Various prizes for AS students

It’s raining prizes in November. This month, students of study programmes of the Faculty of Applied Sciences received various awards. An overview.

On 28 November, the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW), the oldest 'Learned Society' in the Netherlands, presented its Young Talent Encouragement Prizes for the best study results in the first year of study at a Dutch institute for scientific education.

There are several categories for these prizes. The prizes come with a sum of 500 euros. The winning AS students are: 

Sarah Meilof - Physics and Technical Physics 
Koen Kousemaker – Chemistry
Chris Smits - Chemistry of life

A special mention should be made for Applied Physics student Nikolas-Olivier Kavadias, who received the Shell Graduation Prize for Physics (5,000 euros) during this KHMW event for his thesis 'Solvent effects on low-bias molecular conductance. The influence of a water environment on the conductance through OPE3-diamene molecules'. The jury found the thesis 'well structured, attractive, accessible, clear and beautifully presented' and called Nikolas-Olivier 'someone of a different level'. It is years since this coveted prize was won by a TNW student, which makes Nikolas-Olivier's performance extra special.

Marloes Arts of the Nanobiology programme also won a prize, the Unilever Research Prize (2,500 euros), for her research into the BRCA2 gene. This gene produces tumor-suppressing proteins that help repair damaged DNA. Due to mutations or other types of changes in this gene, damaged DNA cannot properly be repaired, increasing the risk of cancer. Mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer can change the mobility of BRCA2 in cells. Marloes' research now makes it possible to monitor these mobility changes directly.

Upon receiving her prize, Marloes was complimented on the following: "The scientific depth, discipline and impact of your work, which is currently being prepared for publication, is very exceptional for an MSc student... You have strengthened the Nanobiology programme by sharing your expertise as a tutor in various mathematics and physics courses. You completed both your BSc and MSc cum laude and you were a top candidate for the TU Delft Best Thesis Award. Congratulations on an impressive achievement!”