Chalmers University of Technology

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Chalmers University of Technology
Chalmers tekniska högskola


Motto:	Avancez
Established:	1829
Type:	Private University
President:	Prof. Karin Markides
Staff:	2,500
Undergraduates:	10,500
Doctoral students:	1,000
Location:	Gothenburg, Sweden
Campus:	Urban
Affiliations:	EUA
Website:	http://www.chalmers.se/

Chalmers University of Technology or Chalmers tekniska högskola (CTH), often Chalmers, is a university in Gothenburg, Sweden, that focuses on research and education in technology, natural science and architecture. The THES (2005) ranking classifies it as the top university in Sweden and among the top research schools in Europe. The University has very strong Environmental Science, Nanotechnology, IT, Bioengineering, Industrial Design, Management and Architecture departments.

1 History
2 Departments
3 Students
4 Organisation
5 Faculty
6 Campus
7 Societies and traditions
8 Ties and Partnerships
9 Notable alumni
- 9.1 Rectors (Presidents)
10 See also
11 External links

[edit] History

The University was founded in 1829 following a donation by William Chalmers, a director of the Swedish East India Company, whose ships sailed across the world to supply Europe with goods from the East. He donated some of his fortune for the establishment of an “industrial school”. Chalmers was run as a private institution until 1937, when the institute became a state owned university. In 1994, the school once again became a private institution, owned by a foundation. Chalmers is the only university in Sweden named after a person.

[edit] Departments

On January 1, 2005, the old schools were replaced by new departments:

Applied Mechanics
Applied Physics
Architecture
Chemical and Biological Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Energy and Environment
Fundamental Physics
Materials and Manufacturing Technology
Mathematical Sciences
Microtechnology and Nanoscience
Product and Production Development
Radio and Space Science
Shipping and Marine Technology
Signals and Systems
Technology Management and Economics

In addition to these, Chalmers is home to six national competence centres in key fields like Mathematical Modelling, Environmental Science and Vehicle Safety (SAFER).

There is also a University College affiliated with the university.

[edit] Students

Approximately 40 per cent of Sweden’s graduate engineers and architects are educated at Chalmers. Each year around 250 post graduate degrees are awarded as well as 850 graduate degrees. About 1,000 post-graduate students attend programmes at the university and many students are taking Master of Science engineering programmes and the Master of Architecture programme. From the year 2007 all Master's programmes are tought in English for both national and international students. This was a result of the adaption to the Bologna process that started in 2004 at Chalmers (as the first technical university in Sweden). Currently about 10% of all students at Chalmers come from countries outside Sweden to enroll in a Master's or Ph.D. programme.

List of International Masters Programmes at Chalmers

Around 2,700 students also attend Bachelor of Science engineering programmes, merchant marine and other undergraduate courses at the Chalmers Lindholmen University College. Chalmers also shares some students with Gothenburg University in the joint IT University project. The IT University focuses exclusively on information technology and offers Bachelor and Master programmes with degrees issued from either Chalmers or Gothenburg University, depending on the programme.

Chalmers confers honorary doctoral degrees to people outside the university who have shown great merit in their research or in society.

[edit] Organisation

Chalmers is run by a private foundation which appoints a university board and a university president. Further, each department is led by the department head, usually a member of the faculty of that department. The faculty Senate represents members of the faculty when decisions are taken.

[edit] Faculty

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[edit] Campus

In 1937, the school moved from the city center to the new Gibraltar Campus, named after the mansion which owned the grounds, where it is now located. The Lindholmen College Campus was created in the early 1990s and is located on the island of Hisingen. Both campuses are connected by bus line number 16, but there have been numerous complaints that the campuses are too isolated from each other.

[edit] Societies and traditions

In Chalmers tradition is taken very seriously. From the pompous graduation ceremony to the for-fun Cortège procession everything is based on long-standing traditions.

Chalmers Students' Union
Chalmers Aerospace Club - founded in 1981. In Swedish frequently also referred to as Chalmers rymdgrupp (roughly Chalmers Space Group). CAC participated in the ESA funded CACTEX experiment where the thermal conductivity of alcohol at zero gravity was investigated using a sounding rocket.
Chalmers Ballong Corps
Chalmers Computer Society
CETAC
Chalmers Choir
The Cortège
Chalmers International Reception Committee (CIRC)
XP
Chalmers Program Committee - PU
Chalmers Students for Sustainability - CSS promoting sustainable development among the students and runs projects, campaigns and lectures.

[edit] Ties and Partnerships

Chalmers has partnerships with major industries mostly in the Gothenburg region such as Ericsson, Volvo and SKF. The University has general exchange agreements with many European and US universities and maintains a special exchange program agreement with National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) in Taiwan where the exchange students from the two universities maintains offices for, among other things, helping local students with applying and preparing for an exchange year as well as acting as representatives (NCTU Europe - NCTU students at Chalmers, Chalmers Asia - Chalmers students at NCTU).

A close collaboration between the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Chalmers and ICVR at ETH Zurich is being established.

[edit] Notable alumni

Abraham Langlet, chemist
Gustaf Dalén, Nobel Prize Laureate
Leif Johansson, CEO Volvo
Leif Östling, CEO Scania AB
Peter Augustsson, CEO Saab Automobile
Sigfrid Edström, director ASEA, president IOC
Carl Abraham Pihl, engineer and director of first Norwegian railroad (Hovedbanen).
Gert Wingårdh, architect
Peter Nordin, computer scientist and entrepreneur

[edit] Rectors (Presidents)

Although the official Swedish title for the head is “rektor”, the university now uses “President” as the English translation.

1829-1852	Carl Palmstedt
1852-1881	Eduard von Schoultz
1881-1913	August Wijkander
1913-1933	Hugo Grauers
1934-1943	Sven Hultin
1943-1958	Gustav Hössjer
1958-1966	Lennart Rönnmark
1966-1974	Nils Gralén
1974-1989	Sven Olving
1989-1998	Anders Sjöberg
1998-2006	Jan-Eric Sundgren
2006-	Karin Markides