Dream and experiment during Embrace TEC

Eva van der Hammen (21), Daan Koppe (23) and Destiny Nagel (24) are all currently taking the elective. And they're pleasantly surprised. "A lot of students, when they hear the word TEC, only think of technique and technology, but this elective goes much further than that", says Eva. "There are really nice weekly workshops which demand a lot from your creativity." Destiny: "I would recommend it to everyone. You learn to look at complex issues in a different way. You come in contact with new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and above all, you learn a lot about yourself."

In addition to the workshop on artificial intelligence, Daan is really enthusiastic about the guest speaker who taught them to think creatively. "Our assignment: make a pitch for a friends weekend event. We started with the alphabet and wrote a word after every letter, relevant to the theme. I'm definitely going to use this 'technique' more often!"

Ikigai

In addition to creative thinking and an introduction to artificial intelligence, the students' personal development is central in the elective. Destiny: "In the workshop about Ikigai, for example, we had to decide where our passion lies and what we're good at. I found out that I'm on the right track and that I don't have to worry too much. That's given me more self-confidence."

Healthy food for refugees

In addition to the various workshops, inspiring speakers and location visits, the students are also busy working on a problem during the elective. "We all chose a social challenge and went into it in more detail", says Daan. "We look at whether the problem can be solved through the deployment of technology and with the help of our creativity or a combination of both." Eva tells us about the problem she is tackling: "I'm soon going to be working with Destiny on making healthy food affordable for refugees. Naturally, there is already a food bank, but it isn't easy to make use of it as a newcomer. So it's up to us to come up with a creative solution." Daan also already has a clear idea of which research question he wants to tackle. "I want to solve the glass problem in Eindhoven. As a barman, I notice that a lot of glasses are broken every evening. By developing 'hard cups', I hope that in addition to saving the bar owner money, it will contribute to improving the safety in Stratumseind.’

Would you like to know more?

The three students recommend that others also take this minor. "You don't only learn a lot, it's also good for your personal development." You can take this elective for twenty weeks on Fridays. So if you want to learn more about AI and other technologies, entrepreneurship and creativity in a short time, the elective 'Embrace TEC' is for you.