In September the SSA (Stichting Studiereis Astatine) officially started and with this we want to give you an update on the current status of the SSA.
The Organisation
The SSA is a non-profit organization with as goal to organize an academic trip every two years. The trip is totally organized by the students themselves and also financially wise we are independent of the Study Association Astatine. Students are involved in the organization and do all contribute to one of the committees. Next to the several committees there is a three headed board, having the overview of the entire organization. In total, we are a group of 23 students, ranging from 2nd year Advanced Technology to the final year of the master. Masters are for example Chemical Engineering and Applied Physics.
The Trip
The trip is going to Singapore, this is the first place we will visit and where we will stay for about one week. Afterwards, we hope to continue our trip to Australia where we will stay for 2 weeks and visit the cities Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. This trip will be held starting from 30th of July to 21st of August. The organization of this is done by the planning committee; planning@ssa-ut.nl.
Cases
Our trip is financed by cases. These are cases from companies or institutes, that will be executed by the participants of the trip or together with the client. Our goal is in this way to make the trip affordable. The acquisition committee did start in September with the acquisition of the cases. Last week, we were already able to finish our first case, which was organizing a life stream for a graduation ceremony. Next to that, the committee is in contact about multiple cases and up to know we are very enthusiastic and optimistic about the amount of possible cases we have. If you want more information about the cases or if you do have a case you can contact: acquisition@ssa-ut.nl
Corona
As everyone will know, the measurements of the Covid-19 virus, may influence the execution of the trip. The board will stay closely informed about the situation and hope to be able to make the best decision regarding the trip, based on the available information. At the moment, the group of students is very motivated about the trip and the preparation of the trip. Therefore the preparation will be continued and we believe that it will be possible to have a trip. If it is not possible to go to both countries in July, then the trip could be delayed to the Christmas break or it is possible to only visit one of the countries.
Communication
From this month on, we will update you via our monthly newsletter, every first week of the month. Besides that, information will be published on our social media channels and the website. Furthermore, you can follow us via Instagram and Facebook. Our website is still in progress however, it can already be found at www.studytrip.astatine.utwente.nl. Besides that general questions and/or information can be sent to board@ssa-ut.nl.