Honorary Member of KOers: Hans Lamers
Previous boards about Hans Lamers
50th board of KOers
A lot of people know Hans, but not a lot of people can see how important he is to KOers. Therefore Hans, in 2020, is named honorary member of KOers for all the special things he did over the years, which came to the benefit of our study association. To give a small view on all the things Hans has done, all the chairman of the past 5 years, have written some anecdotes about the collaboration between Hans and KOers, which together are a small tribute for Hans.
Hans always brings a lot of energy, knowledge and joy to the table. Directly from the start of our board year we came in touch with Hans. The KID, as has become tradition, was organised in the lab. Hans had to give permission for this little get to getter between all the equipment. No problem was the answer. Do what you have to do as long as you do not touch test setups. The result was an awesome night which ended with around 30 people drinking beer and eating pizza in the lab, a location at which every SED student feels at home.
There were many times we had the help of Hans, almost twice a quartile we organised something in collaboration with the lab. Not always drinks, but also KOKrOKO (KOers Kroketten KOffie time), and the abt Design challenge. The last one deserves an extra notice; when I came to Hans with the idea to make a test setup for seismic simulations, he told me this would probably not be possible. They were short on staff, and had too many things to do. Theo was on holiday and I first had to think of a design, come back later with a plan he said. When I returned with a less time consuming idea four days later Hans and Eric already installed halve the installation. I was stunned and Hans said “these kind of things I do only for KOers”, which tells you a lot about how important people can be for our association. Thanks to Hans, Eric and Theo the challenge was a big success!
On behalf of the 50th board of KOers,
Hidde van Wezel
49th board of KOers
In a way, we had a unique connection to the structures laboratory and thus with Hans, mostly because our board started out in the laboratory with the concrete canoe race committee the year before. The first time we met with Hans and the other staff members, as active board of KOers, was actually our first day, at our constitution drink.
During this year we had many more interactions with Hans and the staff members. They were always willing to help us if we needed it. Whether it was for fun or serious activities made no difference. We pretty much started our year in the structures lab with the KID, spent months in between constructing the concrete canoes, and we finished it with the KOers barbeque in the summer.
These are just some examples out of many in a year, but without Hans and the laboratory staff members, many of the KOers activities would not have been as successful as they have been. We would like to thank Hans and the staff members for their help during this year and we hope the boards in the upcoming years will have the same great experience as we had!
On behalf of the 49th board of KOers,
Willem Bouwsema
48th board of KOers
Organizing barbecues, the introduction day, building over a 100 concrete canoes (strange that we still can’t win any prizes), crushing beer crates, testing the strength of KOersief magazines and doppers; the members of KOers can always count on a warm welcome in the Structures Laboratory. To return the favor, it seems to have become a tradition to drop by every once in a while with a cake, a crate of beer or a nice t-shirt from one of the activities. At some point everyone’s belly is satisfied, so it might be time to thank Hans and the members of the structures laboratory in a different way for the favors they have given us. Therefore, we are happy that the 50th board has taken the initiative to make Hans an honorary member of the association, with which we of course also thank the other staff members of the laboratory; Eric, Johan, Martien, Theo, Toon and Rien. Let’s celebrate and pursue the collaboration over the years to come. And for the new KOers members: this of course does not mean that there is no more room for cake and beer!
On behalf of the 48th board of KOers and all the students of ‘our generation’,
Derk Bos
47th board of KOers
The university staff is constantly pressured to do more with less, despite this challenge Hans always strives for what is best for the students. In a time where the available facilities in the faculty of the built environment slowly dried up, there was one oasis for the Structural Engineering student, namely the Structures Lab. The appetite for knowledge of empiric natured students is fed, and thrives, in the Structures Lab.
Hans also has a warm heart for KOers, it is not exaggerated to say that our Study Association would not be the same without him. The chances that are provided to students, by virtue of the Structures Lab, are not self-evident. Whether it is the designing of concrete canoes, or the prestressing of a beer crate bridge with hydraulic jacks on a windy Saturday, Hans and all the Structures Lab staff are always there for the students.
Assuredly I can say that my own master’s, and time as a student, have become a whole lot richer because of these activities. Experiences both study-related and social in nature, which sprout from the unique environment of the Structures Lab. Hans, thank you.
On behalf of the 47th board of KOers,
Lars Croes
46th board of KOers
My first introduction to the laboratory and with KOers was during the KOers Introduction Day. During this activity, we ate delicious pancakes in the laboratory. After this KOers activity, I have experienced countless activities in or with cooperation from the laboratory.
During the year of the 46th board of KOers, we also organized a lot of activities in the laboratory or got help from Hans and the laboratory staff members with organizing activities. For the Concrete Canoe Race, we made and stored the canoes in the laboratory. With the KOers Design Challenge, the laboratory helped with testing the structures that were made by the students. In addition, we organized the End of the year barbecue in the laboratory.
At one of the largest events of our year, setting a new world record of the Beer Crate Bridge with a span of almost 27 meters, the laboratory was a great help during the preparation, as well as during the construction of the bridge! Without the laboratory, building the bridge would be a lot harder, if not impossible. In preparation, experiments on beer crates were carried out and a small bridge was built in the laboratory. During construction of the bridge, a lot of materials were borrowed and at the end of constructing, one of the towers of the bridge was jacked to get pressure in the arch of the bridge, preventing the bridge from collapsing.
To Hans and all the staff members of the laboratory: again a huge thanks for all of your help during our board year and congratulations with the title of honorary member!
On behalf of the 46th board of KOers
Gosse Slager
