Last week, we visited our dear fellow visualization researchers Roy van Pelt and Ralph Brecheisen, who successfully defended their PhD-theses in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Both presented their outstanding work in the fields of illustrative flow visualization (Real-time Illustrative Visualization of Cardiovascular Hemodynamics – Roy van Pelt) and DTI visualization (Visualization of Uncertainty in Fiber Tracking based on Diffusion Tensor Imaging – Ralph Brecheisen). We also witnessed the interesting formal procedure of defending a thesis in the Netherlands.