On Wednesday 1 October Minister Lilianne Ploumen (Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) will open the 2014-2015 Academic Programme of the University of Twente's ITC faculty. The festive opening will take place in the Grote Kerk on Oude Markt in Enschede. For 142 new students from no less than 32 different countries, this meeting will form the start of their studies in the field of geo-information sciences and earth observation.
The Opening of the University of Twente's ITC Academic Programme, faculty of Geo-Information Sciences and Earth Observation, will start at 15:00 hours. This festive meeting is a get-together for the UT's Executive Board, professors, staff, ambassadors and embassy representatives, other external guests and international students – many of them dressed in the traditional costumes of their country of origin, in order to celebrate the opening of the ITC faculty's academic programme.
Those present will be welcomed by the dean, Professor Tom Veldkamp and the chair of the Student Association Board. This will be followed by Professor Veldkamp presenting the ITC Research Award to the doctoral degree candidate who published the best scientific article last year. After a musical intermezzo by organist Gijs van Schoonhoven and the soprano Evelyn Ziegler, ITC alumnus, Dr. Jane Bemigisha, CEO of ESIPPS International in Uganda, will hold a presentation on starting a private business in the GEO ICT. After this, Minister Ploumen will speak on the worldwide importance of innovations in ITC. Examples of contribution made by the institute are the new method of registering rights to land and the monitoring of water quality. “The smart use of new technologies can make a world of difference for people in developing countries. ITC is making a worthwhile contribution in this field”, according to Ploumen.
32 Different countries
This year there will be 142 new students from no less than 32 different countries starting a course in the field of geo-information sciences and earth observation. They will join the 149 students who are already studying at the faculty and the 146 doctoral research candidates who are carrying out their doctoral research there. Later this year another group of at least 68 students will follow, as they start their training within the framework of a Joint Educational Programme with one of the partner universities.
ITC
The Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) is one of the University of Twente's faculties. This is where research and teaching takes place in the field of geo-information sciences and earth observation. ITC
offers MSc and PhD courses in Geo-information and Remote sensing, whereby the emphasis is on applications in developing countries. Students from all over the world come to the TU's ITC in order to study there. The objective of ITC activities is the international exchange of knowledge, focusing on capacity building and institutional development in developing countries and emerging economies.
Note for the press
The press is welcome to attend the meeting. For more information and registering, contact Kim Hovestad 0622436275.
