Lifelong Learning Delft Matters

Forty years of Delft science in word and image

Text Jos Wassink en Marjolein van der Veldt

As the predecessor of Delft Matters, Delft Integraal (Delft Outlook in English) was first published in 1984. The science and community magazine is now ending its print editions. A retrospective.

So what were the main topics featured in the first Delft Integraal on ‘research and education at TH Delft’ in 1984? Robotics, echo acoustics, response times and offshore oil and gas fields. In the foreword, Rector Magnificus Veltman described the magazine as a means to “systematically inform employers of graduates and users of research results about what TU Delft can and does”.

The magazine was published biannually with a circulation of 6,000 copies. Its austere design was made up of 22 pages in black and white with an accent colour (blue). An academic advisory council composed of representatives from all 14 departments (later faculties) and the Executive Board supported the editorial team.

After steady growth in circulation and frequency, the focus shifted in 1991 and alumni became an important target group. Delft Integraal was one of the benefits granted in return for the membership fees paid by alumni. A price was even printed on the cover (four Dutch guilders in 1992), although no one ever paid for a copy. The content maintained its focus on scientific research and circulation grew organically along with the number of graduates, reaching a circulation of 45,000 in 2010.

Cover of the first issue of Delft Integraal from 1984.

After a restyling the integral symbol appeared on the cover.

Reader questions

Do you know if heat extraction from sewage pipes has ever been calculated?
Is it possible to have a copy of your magazine sent to me? A colleague’s copy of an article on ‘the ornicopter’ caught my eye. As a physics teacher, it was quite informative.
I am an ophthalmologist/surgeon at Rijnland Hospital in Leiderdorp. I may be able to help you implant these lenses.

A price was even printed on the cover, but no one ever paid for a copy

Parallel to Delft Integraal, an Englishlanguage version was also published starting in 1985: Delft Outlook. This magazine was distributed through Dutch embassies and consulates, among others, and positioned TU Delft globally as a high-quality institution.

In-depth analyses

In the late 1980s, Delft Integraal transformed into a science magazine under its editor-in-chief Philip Broos. Broos focused on in-depth analyses of research, believing that highly educated readers were looking for more than a superficial story. The journalistic process intensified: interviews with researchers became the basis for news articles, without direct involvement of the academic advisory council.

The content broadened in the early 1990s and in addition to background stories on technology and innovation, science information officer Wilma van Wezenbeek introduced the column Hora Est!, in which PhD candidates commented on remarkable or provocative statements. For example, electrical engineer Koert van der Lingen stated that ‘originality is a form of madness’ – which promptly instigated discussion (Delft Integral 96.2).

Articles regularly led to reactions from readers and were often picked up by other media outlets. One such example is the article on Zeppelins (Delft Integraal 94.2), based on a graduation project by Arjan van Timmeren, which received national media attention. Another high-profile example involved a press release on saddle soreness, which led to much unintentional hilarity during a live broadcast of the NOS Journaal presented by Harmen Siezen.

In 2014 the title Delft Integraal was abbreviated to DI. The magazine was given a thematic layout. The English version Delft Outlook was abbreviated to DO.

Robots – numerous but inflexible

A fully automated, human-free factory before the year 2000 and industrial robots that would take over the work of humans. The article Mechatronics, de integratie van machines en computers (Mechatronics, the integration of machines and computers) (Delft Integraal 1, 1984), offered readers a glimpse into a possible future.

Forty years later and those predictions have partly become reality, according to professor of biorobotics Martijn Wisse. Philips’ factories largely function without people but still require human supervision. “Robots cannot yet cope well with unexpected situations.” The number of industrial robots increased significantly, from 30,000 in 1984 to four million today worldwide. Their tasks – welding, spraying, assembly – have remained largely unchanged, although they are now also used in the packaging and food industries and in laboratories. Fears of mass unemployment due to robotisation proved unfounded. While some occupations disappeared, others have emerged. Wisse: “In fact, there will be a major labour shortage in sectors such as horticulture, construction and healthcare in the near future.”

RoboHouse

As in 1984, companies regularly approach TU Delft for advice. This has led to the establishment of RoboHouse, an intermediary between knowledge institutions and SMEs. It’s a place where companies, start-ups, scientists and students come together. Because the study of robotics has seen explosive growth. In 1984, only 120 students were taking a single course on this subject, now there are thousands across different faculties. Wisse: “There is even a master’s degree programme in robotics where students spend two years gaining proficiency in robotics and artificial intelligence.”

He believes that flexibility will be the biggest challenge for robots in the coming years. “They work efficiently in factories but human intervention is needed in less structured environments.” Artificial intelligence will change this in the future, he says. “Forty years from now, robots will be more autonomous and make more complex decisions – the impact of which we cannot yet foresee.”

Societal relevance

Starting in 2006, the format of Delft Integraal changed and the emphasis shifted from scientific depth to broader communication about TU Delft. In 2007, the editors of the journalistic university magazine Delta took over production and the editor-in-chief also assumed responsibility for Delft Integraal. The journalistic approach also changed and, instead of actively gathering scientific news, the editors were once again partly steered by the academic advisory council.

In 2014, the title Delft Integraal disappeared from the cover and was replaced by the logo DI (DO in the English version). The magazine became more thematic and was published four times a year, covering topics ranging from plastic and scarcity to resilience and the sea.

Another change took place in 2022 when Delft Integraal became Delft Matters and the number of issues was reduced to two a year. The magazine was given a stronger focus on the entire TU Delft community, targeting alumni, students and academic staff alike.

The online version of the first issue of Delft Matters

Stress of waiting

In the article Operator wacht op antwoord (Operator waits for response) from the very first issue of Delft Integraal, Jan Ormel reports on research into response times of computers in the early 1980s. PhD candidate Ronald Paans, currently an IT auditor at consultancy firm Noordbeek, defines response time as the time between input and the computer’s first response. This should only take a few seconds, but Paans’ measurements show that data entry clerks regularly have to wait a minute or more for a response from the system. Ormel writes that this made them “hyper-nervous, and they eventually ended up taking Valium at the medical service”. (Delft Integraal 1984, number 1, p.16)

Professor of numerical analysis Kees Vuik (Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science) was doing his PhD research at the time. “You have to imagine that there were hundreds of users connected to one computer, the mainframe. The operating system allowed users access one by one, but the efficiency of this was questionable.”

Computing power

What qualifies as an acceptable response time depends on the application, says Vuik. “Waiting a few seconds with a search query is okay but you want zero response time for interactive applications. Imagine if Teams had a half-second delay. It would be unworkable.” The reduction in response times is due to the unbelievable increase in computing power. “Your phone calculates a million times faster than a 1980s mainframe.”

The network must be sufficiently fast when it comes to wireless connections, especially for mobile applications. Mobile applications cannot afford to have response times. “If you are in a self-driving car and it waits 0.3 seconds to react to the brake lights in front of you, you’ll already be bracing yourself.”

The emphasis in scientific articles shifted towards applied research and social relevance, as witnessed by the double interviews that began Delft Matters in which TU experts and thought leaders from outside TU exchanged views.

June 2025 will see the last print edition. Due to budget cuts, Delft Matters will now be fully digital and the magazine that began as a way to “systematically inform employers of graduates and users of research results about what TU Delft can and does” will only be available online. All issues of Delft Integraal and Delft Matters have been digitised and included in TU Delft’s Heritage Collection.

Previous issues are part of the TU Delft Heritage Collection and can be accessed via: https://heritage.tudelft.nl/en/collections/delft-integraal

All editions of Delft Matters can be found at: delftmatters.nl