Farming at Sea It Will Be Quite Normal by 2050 | P.13 2 >> Labour of Love >> PAUL + STARLIGHT Paul Gerlach, Graphic Artist, Freelancer at Communications Services
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Record numbers at AID Mobile pig pen Secret history Six days of partying in New concept: camping at The secrets of a Wageningen. | p.6 | the neighbours’. | p.10 | 2000 year-old mare. | p.18 | RESOURCEFor students and employees of Wageningen UR no 1 – 13 August 2015 – 10th Volume Farming at sea It will be quite normal by 2050 | p.13 2 >> labour of love >> PAUL + STARLIGHT Paul Gerlach, graphic artist, freelancer at Communications Services ‘The light that reveals secrets’ Paul Gerlach looks far into outer space with his telescope. Back in time, into the history of the universe. In search of the light of distant stars. It is delicate work. He does it from his back garden in Houten, until deep into the night. Tracking pattterns of lines like a surgeon. ‘Everything we know about the universe comes from light. That is really fascinating.’ RK / Photo: Guy Ackermans RESOURCE — 13 August 2015 PHOTO COVER: LEONARD PASSCHIER >>CONTENTS no 1 – 10th volume >> 4 >> 18 >> 26 IMARES YERSEKE A DARK HORSE STUDENT TEACHERS Zeeland doesn’t want to lose it. The riddle of the Wageningen skeleton. Green further education looks to Wageningen. LOCAL COLOUR What do oysters and mussels have in common with pigs? Well, marine research centre Imares in Yerseke has had a reprieve and is to carry on in a slimmed-down form. Local research assignments weren’t being followed up. The fisheries sector and the Province of Zeeland have woken up and are not keen on an exit from Zee- land. They have said they are willing to help Imares with assignments and thus with funding. Zeeland is always fearful of a brain drain out of the province, so this is hopeful. Especially if you frame the future research projects as a victory against all odds. AND MORE... As for pigs: just over a month ago I was in Sterksel during the open innovation 6 Crowdfunding platform days at the Pigs Innovation Centre. This is another outpost in trouble. But the under construction turnout was big and I didn’t hear a word spoken against the need for the centre’s 7 Action plan for Alterra. existence. Once again, the problem is the lack of research assignments and fund- 9 Streams should meander again ing from the market. A pig farmer wondered out loud whether they are asleep at 12 Farming seaweed the provincial headquarters in Den Bosch. See, mussels are typical of Zeeland 18 Tracing the ancient horse but pigs are not really typical of Brabant. But any advertising bureau worth its 22 More DLO’ers in education? salt could make them so. Time for a call perhaps? 26 AID in the race to be greenest 29 Meanwhile in Nepal Edwin van Laar >> In hot pants in the classroom | p.31 13 August 2015 — RESOURCE 4 >> news CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM IN ZEELAND AFTER IMARES IS SAVED could take a look at what goes on are working on a collaborative Scholten gives the example of • Retaining knowledge in in practice, for example, to see agreement between the provincial the ‘Tropical Team’, in which a Zeeland. what requirements the cultivators authority and the regional fishing diverse group of researchers from • Talks still ongoing. have.’ and shellfish industries instead. different locations are jointly The Provincial Executive Mem- The idea is that Yerseke should studying marine ecosystems in ber for Zeeland, Jo-Annes de Bat become a research institute run the tropics. Scholten: ‘Despite the Zeeland sees hope in the plan to (Christian Democrat), also calls by and for the region. ‘An experi- barrier of the departmental struc- keep the Imares site in Yerseke the news ‘promising’. However he ment,’ says Martin Scholten, ture, they have managed to join open. According to a provisional emphasizes that the possibility of managing director at Imares, ‘as forces. It is currently one of the recovery plan presented by Wagen- a collaborative agreement between all the other regional DLO sites are best-performing teams in Imares.’ ingen UR in July, the site will be the Zeeland science institutes, specialist innovation centres.’ The reorganization will lead to down-sized and will focus on re- businesses and government is The organization of the work is the loss of their job for 14 to 15 gional research topics. The aim of still being discussed, and this is a changing at other Imares sites too. people. Others will have to work the plan is to make loss-making precondition for saving Imares. ‘The crux of the reorganization is in a different area: for example, Imares future-proof again. The province mainly has a facili- that we are doing away with the tra- five fish farming researchers will ‘We’re relieved that closure is tating role by bringing parties ditional departmental structure,’ be relocating to Wageningen no longer on the table,’ says Addy toge ther, says De Bat. But he does says Scholten. ‘It was hampering Livestock Research. A different Risseeuw, the secretary of the not rule out the possibility of innovation. We’ll be working with solution is being sought for the Dutch mussel culture producers’ Zeeland co-financing relevant flexible, theme-based teams that rest. Scholten: ‘Over the past three association. ‘The loss of Imares projects, for instance. perform market-oriented re- years, Imares has shrunk from would lead to the fragmentation or In the last while, important search.’ These teams will be 205 employees to 160 through even disappearance of knowledge research programmes on subjects formed from the bottom up and natural wastage and by not re- in the shellfish sector.’ Risseeuw such as aquaculture and coastal staff can be in more than one team newing temporary employment hopes to see close collaboration defence have ended without any at a time. ‘We want to let the re- contracts. Now we need to focus developing between businesses follow-up. That is why people were searchers take the initiative rather on the remaining surplus capacity and the scientific community in talking increasingly seriously than having the teams imposed on and jobs that will have to go.’ the years ahead. ‘Researchers about closing ‘Yerseke’. Now they them from on high.’ RR/LvdN ART ON BARE WALLS IN ORION A huge mural now graces the concrete wall of the stairwell in Orion. Over the summer, artist Kim Habers worked on the artwork of 300 square metres with two assistants. They stood on scaffolding to apply a pattern of lines using black markers, tracing over a design projected onto the wall. About her work, Habers say: ‘It is purely abstract, growing over the concrete like a fibre, but it also contains recognizable figurative elements. That way I challenge everyone to look at the drawing without having to explain exactly what you see. For once, let go of scientific logic and give your fantasy free reign.’ KG PHOTO: WILFRED BERGSMA WILFRED PHOTO: RESOURCE — 13 August 2015 news << 5 WUR LIBRARY INVESTIGATES IMPACT OF BREACH WITH ELSEVIER from accessing all journal is- ing negotiator on behalf of the OLUMN|STIJN • No new contract means sues as of 2016. universities, said in the NRC © no access. The negotiations are not going newspaper in early July that • 1 January is day of well. The aim of the universi- they were even considering a reckoning. ties is for all Dutch articles in boycott of Elsevier. Salad days Elsevier journals to be open ac- Researchers at other universi- Some say student life cess from now on. Anyone ties are also being consulted on revolves around beer The WUR library is asking re- should be able to read the arti- their views. The university li- and sex. Nonsense. searchers in a survey how they cle without paying for a sub- braries will use the results to All memories are a would feel if they were no scription. But Elsevier is not in- help decide what to do if they selective version of longer able to consult Elsevi- terested. On top of this, the lose access to Elsevier. The sur- reality. I can safely er’s scientific journals. This universities do not want to pay vey suggests a few alternative say that I saw more will actually be the case as of 1 substantially more than in pre- ways of consulting articles, rotten cucumbers January unless the universities vious years. such as approaching the au- than naked girls and the publishing company The universities seem deter- thors or colleagues in other during my salad reach an agreement on a new mined not to accept any deal countries, searching online net- days. Not that there contract. If they fail to do this, that does not satisfy their de- works such as Mendeley or pay- were a lot of vegeta- Dutch scientists will be barred mands. Gerard Meijer, the lead- ing for individual articles. RR bles in our student house. But, in contrast with naked girls, I have re- markably few memories of rotten cucumbers. Actually I can only recall one example. That in brief cucumber looked alright until you picked it up. Then it turned out to be a kind of water >> CLARIFICATION >> MANSHOLT balloon. One that could burst at any moment, Parliamentary questions about top sectors Theatre on campus with a fresh green skin. It might have been a Henk Kamp, the minister for Economic Affairs, The play Mansholt, based on the life of the for- courgette, come to think of it. needs to clarify the decision-making process mer European Commissioner for Agriculture When it comes to naked girls, on the other within the top sectors, as Socialist Party MPs Sicco Mansholt, will be coming to Wageningen hand, I have a rich store of memories.