Recharge overview
Climate change communication and the lack of clear narrative
People who have already changed their behaviour often experience a sense of powerlessness, because they did not save the climate. Others find it more difficult to make such radical changes. One Recharge reader wondered how these different groups of people are informed about climate change.
Do you unintentionally discriminate your colleagues?
In recent months, Radboud University and Radboudumc have held several workshops to raise awareness about unconscious bias in the workplace. In the meantime, social psychologists and communication scientists from Radboud University are conducting research into the effectiveness of these types of interventions. ‘We know that some parts of the intervention are effective in the lab, but are they also effective in practice?’
How can you get farmers to farm sustainably?
How can we ensure that farmers in the Netherlands start farming organically? This was a question that was recently submitted by a Radboud Recharge reader. It is a complex question that has made quite a few waves, judging by the developments in the Netherlands in recent weeks and months. According to researchers at Radboud University, if we want to improve the farmers’ future position in the Netherlands, now is the time to listen and to provide perspective.
'Don’t believe every parenting book'
For parents, few periods are as stressful as their baby’s first few months. Roseriet Beijers, associate professor at the Behavioural Science Institute, goes through the deluge of parenting advice for young parents to separate the wheat from the chaff. “Respect the differences in development.”
This article will blue your mind!
Blue is a prominent color on our planet, but this is not the case when it comes to animals and plants. Let’s learn the reasons behind this phenomenon!
‘In the future, we could all be giggers’
Andrea Herrmann, Professor of Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Business Administration, investigates the so-called gig economy. Earlier this year she received a Consolidator Grant of two million euros from the European Research Council (ERC).
Connectivity of language areas unique in the human brain
Neuroscientists have gained new insight into how our brain evolved into a language-ready brain. Compared to chimpanzee brains, the pattern of connections of language areas in our brain has expanded more than previously thought.
The Soap Opera Effect: when your brain does not like your new TV
A film on a fancy TV can feel fake. This is because our brain uses previous experience to interpret the world.
Johan Vollenbroek - nature's pitbull
Johan Vollenbroek is both famous and notorious for his persistent fight for a stricter nitrogen policy. The chemist advocates for nature, because nature does not have a voice of its own. Back in his student days, he was a trainer at the athletics association ’t Haasje, where he already argued that meat was in no way necessary for a top athletic performance.
‘1,5 degrees is possible, if we have the guts’
Sixteen Dutch climate scientists think keeping global warming limited ‘to well under 2 degrees’ will not be possible. This became clear last week after a questionnaire by Nieuwsuur. Climate scientist Heleen de Coninck thinks differently.
Alliander and Radboud University collaborate on energy transition
Radboud University and grid operator Alliander recently signed a declaration of intent for intensive collaboration. According to Daniël Wigboldus of Radboud University and Rinke van de Rhee of Alliander, the organisations were already working together due to the energy transition, and the formalised collaboration is a natural and logical step.
How people can 'control' their speech
There are about seven and a half billion people in the world, but no two of them speak in exactly the same way. Through various experiments, linguist Chen Shen investigated how speakers control and improve their speech production so that communication runs smoothly.
Privacy cynicism: “It feels like a futile exercise”
Our privacy is under pressure. Companies have increasing amounts of data. Although most people are aware of this, they fail to protect themselves online. This paradox stems from privacy cynicism, a feeling of despondency and frustration when it comes to the benefits of online protection. “People have less and less control over their online data. They think that privacy is important, but do not protect themselves because they feel powerless.”
Five questions about seagrass
‘What is that? Can you eat it?’ Radboud University researcher Rens Cronau and his colleagues are accustomed to hearing questions like that as they conduct their fieldwork. Their research involves harvesting seagrass from Denmark and planting it into the bed of Lake Grevelingen in Zeeland. Seagrass isn’t doing so well as a species, which is why the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) launched this recovery project four years ago. Cronau and his colleagues at Radboud University, The Fieldwork Company and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) are researching the most effective way of enabling the plant to survive in the lake.
‘I want to make an environmental and social impact’
Koen Verlinden (45) is committed to pursuing sustainable production practices and offering career opportunities to people with poor job prospects. After graduating with a degree in business studies, Verlinden started FAIR Coffins, a social enterprise specialising in sustainable coffins.
Bourbon de Parme family archive offers insight into Carlism
Last month, Prince Carlos de Bourbon de Parme handed over his family archive to the Catholic Documentation Center and Radboud University. The archive, which extends over fifty meters, contains letters, photographs and documents that offer new perspectives on Spanish and European history. Brigitte Adriaensen, professor of Spanish Language and Culture, was closely involved in the transfer.
‘No nation is more charitable than the Netherlands’: the rise of disaster nationalism
Disasters such as floods cause a lot of suffering, but at the same time they can strengthen national identity. A certain ‘disaster nationalism’ arose in the nineteenth century, according to historian Fons Meijer, who will obtain his PhD on 28 June 2022. “This use of disasters to stir up national feelings is something we still see today, like with the floods in the Dutch province of South Limburg in 2021.”
Non-human primates can also deviate from gender expectations
What can we learn about gender from other animals, more specifically primates? Frans de Waal, biologist and primatologist, spoke about it in a Radboud Reflects lecture on 7 June. A report.
Ensure confidence in science by involving the public in research
If scientists want to communicate effectively, careful construction of their message is not enough; they should also examine the dynamics of societal patterns and engage societal stakeholders in the discussion.
Sustainability in higher education requires a different way of thinking
Radboud University wants all students to learn how they can contribute to sustainability issues as part of their study programme. If you want to seriously address this, you should not be content with a course or a project here and there — perhaps you should change the way students think and work. With his proposal to achieve this, cultural scientist Edwin van Meerkerk (Radboud University) received a Comenius Leadership Fellow grant of 500,000 euros for educational innovation.