68th VKI Diploma Ceremony

The ceremony commenced with a heartfelt congratulatory message from Mr. Peter GROGNARD, the VKI Managing Director. His words set the tone for the day, acknowledging the dedication and hard work of the graduates. Mr. Sven VAN LOO, the chair of the VKI Board of Directors, then took the stage, delivering an inspiring speech that resonated with the audience. Dr. Bryan WELLS, NATO Chief Scientist, graced the occasion with his presence and delivered a captivating address emphasizing the importance of VKI for NATO.

One of the highlights of the ceremony was the special technical presentation by Dr. Andrea BRESCANI, who completed his PhD thesis in 2023. He shared his research on "Physical and perceptual prediction of wind turbine noise," with the objective of developing numerical methods for wind turbine noise prediction to comply with noise regulations, as well as noise auralization to investigate noise annoyance. He showcased the innovative work carried out at VKI and University of Twente. Dr. Guerric DE CROMBRUGGHE, Funding Partner Nuketech, made an impressive introduction on the usefulness of the useless knowledge (A. Flexner) and  shared his valuable experience at the von Karman Institute with the graduates, reflecting on the significant impact it had on his own career.

The diploma distribution commenced with great anticipation. Mr. Sven VAN LOO, chair of the Board of Directors, had the honor of awarding the prizes, as well as the well-deserved diplomas to the graduates.

The recipients of the awards showcased exceptional talent and dedication. Bruno FONTAINE received the Theodore von Karman Prize for his outstanding project titled "Modeling and Simulation of Elkectron Distribution Function in the VKI DRAG-ON facility."

Bruno BARATA was recognized with the Belgian Government Prize, for his remarkable project on " Numerical Investigation of IGV and Mid-Fan Flutter of a Modern Transonic Compressor."

James TWADDLE was recognized with the Prince Alexandre of Belgium Award for the Best Presentation. James received a gift on behalf of Her Royal Highness Princess Léa DE BELGIQUE, who was unable to attend the ceremony.

Leni SCHMIDT was honored with the Excellence in Experimental Research award for her great work on " Combination of BOS and LES for an Accurate Absolute Concentration Measurement, Quantifying the Dispersion of an Underexpanded Jet," while Alberto TESTA received the Excellence in Numerical Research award.

The ceremony was also a moment to acknowledge and congratulate all the graduates who received their diplomas. Their names were called out, accompanied by applause and admiration for their exceptional accomplishments.

Honored mentions were given to Bruno BARATA, Diego BINDONI, Francesco COSPITO, Gonçalo DAS NEVES CARNEIRO, Bruno FONTAINE, Peter HARTFORD, Sebastiano RANDINO, Landry RIOU, Leni SCHMIDT, Jan SKÁCEL, Alberto TESTA, James TWADDLE, Simone URBANI, Davide VISCONTI among other graduates, Antonió ABREU, Dimitrios ADAM, Mithat Berk AKSOY, Ruben ANTONISSEN, Ian BALLOU, Amund BERTHEUSSEN, Francesco FEDERICO, Julien HEINE, Kai HILDEBRANDT, Csanád Árpád HUBAY, Melik?ah KOCA, Semanur KÜÇÜK, Alessandro NOVI, Andrea PERIN, Damla SAN Türkiye, Bálint SOÓS, Girolamo SQUEO, Rebecca STANCIU, Nicholas Benedetto ZINGALE

Mehmet ARSLAN and Konstantinos Theodoros LAMPROU have successfully defended the projet.

Guest speakers continued to inspire and uplift the graduates. Dr. Tamas Regert, President of the VKI alumni association, delivered a moving speech on behalf of the alumni association, culminating in the presentation of the Best Collaborative Student Award to Andrea PERIN.

Prof. Jeroen VAN BEECK, the dean of the faculty, took the stage to present the Best PhD Presentation Award of the Phd Symposium 2024. Pedro Afonso MARQUES was honored with this prestigious award for his work on " Characterization of heat and mass in cryogenic storage tanks." Diana MARTINS was recognized with the Best Poster Award for his research on " “Investigating thermomechanical behaviour of woven thermal protection material for aerospace applications."

Finally, Peter HARTFORD, Andrea PERIN and  Osman Giray OGUZMAN, representatives of the Research Master students, gave a vote of thanks to the guests.

The 68th VKI Diploma Ceremony celebrated the exceptional achievements, dedication, and commitment of the graduates, leaving an important mark on their journey towards a brilliant future.