Join Iman Mossavat for an insightful episode of **Podcasts 4 Brainport** with special guests Albert Podusenko and İsmail Şenöz, as we dive into the innovative world of Lazy Dynamics. This cutting-edge company is reshaping how agents process and act on real-time data in unpredictable environments. Their software streamlines the development of intelligent systems capable of navigating uncertainty — whether it's an ambulance optimizing routes or legal tech helping lawyers model strategic uncertainties in complex litigation.

At the heart of their approach is RxInfer, a fast and efficient tool designed to overcome the computational limitations of traditional probabilistic programming libraries, enabling real-time decision-making. With a unique reactive message-passing system, Lazy Dynamics ensures agents can keep reasoning even if some sensors fail — a true breakthrough for dynamic, high-stakes environments.

Discover how collaboration and open-source contributions are fueling their success and how these innovations are shaping the future. Tune in for an episode packed with insights into the future of AI and real-time decision-making!

#AI #MachineLearning #RealTimeData #Innovation #ProbabilisticProgramming #ProbabilisticInference #FreeEnergy #LeastAction #AIForGood #TechInnovation #LazyDynamics #OpenSource #FutureOfAI #Podcasts4Brainport

In this episode of Podcasts for Brainport, host Iman Mossavat sits down with Professor Mehdi Dastani, an expert in AI and Human-Centered AI at Utrecht University. They discuss the intersection of AI, formal reasoning methods, and safety, exploring how research from psychology, law, and philosophy can help create AI systems that are more responsible and aligned with human values. Professor Dastani argues for systems that combine domain knowledge and deliberate reasoning with machine learning to address challenges like accidents, biases, and other risks in AI. He also explains his vision for a framework that integrates machine learning, expertise, and reasoning, aiming to improve AI’s reliability in industries where safety is key. Finally, Professor Dastani shares his thoughts on the power imbalance between tech companies and users, discussing how traditional institutions are getting disrupted by technology. Tune in for this conversation on the future of AI and the importance of ethical, reliable systems on Podcasts for Brainport and Radio 4 Brainport.

#AI #HumanCenteredAI #AIethics #MachineLearning #SafetyAI #VerificationMethods #AIresearch #UtrechtUniversity #AIandPhilosophy #ResponsibleInnovation #AIrisks #Podcasts4Brainport #Radio4Brainport

Kati Schiller is a seasoned trainer with over 15 years of experience. From personalized language programs to enriching cultural insights, Kati helps internationals not just learn Dutch but truly thrive in the NL. Without any further delay, let's explore how language can foster connection and belonging in a new home!

And the winner is....

You may remember that we at Radio 4 Brainport asked you before Christmas to send in your holiday wishes, and as an incentive we promised to give away a DAB radio to one of the contributors. Today, we went to Sweet Dreams bakery to hand over the receiver to Aralys and Amar. They sent in their Christmas wishes for our listeners after Aralys spotted us with the live broadcast during the Winter Market in the Evoluon on December 10th. She noted down our WhatsApp number (06 8329 2000) and sent a voice message once she was back with Amar. It demonstrates how easy it is to get your announcement on air ! You can hear their story in a short podcast on Spotify.   

Nothing better than a dive into the sea on New Year's Day? Ralu Nistor-Lustermans tried it our for herself. To Jean-Paul Linnartz of Radio 4 Brainport she disclosed that it really gives fresh energy for the whole year. Cool!

Ralu writes about this; For decades the Nordics, celebrate the New Year by taking a dive into the freezing water of the Nordic Sea. I used to watch this event on TV and think, what a bunch of crazy people! 🤔 This year, instead of watching it from the side-line, I (and one of my sons) decided to be one of those crazy people 😉, we joined and dived in …….what an amazing experience........physically and mentally refreshed! As we all dive into 2023, let's make sure that no matter what our goals and aspirations are for this year, we prioritise our wellbeing, our mental health and we are kind to ourselves and others. Embrace the challenges 2023 will bring, take a step out of your comfort zone to discover the shivers of unforeseen achievements! Happy New Year everyone!!

When Jeroen Dijsselbloem became the new mayor of Eindhoven in Sept 2022, the city had become far more vibrant then when he left at the age of 19. Eindhoven had benefitted for many decades by bringing in new people. Anne Yianni interviewed Mayor Dijsselbloem for Howdo Magazine, after being in office for a couple of months. Radio 4 Brainport chatted with Anne about how she expereienced the interview and what were her take-aways. Build, Build, Build is a priority to craete 70,00 houses for the talent that the High Tech companies want to attract in the coming decade.  

Heleen de Coninck is frequently seen on stage to pitch her drive and her hope to contain climate change. As a co-author on IPCC climate reports,  as professor of Technology, Innovation & Society at Eindhoven University of Technology and associate professor at Radboud University in Nijmegen, she feels the urgency to increase knowledge about environmental issues, but at the same time she is hopeful that we can revert the course towards catastrophic changes.

At the Park Theater,  in her "Moon speech", she pitched that we should change global systems in order to tackle the major environmental problems, thus apply major changes to industry, transport and mobility, but also the food system.

Is the weather reaching tipping points in warming the planet, from where irreversible changes with set on and accelerate further warming? She sees social tipping points from the population really starts to think and behave differently, and collectively strive for new values.    

Jean-Paul Linnartz interviewed her for Radio 4 Brainport, followng her "maanrede".

Ralu Nistor Lustermans interviews Anne Yianni about the magazine HowDo that reaches out to expats and internationals.

Timeless Tales in Translation is Chaitali’s third work in translation. It is a collection of 12 notable Indian short stories written my famous, award winning, Indian authors. The stories bring out a meticulous picture of India in the colonial times. These contain some of the most groundbreaking, progressive, and thought-provoking writing in Indian Literature from 1855 to 1955, considered as an important period in the literary history of the subcontinent.

Chaitali writes and translates fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. A reviewer and journalist, her first collection of prose poems Cross Stitched Words received the Honorable Mention award at the New England Book Festival 2021.  Her books are there in our Eindhoven Library, and also catalogued in the US libraries.

Housing is one of the main issues for internationals. City counselor Mirian  Frosi about the priorities for the CDA in Eindhoven and about how experiences in coming to Eindhoven.  A short interview recorded by Supriya Vij at the launch of Howdo 31, November 2022 

Starting a PhD in February 2022 meant for our radio guest Lev Azarkh that he got out of Ukraine just before the Russian troop approached in on his home town Kyiv. Now that winter is kicking in and Putin's forces relentlessly bomb the citiy infrastructures, we chat with him about December in Eindhoven and back home. What does Christmas mean for him, how is celebrated in his home country?     

As a physiotherapist at Praktijk Welschap in Meerhoven-Eindhoven, Anke Eliëns saw more people coming to her practice for help in COVID times. Apparently working from home is not always best for your posture and your fitness. A massage or even medication may not cure the problem in the long run, creating awareness and changing personal habits and behavior are key to a full recovery.    

But Anke is also interested to learn more about internationals. More and more people of Indian descent visit our physiotherapist praktijk Welschap. To provide the best possible treatment for people of Indian descent visiting a Dutch physiotherapy practice, she likes to perform a study. Studying for a Masters degree in Manual therapy at the Hogeschool Arnhem en Nijmegen (HAN), she wants to identify the expectations about physiotherapy by people of Indian descent.

Particulate matter (fijnstof) is a key factor that deteriorates the air quality and in Eindhoven air quality can be improved. Transportation, large industries emit PM. Also agriculture contributes, as Brabant breeds more pigs than it has human inhabitants. Yet, citizens cannot only fingerpoint to companies, to farmers, to logistics. Meanwhile the energy crisis is not helping to reduce emissions from houses. Some households start to burn wood rather than to use gas for heating. So in fact, these are forces in opposite direction than towards green heating via renewable energy. Jean Paul Close promotes a transistion towards a sustainocracy. Clean air os part of that ambition. 

Interview by Jean-Paul Linnartz for Radio 4 Brainport, 2022

Meagin van der Westhuizen hosts and Juliann Liu to discuss their experiences and plans for their community, with Juliann sharing her passion for helping people make positive changes in their lives. They also delve into the transformative power of changing one's perspective on life, with Juliann sharing her personal journey of transformation after experiencing burnout. The conversation concludes with a reflection on the importance of setting intentions, embracing life's changes, and the profound impact of personal growth on others.

The guest on Radio 4 Brainport is Juliann Liu. She is a facilitator of Human Ecology and a Wellbeing Coach. She offers seminars, workshops, and individual coaching services. Drawing inspiration from both Eastern wisdom and Western methodology, Juliann dedicates her professional life to promoting authentic leadership. Her mission is to empower individuals to awaken each day feeling inspired, empowered, and joyful as they navigate their chosen work and responsibilities. Essentially, Juliann helps people become genuine leaders in their organizations and in their lives. 

At the Optical Wireless Communications Conference 2022, Prof. Harald Haas gave a keynote speech on the role of LiFi in 6G . We look back and looks forward into the challanges and the promises of using light to communicate wirelessly.  Faster and more secure access to the internet by avoiding the congested radio waves.  Lifi can unlock terabit per second connectivity, but is "speed" the only performance indicator?  How will the technology  develop now that the first generations of systems are already in the market. How does LiFi for consumer mass markets differ essentially from shooting laser beams to satellites. 

Professor Harald Haas, then Professor of Mobile Communications at the University of Edinburgh but now with the University Strathclyde Glasgow, coined the term "Li-Fi" at his 2011 TED Global Talk where he introduced the idea of "wireless data from every light".

The interview is conducted by Jean-Paul Linnartz, not only reporter for Radio 4 Brainport but also TPC Chairman of the OWCC 2022 in the MikroCenterum in Veldhoven, Professor in Wireless and Signal Processing Communications at TU Eindhoven himself and Research Fellow with Signify. 

Talking about classical music, you may think of it as an icon of Western European culture dominated by white male composers. For a long time, Chi-chi Nwanoka found herself as the only black player in the orchestra. But in her journey of promoting diversity and inclusion, she also found out that there are great classical composers of color or that Dvorak had listened to native Americans and to the music of slaves in the Southern states. Can we even say that classical music sounds more authentic with black musicians?   

In 2015, double-bass player Chi-chi Nwanoku founded Chineke! Orchestra supporting young mucians. The orchestra made its debut in the Royal Albert Hall during the BBC Proms in 2017 and has been successful eversince in the large venues thoughout England and beyond, including the Rotterdam Doelen and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Before their performance in Eindhoven in November 2022, Jean-Paul Linnartz interviewed her for Radio 4 Brainport. 

Photo credit Jay Lawrence

A light system that always controls the light such that it takes away your desire to interact is not the best lighting system. Good interaction paradigms do search for active participation and engage you.  Jean-Paul Linnartz explores what makes an interactive lighting system work well. Prof Berry Eggen of Eindhoven University of Technology is our guest. "User preferences do not exist", at least not in the way that some researchers believed that there were stable, invariant preferred light settings.  

 Trying to understand the human by AI is giving a new dimension to interaction concepts but still the interaction by itself with key. The lights may ask you a question or explore new settings that you have never thought of yourself.    

Inequality and exclusion are not limited to our built environment, but also seep into our digital world. In this session, host Dymphie Braun of Pakhuis de Zwijger explores different forms of in- and exclusion in the digital space. How can we harness the power of technology to create more just societies?

Galit Ariel is a TechnoFuturist, author, and creative who explores the wild and imaginative side of immersive technologies.
Lisa Talia Moretti is an award-winning Digital Sociologist and Tech Ethics Activist.
Astrid Linder is Professor & Research Director of Traffic Safety at VTI, the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute. Here she is responsible for the development of the research area crash safety and biomechanics.
Eve Logunova-Parker is a visionary and an innovation-focused professional from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In 2021, Eve was recognized as one of the AI leaders to follow and one of Top 10 powerhouse female ecosystem builders of Amsterdam’s tech domain.
Oumaima Hajri is a researcher and lectures at the Hogeschool Rotterdam and her work focuses on the intersection of AI, ethics and society. 

In 2021, Pakhuis de Zwijger launched the programme Designing Cities for All, with the support of the Creative Industry Fund NL. This extensive two-year programme focuses on the role of designers in shaping and creating cities for, by and with everyone. Inspired by this programme, Pakhuis de Zwijger and the TU Eindhoven decided to team up. During the renowned Dutch Design Week 2022, they hosted a series of events based on the subject of designing for all. 

This is a recording of the event made for Radio 4 Brainport. The first hour was broadcast live. 

Lucas Asselbergs, coordinator of the TU Eindhoven exhibit gives a first impression from the Drivers of Change event  

At Dutch Design Week 2022 Bob van Ginkel explains how student teams create breakthroughs in automotive innovation. It started as a feature for the Solar Challenge in Australia: to use the solar panels not only to drive the car but also as a charging station. It is one of the examples of Drivers of Change that TU Eindhoven shows at DDW. A report by Jean-Paul Linnartz for Radio4Brainport.org

Unfortunately the daily news nowadays consists of war reports in Europe. Is peace possible? Peace, the European promise? Students from Hogeschool Zuyd think "yes" and organize an event on November 9 called Peace and Europe. An event where we from different Europeans cultures share our common values and show eachother our complementary differences. 

These differences are expressed by you, as a participant by bringing food from your country to the Park Theater in Eindhoven and share it with the international participants. Radio4Brainport talked with two organizing students, Pauline Doyonard and Johan vd Ploeg, about this event in the Park Theater. Good for children too.

The European Union plays an important role and impacts the Brainport region. It influences our work and how we learn and what we can do with our earned degrees within the EU. On a regional level, we talk a lot about the main problem in Brainport, that we need more engineers and high-tech specialists.

More education to get more engineers working, so to say. The conference Learning and Working on November 15 in the Park Theater in Eindhoven will dive into this. Peter Simons, Radio4Brainport, interviewed Jacques Giesbertz (Europe Direct) the organizer of this event. He gives some insight what you can expect.

In these times of high inflation, high energy costs and a war ongoing the European Union has a pivotal role taking drastic steps keeping Europe aligned. How do they do that?  Do you understand how Europe is managed in Brussels? Join Jacques Giesbertz (Europe Direct Eindhoven) on a trip to Brussels and visit the European Parliament and a few more institutions. Prepare your questions for this trip on November 10, it will be an interactive event with European Parliament members. Listen to Jacques Giesbertz (Europe Direct) being interviewed by Peter Simons Radio 4 Brainport.

Technology is Driver of Change to tackle the grand challenges that the world faces. At Dutch Design Week 2022, TU Eindhoven focusses on technology that makes the world more sustainable, for instance in transportation, or by improving healthcare. At Drivers of Change you imagine yourself in the world of tomorrow and you see how fast it is approaching. 

In this radio podcast, Lucas Asselbergs gives a preview on what can be seen at the TU exhibit at Strijp S.
Host Jean-Paul Linnartz. Archive photo from live broadcast of Radio 4 Brainport at DoC 2019.

In this episode of the Radio 4 Brainport podcast, host Iman Mossavat is joined by Colette Cuijpers, Associate Professor at Tilburg Law School and a leading researcher at the Tilburg Institute for Law. Together, they explore the urgent legal challenges posed by AI, from issues of accountability and bias to the ethical implications of AI's growing role in our daily lives. Listen to discussions on how emerging technologies are creating unprecedented legal challenges and the balance between innovation and regulation.

At Eindhoven University of Technology, Student Diversity Officer Lara Hofstra emphasizes that the diversity week is for all students and for all staff. Feeling at home starts with allowing yourself to be authentic. Early in the academic year, the diversity week is full of events. But most importantly, it is about creating a culture of trust in which listening respectfully is key.       

Walking from Eindhoven to India, it will be quite an adventure but Christian de Heij  is not so worried about the outer journey. It is all about the inner journey. Learning about himself. 

A radio podcast by Ralu Nistor-Lustermans for Radio 4 Brainport  

Stephen Harianto takes us back to 1944. How did the liberators experience the time around September 18, 1944? Historic facts out in the context of the humans who were fighting for freedom in the Netherlands. Letters from soldiers at the frontlines to their loved ones.   

Join us through the voice and the spirit of the soldiers that liberated Eindhoven and other cities during Market Garden operation. Follow the day to day development and their stories as well as how the Dutch welcomed and helped the allies to liberate them from Nazi occupation.

This podcast series was made for Radio 4 Brainport. 

At the opening of the academic year 2022, ASML CEO Peter Wennink even challenged the university and the Dutch government to let TU/e grow by a factor of four. But Rector Prof Frank Baaijens targets a growth by a factor two. For Radio 4 Brainport, Prof Jean-Paul Linnartz had a chance to chat with the rector about the challenges ahead.

Photo: Bart van Overbeeke

What made Eindhoven a hotspot for Design? We may go back to Louis Kalff, but in the 90s, design of electronic systems underwent a revolution. Thanks to multiple initiatives, and thanks to the Brainport culture to work together, forces were joined to create a strong eco system that is world famous. It is not only renowned for its events and innovative ideas, but the (often patented) concepts found their way into may products, internationally.  

And from the past, we fast forward to the future. Wat does AI mean for human interaction with technology? TU Eindhoven Professor Berry Eggen takes us on a journey through the creation of a design ecosystem and wjhat is now famous as Dutch Design Week.

A Radio 4 Brainport interview by Prof. Jean-Paul Linnartz, September 2022. 

At Radio 4 Brainport we had a great opportunity to learn from experienced speakers. What are the "secrets" of giving a great speach. In fact you can learn to be authentic in a fun way by interacting which people who share that passion to become a great speaker. 

Our guests are 

- VPPR (vice president of public relations) of Lighttown speakers Toastmaster club, as well as the owner the sf Selfmastery coaching company: Irina Iashvili, PhD. 

- Toastmasters' CC & CL: Competent Communicator and Competent Leader, but also the CEO of ONION EDUCATION, Peter J.M. Simons, and 

- board advisor, coach and a seasoned internal auditor Ralu Elena Nistor-Lustermans, MSc, CIA, CISA

Podcast host is Prof. Jean-Paul Linnartz

For many internationals, the Netherlans is all about wndmills, clogs and .... flowers. But in Valkenswaard, just south of Eindhoven you can experience what it means to see more than 2 million flowers in one big parade. Radio 4 Brainport interviewed Robin Wijnen of the organisation of Bloemencorso Valkenswaard.  

In Valkenswaard, the tradition of a flower parade stems stems from the liberation on September 17, 1944. After years of parades with decorated bicycles and wagons, the first flower parade moved through the streets of Valkenswaard on 17 September 1953. In those early years the cars were still 'uniform and almost symmetrical in construction'. Today, Bloemencorso Valkenswaard is an exciting spectacle of dahlias, technology, drama and music. The organisation calls it even a moving open-air theatre.

Over the years, the wagons became larger and more complex. In 1963, more than 150,000 dahlias were processed throughout the parade. With the same number of flowers on one car, we now speak of a small car: the total procession today counts almost 3 million flowers. Valkenswaard also explores the new construction technology and adds moving parts, plus theater and (live) music.

The meaning of freedom is different for every human being. Freedom creates and embraces diversity. To celebrate India's Independence Day, we spoke to the youth of today and young children about freedom. Let's listen to Kiara, Nevaan,  Anushka and Divya about their take on Freedom.

Photo taken at HTC during a Tea talk live program. 

In July 2022, cyclist Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour de France. It was a team success of Jumbo-Visma, building upon insights from Professor Bert Blocken, the team’s permanent advisor on aerodynamics since 2017. All main riders in the team have been in the wind tunnel with him to optimize their aerodynamics with the goal of gaining time. 

Radio for Brainport's Jean-Paul Linnartz also had an opportunity to visit the TU Eindhoven windtunnel, not with his bicycle, but with a radio microphone. In this interview, he chats with Bert Blocken about the combination of scientific research and the direct impact on sports.

On air on Radio 4 Brainport in 2019, still hot in 2022.

Sander Geerings and his Jamaician wife started "the Kingstonian" at the Vestdijk. On one hand they fill in the legacy of the dearly missed "hub", but on the other hand the Kingstonian should also become the place where international meet the locals.  

Relax. Connect. Reset, an interview by Jean-Paul Linnartz for Radio 4 Brainport 

Generative AI models are transforming industries, but are they truly understanding the world around them? Alexander Molak argues that these tools while being impressive, are merely correlational devices, not capable of grasping true cause and effect. Molak, a leading machine learning researcher and consultant, and the author of Causal Inference and Discovery in Python, dives deep into why Causal AI might be the key to unlocking the future of intelligent systems.

Listen to the full story on Spotify, Podcasts for Brainport, or RadioPodcasts.ICU.

Communication via Light, Li-Fi, can resolve the congestion of the radio spectrum. The EU Horizon 2020 project ELIoT works towards widespread deployment in the market. Standards are an important prerequisite for such mass deployment. As Light Communications can serve a wide variety of applications, a single standard is not sufficient to allow for high-performance cost-optimized solutions for all cases.

Current light communication standards already fulfill many of the requirements covered through the 5th generation mobile communication system (5G).  It can be leveraged with current 3GPP specifications to provide 5G services over light communication. However, further standardization is required to fully leverage the capabilities of light communications for use cases and requirements that are currently outside of the possibilities of wireless interfaces.

Our guest is Max Riegel, Nokia Standards – Senior Standards Specialist at Nokia. Host: Jean-Paul Linnartz

As the EU ELIoT project is nearing completion, Jean-Paul Linnartz asks Marcos Martinez, Director of Standards Engineering at MaxLinear about the learnings and prospects for a next generation of ICs that support wireless communication via light.     

A mini safari on the smartest square kilometer? Nuno Curado of Wild Eindhoven takes employees and visitors on a wild break. This time of year eggs have hatched. parents still feed the young bird that now leran to fly. Meanwhile falcons search for prey, ..

An intervew by Chaitali Sengupta of eindhovennews.com and Jean-Paul Linnartz on Radio 4 Brainport during the HTC open day June 11, 2022 

On May 8, Sunday you can walk into the Parktheater in Eindhoven. It is the Kick Off of the Peace Talent Contest. How creative are you in making something that promotes Peace? A Poem, a surprise box for kids, a statue, whatever peace of art.

Exact time and more can be found on stapjesnaarvrede.nl. Listen to the interview by Peter Simons with Kees Minderhout.

Photo Yaw Kuma Ansu-Kyeremeh

Our guest is Kris De Prins, managing director of Holland Expat Center South, short ‘the expat center’. Kris, together with his colleagues, runs the one stop shop for internationals coming to the region: they help the internationals with their formalities (municipal registration and residence permit), inform them on topics such as taxes, housing, healthcare, and they help them integrate in our society. 

The expat center helps approx. 600-700 internationals (working at 70-80 different employers) each month with their formalities and it organizes several events (webinars, workshops) the year around for internationals but also their employers. It is the place to start your journey in The Netherlands. Let’s find out in more detail what they are all about!’

Podcast and interview by Julie Allen for Radio 4 Brainport

"3W's are undoubtedly changing this world: Weather Web Women". Dr. Kiran Bedi

This International Women's Day 2022, Tea-talk celebrates the contribution of women with Dr. Kiran Bedi, Hon'ble Former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, the first woman to join Indian Police Services, Civilian Police Advisor at United nations, a powerful advocate for women whose accomplishments are an inspiration to women everywhere.

Let's learn more about her recently published book Fearless Governance, her humanitarian work at one of the most notorious prisons, her fearless attitude, battling issues like corruption, financial prudence, cultivating leadership skills, education movements of underserved children, and much more.

Radio 4 Brainports special anniversary edition with Dr. Kiran Bedi only on Tea-Talk!

Internationals coming to Eindhoven often are taken by surprise during Carnaval. Crazy days in the soutern part of the Netherlands. The city suddenly is so different from being a hotspot in technology and innovation. At Radio 4 Brainport, we invited Limi (from Austria) and Peter (from the deep south of the country) to dive into the roots of Carnaval.

Your chance to make a difference: Many internationals can vote for the  city counsil. As an expat, do you wonder whether you can vote or not? How does the city council work, how can you choose your local politician? We have two special guests on Tea-Talk- Madam Councilor Miriam Frosi, Innovation manager at the Ministry of Infrastructure, and Chaitali Ray Sengupta -  a renowned Author, Journalist, Language Teacher, and also the first-time candidate. 

Listen to Tea-Talk with Karishma and Supriya on Radio 4 Brainport.

If you get a "stempas" in the mail, make sure that you do not thow it away. It is your official invitation to vote for the city counsil. Radio 4 Brainport hosted Eva de Bruijn and Jess Oberlin to discuss how international can also have their say in how the city of Eindhoven develops. They share their experience in actively participating in local politics. And of course they pitch what Groen Links stands for, not only at a national level but specifically what is means for Eindhoven. In a program hosted by Jean-Paul Linnartz, Eva and Jess debate affordable housing and affordable designer studios, social welfare for everyone, an a responsible green city.

If you get a "stempas" in the mail, make sure that you do not throw it away. It is your official invitation to vote for the city counsil. Radio 4 Brainport hosted Eva de Bruijn and Jess Oberlin to discuss how international can also have their say in how the city of Eindhoven develops. They share their experience in actively participating in local politics. And of course they pitch what Groen Links stands for, not only at a national level but specifically what is means for Eindhoven, but that will be covered more in Part 2. In a program hosted by Jean-Paul Linnartz, Eva and Jess debate affordable housing and affordable designer studios, social welfare for everyone, an a responsible green city.

When 2300 new students arrive for a new academic year the Solar Challenge team is showing their winning EV powered off-road vehicle Stella Terra. A new team competes internationally every year, so engaging new fresh students is where it all starts. Britt van Hulst explains.

A year of the Tiger is approaching. Every year we ask our Chinese internationals how they celebrate the spring festival.  How do you celebrate the Chinese New Year in Eindhoven? How do you make your dumplings? Are you also wearing something red?

Jean-Paul Linnartz hosted Xiaochen Liu and Garbo Wen at Radio 4  Brainport, the Eindhoven expat station on DAB+ and 747 AM

After our first-in-the-Netherlands media report on the risks that COVID seems to spread via aerosols, Radio 4 Brainport had another chance to speak to Prof. Bert Blocken. Time for an update.

Two years after our interview in March 2020, we know much more about how COVID spreads, but it has taken far too long before virologists and even the WHO took aerosols seriously. By now, the aerosol route is generally accepted as a serious risk. We now know that viruses cannot hop from one aerosol to another, but can travel far via directly exhaled aerosols when people cough, sneeze or just sing. There remains discussion about whether delayed infections can occur via air conditioning ducts that keep circulating the same air for prolonged periods. But it is clear that properly controlled air flow and air cleaning can avoid many infections that would occur in poorly ventilated rooms.

Scientific research addressed two stages: the airflow engineering research on the reduction of the risk of circulating infected aerosols and the medical virologists research question of to what extent small amounts of aerosols can still infect people.

Bert Blocken was heavily disappointed by how media, politicians but even scientists from other disciplinesmisinterpreted properly conducted engineering research. In particular, the engineering community has developed theories that are later used as common knowledge and common sense. One would not have to hypothesis-test the fundamental laws of physics. Nonetheless, there seems a lot of unjustified criticism to properly conducted research work. More seriously, he missed the acknowledgements from decision makers and even from scientists that certain things were not known at an early stage of the pandemic. It took the World Health Organization 16 monthsto take the aerosol risks seriously.

Reducing the risk of infection heavily depends on ventilation. A wide-spread misperception is that the best ventilation is natural ventilation. Well-designed buildings have mechanical ventilation that can effectively reduce infection risks. Indeed, controlled airflows are the most efficient, and are a proven technology in residential and other buildings worldwide. In addition, air cleaning is a proven technology as well, used in professional environments such as surgery rooms and clean rooms. In addition, UV disinfection can wipe out viruses in upper air areas in the room. In the interview with Radio 4 Brainport, Prof Blocken dives into details of how these systems can reduce viral load. In fact, at a series of schools in Belgium and the Netherlands, air cleaners are being installed in a new project.

But not all air cleaners are effective. Bert Blocken does not see it as a professor’s role to recommend specific products, but he sees an urgent need for the public to know what systems are effective and which are poorly performing. He recommends and urges governments and the EU to swiftly come with certification of aircleaning products.

These and more insightful stories, ..  directly from the real Bert Blocken. Also, we hear about his personal journey of being a subject of debate, and even being impersonated on social media.

The interview was conducted via Teams. Archive Photo from 2019, when we chatted about cycling and wind tunnel research.

The Chinese New Year is approaching: A year of the Tiger. Every year we ask our Chinese internationals how they celebrate the spring festival.  How do you celebrate CNY in Eindhoven? What decorations and couplets do you post? Do you recoginize that tigers are competitive and ambitious people, but also generous? 

Jean-Paul Linnartz hosted Xiaochen Liu and Garbo Wen at Radio 4  Brainport, the Eindhoven expat station on DAB+ and 747 AM