Committee

Study Tour 2024

Rowan Sonnemans

Chairman & Chief of External Affairs

Email: chairmanstudytour@concept.utwente.nl & externstudytour@concept.utwente.nl

Hello, my name is Rowan Sonnemans. I am 23 years old and in my first year of the Civil Engineering and Management master. After graduating from the bachelor of Civil Engineering with a project in coastal engineering, I am now specializing in river and coastal engineering. 

Originally, I am from the south of The Netherlands, the beautiful province of Limburg but I really like my student life in Enschede. Next to my study in Enschede, I also enjoy playing in football with friends from the study association. Besides football, I have also been active in the study association for the Gala committee and the Media committee. Since I have never traveled much in my life, I have become curious in what the rest of the world has to offer. Therefore, the opportunity to become part of this amazing study tour was the ideal opportunity to satisfy my curiosity. 

As a chairman of the committee, I am responsible for coordinating and planning the study tour as well as a lot of miscellaneous tasks. I am also the chief of external affairs together with Daan de Wit, a good study friend of mine. Together with him, we are responsible for contacting organizations and linking their assignments to participatory students of the study tour, which will cover a large part of the expenses. I am very much looking forward to exploring my field of study in a different part of the world together with an amazing group of like-minded students next year!

Thijs Mank

Secretary & Chief of Travel.

Email: secretarystudytour@concept.utwente.nl

Hi, my name is Thijs Mank, 23 years old and currently in my fourth year as a Civil Engineering student. I am currently in my first year of my masters in a water managment foccused track at the University of Twente. This education gives me a lot of insight into water management in the Netherlands and by organizing the study tour I hope to explore how challanges in this field are tackled in Taiwan and Australia.

Besides my interest in water managment, I like to watch movies, cook, grab a drink with friends and play rugby at the local rugby club in Enschede. Besides these hobbies and studying I am a very active member of study association ConcepT. I have been a part of multiple committees and even done a board year at the association. I do not have much experience with travelling since I have never been outside of europe before. That is why I am all the more curious and excited for this study tour!

Within the committee I will fulfill the role of secretary, as well as chief of travel. So my main tasks will be to keep everyone informed throught our website, arrange plane tickets and local transportation, communicate with our travel agency and ensure we have an efficient travel schedule during our trip.  For me, the main goal of this tour is to organize a well-structured and unforgettable educational trip with a group of ambitious students, and learn more about Civil Engineering abroad.

Brian Oppers

Treasurer & Chief of Excursions

Email: treasurerstudytour@concept.utwente.nl & excursionsstudytour@concept.utwente.nl

Hi, I am Brian Oppers, 23 years old and at the moment in my second year of the Master Civil Engineering and Management. Last year I finished my Bachelor Thesis at the UT in the direction of traffic engineering, what I currently also do as my Master track. With this studytour to Taiwan and Australia I hope to learn how other countries are thinking of traffic management and how we can learn from them.

Next to the study, if I am not injured, I like to play football with my team Drienerlo Zondag 2, or with the IVC team FC Schwalbe. Next to that I like to watch TV with my housemades or gets some drinks with friends. Since my first year studying I am an active member at ConcepT. With the AkCie and Almanac committees in my first year, organizing the CrateBrige and Foreign trip to Germany in my third year and be part of the Borrelcommitte for three years. With this experience and my enthusiasm I hope to organize, with my fellow committee members, a trip that I will never forget. 

In the committee I have the function of treasurer. This means that I keep track of all the money that flows in and out of the committee. Next to that, I am, together with Lieke chief of excursions. This means that we will arrange some amazing excursion related to Civil Engineering in Taiwan and Australia. I am looking forward to organize this trip with the rest of the committee!

Daan de Wit

Chief of External Affairs & Chief of Educational Affairs

Email: externstudytour@concept.utwente.nl

My name is Daan de Wit, I am currently 21 years old and am working on finishing my bachelor, in you guessed it civil engineering. I plan on finishing my study very soon and am planning on continue with my studies here in Enschede with the master probably in the traffic engineering side. I hope to see in Taiwan and Australia how they manage the traffic there to broaden my knowledge and learn things to apply here later on. 

During my studies I have been an active member of ConcepT where I did the AkCie, GalaCie, Almanac and currently in the BorrelCie. As you see I already did some committees here and I am looking forward to see how organizing such an event as the Study Tour will go especially seen I’ve never really travelled outside of Europe. In my free time I like to have a nice borrel, play some boardgames and play korfball at Vakgericht. Here I did a board year and a lot of other committees like the Vakblad (association paper) and the date diner committee. 

In the committee I will have ethe functions of educational affairs, together with Lieke, here we will try to get the most out of the trip and learn multiple things from it, culturally and technically. Because going to these countries is a great experience in itself but I hope with a good educational programme to get the most out of it. Next to this I am also together with Rowan responsible for the money. Not the handling of it, otherwise it might go into the stock index, but gathering it. Reaching companies for sponsorship and contract research to make the trip affordable on a student budget and offer the participants an opportunity to work for a brief period at a company or governmental institution. All in all I’m looking forward to the trip and hope to make the most out of it.

Lieke Nannes

Chief of Educational Affairs & Chief of Excursions

Email: excursionsstudytour@concept.utwente.nl

Hi! My name is Lieke Nannes, 21 years old and currently in my first year of the master Civil Engineering and Management. The specific track I follow is river and coastal Engineering. This means that I am most interested in the water related subjects and projects. The last 3 years I did my bachelor Civil Engineering at University of Twente as well. During my bachelor I have both joined the Sports committee and the Celebration committee. I really enjoyed doing this, so when the Study Tour committee came on my way I thought that was super fun opportunity to expand my horizons.

As Chief of Excursions I will, together with Brian, immerse myself in the international work field to organize the most epic Civil Engineering related excursions. Moreover, as Chief of Education, I will be collaborating with Daan to develop an educational program that fits our theme “no engineer is an island”. Our goal is to create an educational program that connects theoretical knowledge with practical knowledge we will gain in Taiwan and Australia.

I am very excited to organize and participate in this Study Tour and to explore different cultures and gain new perspectives on how different countries deal with Civil Engineering related challenges.