Professor Broer becomes a double doctor!

The legacy of the HIM group is built upon the grand achievements of our founders and forebearers! As Sir Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” This definitely applies for the HIM group, hence we take every opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our giants! We are proud to announce that our very own Professor Broer, the former supervisor and mentor of the current HIM-head Dr. Liu, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Zaragoza, making him what we call at the HIM group a ‘double doctor’! Professor Dr. Dr. Broer indeed is a mouthful, and Professor Broer prefers we just call him Dick. However, for us he will always be a ‘double doctor’, and we are looking forward to receiving twice the mentorship from him with his new ‘double doctor’ powers! for this honor we also expect him to mentor twice as many students.

In return for this commitment, it was only right that the HIM group attends Dick’s graduation ceremony. Yet, there was one little hurdle; the HIM group is based in the Netherlands, and the ceremony was to take place in Spain. But this is no problem for the bright (logistical) minds within the HIM group. A HIM house was rented in Zaragoza, and (nearly) the entire group was hauled over to Zaragoza by plane, train and bus; this coordinated effort would put an army to shame, even more so as the new HIM jackets were distributed to the group. And so, we were all able to proudly witness the international recognition of our giant, Dick; this award gave the chance for the HIM members to truly get a feel for the extensive international impact of Dick’s work. There were many dignitaries present at Dick’s ceremony from the academic, political and even military world. This is rightly so, since the work of Dick will continue to impact the world through us long into the future!

To further honor Dick, the HIM group extended the festivities and celebrations, holding its annual Chinese New Year event in Spain. This year’s event had a Turkish theme, as this year’s trip was organized by the Turkish PhD candidates of the HIM groups, Duygu, Elif and Mert. Many exciting prizes were won, much hard work throughout the year was recognized, and many laughs were had with the traditional HIM ‘funny idea’ competition and this year’s winners Mathis and Mert . The event was rounded off with a dumpling competition (which Mert’s group sorely lost), with the judges including our very own Professor Broer. By the end, all members of the HIM group felt honored to be a part of the festivities recognizing our giants, and we look forward to repeating such festivities for many great achievements we foresee among us in the future!