BT NE W S BT NEWS

FEBRUARY 2017

IN THIS NEWSLETTER
INTRODUCTION NEWSLETTER
INTRODUCTION & AGENDA 1
LUUK VAN DER WIELEN AP- Dear colleagues,
1,
POINTED AS DIRECTOR OF
THE IRISH BERNAL INSTITUTE 2 This is the 13th edition of BT News.
ADRIE STRAATHOF APPOIN- 2
TED AS SECTION LEADER AI This newsletter is a periodical by the Department of Biotechnology. The newsletter will
keep you informed of all the news, interesting projects, anniversaries, awards, and pub-
EMPLOYEE MONITOR 2 lications.
EXHIBITION DELFT HOME OF 2 If you have any questions, suggestions or news, please contact me:
MICROBIOLOGY
J.W.M.Achterhof@tudelft.nl
OPENING BEIJERINCK 3
MUSEUM & BIODAY

1ST YEARS LST STUDENTS 3

HAVE ARRIVED ON THE DELFT
CAMPUS

BOTANICAL GARDEN CELE- 4

BRATES 100TH BIRTHDAY

IN MEMORIAM: 5
GERDA LOURENSSCHOUTENS

3TH PLACE FOR MARK VAN 5

LOOSDRECHT IN TOP 25
GLOBAL WATER LEADERS LUUK VAN DER WIELEN APPOINTED AS DIRECTOR OF
THE IRISH BERNAL INSTITUTE
ISABEL ARENDS BRINGS 5
PEOPLE TOGETHER As of yesterday the 1st of February, Luuk van der
TWO NW0-BBOL GRANTS 6 Wielen will officially start in his new position as Di-
AWARDED TO PASCALE AND rector of the Bernal Institute and Bernal Professor of
ALJOSCHA Biosystems Engineering & Design, at the University
NEW EMPLOYEE: 6 of Limerick, in Ireland.
CAROLIN BISTERFELD

The Bernal Institute was launched on November 21

2016 by An Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny, T.D. The
Institute represents a 86 million investment in re-
search infrastructure and houses over 260 research-
ers who work in and across research themes in ad-
vanced materials, manufacturing and process engineering and fluid mechanics. The Insti-
tute is a major research priority for the University and has plans to grow significantly in
AGENDA
impact and scale. The Institute has already established a significant track record; cur-
rently hosting the Science Foundation Ireland funded Synthesis and Solid State Pharma-
ceutical Centre (SSPC) and three Enterprise Ireland/IDA funded Technology Centres:
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Centre (PMTC), Dairy Processing Technology
Centre (DPTC) and the Irish Composites Centre (IComp).

Luuk van der Wielen will combine his directorship at the Bernal Institute with a part-time
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BT NEWS

LUUK VAN DER WIELEN APPOINTED AS DIRECTOR OF THE IRISH BERNAL INSTITUTE
(CONTINUATION)

professor position in the Bioprocess Engineering section. He will remain involved in BE-Basic as
chairman of the Executive Board. We wish Luuk every success in his new role at the Bernal Institute.
Please click here for the press release of University of Limerick.

Bernal Institute

ADRIE STRAATHOF APPOINTED SECTION LEADER AD INTERIM FOR BIOPROCESS

ENGINEERING SECTION

Adrie Straathof is to take over the section leadership for the Bioprocess Engineering section on
an interim basis. Because of his new position as director of the Bernal Institute, Luuk van der
Wielen has decided to give up his the section leader role.

EMPLOYEE MONITOR, IMPORTANT TO FILL IN

In 2015 an employee monitor was conducted at AS, which gave us more insight
into work experience, role clarity and involvement of employees within the faculty.
This year, the employee monitor will be conducted once again, not only for the
faculty of Applied Sciences but for TU Delft as a whole.
On January 26, you have received an email with a direct link to the online ques-
tionnaire by IVA. Applied Sciences takes your opinion very seriously and considers
it important that you participate. By giving your opinion, we can improve the work
environment together.
For questions, please contact your department secretary or your HR advisor.

EXHIBITION DELFT HOME OF MICROBIOLOGY IN THE OUDE KERK IN CITY

CENTRE DELFT

The celebrations of the 175th lustrum of TU Delft, themed around Technology for Life,
include an inspiring exhibition that describes and visualises the history of microbiology
and the biosciences in Delft, from the 17th to the 21st century. A visit is a must for all
biotechnologists working in Delft!

The exhibition is centered around Antoni van Leeuwenhoeks grave in the Oude Kerk
and runs until 26 February 2017.
Link
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BT NEWS

OPENING BEIJERINCK MUSEUM & BIODAY

At the TU Delft Science Centre, the historic laboratory of microbiologist Martinus Willem
Beijerinck is being restored to its former glory. The restoration means that specimens,
glass plate negatives and rare books by Beijerinck and Albert Kluyver are being made
accessible to the public. The celebratory opening is planned for 16 March 2017, to coin-
cide with the 166th anniversary of Beijerincks birth. And the modern-day Delft bio-
community is also joining the celebrations: TU Delft BioDay 2017 is being held on the
same day.
For news and updates on the opening of the museum keep an eye on the website of the
Science Centre.

BioDay
A networking event for the TU Delft bio-community, BioDay focuses on virology, the field
in which Beijerinck played a pioneering role. Professor Fouchier from the Erasmus MC will
hold a lecture addressing Virus discovery and characterisation, a century after Beijerinck .
The event will also feature poster presentations and informal discussions to allow guests
to share biological (and biology-related) research. For information and the latest pro-
gramme updates, please visit: tudelft.nl/bioday.

THE 1ST YEARS LST STUDENTS HAVE ARRIVED ON THE DELFT CAMPUS

On Febr 7, the 1st year LST students have arrived on the Delft campus.

They started this week with their first year course on Biotechnology, and with their Biotechnology practicals in
our wonderful new education lab facilities. See the pictures for an impression.

We would like to welcome them, and look forward to their progress the coming years.

BT NEWS
BOTANICAL GARDEN CELEBRATES 100TH BIRTHDAY
While TU Delft as a whole is celebrating, this year marks anoth-
er important anniversary. In 2017, the Botanical Garden is cele-
brating a special birthday. The renowned botanist Gerrit van
Iterson officially commenced use of the garden 100 years ago
this October.
To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Botanical Garden is or-
ganising a range of extra activities throughout the coming year.
A selection of these activities is listed below:
21 May: Using plant-based dyes
4 June: Opening of sculpture exhibition
16 June: Book launch 100 jaar geschiedenis van de Botani-
sche Tuin [100-year history of the Botanical Garden]
June/July/August: Various concerts
14 September: Symposium on Tuin als lab [The garden as
a lab]
17 September: Music festival
14 October: Party in honour of the 100th anniversary of the
Botanical Garden
The start of the Botanical Garden
Van Iterson was a student of the celebrated professor Martinus
Willem Beijerink, the first Professor of Microbiology in Delft and
the man also known as 'the father of virology'. It was in fact
Beijerink who took the first steps toward setting up a botanical
garden in Delft, by requesting in 1895 that a new laboratory,
garden and greenhouse be made available for his research.
These facilities were set up on the Nieuwe Laan, not far from
where the Botanical Garden now lies.
In 1907, a special chair in Microscopic Anatomy was established
for Beijerink's student Van Iterson. He probably had his mentor
to thank for that. He was allocated a building alongside the
Oude Delft canal. There, he conducted research into vegetal
raw materials that are useful to humans, such as fibres, rub-
bers, fats and oils.
Page 4
Outgrowing the pot
Van Iterson's broad approach and the fact that his new sub-
ject of Microscopic Anatomy was very popular with students,
eventually necessitated finding more spacious accommoda-
tion. He also needed a garden where so-called 'technical
crops' for use in scientific research could be cultivated.
To his frustration, this garden failed to materialise. That is,
until he was offered another job. In 1911, Van Iterson was
invited to take up the position of director of the testing sta-
tion for the Java sugar industry.
He was interested in the job, but the university was dead set
against losing him and students took action to retain their
beloved professor. Van Iterson therefore decided to refuse
the offer, on one condition: the government must consent to
build a new laboratory and to finally lay out a garden for
technical crops. The government conceded. However, due to
bureaucracy and the outbreak of the First World War, it took
until 1917 for the garden and the laboratory to be ready for
use.
From research to teaching
Over the years, the Botanical Garden has made it possible to
conduct a considerable amount of scientific research, and it
continues to play a part to this day. For example, using a
new method, Dr Jan Marijnissen recently succeeded in ex-
tracting Baccatin-III, a substance that plays an essential part
in the treatment of cancer, from the needles of the English
yew (Taxus baccata). Extra trees of this species were planted
in the Botanical Garden for the purposes of his study. In
recent years, the role of the Botanical Garden has increasing-
ly shifted away from research towards teaching. For exam-
ple, botany lessons are given there to pupils in their last year
of primary school.
More information on the Botanical Garden is available here.
 BT NEWS Page 5

IN MEMORIAM: GERDA LOURENS-SCHOUTENS

After a period of severe illness, Gerda Lourens-Schoutens passed away on 30 January at the age
of 58. Gerda did her PhD in our department and remained involved as project manager in many
projects. Her contribution to the realisation of the Life Sciences and Technology programme is
immense. She also co-initiated the B-Basic and BE-Basic programmes. More recently, she was
involved in the realization of HollandPTC. We will remember her positive energy. She had a real
heart for biotech and was an inspiration to many people around her.

MARK VAN LOOSDRECHT CLAIMS 3TH PLACE IN TOP 25 GLOBAL WATER

LEADERS

Professor Mark van Loosdrecht has been named as one of the top 25 Water Leaders of Water &
Wastewater International Magazine, making it to the third spot in the list. Another Dutchman,
Ren Noppeney of Royal HaskoningDHV, was chosen as this years winner.
Van Loosdrecht and Noppeney have both been instrumental in making the Nereda wastewater
treatment technology a success.

About WWi Magazine

WWi Magazine's Top 25 Leaders list is globally recognised as the authoritative compilation of the
key influencers in the international water industry.

ISABEL ARENDS BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER

In Portraits of Science TU Delft showcases a number of people who, with their

achievements, have made 2016 a special year. People who know how to get the
best out of themselves and who inspire others to do the same, as Tim van der
Hagen, president of the Board of TU Delft, puts it.
Professor Isabel Arends, head of the department of Biotechnology was one of the
people who were interviewed for portraits of science. Among other things, she
talks about her passion for bringing people together (below).

Isabel Arends is Professor of Biocatalysis and Organic Chemistry in the Faculty of

Applied Sciences (AS) and chair of the anniversary committee. In the preview of
the annual TU Delft Portraits of Science, formerly known as the Highlights, you
can read the interview in which she talks about her research and her passion in
bringing people together.
Isabel Arends: If you were to awaken me in the middle of the night and ask me
what I am, I would say: a chemist. Everything around us is made up of mole-
cules; everything we do in biotechnology therefore starts with molecules. My spe-
cialist field is enzymes, which are also molecules: pieces of protein made by na-
ture, which actually makes them much more cleverly and effectively than we can.
You can read the full interview here.
 BT NEWS Page 5
BT NEWS Page 6

TWO NWO-BBOL GRANTS AWARDED TO ALJOSCHA WAHL AND

PASCALE DARAN-LAPUJADE

The goal of the NWO research programme 'Building blocks of life' is to

realise excellent groundbreaking research and to form solid, long-term
interdisciplinary collaborations between public and private partners. In
the life sciences.

The Yeast3M project that was granted to Aljoscha Wahl aims to unrav-
el control and regulation strategies in central metabolic pathways. The
knowledge and developed methodology will be directly relevant to in-
dustrial biotechnology but also to human health and disease. VU Am-
sterdam, TU Eindhoven, DSM and TU Delft join forces in this project to
measure, model and manipulate S. cerevisiae .

By joining forces of Netherlands-based experts in bacterial CRISPR-Cas

systems (John van der Oost, Wageningen University) and in yeast ge-
nome editing (IMB, TU Delft), the ShaPR project coordinated by
Pascale Daran-Lapujade aims to push the limits of the CRISPR toolbox
by enabling fast, efficient and simultaneous (multiplexed) editing of at
least ten chromosomal loci. To design novel synthetic tools we will
identify the molecular basis for current technical and biological limita-
tions of CRISPR-based editing in yeast and explore the bacterial biodi-
versity for novel CRISPR-based systems that are more suitable for large
-scale, high throughput strain construction. Beyond a technical achieve-
ment, this project, performed in collaboration with DSM, will deliver
guiding principles for the design of CRISPR-based large scale editing in
other organisms.

NEW EMPLOYEES: WE WELCOME ALL NEW STAFF TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES!!

Just arrived at the Department of Biotechnology? Please take some time to introduce yourself.
Send your picture with a short introduction to Jennifer Achterhof (J.W.M.Achterhof@tudelft.nl )

CAROLIN BISTERFELD (BOC)

I did my PhD in the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry at the University of Dsseldorf

located at the Forschungszentrum Jlich. There, I worked on an interdisciplinary
project, which focused on a rational protein design to invert the stereoselectivity of a
acetaldehyde-dependent aldolase and its application in organic synthesis.

Since October 2016 I joined the group of Prof. Hanefeld for a postdoc research pro-
ject on biocatalysis applying a promising Michael hydratase.