Recharge overview
Radboud100: Catholic Stans Küller couldn't wait to study (1923)
The public showed up in droves to witness the opening of the Catholic University of Nijmegen, in October 1923. No one knows exactly who all the people on the photograph are. Was Stans Küller among the crowd that day? Her granddaughter Mar Oomen certainly thinks so. “My grandmother couldn’t wait to come and study in Nijmegen.”
Freedom of expression for politicians is not absolute
The House of Representatives continues to struggle with the boundaries of a decent debate. Should people be allowed to say anything they want, and if not, where are the limits? The House recently made yet another attempt to set boundaries. Expert in Political and Parliamentary History Carla Hoetink (Radboud University) explains why this is so hard to do.
Spitsbergen soil samples now in Nijmegen freezer awaiting research
Annelies Veraart was elated when she could finally receive her soil samples from Spitsbergen last week. For the longest time, the tubes of mud were en route from the North Pole to the Netherlands on the cruise ship Ortelius. Now, two months after the climate expedition, Veraart can finally begin her studies of methane concentration in the Spitsbergen soil.
Combatting decline in reading: 'Check BookTok on a regular basis.'
According to literary scholar Jeroen Dera, students can also dramatically improve their language skills, as well as their critical thinking, by reading more. 'Reading skills are one of the greatest predictors of social success.'
These Nijmegen researchers let their plants ‘sweat’
This summer we saw that a heat wave can lead to severe drought. But what was less visible was the damage to plants that was caused by prolonged heat. “Because of the heat, the plants do not produce pollen and if there’s no pollen, then there’s no reproduction,” says plant physiologist Ivo Rieu.
Future Dikes builds experimental dikes on Radboud campus
The research programme Future Dikes is researching how species-rich grass revetment can contribute to the erosion durability of a dike. A new research facility has been constructed at the Radboud University campus to make experiments with grass revetment possible.
A foreign accent makes you less ironic
Linguist Susanne Brouwer and her colleagues found that a foreign accent affects how ironic a native speaker perceives a comment by a non-native speaker to be. This also affects social interactions. Moreover, the study shows that this is true even if the accent is not even heard, but only expected.
ParkinsonNet takes the lead in eHealth
e-Health: if you combine the patient's question and the specialist's knowledge with large amounts of data, doctors can draw better conclusions.
National AI Education Lab seeks smart digital education innovation
The teacher will not be replaced by a computer program in the future, but using more AI as a learning tool is inevitable.The National AI Education Lab for innovative products in the field of artificial intelligence will conduct research on smart digital education innovation. On 6 October the lab at Radboud University officially opened.
Hypno... what?
It’s Sunday morning, and I am slowly sipping my coffee when a lady sits down at the table next to mine. She pulls a pile of books out of her bag, a number of manuals about the “secrets of hypnosis”. I am so thrilled that I cannot help but ask her some questions.
How do we look at covid during flu season?
How will we handle infectious diseases in the future? Professor Marianne Boenink saw how the pandemic not only changed our behaviour, but also our view on illnesses.
‘It's time to address inequality in a better way: by the numbers’
Though the fight for equality has been going on for decades, progress in certain areas has been disappointingly slow. From the low number of female professors and researchers in academia to the accessibility of education in developing countries, research data shows large gaps in progress. Women are stuck, and the only way ahead is with more data and experimentation, argues Natascha Wagner, professor of Development Economics, in her inaugural lecture at Radboud University on October 6.
That old ‘trans persons are frauds’ cliché has resurfaced
It is precisely from such groups as feminists and Christians that you would expect support for the Gender Recognition Act. But Mariecke van den Berg, who is Professor by Special Appointment of Feminism and Christianity at Radboud University, has seen that there is a small group that personifies the old tradition of hypocrisy.
Alumnus of the year: Parweez Koehestanie
Parweez Koehestanie (40) is a medical specialist in the Bravis hospital in Brabant and trained in the Radboud Hospital in Nijmegen. He left Afghanistan as a teen in 1997 at his parents’ behest. “Only now that I have a son of my own can I really appreciate how much courage it takes to send your own child away.”
Be kind to animals, watch a nature documentary!
Bringing your dog a tasty treat or pampering your cat is a great way to celebrate Animal Day. As much as we love our pets, we don’t always seem terribly concerned about the fate of other animals - including our own species. Can we empathise with animals that aren’t our pets? According to Rebecca de Leeuw, we can. 'Stories help to expand our circle of empathy.'
'Concerns about mounting Italian fascism are unfounded'
Giorgia Meloni’s victory in the Italian elections has nothing to do with a rising tide of fascism, according political scientist and Italy expert Andrej Zaslove. 'The demise of social democracy is a more concerning trend and the real elephant in the room during these elections.'
University dials back on gas consumption
A gaping hole in the ground is what visitors saw the past year when entering the Huygens building. ‘What you saw there was the new technology basement in the works,’ says Geert Jansen, project manager at Campus & Facilities. ‘It was necessary in order to place two new big heat pumps. The old technology space didn’t have enough room for them.’
Did Mayan people get drunk from enemas?
Dienden Maya’s zichzelf geestverruimende middelen toe met klysmarituelen? Met een kunsthistorisch onderzoek naar die vraag won emeritus hoogleraar Peter de Smet vorige week een Ig Nobelprijs. De farmacoloog is er erg blij mee. ‘Dan heb ik toch iets betekend op het vlak van kunstgeschiedenis.’
Mindfulness is less helpful for combating stress in young people
For thousands of children and teenagers, September marks the return to school, and with it the associated stress. Can stress be countered with mindfulness training in youth? The findings of a large-scale project suggest that it cannot be, really.
“The law is not ready to tackle digital discrimination”
Increasingly, computers and other smart systems make automated decisions about people. This ‘digital differentiation’ is used by online stores and other companies, and also by public sector bodies. Such digital differentiation holds the risk of new forms of discrimination, which may negatively affect particular groups. Dutch law does not afford citizens sufficient protection against these forms of discrimination. So argues Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius, professor of ICT and law at Radboud University, in his inaugural lecture on 28 September.