KIVI Annual Conference 2024 Engineering The Future

Chairman Arnold Groot will warm up the attendees and lead them through the programme of lectures, keynotes and discussions. Arnold is an economist and engineer and has been associated with KIVI for many years, including as a board member for the Gelderland Region. He is also a regular speaker at KIVI events.

Lotte Krabbenborg, Associate Professor of Public Participation in Science and Technology at Radboud University, discusses a topic that both engineers responding to questions from society and engineers taking the initiative themselves have to deal with: resistance from society to (technical) innovations. What to expect and how do we deal with it?

A. Energy transition session 1

Lectures:

• The impact of energy transition on the North Sea for the energy mix in 2050: by René Peters, Business Director Gas Technology at TNO.
  
  The North Sea is an important source of energy for the Netherlands. Oil and gas have been extracted from offshore fields since the 1980s, enabling the Netherlands to become a major European gas exporter. Meanwhile, energy transition is in full swing in the North Sea, with offshore wind as the leading energy source. North Sea energy is thus moving from molecules to electrons. Can the Netherlands become self-sufficient again with renewable energy from the sea? Will hydrogen still play a role and how important will CCS become for the Netherlands?
  
• Nuclear energy as part of a robust energy system: by Lennert Goemans, team leader Space and Environment in the Nuclear Energy Programme Directorate of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. The Ruimte en Omgeving team is responsible for the spatial studies for new construction and operating time extension and for the contacts and process with the region.

B. Embracing AI in Engineering: Responsibilities, Collaborations, and Impact

Join us for a session presented by three TU Delft lab directors, exploring the multifaceted relationship between AI and engineering. Discover how we can navigate the complexities of AI with responsibility and leverage its potential across various fields.

Featured Speakers:

• Riccardo Taormina, PhD, co-director of AIdroLab, Assistant Professor, Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft): Delving into AI's role in sustainable water management.
• Anahita Jamshidnejad, co-director of AI*MAN lab, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Aerospace engineering, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft): Unveiling strategies for optimal and transparent decision-making within Human-AI collaboration.
• Jazmin Zatarain Salazar, Director of HIPPO Lab, Assistant Professor of Policy Analysis, Faculty of Technology Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft): Investigating AI's capabilities for fair, efficient, and interpretable policy analysis.
  

Session Highlights:

• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Unravel the significance of cross-disciplinary partnerships in the application of AI.
• AI and Human Interaction: A deep dive into the dynamics between AI technologies and human counterparts.
• Workplace Transformation: Examine AI's transformative impact on our professional environments.

We encourage an open forum for questions and discussions on the practical uses of AI, inviting attendees to contribute their perspectives and inquiries.

Session Details:

• Host: Robbert ten Hoor
• Language: This session will be conducted in English.

We look forward to your participation in this engaging exploration of AI's role in engineering and beyond.

"AI offers unparalleled support in tackling global crises, from equitable resource allocation to devising fair climate mitigation policies. To harness its full potential to navigate trade-offs between diverse societal goals and values, we need to act responsibly. This demands putting transparency at the heart of AI-driven decision-making." - Jazmin Zatarain Salazar

C. Working for a better future with data and research: CBS and PBL

In this interactive session, Kiki Kersten, Patrick Bogaart and Peter Nooteboom of Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and Kersten Nabielek of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) will take you into the world of data and future research in times of major transitions.

CBS' presentation will focus on the sustainability transitions of the European Green Deal, focusing on indicators around climate, natural capital and the circular economy. Afterwards, spatial designer and urban development researcher Kersten Nabielek (PBL) will explain the project Ruimtelijke Verkenning 2023 (Spatial Outlook 2023) in which four possible future scenarios for the layout of the Netherlands in 2050 have been worked out. The scenarios are based on societal images and serve as tools for the development of future-proof spatial policies.

Gaby Wullink of KIVI will lead this session.

David Abbink, professor of Human-Robot Interaction at TU Delft, discusses Human-Robot interaction and collaboration during his keynote. Robots are taking an increasing role in our society. It goes without saying that the robotisation of society (and the rise of AI) largely determines what the future will look like. But how do we as humans deal with this? And what does this demand of us as engineers? What needs to be developed/is being developed to this end?

A. Energy transition session 2: climate change

Lectures:

• Climate Adaptation: by Monique de Groot, Strategic Advisor Climate Adaptation at consultancy and engineering firm TAUW and Ruben Keizer, data specialist and climate advisor at TAUW.
  
  Monique de Groot and Ruben Keizer interactively take you through the importance of climate adaptation. How can we model the impact of climate change on a large scale and how can we test existing urban areas and new urban developments? In her role as Strategic Climate Adaptation Advisor at TAUW, Monique de Groot advises municipalities, provinces, water boards and ministries on a daily basis on making their territories and policies climate-proof. She is also involved in several studies on the topic of heat, such as heat in the home, night-time heat and guidelines for a heat-resistant city. Ruben Keizer, as Data Specialist and Climate Consultant at TAUW, is able to use various models and tools to provide insight into the impact of heat and precipitation for urban and rural areas. For various municipalities, provinces and project developers, he conducts so-called stress tests, calculates measures and/or tests the climate resilience of new construction plans.
  
• Hydrogen: During his presentation, Ton Manders of Nobian will discuss hydrogen, its challenges as part of the energy transition and Europe's aim to be climate neutral by 2050.
  
  

B. Smart Maintenance - What is the role of engineering knowledge in a data-driven environment?

Machines, systems and structures in the manufacturing and process industries, power generation, transport and defence are becoming increasingly complex, but also increasingly critical. This means that the consequences of a malfunction or failure are often large, making rapid troubleshooting or prevention increasingly important. We can achieve this by applying smart maintenance, or Smart Maintenance.

Tiedo Tinga, professor on this subject at the University of Twente and Netherlands Defence Academy (NLDA), and Richard Loendersloot, associate professor at the University of Twente, are developing new methods for Smart Maintenance in their research. In this session, they will give an overview of the challenges in this field and the solutions found to them:

Tiedo Tinga focuses on Predictive Maintenance, where available (sensor) data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are combined with models of the system and failure behaviour to quickly diagnose or even predict when failures will occur.

Richard Loendersloot focuses on Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), which uses changes in the dynamic response of large structures to determine if and where damage is occurring.

Finally, a number of statements will be used to discuss with the audience what the role of engineers will be in a future with an abundance of data and AI algorithms.

C. Engineering in Empathy: Shaping the Future of Health through Innovative Spatial Solutions

While the healthcare system faces enormous challenges worldwide, the built environment offers surprising solutions. During this lecture, Prof Masi Mohammadi will show how the Empathic Living Environment, with buildings and streets that are both social and smart, is not only going to change the way we live, but also transform healthcare. Discover how Architecture in Health puts the built environment in a new perspective and, in collaboration with civil society organisations, offers concrete answers to complex issues shaping the future of health and healthy living, even in situations of loneliness and care needs.

Sander Mertens, lecturer 'Energy in Transition' at De Haagse Hogeschool, will give his views on the technological future with a particular focus on energy transition, followed by a discussion with Maarten van Beek and KIVI president Jacolien Eijer - de Jong.

Programme
16.00 Welcome by chairman of the day Dirk van Meer, CEO Team CORE.

16.05 Lecture by Sander Mertens, lecturer 'Energy in Transition' at De Haagse Hogeschool. Sander discusses the case education, not career-oriented but for role in the world.

16.30 Lecture by Jacquelien Scherpen, professor and Rector Magnificus of the University of Groningen and winner of Prins Friso Ingenieursprijs 2023. Jacquelien discusses the engineering profession for young people and women, how do we reach these target groups?

16.50 Explanation of role of professional jury by chairman Ahmed Elkadi.

17.00 Dinner buffet

18.30 Start of award ceremony

18.35 Opening act

18.40 Introduction Prins Friso Ingenieursprijs.

18.50 Presentation KIVI Engineering Student Team Award 2024.

19.00 Presentation three finalists Prins Friso Ingenieursprijs.

19.10 Presentation Prins Friso Ingenieursprijs.

19.25 Closing by chairman of the day Dirk van Meer.

19.30 Drinks

21.00 End