13& The Vrije Universiteit Brussel further expands its international arena. During a mission to China, the Minister of the Brussels Region Jean-Luc Vanraes signed an agreement with the city of Xi’an relating to collaboration in the areas of education and scientific research. Minister Benoit Cerexhe will also sign this agreement in Brussels. The agreement is a consequence of the long-standing cooperation between Vrije Universiteit Brussel and North-western Polytechnic University (NPU) in the historic Chinese city of Xi’an. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1320331618&archive=&start_from=&ucat=13& During the princely mission to China, a Belgian consortium under the management of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel signed an agreement with the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing. This new international partnership includes joint initiatives in all disciplines of art, both in China and in Belgium. An international study package will also be organised for this. In Beijing, the partnership started immediately with the ‘Super-organism’ biennial, exhibiting works by leading Belgian and Chinese artists. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1320331384&archive=&start_from=&ucat=13& Bayer HealthCare donates 140,000 euro to the VUB research into haemophilia for the development of a more efficient and safer gene therapy, under the leadership of Prof. Thierry Vandendriessche, researcher at the VUB. The company does this in the context of the Bayer Haemophilia Awards Program (BHAP). http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1317465196&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6& The PHOSFOS project has developed innovative methods for the very accurate measurement of pressure by means of optical technology. This technology will be applied in the oil and gas extraction industry, for example, and will enable a safer and more economical exploitation of oil wells. The continuous monitoring of pressure and temperature in oil wells is essential. Disastrous oil spills, such as recently occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, could be prevented with the use of this technology. The technology will also be used in new medical measuring equipment, particularly for the improved measurement of the activity of the oesophagus, for example, in patients with an impaired swallowing reflex after a stroke or due to cancer. PHOSFOS was managed by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and financed by the 7th European Commission Framework Programme. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1317464836&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6& On September 11-14, 2011 the IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP) will take place at the SQUARE Brussels Meeting Centre in Brussels, Belgium. ICIP is organized annually by the IEEE Signal Processing society. The conference is the premier forum for the presentation of technological advances and research results in the fields of theoretical, experimental, and applied image and video processing. ICIP 2011, the eighteenth in the series that has been held annually since 1994, will bring together leading engineers and scientists in image processing from around the world. About 1100 attendees will attend the conference. The conference is organized by Professors Benoit Macq and Peter Schelkens, respectively representing the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Department of Communications and Remote Sensing Laboratory (TELE), and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department of Electronics and Informatics (ETRO). http://www.vub.ac.be/english/infofor/media/press.html Within a few months we will know if the mysterious Brout-Englert-Higgs particle exists or not. The congress organized from 11th till 15th September by the ULB (Université Libre de Bruxelles) and the VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) is an excellent occasion to explain to the non-specialist the research that Belgian researchers are performing at CERN in particular the search of this particle. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/infofor/media/press.html For the academic year 2012-2013, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Bureau for Development Cooperation) will award four scholarships for the programme Master of Photonics Science and Engineering (120 ECTS credits). The Vrije Universiteit Brussel offers the Master of Photonics Science and Engineering jointly with Ghent University (UGent). This master programme wants to provide students a solid knowledge in photonics and give them the ability to apply theory into design, realisation and management of photonic systems. Deadline for application is 31st October 2011. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1314630914&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2& The Vrije Universiteit Brussel organises a Orientation Day on Friday 23rd September 2011 for all new international student that start at our university in september. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1313671282&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2& The brand-new Jean Jeener Bio-NMR Center at the VIB Department of Molecular and Cellular Interactions, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, has already played a role in a scientific breakthrough that made it into the leading science journal Cell. Thanks to NMR technology, it is possible to determine the dynamic structure of proteins. So Flemish scientists put it to use to find out how the activity of certain proteins involved in the stress physiology of bacteria is regulated. This is a first in every way. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/downloads/press/NMR_center.pdf Scientists of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel have found a way to measure the function of the inner lung, which is almost impossible using classic diagnostic measurement instruments. The technology includes the measurement of damage to ‘smoker’s lungs’ in a non-invasive manner. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php The Photonics Explorer team at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel develops an intra-curricular educational kit on light, optics and photonics that enriches physics classes with exciting hands-on experiments. By engaging students actively in scientific experiments, the kit aims to stimulate their curiosity and interest in scientific research. The kit will be translated in various languages. From 2012 on it will be distributed free of charge to teachers at schools in Europe. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php After the successful first conference in 2008, the Second ‘European Union in International Affairs’ takes place this week in Brussels. More than 150 researchers and policymakers from approximately 30 different countries will come together to discuss and exchange ideas in understanding the interface of EU and international politics and law. Keynote speeches will be given by European Commission President José Manuel Barosso, European Commissioner Karel de Gucht and the Director of Cabinet for the Belgian Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ambassador François Roux. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php This year, the Symphonic Orchestra of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel will again perform a series of autumn concerts. This year’s theme is Darwin, variations on a theme. On the programme: Edward Elgar, Steve Reich, Gustav Holst, Richard Strauss, Leroy Anderson, Frederik Devreese, John Williams. Horn solo: Paul Pichal. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php The General Medical Practice research unit of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has developed a special Internet site that enables everyone to test for themselves whether they have been infected with the Mexican flu. The test not only provides the user with advice about his/her chances of having contracted a flu, but also indicates whether or not it is necessary to contact their general practitioner. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php In Valencia, on Wednesday, the 20th May, Prof. André Van Steirteghem from the Centre for Reproductive Medicine has received a doctoratus honoris causa awarded by the Universitat de Valencia, a university with which he has been working together intensively over the past few years. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php In September 2008, the inter-university Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations was founded, a unique partnership between the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the UGent and the K.U.Leuven. In May 2009 the official opening took place in the presence of a number of prominent speakers, including Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel De Gucht, Master Jef Vermassen, journalist Els De Temmerman and ambassador Luc Teirlinck. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php Every year, an estimated 750,000 Belgians experience problems when taking medication after a stay at the hospital. From a study by the Transmural Care research group of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, it appears that a properly completed medication schedule is essential for a smooth transition from second to first line care, but that this is often not carried out correctly in practice. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php Among other applications, Positron Emission Tomography technology is used to detect cancer cells in the body. With the current technology, the images are slightly blurred, but physicist Cedric Lemaître from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has now developed a way of eliminating this problem. As a result of the improved image quality, it will be possible to detect cancer seeding quicker and more accurately in the future. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php Although Belgians on average have a much higher intake of arsenic concentrations via their food than the rest of the world population, this does not automatically mean that their health is in more danger. ‘Only a small percentage of this arsenic is in fact toxic', states chemist Willy Baeyens of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php In the framework of the DOZ-LUNCHDEBATES, the department Organization of Education is organizing in co-operation with the Faculty of Pharmacy-Medicine, a debate with guest speaker Professor Allan Cumming on Thursday 19 march. He will give a presentation on Tuning in medicine. Towards a European consensus on the core curriculum in medicine. The Tuning methodology defines curricula in terms of European core learning outcomes and is therefore applicable to all curricula. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php In November of last year, the Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatieorganisatie (NVAO or Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organization) decided that the bachelor Engineering Science (taught in Dutch) and the master Engineering Science: Architectural Engineering (taugt in Dutch) complied with the strict NVAO requirements. As a result, the NVAO decided to accredit both courses for the academic year 2009-2010. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php Almost one third of all epilepsy patients does not benefit sufficiently - in some cases not at all - from the current treatments. According to Ralph Clinckers of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, existing anti-epileptics could be chosen more effectively in function of the patient, if their concentrations could be monitored in the brain, instead of in the patient's blood as is the case at present. This would considerably augment the treatment's success. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php Scientists of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, working with their colleagues at the Iowa State University, US, have managed to find a way of slowing down optic signals hundredfold using meta materials. By slowing down slightly, the capacity of communication networks, such as the Internet, can be raised considerably. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php Dioxin concentrations in the rivers Scheldt and Yser are higher than is ecologically acceptable, researchers of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel recently discovered, as they examined large sections of both rivers. Previously, only the river deltas were sampled. The researchers have warned that Belgium needs to pay more attention and set aside more resources to combat this historic pollution. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php On 22 September, a number of dedicated students of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel launched the Esplanade website, a community site for all students at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. http://esplanade.vub.ac.be/ From the 2008-2009 academic year, universities and colleges will be introducing the study credit system. This system is designed to keep tabs on the progress of students throughout their studies and to encourage students to make conscious and realistic study choices. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php In the shadow of RoboCup, the competition in which research institutions and universities from around the world try to outdo each other by building ever more advanced robots, Belgium will also be hosting its very first RoboCup Junior competition this academic year. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php On the basis of their good education evaluation (VLIR end report), several Masters were accredited by the NVAO (the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organization. As is well known by now, the acquisition of accreditation is of crucial importance. Academic programmes can only be offered in Flanders and only qualify for government funding on the condition of their accreditation. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php During the lecture Brussels: A regional actor in Europe, speakers with experience in this matter will discuss the role of the regions in Europe and the interest of the EU for the regions. Within this framework, particular attention will be paid to the place and role of the Brussels-Capital Region as one of the regional actors. http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/conferences/od2008/index.cfm There are substantial differences in the use of antibiotics from country to country. Some countries are very economical with these medicines, while others are rather more lavish. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/home/news.php Professional footballers who play in the Jupiler League (top class) need to learn about sport and nutrition. Their nutritional know-how is hardly better than that of amateur football players, and is in any case insufficient if they wish to achieve maximum performance. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/home/news.php Methods to replace, reduce and refine animal use http://www.vub.ac.be/english/infofor/industry/technologydays A European project named PHOSFOS (Photonic Skins For Optical Sensing) has just kicked off with the aim to develop a unique sensor system applicable in civil engineering and in healthcare. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/home/news.php The Vrije Universiteit Brussel has signed a general agreement with the Tallinn University and the University of Technology of Tallinn. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php Researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel have launched a large-scale international survey into the experience of sexuality and the sexual dysfunctions in the LGBT community http://www.vub.ac.be/english/home/news.php He will take the title of the tenth Rector of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel from the end of September onwards. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/ If you wish to study as an LLP/Erasmus exchange student at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel you can register now http://www.vub.ac.be/english/infofor/prospectivestudents/erasmusstepbystep.html The Boards of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Ghent University approved the framework agreement enabling major and structural collaboration between the two universities in February this year. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php#news Sarah Snykers of the Toxicology department was presented with the Best Paper Award on 16 March 2008. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php#news Faculties of Law in Ghent and Brussels to organise international summer course in human rights http://www.vub.ac.be/english/index.php#news Unambiguous link between global warming and the accelerated melting of the Greenland icecap http://www.vub.ac.be/english/home/news.php The Vrije Universiteit Brussel awards yearly a number of scholarships for advanced studies at Master or Master after Master level. http://www.vub.ac.be/english/infoabout/education/vubscholarships.html