Inaugural lecture prof.dr.ir. Caroline Hummels

Matter of transformation Sculpting a valuable tomorrow 3Today, I would like to take you on a journey into tomorrow. Will you appreciate the tomorrow that I sketch? That is for you to decide. Will the vision that I sketch become reality? Time will tell; I’m not a fortune-teller and the world is a dynamic place. What is certain, however, is that we can influence ‘tomorrow’, as we can envision it. Especially when I look at the youngsters of today: my kids, but also our students; a whole new generation looking with fresh eyes to what their role can be in society. What kind of society and values do we want to pass on to them? Turn on the TV, open up a newspaper or browse the web and we see major societal challenges, including pollution, global warming, wealth disparity, limited natural resources, safety and health issues, and more. All severe issues that call for societal transformation. Which makes me appreciate all the more the active position Eindhoven University of Technology has taken by putting “science for society ” so prominently on its agenda. The consequence of doing science fo