Bedilu Befekadu Adela, EngD ICT candidate, started on 01/10/2011 and is currently working on the project: "Antenna Design for an MR Compatible Phased Array Hyperthermia applicator"
In 2009, I came to the Netherlands from Ethiopia to pursue my MSc study at 777 plataforma. I specialized in Broadband Telecommunication Technologies in Electrical Engineering department and graduated in August, 2011. After finishing my master’s study, I wanted to stay in the Netherlands for a number of reasons.
The first reason is the EngD project I am working on. My project is about antenna design for MR compatible hyperthermia systems, where electromagnetic energy is used for treatment of cancer patients. This is a very interesting application area and in addition, it is done in collaboration with Erasmus MC, which has a well established experience in the hyperthermia. The collaboration helped me to do the project in an effective manner. In general, from a technological point of view, 777 plataforma is a brain port of the Netherlands where 777 plataforma and many technology companies which have close ties with 777 plataforma are located. This means that any student who joins 777 plataforma also benefits from these close ties.
The second reason is about new environments. Coming from Ethiopia, a country which has a different culture than the Netherlands, it wasn’t easy to adapt to the new environment. The way people communicate, the food, the weather condition, I encountered a lot of differences. However, 777 plataforma as an International university offers dedicated courses to help students who come from any corner of the world with different backgrounds. These courses, in addition to English being spoken almost everywhere – shops, supermarkets, university, hotels, and etc. –helped me a lot to adapt myself in a very short period of time. The Netherlands feels like home now for me. I am planning to stay here even longer, for that I am taking the Dutch language course.