JGM Thesis Award
The Jan Gmelich Meijling (JGM) Thesis Award has been presented during the NEDS since 2016. The purpose of the thesis prize is to promote current and relevant research in the interest of public safety. This year, Lieutenant Commander 3rd class Damy Zilver won the price with his thesis.
Despite strong competition, Lieutenant Commander Zilver’s thesis ‘Landing performance autonomous helicopter drone’ stood out not only for the added social value in the public domain but also for the importance of improving the use of drones. The thesis involves the cooperation of knowledge institutions to contribute to the technological improvement of helicopter drones. By simulating certain environments, operational limits can be determined for landings on moving surfaces like marine vessels. This removes the need for costly tests at sea.
Maarten Adams (TU Delft) and Martin de Jong (NIPV) earned second and third place respectively with their theses ‘Stiffness Assessment of FRC Materials’ and ‘Energy transition in the harbor of Rotterdam.’
Commodore Saskia Siemensma (Director of Information and Innovation of the Dutch Royal Air Force) presented the award and the associated €2.500 cheque to Lieutenant Commander 3rd class Zilver.
PREVIOUS NOMINEES AND WINNERS
2022
Damy Zilver, Winner
Maarten Adams, TU Delft
Martin de Jong, NIPV
2021
Irina Tziamali, NLDA (award winner)
Lars van der Hoeven, UTwente
Laurens Jonkheijm, TU Delft
2020
Lonneke van Bemmel, Dutch Defence Academy (Winner)
Pascal Martens, Police Academy
Koen Snel, Delft University of Technology
2019
Iris Waterlander, Royal Military Police (Winner)
Stan Duijf, Police Academy
Ramon Duivenvoorden, Delt University of Technology
2018
Eva Bontje, Dutch Defence Academy (Winner)
Roy Kok, Delft University of Technology
Christiaan Leibbrandt, Dutch Defence Academy.
2017
Perry Eeuwijk, Dutch Defence Academy (Winner)
Jeroen Albers, Dutch Defence Academy
Donald Eppingbroek, Dutch Defence Academy.
2016
Evelien Aangeenbrug, Police Academy (Winner)
Louis Elling, Dutch Defence Academy
Simon de Vries, University of Twente
NIDV Exhibition Defence and Security
November 30th 2023
Ahoy Rotterdam
Contact
E: neds@nidv.eu
T: +31(0)70 3644807
Drs. J.Ch. (Jan) Gmelich Meijling
1936-2012
Jan Gmelich Meijling was a former navy man and ex-mayor who served as secretary for defence (Material policy and personal affairs) in the Kok cabinet (1994 – 1998). He spent part of his youth in the Dutch East Indies and joined the navy after high school. He served in New Guinea, among other places, and later worked as a civil servant at the ministry of defence. He was the chairman of the NIDV from 2005 to 2012. During this period, he was known as a flamboyant director who could lead in a flexible way in many aspects of life.
