HomeNewsKoen Dwarshuis wins 2017 TGS Award

Koen Dwarshuis wins 2017 TGS Award

The 2017 TGS Award for talented and ambitious UT Master’s degree students who wish to pursue a PhD, goes to Koen Dwarshuis.

Mr Dwarshuis is a University of Twente Mechanical Engineering student. University Rector Thom Palstra presented the award to Mr Dwarshuis on Monday 4 September during the opening of the academic year. The award includes a cheque in the amount of 2,500 euros that Mr Dwarshuis can spend on attending conferences where he can meet other researchers and exchange ideas.

Mr Dwarshuis explains: “I research human motion models. The computer models various parts of the body, such as upper legs, lower legs and feet, as separate elements. We can make elements move independently. In current models, the elements themselves cannot move. My idea is to replace an inflexible element by a flexible element in current models. Say, I replace a foot by a flexible element, for example. This will give the foot more range of motion, which then improves our simulation. Consequently, it will become easier to determine if a patient who is having trouble walking is in need of surgery and if so, what kind of surgery. Prosthetic devices can also be developed and improved. I also plan to work on developing a thorough understanding of the theoretical aspects of flexible modelling of human motion.”

The jury consisted of Professor Andre de Boer, Professor Fokko Jan Dijksterhuis, Professor Hans Hilgenkamp, Professor Marieke Huisman, Professor Andy Nelson and Dr Paul van Dijk, TGS chairman. The TGS jury selected Mr Dwarshuis from three remaining candidates. The jury was very impressed with the youthful exuberance and progressive thinking demonstrated by Mr Dwarshuis. His research proposal and reviews were nothing short of excellent. Mr Dwarshuis also took part in the Honours Programme for Research Master’s students with the ambition to pursue a career in research.

More information about the TGS Award

This year, three students presented their research proposals to the jury in hopes of winning the award. The students received a TGS Bridging Grant for a maximum of six months to write the proposal. The grant helps bridge the gap after graduation and is for the amount of six months of a PhD student’s salary.

Candidates were selected in two rounds from a total of approximately 20 applications and again included students from a number of different University of Twente faculties. The winner was chosen by a jury chaired by Dr Paul van Dijk, TGS chairman, and also consisted of: Professor Andre de Boer, Professor Fokko Jan Dijksterhuis, Professor Hans Hilgenkamp, Professor Marieke Huisman, Professor Andy Nelson, assisted by Dr Anne Dijkstra.

The final decision was based on three components: the research proposal, two external reviews, a presentation and a round of questions. Every candidate was offered a scientific writing training course aimed at writing research proposals and a course in presentation skills. This year, two candidates took part in the Excellence Programme for talented Research Master’s students. To the best of our knowledge, every single one of our candidates has the option of getting a PhD position at the University of Twente.

Call for nominees for the 2018 TGS Award

The application rounds for the 2018 TGS Award are now open: the deadlines for the first two rounds are 15 September 2017 and 15 January 2018. You can download the application form for the next round from the site (see link above). For terms and conditions of admission, please see the form or the website (available in English). Please note: only University of Twente Master’s degree students can apply.

drs. M.M.J. van Hillegersberg - Hofmans (Martine)
Press relations (available Mon, Tue, Thu)