The association

W.S.G. Isaac Newton is the study association for the Bachelor Mechanical Engineering (ME), and the masters Mechanical Engineering (ME), Sustainable Energy Technology (SET), and Robotics. Newton has around 1900 members of whom around 160 are active members that participate in committees.  Newton focuses on three important pillars; providing career orientation for our members, supporting them with education matters, and promoting social cohesion. Newton is run by 7 full-time board members, who spend a year managing the association on a voluntary basis.


Career orientation

We assist our members in navigating the vast field of mechanical engineering and finding the direction that is right for them. By partnering with companies, we offer our members the opportunity to gain insight into their desired field through company-related events. This way, they can begin to plan for their futures. It is also a place to see theory put into practice. Additionally, we provide valuable networking opportunities that can help our members establish professional connections and gain insight into the industry.

Lunch lectures

Every Wednesday, with the exception of holidays and exam weeks, we organize a lunch lecture. During the course of the lunch break a company explains their activities, potential internship opportunities, and anything else they deem relevant. These talks are the backbone of our career orientation strategy, and are usually visited by over a 100 members.

Excursions

Newton also organizes a plethora of excursions, offering our members the opportunity to experience the working field of mechanical engineering firsthand. In collaboration with companies we visit anything from shipyards and large-scale production facilities to industry trade fairs. Visiting these offers invaluable insight into the industry for our members. To expand our reach study tours are organized, that allow our members to visit companies around the globe.

Symposium

A massive annual event is the symposium that attracts some 400 visitors. Students can attend various lectures and cases which are organized according to a main theme. During this day students can come into contact with different companies, while also educating themselves about a more specific topic related to mechanical engineering. Recently a Formula E symposium was organized that saw the attendance of Formula One driver Nyck de Vries.

Company-related events

Other company-related events may include workshops, case studies and social activities. While these activities organized in collaboration with companies are focused less at career orientation, they still provide a way to subtly introduce companies to our members.


Education and students

Supporting our members in their education and personal lives is another essential aspect of our association. We provide a platform for our members to voice their study-related concerns, and organize events that aid in their studies. Not only direct feedback from students is used however. As the board has very close ties with the entirety of the student community general trends in the opinions of members are also noticed quickly, and discussed with the university. Newton has recently started to put even more effort into student-wellbeing, organizing a mental health week, and focusing on inclusion and diversity, ensuring that every student feels at home.

Sounding board meetings

Every module sounding board meetings are held with a representative group of students. During these meetings the students get the chance to voice their opinion about every course of the module. Free lunch is offered to the students that participate, and their feedback is communicated to the course coordinator.

Project and study -nights

Towards the end of every module a project and study -night is organized. During these nights a lecture room is reserved until midnight and dinner is arranged, offering students the chance to finish their project and study for their exams respectively. The project nights end with a drink in Diepzat, offering project groups to bond and improving social cohesion throughout the entire student body.

Study tours

Every year Newton organizes a study tour for its members. The Euro-tour is one of these yearly tours which allow 18 people to visit multiple companies that have been selected on the basis of a common theme. The tour lasts 12 days. In addition to the Euro-tour, Newton also organizes an intercontinental tour (IC-tour). Before this tour takes place, the students perform research regarding certain sectors in the country being visited. The research centers around the theme of the tour. Then, during the +/- three week trip to these countries, the research theories are tested against the reality during the company visits. Some of the recent tours have been to the U.S.A., China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Brazil. A pre- and post-tour report is published for every Intercontinental study tour.

Mental health

As mental health is becoming ever more relevant, especially following the recent turbulent years, Newton is putting more and more effort into supporting our members’ wellbeing. Mental health has been an important focus point of the policies of several boards recently, and several big steps have been taken to make a difference. A commissioner of well-being has been appointed to provide a single point of contact for all mental health related manners. This commissioner visits MentOS meetings monthly, discussing the theme with all study associations. In addition to this the university-wide mental health week is supplemented by Newtons own mental health program running alongside it.

International students

As the degree Mechanical Engineering has transitioned from Dutch to English our association has transitioned alongside it. Translating the rich, Dutch history of traditions to English proved to be a challenge, but Newton is fully international now, with active members from around the world. Newton also provides resources for international members, helping them integrate and find their way in their new environments.


Social life

The foundation of a healthy active student-community is social interaction, and Newton fosters a sense of community by providing a social hub that is open the entire workweek; the Newtonroom. In addition to this, many activities are organized, from weekly drinks to big festivals and everything in-between. Many of these are organized by one of our many committees, which are also social in nature!

Newtonroom and Diepzat

Our association room, the Newtonroom, is the social hub for Mechanical Engineers on campus. We offer free coffee, workplaces, and a place to hang out. This bustling room is always filled with many enthusiastic students, discussing anything from courses to their weekend plans. The Newtonstore offers members the option to buy a snack, and there is always a board member ready to assist with any important matters. Diepzat is the shared pub of W.S.G. Isaac Newton and S.G. Daedalus, where we host weekly drinks on Thursday, and many other activities throughout the year.

Activities

From workshops to drinks, from festivals to symposia, Newton organizes it all. Most weeks are filled with at least two activities, some of which are specifically catered to the first year students, masters or women of Mechanical Engineering. These activities offer students something to do alongside their degree, allows them to meet new people and often learns them something as well. Less regularly activities are organized in collaboration with other study associations, offering our members a chance to socialize with other degrees as well.

Committees

Many Newtonmembers are active in committees; we have over 29 committees all working on different projects. While some committees are strictly social, organizing engaging events for our members, there is a whole range of different tasks our committees take care of. We pride ourselves on our construction committees, constructing engineering marvels such as a hovercraft and dune-buggy. Many of the previously mentioned activities and tours are also organized by our committees, like excursions, the study tours and the symposium. These committees provide members with organizational experience and a great chance to learn many soft-skills.


Newtons achievements

Newton has taken the initiative of organizing the annual Bedrijven Dagen (BD), which has become a university-wide event with its own management board. Newton is also the initiator of the Green Team Twente. Further, Newton has put a great deal of energy into setting up the Student Consultative Association where student associations meet to discuss issues and plan activities. They also help to create and maintain good relationships and communication with other Dutch Mechanical Engineering study associations from Eindhoven and Delft, working together to provide opportunities for all Dutch Mechanical Engineering students.


About Sir Isaac Newton

Born on January 4, 1643, in Woolsthorpe, England, Isaac Newton was an established physicist and mathematician, and is credited as one of the great minds of the 17th century Scientific Revolution. With discoveries in optics, motion and mathematics, Newton developed the principles of modern physics. In 1687, he published his most acclaimed work, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), which has been called the single most influential book on physics. Newton died in London on March 31, 1727.