Weblog Seb Harrevelt

Well, there it is. The last blog post I will make in a long time probably, since I have finally graduated :-)))

It has been more than a week since I did my thesis-presentation. However, I am still not officially an Applied Mathematician, since I was too late with sending the request for my diploma.. yeah.. that could have been avoided.. Ah well, I will just get that piece of paper a month later.

But what’s next?! I have no clue! I got (almost) all the time in the world to figure that out. But I have to say, today is the first day that I really have nothing to do. The last week was filled with assisting second (or third) year students with a Matlab course, attending cycling competitions, training, meeting a company and talking to some friends 🙂 (and of course the mandatory eat, sleep, rave, repeat).
During the beginning of my thesis I was kind of afraid of this period, I thought that I would fall into some sort of black hole (I don’t know if the literal translation of this expression also holds in English..). But this ‘black hole’ is way less scary than I thought it would be, since I kinda like it! I can finally decide for most parts of the day what I really want to do, but I do try to avoid playing video-games all day, because they can really distract you of all your ‘hopes and ambitions’.

Sooo, what else to say? Well, for all of you that are working on your thesis, good luck! And be prepared to get the question “What are you going to do after this?” a lot. Also, when you are also studying mathematics, this question is accompanied with “What can you do with mathematics?”. But this should come as no surprise, since this is a general question that you often get when you say that you study mathematics.
There is not much left to say.. but maybe some piece of advice for all of you that don’t know what you want to do after your study: I don’t know it either.

You have to figure it out on your own 😉

Wow.

I am almost done, my time is running out, my student life is coming to an end… Even though I am still some weeks away from actual graduation… I can almost smell my graduation paper. Woho! These last weeks were, are and will be terrible. During my working hours I had these mood-swings going from ‘wow, I’m doing a decent job, I will definitely get everything done in time‘ to ‘OH MY GOD, this is all bogus, it’s nothing! A third grader could do a better job!’…  which gets pretty exhausting.
Luckily, most of the time when I got home I could just reset my head and stop thinking about it. Usually I went cycling in the evening which also relaxed my body, so I could get a decent amount of sleep and continue working the next day. Another thing that really helped me these last weeks is this Chrome Addon that notifies you to take a break every 20 minutes, it really helps you relax your mind, eyes and body!

However, as time continuous, these mood-swings tend to tone down and converge to an overall feeling of ‘I did the best I could, hopefully it’s enough’. So let just hope this feeling will be right.

In other news! I totally forgot about King’s day… but… there where other people (from a foreign country) that didn’t even got the memo that we (The Netherlands) changed from Queen’s day to King’s day, and hence that the party is also moved to another date.  So, we used to celebrate Queen’s day today and apparently this ‘party day’ is well known abroad and thus there were some foreigner dressed up in orange clothing to celebrate our Queen’s Day (I still don’t know why you would do this..). source
Oh and in other news! …Wait… I don’t have any other news since I couldn’t do that much exciting for these past weeks due to my thesis… Hehe, oh well, I did had a nice racing competition last month where we cycled 126 km on Saturday and 127 km on Sunday! These races were held on the open road somewhere in Brabant. Luckily I did not participate in any crash during these days, nor did I had any other type of bad luck, which means that I completed both races 🙂 (Yeah winning a race is still another type of game…)

Well, my inspiration has run dry.. so I’ll just leave you guys with a nice video-clip/song which can give you some perspective on life 🙂

BAAAAII

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI[/youtube]

Soo, things are becoming quite… tense, so to speak. My deadline is coming closer.. and so is the end of my study. Some part of me likes to get closer to the ‘finish line’, while another part is totally terrified for what will come after this… since I’m still not sure about my future plans, haha.
Yeah I stated before that I was enthousiastic about doing a PhD, but I’m still not sure whether I want to go down that path or not. So, there I am again.. doubting every step I make towards a more certain future. Haha, somewhere it’s quite a journey and fun nonetheless. I mean, sure I worry from time to time on what I want to do.. but atleast I still have a choice. And it isn’t all that hard to make a decision, it is just the uncertainty about my future.. since I want to make the “best” step.

Mathematicians can be quite the drama queen/king from time to time.. but that is only because math is such a emotional subject.. Look for an example to the following

However, besides my thesis, everything is going just fine. In the last week of February I went to Spain (Calpe) to cycle there for a week with some other cyclist. Eventuelly rode ±25 hours on the bike! I even got a nice tan 8-).. here is photo of that place

And it was like this everyday. Sunshine everywhere, a cloud here and there.. but that was IT. The whole week was like a spin off from the song Eat, sleep, rave repeat, but instead of the raving.. we want cycling of course.
All this training is for the preparation of the cycling season, which has begun by now… and this weekend I had my first competition in Rotterdam (notice the contrast between the weather in Spain and that in The Netherlands, maybe I should move to Spain). The next one will be with Easter 🙂

Oh yeah, and I went to my first wedding last week! A friend of mine married his now-wife and it was awesome. Never knew weddings were so not-boring, hehe.

So, there you have it.. you have just read through my blog for the month March. The next one will be (of course) in April and then May will follow! Stay tuned because stuff is about to happen and things are going to get wild. If you want to know what kind of stuff and which things? Stay calm, and keep reading.

Arrr mayteys,

the writing of my thesis is going slow… but steady! Yeah, more super smart words are entering my thesis everyday. Although I’m having a hard time writing it, I have to admit that it is very useful. Not only because I eventually have to do it… but it also increases my understanding of my subject, model, assumptions, etc. It lets you give a broader view and the ability to reconsider some interpretations.

For example, for a long while I head the idea that I really wanted to model the forming of obesity on a cellular level with my model. But during the writing of my thesis, I discovered that my model is able to show so much more besides the formation of obesity. Which is really awesome.
The only difficulty I still have, is getting sucked in to all the biological information that is available. There are sooo many reports, articles, theses, theories… it is quite overwhelming… and knowing that my model will never be perfect, is sometimes hard 😛

Also, I have been contacting some companies to see what they’re up to.. and at the moment I am trying to join an in-house-day of some of them. But apparently they are quite picky… since some recruiter told me that if you’ve completed HAVO, instead of the longer/’harder’ VWO, on your middle-school.. you have a lower chance of being selected. So.. I am expected that they won’t pick me, but that’s their loss 🙂
Oh! This might seem quite contradictory with my previous posts where I said I wanted to become a super ma promovendus, but I’m just inspecting some companies to just know what other kind of things I possible could do..

(btw that is Jack, from Jacksfilms, check him out on Youtube 🙂 Can be funny from time to time)

AAAANYWAY, I’ll be going to Spain for a week next sunday. It is said that they have this thing there… called the sun.. I don’t know what it supposed to do. But apparently it gives off warmth and makes you feel good somehow.. so I think I’ll like it over there.
Besides that, I’ve been working like crazy, so a little vacation couldn’t hurt 🙂 and actually.. I have nothing more to say for now. Sooooo I’ll post something again next month.
Then you can expect the following

• More text;
• More pictures; and
• The unexpected.

Have a nice weekend!

Haha, this time I really did it.. I didn’t post for at least a month.. the shame!

Let’s just say that I’ve been really busy working on my thesis, with success…! The model I am making, which simulates the differentiation of stem cells, is getting better by the day. Which is nice.
BUT!
Hard times are coming.. I need to write my thesis… To do this you somehow got to have a magical day, where everything is perfect and your head is filled with awesome, technical, smart, and interesting words.

Too bad for me those days hardly exist.

Now I do want to point out that I have already written somethings, but I’m not satisfied with that yet… So I want to redo some parts, find better words, better pictures, etc. etc.
Al though working on your thesis can be quite frustrating from time to time, I really like to work on such a long project. The main reason why I (think I) like it so much, is because I can have all these ideas, test them, see if they make sense and work in my own pace.
During my study we had several project per year, but nothing compares to this. So I am really thinking of doing a PhD. I’ve already contacted several Universities (abroad), but nobody wanted me immediately 🙂 – to be continued  –

That is how I feel when I’m alone in the MSc room… Sometimes, just sometimes… I do this dance too.

But let me tell you a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down. And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right here, to tell you a story about how I became.. a prisoner..

It was a normal Sunday afternoon when I received a letter, which stated that I would be sent to prison. But this was no ordinary prison… Together with 120 other inmates we would have to stay there for at least ten years. And try to escape! Along with the letter came a cassette with a small hint on how to escape.. (and with some rules for this game).
I cannot state anything that has happened inside the prison, since that was strictly forbidden.. But I can show you the way to the prison: http://prisonescape.nl/

It’s a great game and an evening you’ll never forget 🙂

Hello people!

My vacation of two weeks is up and running.. and I kinda like it 🙂 It has been like four or five days since the last time I did something on my thesis..  and the strange thing is, I still think about it everyday! It’s ridiculous.
Luckily it’s not that I think about it for hours, but just sometimes those thoughts pop up.. ‘what if I would do stuff like this…’, ‘how would this/that be different…’
There are still sooo many things I want to do, and I just hope that I hav e enough time…

In the mean time I am still training for the coming cycling-season, which is quite difficult this month. Rain, wind and other bad weather conditions are kinda ruining my schedule. Besides that, this is also the season of the flu… which you really can’t escape. Everyone has to suffer this virus for at least four weeks, if you are lucky. Because it can also last even longer! (As you all might know by now). But a training schedule also needs to contain a resting-period, which I have planned during my vacation 🙂

Right now I am in a nice and cosy house in Spa, where the birds sing and the stars shine bright during the night sky. Long walks through the wilderness of the Ardennen really relax the mind and the muscles. In the evening we eat together (with the whole family) and play boardgames.

At last… I would like to give some special attention to a project a friend of mine is doing at the moment: A legbank for Colombia

They have a vision to help the people of Colombia that have, or need, a prosthesis. At the moment a prosthesis is very expensive compared to the amount the people earn.
So they came up with a new design which aims on the following properties:

• Socket manufactured directly on the stump
• Less material waste and quicker process
• Portable and accessible to people in remote areas

But what they stil need is some funding.. If you would like to read more information, check out their site:
https://onepercentclub.com/en/#!/projects/a-legbank-for-colombia

There you can also support them by donating some money, the fund raising lasts some 20 days from now on.

Oh, yeah, I wish all of you a nice Christmas (or any other holiday you are celebrating the coming days) and a Happy New Year in advance. Be careful with the fireworks and enjoy the time with your family and friends!

It is the last day of November as you see! Time for the Novemblog.

Most of the time when I write these blog I use my Blackberry agenda (yes I still have one, and it’s awesome) to look up what I’ve done. But I just realised that November went really fast!
The stuff I did was not thát exciting though… I spend most of my time on my thesis, sports and with friends. The usual.

Although there were some nice things… like the gala I had last Friday or the Master Event in which I kinda helped with the organisation.
And lately I have been thinking about what I want to do after graduation. I have spend previous blogs also on this subject and it keeps coming back.
I also notice that with the other people that are graduating. Somehow you are trying to plan your own future, figure out some expectations about something you hardly know anything about! Sometimes it seems futile to stress about these ideas…. but on the other hand you sort of have to. You can’t show up on a job interview and be like:
“yeah this jobs seems like fun…”
“But why?”
“I don’t know… I just kinda like it, ya knooww”
“Right-ooo”

The choice I have to make is also a bit… strange. Because I am doing a technical study, I seem to have a lot of choice… while other studies struggle to even get a job in their study direction, I get to pick what kind of job I want! How cool/strange is that!

Anyhow, the first choice I have to make is: how much (and in which way) do I want to continue with Mathematics? Do I like it enough to pursue a Phd career? Or do I want to do more ‘pratical’ work with it. And what kind of ‘practical’ work would I like to do then? So many questions…
Wow.. wait what.. I never realised that the word quest (a.k.a search) was “hidden” inside question.. maybe it’s because I didn’t have any latin.. However.. the search is long from over and I will keep you guys updated on what I am planning to do.. but first… let me take a

(by the way, this kinda isnt a selfie.. since I am not in it.. but you know what I mean..)

On this last day of November I still have no presents for my family on 5 december! And at this moment I really have to get some inspiration to find some… I have been talking for quite some time now, so this blog is comming to an end.. but not before I show you the following:

The guy catching here is Odell Beckham Jr. It really is an amasing catch which he has practiced a lot!

Soooooooooooooo… there I am again, there you are… again!

Let’s talk business. Because stuff is getting serious. People/couples around me are getting married, some are getting kids, some are graduating,… it’s almost insane… almost.

Luckily I’m just sitting here, waiting for stuff to change. Because during your thesis, not much is changing. You (or atleast.. I) sit in my ‘office’ the whole week, staring at a computer screen and thinking in my head… (oh btw… besides my thesis project, I do have hobbies and friends.. I really do!)

When you look at it this way, it is hard to see how your thesis could be any fun.
But believe me, doing your thesis can (and in my case, is) fun to do! You’ll get used to the screen-staring and start appreciating all the little things that you’ve done to improve your model. Change won’t come in a day, it takes a week… sometimes even more… But when you’ve finally programmed your new idea into the model and it works, then it is totally awesome!

Just remember that you decide what kind of thesis project you will be doing, you decide how much you like it. It can be difficult to know what you like to do in the first place, because there are a lot of options. Then keep in mind that with most things you do, you can always find a thing/aspect that you like. Especially when you invest 40 hours a week in a project, it just start to grow on you.

The stuff I will be doing after my graduation is still unclear. As I said before, I used to worry about this, but not anymore. I rather think about my thesis project than what kind of job I want to do, I’ll deal with that later. Procrastination is healthy and keeps you from worrying! 🙂

By the way, one of the options after graduation is to obtain a PhD position. I don’t know if I would like to do that, but if you (yes YOU) are interested, then my department has an offer especially for you! This PhD position is a collaboration between the TU Delft and Almatis. It is mainly concerned with modelling a rotary kiln furnace. You can find more information about it on the following link

http://www.cfd-online.com/Jobs/showjob.php?record_id=12183

Well, we have arrived at the end of my blog again. I would like to end with the following song, by Tycho:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA0dGYgk22U[/youtube]

Gonna see him tonight in Amsterdam 😀

Now it is time to post some amazing facts

#1. According to Google: “Amazing Facts is a multifaceted, soul-winning ministry committed to proclaiming the gospel and the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14″

#2. Your brain named itself.

#3. Mosses are indicators of pollution. They can grow only in clean environments.

#4. The square root of 69 is 8.30662386292

Now it is really over.

Bye (:

Wow, I totally forgot to give an update last month! Lost track of time I guess…

To all those people that I have disappointed last month, you better get ready because this time the blog intensity gets intensified to the intensity of thousand intense suns!

Let me first give some very good reasons on why I did not, could not or was not able to write a blog. The main reasons are listed in here: my list of reasons.
Wait… maybe that was the wrong one.

Anyway, first off:
it was summer, kinda… 

The second reason:
I had other stuff to do.

And the last reason:
I forgot it.

Wait wait wait wait wait. As I am writing this I just discovered that I totally did not forget to post a blog last month. So I take all my apologies back and begin anew:

My thesis project is rocking ducking awesome. It is strange how fast time is passing by when you are doing such a project. There are just so many things to do, think and write about. If you don’t watch out, those 8-9 months are over before you know it.
The status of my project is that I am still in the literature study-phase. Which means that I have to read a lot of books/papers and see what others did, in theory. As I’ve already told in my previous blog, I was fooling around with Matlab most of the time. So these weeks I really have to start reading the material of other scientist to see how/what they did in my case.

At the end of this phase, which takes about 3 months, I have to deliver a report and give a presentation to my supervisor and others from the same research group. This report then contains reviews of the models/papers/books that also have treated my problem (or a similar one).
The reason behind this is to prevent that a student is reinventing the wheel, since that is just a waste of time.

The Matlab results I have gained thus far are mainly 2D simulations of the differentiation process. Most things work the way I want to, but I am still unable to derive the right kind of parameters for my model. I hope I find a clever way of guessing the values soon, because otherwise the model keeps producing counter-intuitive results (Like cells that move way too fast).

The next step is to switch to 3D and implement some adaptions to the model (which I invented on my own :D).

Then there are still some minor things I could talk about… but as you can see, my thesis is my main focus lately. It is strange to know that next year I (hopefully) will be working, living somewhere else and doing a lot of stuff different!
At first I had some trouble dealing with this… The most part consisted of not knowing where to live/work, or where you want to live/work. I just hope I can find my new home close to my work… that would be awesome.
But that would still mean that the question where do I can /want to work? is unanswered.
Even though I still don’t have an answer to this question, I somehow have gained peace with it. Since I am graduating at the University there is a big chance (in general) of not having a job immediately after graduation. So I’ll just let it be and fix those problems when I’m done with this project.

Speaking of projects…! There is one really awesome thing going on at the TU Delft… and for that you must (or atleast… I insist) that you visit this website: http://www.theoceancleanup.com/.

For the lazy, here is a short video:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IjaZ2g-21E[/youtube]

Oh, and there are no fries. I ate them al.

It has been a month! So here is another blob of black pixels, neatly alligned such that you can understand it.
And you know what? NOTHING HAPPENED.
Well okay, not nothing… I mean, time passed by, the earth made several pirouettes around itself and I slept every now and then.

O yeah, I also started my thesis project, fo real.
Which is pretty damn awesome. Maybe I’ve already talked about this in the last post.. but now I will go into it in more detail.

In general it is one big project of 8-9 months.. and you know, that is quite special. I can’t be sure, but as far as I know, in most companies a project last only for like 3 months. And while you are doing one project, there are like six others waiting for you.

So this project is quite unique, especially for me. I have never had a project this long, never even learned how to plan such a thing.

For now I am just fooling around with a mathematical framework/model that I got from my supervisor. He wrote a small paper about an idea he had… and it is my job to see how the model behaves when it’s implemented in the computer.
I don’t know yet where my work will end, there is no set end goal yet. But I think that will come as time moves forward.

oh! Almost for got the “details” of my project…I am modeling the process of differentiation of a type of stem cells to adipocytes or myocytes (fancy names for fat and muscle cells resp.).
There is a whole lot of biology going on there, but since I have already received this mathematical framework I can (for now) ignore this. 😀
Probably later on I will need to know more about that.

If I don’t forget it, I will post some pictures/movies of my simulations again!
That’s all for now.

BYE