Alex Greeuw (Dura Vermeer)
Alex studied civil engineering at TU Delft, specialising in geotechnical engineering. After working for several years at engineering firm Witteveen+Bos, he switched to construction company Dura Vermeer. There, Alex first worked in the role of geotechnical consultant. He then held various roles as geotechnical team leader and department manager. He is currently working on behalf of DV on the High-Frequency Rail Programme (PHS) project in Nijmegen. Since 2021, Alex has been involved in the board of KIVI Geotechnics.
I am looking for:
For me, the ideal combination is theoretically strong research, with practical applications. I find that interesting in the field of Geotechnical Engineering anyway; it is extremely complex and you can make it as theoretical as you want, but ultimately the applicability often determines whether something is used in practice.
What do you look for as a member of the jury:
I like it when a report describes in detail the comments on the work; a kind of reflection after the research. So not just a theoretical framework, experiment and result. But what are the limitations, would a student have liked to have done differently or perhaps expected differently.
Bartho Admiraal (VSF)
Bartho studied Civil Engineering at TU Delft and started work at Visser & Smit Bouw in 1986, where he worked as project leader on, among others, the Erasmus Bridge and The Hague tram tunnel. He introduced jet grouting to the Netherlands and in 1999 founded VWS Geotechniek, active in HSL projects and innovative detection techniques, among others. Since 2007, he has been a technical specialist at VSF within VolkerWessels for large infrastructure and dyke reinforcement projects. He is also a board member of the NVAF, contact person for NEN and active within EFFC, CEN TC288, the Expertise Network for Water Safety and the Foundation Working Over Pressure.
I am looking for:
No specific subject. I do get inspired when a topic is widely explored or deepened, so that new insights arise.
What do you look for as a jury member:
There must be a clear storyline in the main report. The research should show that the student has put a lot of energy into it and not just used standard modelling. The conclusions should reflect this.
Bas Vos (Boskalis)
After studying Technical Earth Sciences at TU Delft, Bas joined Boskalis in 2002. Starting as a geotechnical consultant and later design manager on Dutch and international dredging and infrastructure projects. After several years as head of the geogroup at Boskalis, Bas has been general manager of Hydronamic, the internal engineering office of Boskalis' dredging division, for a few years now.
Besides his work for Boskalis, he has also been active for a long time for the Delft Geothermal Project Foundation, among other things involved in the recently installed heat sources at TU Delft. DAP subsidises research into geothermal energy as a sustainable energy source.
Bas has been part of the KIVI Geotechnical Board for about eight years, in recent years as chairman.
I am looking for:
I am looking for graduates who dare to question existing knowledge and try to look beyond the boundaries of their field. This could mean looking outside your own immediate field of expertise, but it could also be the hitherto known boundaries within a specialism. In doing so, I am curious about the application of now much more accessible data and programming techniques. But also the old lab work, doing something in a lab to test your assumptions, always really appeals to my imagination.
What do you pay attention to as a jury member:
I do not know the subject and, as a jury member, I have to be able to form a picture in a short time of the necessity for the research, the existing knowledge, what the research carried out entails and what the main conclusions and possible applications are from it. Many students undertake an enormous amount of work during their graduation; dead ends (and frustrations) are almost always part of this. There is then a risk of wanting to tell everything that has been done, but it does not make things clearer for the reader. Can you translate all that work into a logical storyline that leads to a clear conclusion? Have you thought about the application of your developed knowledge? If so, you stand a good chance.
Ivanka van Berkom (Ingenieursbureau Gemeente Amsterdam)
Ivanka recently joined Ingenieursbureau Gemeente Amsterdam as a geotechnical specialist, after working at Witteveen+Bos for five years. Among other things, she deals with inner city embankments.
I am looking for:
For graduation projects in which young engineers are not only technically strong, but also creative with challenges within geotechnical engineering.
What do you look for as a jury member:
Quality, originality, relevance and presentation.
Maarten Profittlich (Fugro)
Maarten studied Civil Engineering at TU Delft and has worked at Fugro as a consultant, project leader and geotechnical engineering manager for over 25 years. He has broad experience in foundations, construction pits and infrastructure, and specialises in geotechnical risk management, foundation investigations and pile load tests using the Osterberg-Cell method. Maarten worked on major projects at home and abroad (e.g. USA and Nigeria) and is active in professional committees, including as chairman of the CROW working group 'open steel tubular piles'. He also gives classes at PAO, the Concrete Association and the KCAF.
I am looking for:
For special and distinctive graduation projects that add something to the existing knowledge/experience in the field of geotechnics and that can contribute to a better world.
What do you look for as a jury member:
As a jury member, I look at the contribution to the world of geotechnics from different perspectives. It is important that the research or project has demonstrable added value, both economically and in terms of sustainability. In addition, practical applicability counts: to what extent is the solution feasible and easy to apply in practice? Finally, I pay attention to the period of application, whether the contribution is mainly aimed at immediate employability or rather at a development with value in the longer term.
Wout Broere (TU Delft)
Wout is Associate Professor of Underground Construction at TU Delft. where he provides teaching and research on underground construction, tunnelling and trenchless techniques. Over the years, Wout has brought more than 300 Bachelor, Master and PhD students to the finish line. Together with COB, he is currently leading the Futureproof Tunnels research programme, which focuses on the renovation challenges in Dutch zinc tunnels. In addition, he is Editor-in-Chief of the leading journal Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology.
I am looking for:
Judging the submissions is a joy every time, given the huge diversity in the topics submitted. This confirmation that geotechnical engineering is a very broad and living field is what makes participation in the jury so special.
What do you look for as a jury member:
For all entries, as a jury we look at how original and innovative the graduation subject is, and also how clearly the student is able to communicate his or her findings to a wider geotechnical audience through the report.