Rudi Bekkers (IE&IS) is our Best Bachelor Teacher 2024

‘Do what you believe in and be authentic’

October 4, 2024

Best Bachelor Teacher Rudi Bekkers finds it a challenge to get all students on board.

Rector Silvia Lenaerts awarded the prize to Rudi Bekkers during MomenTUm 2024. Photo: Bart van Overbeeke
Rector Silvia Lenaerts awarded the prize to Rudi Bekkers during MomenTUm 2024. Photo: Bart van Overbeeke

Rudi Bekkers’ field of standardization and intellectual property is hot and happening, but that wasn’t the case when he began his academic career. He has made it his mission to convey the importance of technical standards to all ý students. He does so with such energy, interactivity and practical insights into future careers that, last Friday, he was named ý’s Best Bachelor Teacher 2024.

Recognition. That’s what Rudi Bekkers gets most of all from the title of Best Bachelor Teacher, which he was awarded during MomenTUm. For more than 30 years, Bekkers – Professor of Standardization and Intellectual Property since 2018 – has advocated imparting knowledge of technical standards and patents to students at our university and beyond.

Basic knowledge

Bekkers kicks off enthusiastically with a mini-lecture on the importance of his field. “Technical standards and intellectual property are important basic knowledge for every engineer – although this is not often what students come to our university for because then they would have chosen to study law.”

“In the business world, knowing how patents work is important. If you go to work at ASML, for example, they will ask you if you know how patents work so that you don’t unwittingly use someone else’s patent, and the company gets a million-euro claim on its hands.”

Rudi Bekkers. Photo: Angeline Swinkels
Rudi Bekkers. Photo: Angeline Swinkels

“Standardization seems like a boring backroom topic, but it’s an increasingly important tool in today’s geopolitics. It determines who controls the tech markets. If you are the one setting the standard, you decide. The English have a great saying for this: ‘If you’re not at the table, you might be on the menu.’ So, you better ensure you’re at that table to have a say and decide.”

Exploding batteries

Bekkers gives an example of the importance of technical standards: “In New York City, people are killed by exploding batteries on electric bicycles every year. These batteries are faulty because they do not meet good safety standards and are often repaired in an amateurish way. People then park their bikes in their apartments for fear of theft, with dire consequences if such a battery explodes inside. With the right technical standards, you guarantee the safety of technical products.”

When I wanted to focus on standardization 30 years ago, people thought I was out of my mind.

Rudi Bekkers, Best Bachelor Teacher 2024

“Standardization and patents are topics that I find extremely interesting and important. I was ridiculed when I wanted to pursue them further after completing my PhD 30 years ago. ‘Nobody thinks this is important,’ I was told. So, my advice to colleagues would be not to be completely led by trends. Do what you believe in and be authentic.”

Perseverance

Bekkers believed in it and persevered – with success because the importance of technical standards is high on the European political agenda. Among other things, Bekkers is a member of the High-Level Forum on Standardization, which advises the European Commission.

“There is only one academic party in this advisory body, and that is ý. I attend all meetings with Robert-Jan Smits, president of the ý Executive Board. It’s exciting to be able to collaborate with all those people.”

Impressive network

Thanks to his years of collaboration with other parties, such as the European Commission, Bekkers has an impressive network. “I take the knowledge I gain there to my classes. I also ask experts from my network to give guest lectures to our bachelor students. They could be lawyers or people who work in government or business. Who can students learn better from than the experts themselves, the best in their field?”

“This is how I try to connect the valorization work I do for the European Commission with teaching and conducting scientific research.”

Who can students learn better from than the experts themselves, the best in their field?

Rudi Bekkers, Best Bachelor Teacher 2024

Bekkers has just returned from Rome and Berlin, where, on behalf of the European Commission, he had the opportunity to translate the gospel of his field into education on standardization across Europe. “Right now, it’s still too fragmented. Funding has been allocated to scale this up. We also want to offer similar education at universities of applied sciences and plan to provide courses at companies ourselves, for example.”

Photo: Bart van Overbeeke
Photo: Bart van Overbeeke

Between these trips, Bekkers arrived at MomenTUm just in time to be named our university’s Best Bachelor Teacher.

Nomination

In the nomination, Bekkers is praised for his interactive lessons in which he inspires students and ignites their curiosity. He is always looking for ways to convey his field of expertise. He is developing a new massive open online course (MOOC) with colleagues, which will be tested as a pilot next year and implemented annually for all ý bachelor students (approximately 3,000). This will cover technical standards, patents, and topics like ethics and sustainability.

“For my subject, I do this with video lectures of five to ten minutes. We’ve already recorded a few. Soon, I will interview experts across Europe who are active in politics, public organizations, and the business world related to my field. They will share what they are working on and what drives them,” Bekkers enthusiastically says.

Prize comes in handy

The 15,000-euro prize that Bekkers receives as Best Bachelor Teacher of the year will be used to purchase materials to create those videos and to cover travel expenses.

All nominees together on stage. From left to right: Rudi Bekkers, Ivo Filot, Claudia Fecarotti, and Oded Raz. On the right is rector magnificus Silvia Lenaerts. Photo: Bart van Overbeeke
All nominees on stage. From left to right: Rudi Bekkers, Ivo Filot, Claudia Fecarotti, and Oded Raz. On the right is rector magnificus Silvia Lenaerts. Photo: Bart van Overbeeke

I find it a challenge to get all students on board during my lessons.

Rudi Bekkers, Best Bachelor Teacher 2024

Bekkers is happy when his enthusiasm spills over to the students. “I teach students from all departments, which is a demanding audience. They didn’t come here for this subject, and suddenly, someone is in front of you who wants to teach you standardization.”

“I find it a challenge to get everyone on board. When you then read back in the course evaluations that they consider it valuable knowledge for their future as engineers, that’s my biggest prize. That I convinced them.”

From our strategy: about talent

Talent is what our university is all about at all levels. This includes students, of course, but also professors, teachers, researchers and support staff. We see it as our task to help them further develop their talents. Our students are the next generation and we equip them to work on major societal challenges. Our teachers play an important role in this.

Brigit Span
(Corporate Storyteller)

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