Max Lange - Civil Engineering
We will never get rid of traffic, but we can strive to minimize and optimize the traffic systems that have been put in place.
Why did you choose this programme?
After completing my bachelor’s in civil engineering, pursuing a master’s in civil engineering felt like the best fit, especially since my interests lean towards the mathematical aspects of civil engineering. I felt the civil engineering master's focused more heavily on math than the MSc in Transportation Infrastructure and Logistics or Environmental Engineering.
I chose to follow the Traffic and Transport Engineering Track. I have a personal interest in (system) modelling and coding. Both are prevalent throughout the master’s, from learning general coding practices at the beginning of the programme in the MUDE course (Modelling, Uncertainty and Data for Engineers), to creating all different kinds of traffic simulations in the track specific courses.
Traffic and Transport Engineering also seemed to be a very innovative part of the civil engineering world. The Netherlands and TU Delft Traffic and Transport Engineering labs are forerunners in traffic and transportation research, using state-of-the-art techniques and technologies, such as AI.
What do you hope to achieve?
We will never get rid of traffic, but we can strive to minimize and optimize the traffic systems that have been put in place. In this age of technology and AI, I hope to be able to do this using system simulation and optimization. Making people’s lives better by, for example, shaving minutes of their daily travel time, one step at a time.
What’s a highlight of the program for you?
I like that you can choose which part of traffic and transportation you want to focus on, from general systems or just rail, to public transportation. The projects you work on in the master’s lets you apply the knowledge your learning to real life situations. For example, we worked on creating AI which predicts the category of roads throughout a city, which can be used to speed up traffic simulation creation. Working on projects like this makes you realize that you are becoming a fully-fledged traffic engineer.