De Audio Engineering Society heeft sinds kort een Nederlandse president! Dr. Diemer de Vries van de TU Delft zal het komende jaar erop toezien dat alles binnen de organisatie goed verloopt. De Vries is geen onbekende van onze studentensectie, zo gaf hij afgelopen seizoen nog een lezing over ruimte-akoestiek. Hij begint vol enthousiasme aan zijn taak, zoals ook in het volgende interview is te lezen:
AES Welcomes Incoming President
By Steve Harvey
AES president-elect Dr. Diemer de Vries, the Dutch academician and musician who officially takes up his new position this month, will likely bring a fresh perspective to the organization.
Although previously involved with the Netherlands section of the AES, De Vries is a newcomer to the international organization. “That meant I had to learn a lot of things in the last year – but I did,” he says. “The advantage is that maybe I can have a fresh look at it, and not be preoccupied by having done the same work for 30 years.”
The current business climate may well offer an opportunity to shake things up a little, he suggests. “In these economically challenging times, we have to maintain or improve the quality, the services and the efficiency of the AES. I think it’s an advantage of difficult times that you are forces to think about traditions.”
The networking initiatives implemented by outgoing president Jim Anderson have gone a long way toward improving communications between members, he agrees: “I think a lot of things in the field of modern communication – the website, Facebook – have improved a lot.” The organization obviously must evolve with the times, but it’s also important not to lose sight of its fundamental purpose, to “give people the feeling that they have a platform where they can discuss their problems, find colleagues that share their problems and exchange knowledge,” he observes.
There is, of course, only so much that can be done during the one-year AES presidential term. “We are volunteers, meaning that we have no time, but you have a responsibility to make time,” comments De Vries, who will retire as a university professor in two months. “So I have time to do things.”
