- Student
- 26/09/2025
Silent protest and gaming president at MomenTUm
Nearly a thousand students tossed their caps in the air on Friday during the MomenTUm ceremony at MetaForum. During the annual graduation celebration, President of the Executive Board Koen Janssen played a racing game against students. In between the festivities, there was also room for a critical note: one student staged a silent protest with a banner.
The cortège entered the market hall of MetaForum to the familiar sounds of Guus Meeuwis’ Brabant. Students were called on stage by program and then took their seats in the audience.
MomenTUm Kart
Executive Board president Koen Janssen opened the program by reflecting on his first six months at TU/e. What stuck with him most were his conversations with students. But there was no time for a long speech. A couch and a screen were rolled onto the stage: it was time for MomenTUm Kart. The game was specially developed for the ceremony by student team Totem Game Dev.
Students had been competing for weeks for the fastest time in the online leaderboard. Janssen went up against the two top players and Thijmen Worm, president of the MomenTUm working group. Although Janssen didn’t win, he still received a prize. Totem team lead Maarten Hundscheid presented him with a 3D-printed controller featuring the student team’s logo.
Watch the video of MomenTUm Kart during the ceremony below.
MomenTUm4you
During the first ceremony, the organization showed three videos. In them, students surprised their peers with champagne and confetti to celebrate their graduation in style. One video received a particularly loud applause. It featured Daan Vijselaar, better known as Calculus Daan, a nickname he earned through his many attempts to pass the calculus exam. He succeeded on his tenth try. It proves again: persistence pays off.
Audience Award
As usual, the organization handed out several prizes for the best theses and teachers. The Audience Award went to Noa Smolenaars, who won with 442 out of 3,460 votes. In today’s healthcare system, which is still largely designed around the male body, women are more likely to be misdiagnosed, sometimes with fatal consequences. Smolenaars therefore designed a new care pathway specifically for women with heart failure.
Best Teacher Award
In the afternoon ceremony, the award for best bachelor teacher was presented. It went to assistant professor of Operations Management and Game Theory, Loe Schlicher, praised for his enthusiasm toward students. Despite the challenging subject matter, his lectures are easy to follow, said students. He was also commended for his willingness to help with any kind of question — his door is always open.
In the second ceremony later that afternoon, Robert van Dongen won the award for best master teacher. Students greatly appreciate his classes on healthy urban living, circularity, and future-proof mobility in the course Systems and the City. They also value his accessibility and the campus excursions he organizes, which help bring theoretical concepts to life in an approachable way.
Academic Awards
The awards for best bachelor’s and master’s thesis were presented during the ceremony in the Zwarte Doos. This year’s best bachelor’s thesis was written by Pascal Otjens, who experimented with a new type of code that helps quantum computers make fewer calculation errors. The jury was deeply impressed by the scientific rigor and originality of his multidisciplinary work, which drew on his broad academic background. He had previously completed bachelor’s degrees in Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, as well as an honors diploma in Competitive Programming and Problem Solving.
The award for best master’s thesis went to Nick Hol. His research focused on new Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-based measurement methods for sludge, which is still often regarded as waste. His work led to not one but two first-author publications in scientific journals — “a rare achievement for a master’s student,” according to the jury report. The jury also praised his extracurricular contributions, including co-founding the Brabant Support Organization for Student Teams (BOOST) and serving on the board of student team SOLID.
Optimistic
Rector Magnificus Silvia Lenaerts closed the ceremony with some warm words. “Now that you have earned your ddegree, you can put your talent to use. Continue your studies with a master’s program, shape your career, strengthen your company, support your community, and help society move forward. The world doesn’t only need brilliant engineers, but also people who can work together. People who are engaged and know how to make a positive impact. Looking at your talented generation, I feel very optimistic."
This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.
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