‘Just publish the Bare rooms but a No more studying dangerous virus’ cosy atmosphere for fun! The risk of replication by First experiences with the Proposed: Recruitment cap for terrorists is nil. | p.9 | Open Offi ce. | p.18 | degrees with no job prospects. | p.22 |

RESOURCEFor students and employees of Wageningen UR nr. 11 – 26 January 2012 – 6th Volume

How students live around the world Five students in one room p.24 2 >> liefdewerk >> BAS + BOARD GAMES Bas Kempen, Soil Geography team at Alterra

‘I am a pretty bad loser’

Forget simple quiz games like Tell- me. But you can always interest Bas Kempen in a more complex board game. He and his group of fellow gameologists gather to play at least once a week. ‘Games that you have to work at. With lots of interaction and the smallest possi- ble element of luck.’ So the best games are strategic ones like Domi- nant Species. Played for fun, natu- rally. ‘But it is about winning too of course.’ RK / Foto: Guy Ackermans

RESOURCE — 26 januari 2012 ILLUSTRATIE COVER: HENNY BOOGERT >>CONTENTS nr. 11 – 6th Volume

>> 12 >> 16 >> 28 OVERFLOWING GARBAGE BIN LIKE AN ANGEL RODEO IN TEXAS Nobody wants it, but we still waste A high-speed camera reveals the Annika enjoyed life on the ranch, more than a third of our food. workings of the wings of the dove. but not the narrow-mindedness.

AND MORE... 2 Labour of love SHAME board games Ever hopeful, I serve my young sons a hot meal every evening, but give or take a 4 News and opinion couple of spoonfuls, Papa’s labour of love usually ends up in the bin. We throw 8 Science out 44 kilos of food a year each, and no doubt the Van Caulil household sends 11 Resource.wur.nl the average up. 12 Food waste 15 Ruud Huirne Throwing out food is called waste. But why do we find that such a shame, actual- 16 In the picture ly? It can’t be because of the CO2 emissions. This society shows precious little fast film conscience about excess production and environmental pollution. As for the 18 The Open Office Dutch ‘hunger winter’ of 1945, I think that really is too long ago to be the reason. 21 Catering 22 IMO I think food has special value because it is living matter. We eat plants and ani- studying for fun mals. That is probably why I am less bothered by chucking out a plastic cup or 24 Student an old newspaper than an apple or a fish fillet. Try telling the kids that. 29 Column 32 Typical Dutch Gaby van Caulil rules

>> Win 250 euros with your views. nter the Resource writing competition, page 30.

26 januari 2012 — RESOURCE >> news

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delivered to reception at 11.00 by frustration about this apparently ð 6WXGHQWIUXVWUDWHGE\ someone who aroused suspicions. drove him to send a threatening VORZSURJUHVV The alarm was sounded straight- letter to a university employee last ð 6WDʼnPHPEHUUHFHLYHG away to initiate the evacuation of week. WKUHDWHQLQJOHWWHUEHIRUH about 400 employees, including Two hours after the suspect the executive board. The person package was delivered, the bomb who brought the package was disposal squad (EOD) announced A suspect package led to an evacu- quickly apprehended. Rumour has that the contents were harmless. ation of the whole of Atlas on 25 Ja- it that it was a 35-year-old student The all-clear was then given to re- nuary. The package, the size of half who has not graduated yet and bla- turn to Atlas. /YG1 a shoebox and wrapped in foil, was mes the university for this. His

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NjNj816$)( NjNj678'(17*5$176 %UHDNLQVDW'LMNJUDDIŋDWV 1RJUDQWIRUORQJHU0DVWHUéVSUR Students at the Dijkgraaf residence have JUDPPHV been the victims of a series of break-ins. Even students who embarked on a In the last week alone, three ground- two- or three-year Master’s program- fl oor windows have been smashed. One me this academic year are to lose 6&+$0,1‹(ljlj resident came back after a night away to their basic grants from September. fi nd a large stone on her pillow. Worse Secretary of State for Education Zijl- *HHVH still, on Friday 20 January, a German stu- stra is scrapping these grants for all It is winter and the cold air is driving large fl ocks of geese dent was mugged and robbed of his bag Master’s students. Only students from northern Europe to the Netherlands. To me, a fan- and keys. The residents feels unsafe and who started on a research Master’s tastic sight, especially when a big fl ock all takes off toge- the fence that was erected around the or a Master’s in science or medicine ther. You see them in shifting clouds and long skeins fl y- complex last year has had no eff ect. Ide- before September 2011 are to have ing over the land. And it’s a real challenge to scan the alis is organizing a meeting with the ‘transitional rights’ to a grant. For thousands of greater white-fronted geese and greylag neighbourhood police offi cer on 1 Febru- the rest, the basic grant will soon be geese to try and spot the occasional lonely lesser white- ary. 10 a thing of the past, says a bill called fronted goose – smaller and characterized by a yellow ring ‘Studying is an investment’ recently around the eye – or the red-breasted goose with its beauti- sent by Zijlstra to the lower house of ful markings. parliament. +23 But the government is not happy about the geese. Due to exceptionally successful policy, their numbers have explo- NjNj+$$5:(* ded in recent years. As a result, the populations now need )DFHERRNDJDLQVW3HHSLQJ7RPV to be controlled to prevent damage to farmland. The state Haarweg residents fed up with the favours gassing the geese but the EU opposes the plan: Peeping Toms hanging around the there are several protected species at stake. A response I complex have started a Facebook saw recently suggested that gassing would be the most hu- group. Every evening they patrol the mane solution. As I type these words, my fi ngers falter be- outside of the building at diff erent cause I realize how dreadful they sound in this context. A times and post their fi ndings on the few years ago, 4,500 geese were gassed on a Natuurmonu- internet. ‘Ten of us have just made a menten reserve on the island of Texel. That is a whole round and seen nothing’, reads one truckful. post. A bit later: ‘Just after 19.00 so- Greylag, white-fronted, barnacle and bean: geese come in meone was peeping in through the all shapes and sizes. Some species will be spared, if the EU back windows of fl at 135. Sorry lads.’ gets its way. So if you’re a goose, it’s good to be the right A few weeks ago a Peeping Tom was kind of goose. The wind is changing to the west and tem- apprehended by students, but it peratures in the north will soon be rising above zero. But turns out he has three or four compe- there is still a dark cloud hanging over many geese. titors. 10 -RRS6FKDPLQ«H

26 January 2012 — RESOURCE >> news

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on, Legal Affairs and Facilities Ma- ð /RZFRVWVIRUVXSSRUWWRHGXFD nagement. WLRQDQGUHVHDUFK ð ([HFXWLYH%RDUGLVUHODWLYHO\ (;3(16,9(%2$5' H[SHQVLYH So Wageningen’s total overheads come to 26.7 percent, compared with the national average of 33.4 Wageningen manages to control percent. Consequently, Wagenin- its expenditure on education and gen spends about 4,500 euros less research, a study by Berenschot on overheads per staff post. The has revealed. Wageningen Uni- costs of Wageningen’s executive versity’s overheads are low com- board, on the other hand, are hi- pared to those of other universi- gher than those of other university ties. boards. Moreover, Wageningen Management consultancy firm spends comparatively large Berenschot calculated and compa- amounts on facilities management. red the overhead costs of all the To put this in perspective, though: Dutch universities. Wageningen Wageningen outsources less of this University manages to keep its work than other universities do. spending on support to education Overheads costs at the universi- and research within limits. Only ties seem to be going down some- 7KH6RZHUWKHXOWLPDWHV\PEROIRUDJULFXOWXUDOHGXFDWLRQLQ:DJHQLQJHQKDV 7.7 percent of the staff work in this what, but have not changed very PRYHGWRFDPSXV7KHVWDWXHVWLOOORRNVDOLWWOHRXWRISODFHRQWKHFRUQHUQH[W area, compared with 13.5 percent much over the years, concludes Be- WR$WODV7KH6RZHUéVPRYHUHLQVWDWHVLWVOLQNZLWK:DJHQLQJHQ85éVDGPLQLV at other universities. The other, renschot. Compared to other semi- WUDWLYHQHUYHFHQWUH7KH6RZHUKDGVWRRGLQIURQWRIWKH$GPLQLVWUDWLRQ&HQ ‘generic’ overheads at Wageningen public organizations, the universi- WUHIURPWKHYHU\EHJLQQLQJLQ$WWKDWWLPHWKH&HQWUHZDVLQWKHEXLO (19.1 percent) are in line with the ties’ scores are average. The ap- GLQJRQ6DOYHUGDSOHLQ7KHXQLYHUVLW\ZDVJLYHQWKHVWDWXHDZRUNE\$XJXVW national average. This covers the plied sciences universities have )DOLVHE\WKHFLW\RI:DJHQLQJHQWRPDUN\HDUVRIDJULFXOWXUDOVWXGLHVLQ departments of Personnel and Or- slightly higher overheads than the WKHWRZQ,QWKHHDUO\VWKHVWDWXHPRYHGZLWKWKH&HQWUHWRWKHQHZ ganization, Finances and Control, theoretical ones, according to the EXLOGLQJRQ&RVWHUZHJ7KH$GPLQLVWUDWLRQ&HQWUHPRYHGWRFDPSXVMXVW ICT, Marketing and Communicati- benchmark study. $6 EHIRUHWKH1HZ

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RESOURCE — 26 January 2012 news << 7

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Helvert. ‘And deals also sometimes ð 7KHWKDQQLYHUVDU\RI fall through in the café.’  :DJHQLQJéV%XVLQHVV&DI« Jeff Gielen, director of Kadans Biofacilities, walks by. Small know- ledge companies need premises Held monthly in Hotel De Wereld, and that’s what Gielen provides. the Wageningen Business Café Hans Dons, Professor of Entrepre- met for the 100th time at the end neurship in Life Sciences and as- of January. One of the visitors is sessor of business plans is here, Wim Jongen, former director of too. Everyone who is anyone in Wageningen Business Generator. knowledge valorisation in Wagen- He speaks highly of the café, which ingen likes to come and drink a provides a valuable opportunity to glass of wine here. To test the wa- meet Wageningen researchers ters, to coordinate ideas, while set- %XVLQHVV&DI«EULQJVWRJHWKHUHQWUHSUHQHXUVDQGVWXGHQWV keen to launch a spin-off company. ting nothing in stone. Jongen is in conversation with There are some young ladies he- self on having attended 98 of the ganizes the cafés and works for Paul van Helvert, Wageningen re, too. Such as two employees of 100 Business Cafés, and this StartLife, which encourages entre- UR’s patents expert. ‘There are communication agency Voorheen seems to be bearing fruit. A little preneurship among Wageningen four people I’d like to talk to to- de Toekomst who, in their own while later, I run into a guy who is students. They are here, too. Stu- day,’ he says. These are a colleague words, are here to maintain their just starting out and has joined dents can learn a thing or two here at Wageningen UR, the founder of contacts with existing clients. VdT forces with VdT for his business about what’s involved in setting up a small company, a patent agent does a lot of work for small know- cards and website. a business and pulling strings, and a solicitor. You need all of the- ledge companies based in Wagen- Roes explains. Tip for newcomers: se to complete a business case. ‘No ingen. ‘Eighty per cent of our 678'(176 tell Anneke what you want, find deals are made here but they are clients come here’, she says. VdT’s Hostess Anneke Roes comes over out who’s present and let her pair discussed in broad lines,’ says Van founder Arie de Groot prides him- to offer me a glass of wine. She or- you off. *Y&

The Joop Zoetemelk of the lecturers? LOST AGAIN ‘Yes, well, I’d rather not be the eternal also-ran. Q827( But Zoetemelk eventually won the world cup and ‘When you are in China they don’t talk about Harvard. They the Tour de France!’ talk about Wageningen, the agricultural university.’ You are a consistently excellent teacher. Premier Mark Rutte on ‘ one of the strongest sectors in the Nether- ‘I try to introduce new things into my teaching lands’ (Buitenhof, 15 January). all the time. Students are allergic to boring routi- ne, you have to capture their interest. I refer to current affairs. One of my fairly famous lectures is the one about the Al Quaeda cells, dealing .,72 with the thymus gland, which is hard to get to grips with. But the nicest of all is when one of the students starts talking – it is never quieter than when a fellow student is speaking. You ha- ve to exploit that: connect to get your message across.’ You have received 2,500 euros five times now. ‘I have used it to set up a programme for impro- ving the teaching of young staff. In other chair groups people specialize in education, but I don’t think that’s a good development. To me, it’s very important that teaching is done by re- :KR"Huub Savelkoul, searchers; students love to hear examples from professor of the coal face and learn how you arrive at re- Immunology search questions. :KDW"Nominated for ‘My colleagues and managers don’t get very Teacher of the Year for worked up about the election, but students are the fifth year running more sensitive to it. I see numbers going up in :KHUH"In Forum, all the courses I teach. A course I designed for on 17 January 24 students, I now give to 150 students. That’s $QG"Still didn’t win great.’ *Y& 7KH2SHQ2ŌFH+H\,ZDQWHGWRVLWWKHUH

26 January 2012 — RESOURCE 8 >> science SLOW MOTION FILMS SPEAK VOLUMES

A year of high-speed filming for the Flight Artists has delivered 2,400 short nature films. Beauti- ful images. But how much scien- tific value do they really have? Initiator David Lentink and his colleague Rinske Scheifes look through the images. Here are some of their comments.

Striking. First off, the collisions are certainly striking. Insects turn out not to be quite the precision flyers we took them for. There are fre- quent accidents. Exactly how fre- quent is hard to tell, says Lentink. ‘About three percent of the films show a collision. But you cannot conclude much from that. People send in the material they consider remarkable, and a collision is cer- tainly that. More research is nee-

ded before we can draw any statis- BRAND EN ANSA FIA REMCO PHOTO: tical conclusions about it.’ The great tit as aeronaut. Collisions are much rarer among birds. That seems logical, as a col- lision between birds has much mo- anything. But don’t go thinking one film of a fly doing a somersault tink: ‘I find it fascinating that a re impact than one between in- this means that insects are not with a sideways twist while making bird’s wing works upside-down as sects. ‘Insects don’t easily break good at flying.’ a perfect landing’, says Lentink well. From a theoretical point of with great enthusiasm. And don’t view, it is spectacular even, given Interesting. ‘The wing beat rate of imagine this was just a fluke. ‘Not how the feathers are layered to SLOW MOTION the bumble bees’, says Scheifes. at all. It is perfectly coordinated. form an airtight wing. But I am al- ‘They seem surprisingly similar Really incredible, the manoeuvra- so very interested in the behaviour Flight artists is the name of the across the different species of bility of the fly. We also have shots that underlies such a move. What project with which David Lentink bumble bee. Whereas the variation of a fly doing a somersault as an es- makes a goose do that?’ (Experimental Zoology) and his within one species is quite large.’ A cape manoeuvre. I have sent that team won the Annual Academic bumble bee beats its wings about Popular. The film that has been Prize at the end of 2010. The 150 times per second. You can only ‘Fascinating that a watched the most of Youtube is the team trained several hundred see that sort of thing in extremely bird’s wings were recording of a white dove taking volunteers in using high-speed slow motion film. Something else upside-down too. off (see page 16). Almost 100,000 cameras to film flight in the na- that Scheifes finds interesting is What makes a hits. Nothing special in terms of tural world. The cameras are Ca- the linking of the wings in insects goose do that?’ flight mechanics, says Lentink. sios which can shoot a maximum with two pairs of wings. ‘We’ve got ‘But the way the film was made is of 600 frames per second, and a film of that process in a flying ant. fantastic. In a hangar and with a supercamera called the Phan- As it beats its wings to warm them one to a colleague who is doing re- black background. You can see the tom, which can shoot up to up, it links them together so that search on that. There is even a re- wing movements beautifully. If I 7,500 frames per second in HD they become one pair of wings. cording of two flies mating on the want to explain to someone why I format. This creates extremely And this already starts during the wing. That’s normal for dragonf- like flight so much, I just have to slow-motion images. The films warming up. You can only see that lies, but I have never seen flies do it show them that film.’ And so this can be seen on Youtube (and at with a high-speed camera like before.’ film fulfils exactly Lentink’s aim www.vliegkunstenaars.nl) Parti- this.’ with this whole project: to show cipants have the use of the ca- Intriguing. A goose flying upside- how extraordinary flight is. Roe- meras for another two years. Spectacular. Flies are the stunt pi- down. Once photographed, but ne- lof Kleis lots of the insect world. ‘We have ver yet filmed at high speed. Len-

RESOURCE — 26 januari 2012 science << 9

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING THE TOURISTS

ð 3K'UHVHDUFKHUGHYHORSVQHZWRROIRU VISION << GPS analysis. ð 0HWKRGGLVWLQJXLVKHVEHWZHHQVWLOO- ‘Just publish the ness and motion. dangerous virus’ Rotterdam-based and American virologists have Anyone on the move with a smartphone in halted a study of the bird flu at the request of the their pocket leaves a trail. The built-in GPS American government. The government is afraid receiver constantly records its own locati- that terrorists might be able to use the research on and thus that of the person carrying it. GPS reveals the popularity of the Dwingel- results to manufacture biological weapons. The A mine of information for, say, someone derveld radio observatory. researchers had made a version of the H5N1 bird wishing to study the flow of visitors flu virus which may be contagious between through a nature reserve. But there’s a detect over 90 per cent of the stationary humans, and they wanted to publish its DNA catch: pedestrians move too slowly for the moments during a walk. sequence. Should you make this kind of informa- GPS data to be translated straightforward- tion public? Yes you should, says Virology profes- ly into stillness or motion. This is due to GALAPAGOS sor Just Vlak. the inaccuracy of the signal. The standard One of the ways Orellana is using the new GPS pinpoints its own location only to wit- method is to chart the visitor flows in ‘In theory someone else could make a virus like this hin about 12 metres. So it is difficult to de- Dwingelderveld nature reserve in Drenthe too’, says Vlak. ‘There is nothing top secret about termine whether or not someone is actual- province. His results are published in this this research. Virologists have previously recreated ly moving. year’s first issue of Tourism Management. and published the Spanish flu virus, which caused a Daniel Orellana, a PhD researcher at The method clearly reveals the park’s pandemic a hundred years ago. The point is that the Laboratory of Geo-Information Sci- main attractions: the visitors’ centre, the there are only a couple of labs in the world that can ence and Remote Sensing has devised a radio observatory, the sheep farm and the make this. You need a great deal of knowledge to be way to solve this problem using vector wetlands. Information of this type is inva- able to manufacture a specific mutation, and you al- analysis. He connects two consecutive luable to the park’s management. Orella- so need specialized equipment. A specialist lab can GPS signals by vectors and then lets a na is now using the same method to study do it in a couple of months, but we don’t have the smart algorithm (a calculation formula) the behaviour of tourists on the Galapagos experience or the equipment to do it in Wagenin- loose on the muddle of little arrows. The Islands. RK gen. It would take us years to copy it. result is a method that is able to correctly I would go public with the research and then set to work on preventive measures such as developing a vaccine. The mutation the researchers have made is likely to occur in nature one day. The question then STUDY ON IMPACT OF is whether the virus will spread quickly under pres- sure from natural selection. I don’t know whether DEVELOPMENT AID the researchers have calculated the chances of an epidemic of this virus. That is pretty crucial infor- village and what the villagers’ income level mation to have. ð 7KHPLQLVWU\ZDQWVRQWKHVSRW is. They will collect the same data in a num- This new mutant is highly virulent, according to the impact measurement. ber of ‘control villages’ which do not come researchers, so we must be alert. But I don’t believe under the development projects. By doing in an information veto on the virus. There is no this, Bulte aims to measure the impact of point in only telling a thousand experts either, be- Development economist Erwin Bulte is to the projects. cause in no time the information will get out. In receive 1.6 million euros from the minis- The Netherlands spends almost five bil- 1973 they tried to veto the development of genetic try of Foreign Affairs to measure the im- lion euros a year on development aid. One modification, but reality catches up with you in the pact of development projects. In collabo- quarter of the funding is channelled end.’ AS ration with the Disaster Studies chair through aid organizations such as Novib, group and the Centre for Development In- ICCO, Hivos and Cordaid. The grant money novation (CDI), he will collect data in villa- will be used to appoint one PhD researcher PROPOSITION ges in Liberia and the Congo where Dutch to do research in the Congo. A lot of money aid organizations Novib and Cordaid run will go to students at universities in Liberia ‘Modern fasting is one week without projects. The researchers will seek data and the Congo, who will collect data in internet, computer and telephone’ on, for example, how many children go to hundreds of villages. AS Tahira Jamil, PhD graduation 11 January school, how much poverty there is in the

26 januari 2012 — RESOURCE 10 >> science A NEW POTATO, FASTER

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reduces the genetic variation. generations. To do this, he needs a exactly the opposite. ‘More inbree- ð 1HZPHWKRGPD\EHDEUHDN First, he takes potatoes from the special gene (Sli) from a related ding is just what is needed. The po- through in potato breeding. breeding programme run by Ro- wild species. tato contains many genes that cau- ð ,QEUHHGLQJVLPSOLŊHVWKH nald Hutten, a Wageningen resear- se defects. I want to lose those ge- potato’s genetic make-up. cher. These have not four but two RAT DROPPINGS nes.’ In his potatoes these genes versions of each chromosome. The potato breeder usually pays would cause a high level of morta- Next, he seeks a way to make these a high price for inbreeding. Many lity, but statistically they should al- Developing a new species of potato two versions identical. Self-pollina- breeders believe it delivers off- so produce some good plants. And is an extraordinarily laborious pro- tion is one means; if the plant self- spring that are not viable or produ- with those, he would be able to cess. This is due to the potato’s pollinates exact copies of the chro- ce tubers the size of rat droppings. continue the breeding process. complex genome. The potato has mosomes emerge after a couple of But Lindhout started to think Using a field trial, he tested this 12 types of chromosome, each with hypothesis. He planted 10,000 four variations. So a cross between seedlings in trial plots and harve- two species creates an almost infi- sted 50 plants with good-sized po- nite number of possibilities. Pota- SCIENTIFIC ENTREPRENEUR tatoes. In December he and the La- to breeders solve this problem by boratory of Plant Breeding repor- making a meticulous selection, of- Pim Lindhout spent years working as a researcher in Wageningen befo- ted this result in the scientific jour- ten from as many as 100,000 off- re he joined the breeding company De Ruiter Seeds. There, as R&D di- nal Potato Research. With those 50 spring, and then cloning the plant rector, he worked on tomato breeding. He left this company after it was plants he is continuing his work. containing the desirable new qua- acquired by Monsanto in 2008, and with three colleagues he set up So- ‘The research is progressing faster lity. A process that takes 20 to 30 lynta in Wageningen. This small company focuses solely on potato than expected, but there’s still a years. breeding methods. If Lindhout succeeds, his work will revolutionize risk of failure.’ He foresees chal- Lindhout thinks that with the potato breeding. Today, potato species with good characteristics are lenging possibilities. ‘If the subse- aid of a new breeding method it reproduced to create seed potatoes by means of vegetative propagati- quent development succeeds, in will soon take just five years to de- on. This product is then shipped to buyers. Using Lindhout’s new me- five years’ time we’ll be able to pro- velop a new species. The key to his thod, buyers would need to purchase only bags of potato seeds. duce a potato species with resis- approach is that he dramatically tance to Phytophthora.’ AS

RESOURCE — 26 januari 2012 discussion << 11

colophon >> RESOURCE.WUR.NL Resource is the magazine and news web- site for students and staff at Wageningen UR. Resource magazine comes out every Since Tom Rijntjes bowed out as Resource blog- second Thursday. ger, the number of reactions on the website has Subscriptions plummeted. The quality per word, on the other A subscription to the magazine costs €58 (overseas: €131) per academic year. hand, has shot up. In the humble opinion of the Cancellations before 1 August. editors, that is. Read and decide for yourself. Address Akkermaalsbos 12, 6708 WB Wageningen (Actio, Building 116, bode 31). POBox 409, Got something to say too? Email your views to [email protected]. 6700 AK Wageningen. Secretariat: Thea Kuijpers, [email protected]. T 0317 484020 Website: resource.wur.nl. ISSN 1389-7756 THE BREAD OF LIFE Make sure the paint is mixed with a fast-drying emul- Editorial staff The last typical Dutch was about the amount of bread sion. Then the Peeping Tom will be walking around for ð*DE\YDQ&DXOLO HGLWRULQFKLHI the Dutch put away. This elicited a big sneer in the days with a well-deserved trademark.’ [email protected], T 0317 482997 direction of the conservative Dutchman. ð5RE*RRVVHQV HGLWRU USELESS DEGREE SUBJECTS [email protected], T 0317 485320 ð5RHORI.OHLV HFRORJ\VRFLDOVFLHQFHV Marcia was told that it all started in the war. ‘There Should the Dutch government discourage youngster economy) was a starving period and they only had bread to eat, from opting for ‘useless’ degree subjects? Most of those [email protected], T 0317 481723 and after that the habit remained. I don’t know if it’s interviewed for the MI on page 22 were against, but ð1LFROHWWH0HHUVWDGW ZHEHGLWRU real…to not be sleepy makes more sense to me.’ there was more enthusiasm on the website. [email protected], 0317 488190 Tammy is more annoyed by the lack of variety in sand- ð/LQGDYDQGHU1DW VWXGHQWVHGXFDWLRQ VHL), [email protected], 0317 481725 wich fi llings. ‘It’s not the bread that gets me – it’s the Kees: ‘If most of the students can’t fi nd a job after ð5RE5DPDNHU QXWULWLRQŊVKHULHV  stuff they put on bread that bothers me. Cheese (with doing a particular degree, the degree is of no use to [email protected], T 0317 481709 no frills - not even margarine or butter for many), society.’ R. van Kammeren agrees: ‘If you ask me, you ð$OEHUW6LNNHPD SODQWDQGDQLPDOVFLHQ hagelslag and chocoladepasta that is known around study primarily in order to qualify for a particular job. ces, organization) the world as cake decorations. It’s like bread is a dart And if you do a degree just for fun, that’s fi ne, but [email protected], T 0317 481724 board and the Dutch throw something on it and hope then you should fund your hobby yourself.’ Layout ð+DQV:HJJHQKDQVZHJJHQ#ZXUQO it sticks. If it doesn’t, then no worries, just slather on T 0317 485272; basisvormgeving maga- some peanut butter to keep it all in place. But, of IMPORTANCE OF THE H FACTOR zine: Nies & Partners bno Nijmegen course, the Dutch sneer at everyone else’s food becau- The H index is part of the scenery now in the academic Freelance journalists se you know, they’re perfect in every way so no point world. The h stands for a researcher’s impact. And that Kees van der Ark, Mariska van den Berg, in making them see there are other ways to do things.’ made it interesting to draw up a list of the top Wagen- Irene Boers, Alexandra Branderhorst, .DULQ)ODSSHU6WLMQYDQ*LOV6LPRQH+HU ingen boffi ns. Only it went a bit wrong. rewijn, Ruben Higler, ir. Yvonne de Hilster, BEST TEACHER Vita Hommersen, Sander de Kraker, Karin Frits Claassen was elected the best teacher. We have An unsung Michael Muller was so cross he dismissed de Mik, Suzanne Overbeek, ir. Rik Nijland, not seen such joy on the website for quite a while. Nor the entire magazine along with the inaccurate list: Tom Rijntjes, ir. Astrid Smit, Agnes Tol, so many explanation marks. ‘Worthless… Resource certainly remains a peculiar ir. Joris Tielens, Evelyne Wolters-Mulder, magazine… The research was not thorough. My name Hoger Onderwijs Persbureau Translators Suzanne Overbeek: ‘A truly great, dedicated teacher is missing’. Marcel Zwietering missed several names &ODUH0F*UHJRU.HHQ0XQ3RRQ with a fantastic step-by-step way of explaining things, on the list too. ‘This cuts scientists to the quick. It is Clare Wilkinson which is clear and easy to keep up with because he strange, too, that no explanation is off ered as to Photography writes as he goes along and highlights the fi gures on which database was used for the table. It lacks both *X\$FNHUPDQV%DUWGH*RXZ6MRHUG the board.’ Bigoni: ‘Claassen for president!’ Tsehai: thoroughness and transparency. This occasionally Sijsma, Hoge Noorden, Manon Bruininga Illustrations ‘Congratulations Mr. Claassen!!!’ And Roman: ‘Yoooh- happens to us scientists too, in which case we write (VWKHU%URXZHU0LHVMHOYDQ*HUZHQ hooo!! I’m very happy about it!! Wanted to vote for an erratum.’ Zwietering is quite right about that. And *XLGRGH*URRW

26 jjanuarianuari 20120122 — RESOURCRESOURCEE 12 >> features

Food waste is hard to combat WORTHLESS

RESOURCE — 2627 augustusJanuary 2012 2009 features << 13

In spite of world hunger, astronomical quantities of food end up on the rubbish tip. An intractable problem. Attempts to tackle it run up against wasteful consumer behaviour, under-priced food and over-the-top safety regulations. text: Rob Ramaker / illustration: Ton Meijer / photo: Lineair

f you are an average Dutch person, you threw away roughly 44 kilos of food last year. This inclu- ded 7 kilos of bread, 5 kilos of dairy produce and FOOD WASTE IN FIGURES 5 kilos of fruit and vegetables. Still sitting com- Precise estimates of food that the continent produ- de more complete and pre- fortably? This represents 10 percent of all the waste levels vary widely. ced about 900 kilograms cise data. food you buy, worth hundreds of euros. And con- In May 2011, the UN food of food per person per Which kinds of foods are I sumers are not the only squanderers: Dutch industry, re- organization FAO publis- year. According to the we most careless with in tailers and catering outlets waste mountains of food too. hed a literature study Glo- FAO, we waste 200 to Europe? The FAO calcu- The sorry result is that 30 to 50 percent, worth four billion bal Food Losses and Food 300 kilograms of this lates that one third of all euros, goes uneaten (see text box). Meanwhile, 2010 statis- Waste. Worldwide, says food. The consumer is grain, in bread for instan- tics on global hunger show that 925 million went hungry, the report, we waste a bre- responsible for 95 to 115 ce, goes uneaten. The the world population is set to rise from seven to nine billi- ath-taking 1.3 billion tons kilograms of this. An ex- same is true of 50 percent on by 2050, and increasing numbers of people are adop- of food: one third of what periment by the research of all tubers and root ve- ting western eating habits. We can safely assert that waste is produced. The FAO’s de- bureau CREM suggest getables (i.e. potatoes, is a problem. finition of ‘waste’ is: food that this is an overesti- chiefly), and 45 percent of Luckily, I waste less than the average, you are probably produced for human con- mation. The researchers all fruit and vegetables. thinking. You are in good company with this comforting sumption that is not eaten rooted through the gar- We are much more effi- thought. Research shows that almost everyone thinks they by humans. So this inclu- bage bins of 110 house- cient with animal pro- throw out less than average. It seems that consumers do des considerable amounts hold and calculated that ducts. ‘Only’ 20 percent of feel guilty about food waste, but that doesn’t solve the pro- of food that are put to the average Dutch person all the meat and 30 per- blem, says Erica van Herpen, assistant professor of Mar- good use in animal feeds wastes 44 kilograms. The cent of all the fish we buy keting and Consumer Behaviour. ‘One research shows or in fermenters. The re- authors of the FAO report goes uneaten. And top of that consumers feel guilty about waste and intend to im- searchers did not count in- also admit that their stu- the list for efficiency is prove their score on that point. But in the end, their guilt edible parts such as bones dy is largely based on dairy produce. A ‘mere’ 12 feelings do not lead to a reduction in waste.’ and skins. rough estimates and percent of all our milk is Shopping habits are a better predictor of waste levels. guesswork. Future re- wasted. Consumers who keep an eye on their store cupboards and Looking at Europe we see search will have to provi- go shopping armed with a shopping list waste less than people without such routines. Other ‘thrifty’ habits are storing food properly and not cooking too much at a time. Given that the intention to waste less does not lead to mo- is found on highly perishable fresh products such as steak re careful behaviour, there is not much point in trying to tartare. This is the last date on which it is safe to eat the induce such feelings. Nor is there much future in financial food. On other fresh productions such as milk and non- incentives such as taxes on garbage, says Van Herpen. perishable goods, there is a sell-by date or a ‘best before’ ‘People just compress their garbage more firmly, or they date. This means the manufacturer guarantees the quality even start dumping illegally.’ up to that date. But, depending on the product, it is often edible for days or even weeks after this date. Many consu- MILD PATERNALISM mers go by the best-by date and research has shown that Besides bad planning, another cause of waste is the confu- consumers who interpret it too strictly throw out more sion that has arisen around shelf-life dates on food, notes food than consumers who trust their noses and their taste Toine Timmermans, research coordinator at Food & Bio- buds. based Research. There are two kinds of date. A use-by date So more clarity about these dates could cut waste. But

26 January 2012 — RESOURCE 14 >> features

Farmer/ Fishery Total production 654 milion tons

100 27% % waste 80 203 milion tons 60 more, companies are watching with alarm the increasing 40 fluctuations in the prices of raw materials. 43% 20 There are many sides to food waste in the industry. On the one hand, there is overproduction, mainly due to an 0 inaccurate idea of the demand. Then, food gets lost during 9% Transporter processing, for example when a switch is made to another Consumer product on the production line. When food is badly pac- 12% kaged, whether wrongly labelled or in damaged packa- 9% ging, no one wants, or is allowed, to buy it. Timmermans Processer Retailer helps companies prevent this kind of loss, which he reckons many of them could quite easily reduce by 20 per- Source: FAO (2011) The data applies to food produced in Europe; see text box for context. cent. But to really make an impact, all the chain players would have to collaborate on making changes throughout there is scope for improvement in other areas too. Van the chain. Timmermans: ‘That often means that you have Herpen believes most in facilitating: ‘Nudging people in to invest somewhere other than where the profits will be the right direction, for example.’ This ‘mild paternalism’ made.’ To support companies in these sorts of innovati- means making avoiding waste the easiest option. Van ons throughout the chain, an extensive research project Herpen: ‘An example would be the right portion size in has recently been started in which the food industry, su- packages, so that people do not waste food because the permarkets and knowledge institutions will collaborate portions are too big.’ Such paternalism would not neces- within the Food & Nutrition Top Institute. sarily have to come only from the government. Creative small companies could make money out of things like CLASHING NORMS smartphone apps for smart stock management and shop- No one is actually in favour of wasting food, of course. ping lists. Food waste often results from contradictory customs or But beneath all these practical causes of waste lies a rules. The catering industry is a perfect illustration of this, fundamental problem, says Ynte van Dam, assistant pro- with the balancing act it maintains between food safety, fessor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour: ‘The bot- customer-friendliness and – a relatively new value – redu- tom line is that food is too cheap.’ In developing countries cing waste. For example, it is just not done to say no to a people spend fifty percent or more of their income on customer. Ideally, you want to offer complete menus, gi- food. For us, this figure is around 10 percent. That makes ving customers the widest possible choice right up until it cheap to waste, and in the food industry it can even be closing time. Then there are hygiene rules which forbid logical to do so. After all, food is cheaper than labour or fu- you to sell food more than two hours after defrosting it. Almost every- el. ‘Maybe the problem lies deeper than that’, adds Van For fear of sick customers and damage to their own image, one thinks they Dam. ‘Since the nineteen fifties, the whole economy has companies often build in an extra safety margin. Many throw out less been based on waste.’ It is now common practice to treat food processing companies adhere to much stricter rules the things we buy as disposable and to discard them as that the law requires. For example, in 2008 the EU scrap- than average soon as they go out of fashion. Van Dam: ‘So can you ex- ped some of the absurdly detailed ‘aesthetic’ criteria for pect people to be thriftier with their food than they are fruit, best-known from the ‘euro-myth’ that there were with their mobile phone?’ guidelines for the correct curve on a banana. But many of these norms survive in the food industry, because it based INDUSTRIAL WASTE its entire classification- and production system on them. Van Dam does think that a disproportionate amount of Therefore we still waste large amounts of less beautiful ve- the blame gets laid at the feet of consumers, though. ‘A lot getables and fruits. A practice which journalist-activist of wastage happens in the chain. It happens during trans- Tristram Stuarts painfully visualizes in his book Waste. portation, at the wholesaler, during processing and to a The problem of food waste is a many-headed monster. lesser extent on the farm.’ Toine Timmermans works on There is therefore no easy or fast solution to it. Combat- combatting food waste throughout the chain. He says that ting parts of the problem reduces waste little by little and until a few years ago this problem was low on the agenda the problem is being pondered in many places. Less waste in the business world. This was down to a lack of insight means savings for companies and less uncertainty in and the feeling that there was no big problem. ‘Until it be- times when food prices sometimes fluctuate wildly. The came clear that in the Netherlands billions of euros’ worth government wants to reduce food waste by 20 percent by of food was being destroyed. Since then, sustainability 2015 as well. And perhaps consumers are beginning to see and efficient use of resources has become an important the problem. Whether they see it as the hundreds of euros theme.’ we throw away in the form of good food, the needless CO2 Driven by economic motives, industry is now increasin- emissions or the people who starve while we heedlessly gly paying attention to waste, Timmermans observes. discard food... An interesting thought for the next time a Throwing away food is inefficient and expensive. What is bruised apple is chucked in the bin.

RESOURCE — 26 January 2012 features << 15 NOW FOR A BANKING QUALIFICATION

He was not raring to move on; working at Wageningen When it comes to the crisis, at the moment all I can say is: UR was ‘extremely enjoyable’, he says. But in October, I read the paper – I know as much about it as you do.’ Ruud Huirne got a call from the Rabobank asking if he would be interested in the post of director of Food & Counting your student years, you have been at Wagenin- Agri. The start of a new phase in his career. gen UR for 25 years already. You’ve been involved in quite a few disciplines in that time. You have been director of His new job is highly relevant, says Huirne, currently still both the Animal Sciences Group and the Social Sciences director of the Social Sciences group. He will report direct- Group. But you have also led the nutrition researchers. ly to Piet Moerland, the big boss at Rabobank Nederland. Were there big differences between these fields? But the question for him beforehand was: is this the right ‘Those groups have far more in common that people job for me? ‘I am a business economist, I am interested in realize. They are all working on experiments, data collecti- the primary sector and in agribusiness, and I like working on and statistics, whether it’s for an animal experiment, a with a large international organization, somewhere I can nutrition experiment or a social survey. And people’s atti- go on developing myself. The content of the job suits me. tudes are similar too. Their motives are good and they are The local branches of the Rabobank make their own deci- fascinated by their subject. And everywhere you go, coope- sions on loans to farmers and horticulturalists. Above 5 to ration between groups is tricky. There are always barriers 7 million euros, my future department is drawn in to help and habitual island mentalities; this is something you of- decide whether the loan is justified. We also help assess ten find yourself having to talk to people about. Because tricky and international credit applications. And we carry cooperation often pays off.’ out sector studies in order to keep the local banks well-in- formed about the markets.’ Examples? ‘Johan van Arendonk saw opportunities to expand breed- That sounds nerve-racking, given the current financial ing research at the university and DLO jointly, through which crisis. his group has grown considerably. At the AFSG, Rene Wijf- ‘Up to now, agriculture and horticulture have been fels is a good example with his algae consortium – and there seen as relatively safe bets. But you give credit for 20 years again, you see a collaboration between the university, DLO and credit is becoming harder to come by, with banks and companies. It is harder in the social sciences, partly building in more buffers, as well as scrutinizing a compa- because the LEI has a primarily economic focus, and half ny’s risk profile more closely. We’ve had the EHEC bacte- of the university groups do not. To me, collaboration and Collaboration and rium, but we also have to deal with extreme weather and being outward-looking are important, but I have never im- being outward- with markets closing their borders because of animal or posed this on people. Using force doesn’t work; the drive looking are impor- plant diseases. As a bank you have to weigh up the factors has to come from people themselves, and success comes tant, but I have in this broader picture. My subject area as a professor was when people believe in what they are doing.’ never imposed all about calculating business-economic risks, so that’s a this on people. good fit. I do still have to get my banking qualification. The LEI is in financial difficulties now. ‘We saw that coming, because government funding is being reduced. So two years ago we appointed new people to bring in assignments from other parts of the market. They have not all been equally productive. We hope to ma- ke a switch, but the big question will be what we attract this year through the top sectors. One quarter of the LEI budget, which previously came from the ministry of EL&I, now has to come from the innovation contracts. Topic such as the economy, the market and competitiveness are mentioned in many of the contracts, but only at the end of March will we know whether this will be put into action. The ministry is going to have to make choices. I hope that they don’t put all the emphasis on technology.’ Huirne will not be gone completely from 1 February. He will continue to work on the Russia project as extraor- dinary professor. Does that have anything to do with his Russian wife? ‘No, I have been travelling to Russia since 1995; it’s more that she is a result of that. We are providing agricultural knowledge in order to help raise the producti- vity and quality of Russian agriculture. That network in Russia very much depends on me personally, and it is too

PHOTO: GUY ACKERMANS PHOTO: early to hand it over. Besides, the Rabobank is very intere- Ruud Huirne: ‘Everywhere you go, cooperation between groups is tricky’. sted in it too.’ Albert Sikkema

26 January 2012 — RESOURCE 16 >> picture

RESOURCE — 26 January 2012 picture << 17

ANGEL So that’s how to fly. Rarely has it been more stunningly revealed than in this film by Willem Hoebink and Sand- er van der Sar. They used the Flight Artists’ high-speed Phantom camera (see page 8) to transform a white dove into … well, an angel. No other word for it. You can see the whole film, shot at a speed of 1,500 frames per second, on Youtube (search for Willem Hoebink). It’s had more than 100,000 hits in two weeks. RK

26 January 2012 — RESOURCE 18 >> features

Three months of the open office NO TWO DAYS THE SAME

Working without a base of your own. This has been a reality for 120 staff at Facilities and Services in the new building, Actio, for three months now. Armed with a mobile phone and a laptop, they look for a suitable work station every morning anew. ‘If you find a good place you want to hold on to it. Especially on Monday.’ text: Alexandra Branderhorst / photos: Guy Ackermans & FB

RESOURCE — 2627 augustusJanuary 2012 2009 features << 19

Wii: ‘If you’re worn out you play for a quarter of an hour’. Videoconferencing in Actio.

he big eye catcher in the large reception area the lunch hour, a couple of colleagues and I have a game with the colourful lounge corner is the ‘verti- of bowls or tennis. And if you are completely worn out af- cal garden’, a green wall of plants. Behind ter a meeting, you play for quarter of an hour.’ At the ‘café the doors, which only open for the elect of table’ upstairs eight members of the purchasing depart- 120 Facilities and Services staff with a pass, ment are having coffee, tea or sandwiches. Eating is not al- it’s all a bit more run-of-the-mill. There are lowed at the work stations, but it is here. Senior purchaser groupsT of people working at the rows of white tables that Ben Kranenburg is happy with the new setup. Due to his stretch into the distance. The walls are white and empty, height, 2.05 metres, he is the only person in Actio who the carpet grey. You find yourself talking in hushed tones, does have a chair of his own. ‘We do sometimes wonder if as if you were in a library. Talking is allowed at the front of we are more productive now’, says Kranenburg. ‘But we the room but not at the back. are definitely more sociable’, adds a colleague. Although, The concept of the open office has been around for at she goes on, it is still difficult to give and take feedback least ten years, but because of the far-reaching changes about noise, such as people talking too loud. Another TIPS FOR A SOFT needed to make it work, it is only slowly catching on. The purchaser doesn’t like the rule that you can only leave your LANDING recently completed Actio building is the first to embody workstation for a maximum of one hour without having to the approach in Wageningen. The best-known feature of clear it. An hour is too short. ‘If you find a good place, you the open office is the fact that workers do not have a desk want to hold on to it. Especially on Mondays.’ of their own. But an equally important aspect is the divisi- 1. Budget for attractive, on of the space according to task type: concentrated work BARE good quality fittings and needs a different environment from that suited to a job re- In general the purchasers think the open office has impro- furniture. quiring open lines of communication. And this is what we ved the atmosphere. The sober furnishings do not detract 2. Prepare staff well for di- see at Actio. ‘You plan your day in advance. I work in three from that either. The department has asked permission to gitalization of documents blocks: concentrated, accessible, and in consultation’, display Christmas cards on the kitchen unit. This was allo- and make sure they know says the head of the real estate policy section Eise Ebbe- wed, but only for a week. Some, like environment expert how to adjust furniture er- link, who is sitting in a bright green ear-shaped chair in Monique Groen, think Actio is a bit too minimalist. She gonomically. the middle of the room. Further along are the focus rooms, used to have a collection of fluffy cows in her office. Now 3. Involve staff in choices, glass one-person cubicles in which people can work si- she just keeps one. ‘I miss that homely feeling.’ On the of appropriate office lently or make phone calls. ‘The number of emails going other hand, the open office is not as bad as she feared it chairs, for example. between colleagues has gone down, because you see each would be. ‘I like working on paper and I had to tidy up me- 4. Draw up regulations other more in the course of the day. But the biggest impro- tres of it. I prefer not to read permits on the screen. My wi- and train staff in giving vement is the facilities, like the meeting rooms with video shes have been listened too. So now there is a filing cabi- and accepting feedback, conferencing. I consult with colleagues in The Hague and net that we have access to, for instance.’ But most people so that they are able to Lelystad a lot. Now you’re really in contact, live’, says Eb- find the 80 to 100 cm of shelf space that everyone is alloca- tackle each other effecti- belink. ted enough. vely on any issues that ari- se. MORE SOCIABLE ONLY ONE SCREEN 5. Adapt the system as ne- The real novelties are the lounge corners, the quiet little li- Not all the staff are so enthusiastic. For ICT support staff cessary as you go along. brary and the Wii gaming computer upstairs. Controller member Ariën van Leusden, the new system is far from Paul Veenstra is one of the few Wii users. ‘If it’s raining in ideal. Van Leusden is working downstairs at a flexi-work

26 January 2012 — RESOURCE 20 >> features

Flexible work stations: ‘I do miss the homeliness’.

‘There are days station which people can occupy for short periods at any ged, says Peter Booman, director of Facilities and Services. time. Formerly he was used to working with two 24-inch Several solutions are in the pipeline. One of these is a plan when it is screens and several PCs. Now he has to make do with one to equip all desks with a screen and have dedicated com- already full laptop with a 15 inch screen. ‘Sometimes you are lucky puters for technical support by remote control. at 8.30’ and you find a place with a screen, but there are days when it is already full at 8.30. That is difficult, because we regu- NO HAIR-SPLITTING larly take over a computer by remote control. Then you set Other sticking points will be monitored too, by means of the virus scanner going while you do something else.’ If evaluations meetings and written surveys among the staff Van Leusden has to move from his desk to go and solve a in February and at the end of the year. ‘We have agreed in technical problem, he has to interrupt the scan. Another advance not to start splitting hairs about the concept it- issue is that his colleagues see him less. ‘Your day is bro- self, but to take people seriously’, says Booman. ‘About ken up, you’re out and about and you don’t see each other. four percent of the staff are having trouble adjusting and I do meet more people from other departments, mind miss their own place, for example, as well as their familiar you.’ roommate. But I am hopeful that we can help them The problems faced by the ICT group are acknowled- through it too.’ In the long run the entire IT department of 150 staff and possibly the library, with 90 staff, are due to go over to WORK STATIONS FOR 70 PERCENT the open office system. Booman: ‘We are the pilot. We ho- ‘Cutting costs was never Thursdays it went up to 71 times have to search a bit pe people in other departments will be inspired.’ the aim. We hired an inte- percent’. for a good place.’ Even Booman occasionally finds the new way of wor- rior designer and we inve- Part of the preparation for Heling himself thinks it is king a nuisance. ‘I stagger from one meeting to the other sted in good office chairs, the new office was an acti- a lovely work environ- and I constantly have to look for another work station. nice-looking furniture and vity analysis. Every hour, ment. ‘People can find me There are days when I don’t even get my laptop out of the good audiovisual equip- someone checked the oc- more easily and they stop locker.’ Booman would not want a room of his own, howe- ment’, says Rolf Heling, cupancy rate as well as me to talk to me much ver. ‘It’s a good feeling when I walk around here and see Actio office manager. what kind of work people more. Because you can people working together. I really want to be part of the cre- ‘The average occupation were busy with – phoning, solve things informally in ativity and dynamism. You can feel the energy.’ rate on the work floor in meeting or typing. the corridor, you spend At five in the afternoon Actio empties out fast. The odd our old building was 47 ‘Now we have spaces for less time in formal mee- worker is still there when the cleaner gets started. ‘It ma- percent. On peak days 70 percent of the staff. If tings and on emails.’ kes quite a difference to us’, she says. ‘Normally you have such as Tuesdays and everybody is in, you some- to work around people’s stuff. Here they keep it nice and tidy.’

RESOURCE — 26 January 2012 features << 21 ‘QUALITY OF CATERING MUST IMPROVE’

Keeping the customer satisfied: this is the main task for whichever caterer takes over the running of Wageningen UR canteens from the STUDENTS next academic year. In exchange for satisfied students and staff, There are 7,600 students Wageningen UR will slash the rent. in Wageningen, 3,200 in Leeuwarden and 1,400 in Velp. Their spending The contract with the current caterer, Albron, runs up un- the air: the caterers in the Forum and the Leeuwenborch patterns vary with the til July 2012. Students and staff give the catering a rating of will be free to decide for themselves whether they provide time of the month. 5.4 out of 10, against a national average of 6.1 for universi- hot meals. Such a service would have to be cost-covering. A 60% bring lunch from ty canteens. Nor have staff and students held back over the low-cost basic range of foods will be retained and will in- home past year in giving voice to their dissatisfaction with the clude soup, bread and spreads, fruit and milk or butter- 2% patronize the canteens, especially in the Leeuwenborch. There, they milk. This is only in doubt at VHL Leeuwarden, where stu- canteen daily held ‘Eat-ins’ to show the kinds of meals they want: hot, dents prefer more deluxe bread rolls or a cheap snack. > 50% patronize it less international and sustainable. The new tender provides than once a week an opportunity to go for this. Together with student and CHINESE 25% sometimes buy so- staff representatives, Facilities and Services have now The tender covers the Forum, small outlets on the cam- mething to supplement drawn up a vision of the future of the Wageningen UR pus, and all the sites outside Wageningen, including VHL, their lunch canteens. There is a big emphasis on sustainable, healthy the LEI, Lelystad and Imares. Only the Leeuwenborch is 6% sometimes buy a hot and accessible catering that is good value for money and lunch meets the customers’ wishes. At VHL Leeuwarden students STAFF prefer more deluxe bread rolls At the LEI, PPO and VHL, RENT-FREE 50% patronize the Currently Albron leases the space they use, and the costs or a cheap snack canteen on a daily basis. are high in proportion to the turnover. Of the students, 60 In Wageningen (Head percent bring their own lunch, and customers spend an to have its own local caterer. When the new building Office, Leeuwenborch, average of 2.11 euros at the canteen. This leaves Albron ve- Orion is ready next year, providers will be sought for a stu- Zodiac, Gaia/Lumen), ry little leeway for catering flexibly to the student popula- dent café and a large lunch facility. In the run-up to this, 10-42% use the canteen tion’s diverse needs. In response to this, Wageningen UR Facilities and Services have looked into whether several daily is dropping the rent for all the canteens in Wageningen, local businesses would like to run outlets on campus. 51% sometimes buy so- Leeuwarden and Velp. With the proviso that the caterer There was little interest in this in Wageningen, however: mething to supplement should be enterprising and keep its customers satisfied the clientele is too small and spend too little. The ex- their lunch (with a minimal score of 6.1). Otherwise, the caterer will ception is the Chinese restaurateur who serves food in the 15% sometimes buy a be fined. Forum and is interested in collaborating with the main hot lunch The future of the hot meals introduced last year is up in caterer. Nicolette Meerstadt

The best-seller: soup (55%) Runner up: freshly filled rolls (32%) In third place: hot snacks (30%)

26 January 2012 — RESOURCE 22 >> IMO CAP ON RECRUITMENT for fun degrees

A cap on recruitment should be enforced for degree programmes for which the job prospects are poor. So say the chairs of the top teams established so that universities, government and companies can work together to make the new innovation policy a reality on the ground. Priority should be given to technical programmes, they say in a letter to the minister. Good idea? text: Suzanne Overbeek, Albert Sikkema, Agnes Tol / illustration: Kito

Bart Gremmen cruitment seems to me a crude ap- Professor of Ethics in the Life Sciences proach. The labour market is chan- ‘Yes, there are too few science stu- ging. After the fireworks disaster in dents and we are going to need them Enschede there was suddenly a lot of in the economy of the future. And demand for environmentalists, and yes, something needs to be done. the demand for teachers goes up and There are currently more Chinese down like a yoyo. I do think that you students doing science degrees than can influence students’ choices by giving them an idea of there are science jobs in the whole the employment prospects. But the choice is up to the stu- world. If the Netherlands wants to continue being a world dents themselves, I think. They have to decide whether a player, it will have to invest in technical students. But a degree course is right for them.’ cap on recruitment to other degree programmes won’t solve it; it won’t generate any more interest in the scien- Maartje van der Knaap ces. If you want to stimulate interest in technical subjects, First year International Development Studies you need good, enthusiastic teachers for maths, physics ‘By limiting students numbers on and chemistry at secondary school. Besides, the top certain degree courses you increase teams are forgetting about strengthening the ‘Wagenin- the chances of people making the gen method’: the integration of the natural and the social wrong choices. More students will go sciences at the universities.’ for their ‘second choice’, which will increase the dropout rate and the Anne Goudzwaard numbers of students switching First year International Development Studies course after one year. If you give people freedom of choice, ‘I don’t agree with a cap on recruit- market forces will take care of the balance in the end.’ ment. You’d be better off making su- re there is good information about Pascal ten Have career prospects for people choosing Chair, LSVb what to study. Even if you know that ‘Disagree. Most students don’t get you might not be able to find a job, jobs that completely match their de- you might still decide to go for it. It gree subject anyway. We are living in would be a shame to restrict people, and you might end up a dynamic society. Subjects which missing out on some good anthropologists.’ are ‘out’ could suddenly become im- portant again. Take Islamic Studies. Bert Camphuis After 9-11, there was suddenly much Employment agent with Agrojobs in Velp more demand for Islam experts. It is self-regulating. I feel ‘At the moment there is a lot of demand from technical students have the right to their own future. It’s better to sectors such as civil engineering, agribusiness and nutri- leave that choice to students than to a bureaucrat in The tion. The demand for nature managers and tropical fore- Hague. We are saying this to the top teams too. We have re- sters is small, and it will stay that way for a while. But I gular consultations with the ministry and the employers’ think it is up to the students themselves, and a cap on re- organization about the top sector policy.’

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Simone Herrewijn Fifth year Biology ‘I think a cap on recruitment is non- sense. It’s not particularly construc- tive, the way a course like sport ma- nagement gets chosen by any lad who doesn’t know what he wants to do, I do realize that. But if you limit recruitment you should first make sure there is a better selection method in place so that not all the places go to unmotivated people. Interviews, for example. Promoting technical degrees is pointless. You just attract people who don’t really want to do it and you get more dropouts.’ Bastiaan Meerburg Rodent researcher and on the Gelderland Provincial Council ‘A superfluous measure. If students see that there is little market for a de- gree, they’ll do something else. What I think matters is people’s motives. If students want to achieve something, then their motivation and career per- spectives are the decisive factors.’ Evangelos Kouklas First year Plant Biotechnology (from Greece) ences, and we only have 30. So we need to profile the pro- If you like a degree course, you gramme much better among High School students. That should be able to do it. But the num- strikes me as a better approach than curbing recruitment ber of places on the course should be to other degrees. If too many students opt for Communi- in proportion to the number of jobs: cation Science, you should encourage them to do some- somewhere in between supply and thing else instead. The minister can support that with pro- demand. Also, the degree program- motion funding for science degrees.’ me should be capable of responding flexibly to new developments on the job market. The uni- Dorine Kea versity should provide regular employment forecasts as a Fifth year Integrate Water Management service to the students.’ ‘Everyone should get the opportunity to study what they are interested in. Ernst van den Ende If there is little prospect of a job at Director Plant Sciences Group and member of the the end of it, you should perhaps be Horticulture and propagation materials top team made aware of that beforehand, but ‘I haven’t seen the letter from the top you should still be able to choose for team chairs and we haven’t dis- yourself. More information about cussed this either. From the horticul- job prospects would be a good idea. It would give students ture sector’s point of view, I can say: a better idea of the labour market too. A big problem with more money is needed for science technical courses is that they seem dull, and people often programmes, because we are delive- think the only thing you can do with them is to go into re- ring too few students. The plant search. Information about specific jobs might make them breeding sector wants 80 graduates a year from Plant Sci- more appealing.’

26 January 2012 — RESOURCE 24 >> student HOW STUDENTS

Moving into student accommodation may well be the most defining experi- ence in student life. Everyone does it. Everywhere. This emerges from Henny Boogert’s photo exhibition portraying student rooms all around the world. text: Linda van der Nat / photos: Henny Boogert

Five people crammed into a hut, a therlands. What came out is a ted to help. And there I was then, a difficult. ‘But I felt I should do so- prehistoric laptop, and barely beautiful series of photos clearly rich westerner with a bagful of fla- mething to make them less anony- enough money to cover the rent. showing how differently students shes, tripods and electronic equip- mous. I wanted to draw attention For his photo series, photographer live in different parts of the world. ment, spending hours making por- to them.’ Henny Boogert travelled to coun- Boogert got hold of the students traits of a student who has to share tries where higher education is not on the street, on campus or via a room four square metres in size WAGENINGEN FLAT such a matter of course, nor as friends. ‘Once I showed them pho- with four others.’ Boogert admits Boogert started his search in the widely affordable as it is in the Ne- tos from my book they usually wan- he sometimes found the situation Netherlands, and took photo-

Hasse Cox (21), Wageningen, Nederland. Master’s student of Management, Abigail Mangahas Alidon (17), left, with roommates in Manilla, The Philip- Economics & Consumer studies. pines. Student of English.

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Nelson Ayala (30) in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Student LIVE of Dentistry.

graphs in one of Wageningen’s university town in the coming student residences, among other months. locations. Then he travelled to Boogert hopes that his exhibi- Kenya, Moldavia, the Philippines, tion can serve as an eye-opener Bolivia, Cuba, India and Russia. for students and organizations. ‘I ‘What struck me most was the would like to see Dutch students way all the students I met and tal- becoming aware of their fellow ked to are determined to make students on the other side of the something of their lives. Not just world.’ for themselves, but also for their families, who have often had to Between 26 January and 26 Febru- scrape the money together to ary, Op Kamers (In Digs) can be enable their child to study’, says seen at the Melkweg gallery in Am- the Amsterdam-based photo- sterdam. The exhibition will then grapher, who will be taking his move on to other venues including exhibition around a number of Utrecht and Groningen.

Carmen Luz (19), Santa Clara, Cuba. Student of Biology. Victor Njoroge (21) in Mathare Valley slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Student of Mass Communications and Photography.

26 January 2012 — RESOURCE 26 >> student

GOOD NIGHT DIZZYING The perfect excuse for taking a nap: it’s all for the sake of science! A nati- Every second an average of 60 minutes of video is uploaded to YouTube, onal sleep study was launched this week at the initiative of Dutch broad- reports New Scientist. To give a sense of what these figures mean, this casting corporation VPRO and others. The aim: to improve our sleep. Too huge video-sharing website has made an amusing short film: www.one- many people have broken nights and over time this causes problems for hourpersecond.com. Just one example: in the time it takes you to watch everyone. You surely know some sufferers. So act: www.slaapregister.nl. 1.5 seconds of uploads, Andre Kuipers, the Dutch astronaut now in space, For a better world. circles the earth. A dizzying thought.

Exotic and cheap Laura Espinova

IxESN’s International Kitchen has cipe lies in ‘Aji Amarillo’, a little they really come for is the culinary been going ten years now, and Peruvian pepper brought back and cultural experience. ‘I like to has become a popular monthly from Peru specially for the occasi- be surprised by new tastes’, says event. The secret: it combines on by one of the cooks. Apart from one of them. ‘The cooks give a pre- cuisine with culture, and it’s this they had to do some improvi- sentation about their country, and cheap. On 12 January, ten Peruvian sing with the ingredients, Myluska that makes the dinners extra-spe- students led by Laura Espinova explains. Besides, she says, you ha- cial’, says another. kicked off the 2012 season. ve to adjust the dishes to western The presentation surprises so- tastes: not too sharp or exotic. me with the information that Peru

The Peruvians have tackled it pro- IRENE BOERS PHOTO: is known for its haute cuisine. Li- fessionally and turned the KSV CULTURAL EXPERIENCE zeth from neighbouring Bolivia clubhouse into a chic restaurant, The international evenings are ex- 160 hopefuls. There are a few bio- knew that already, but she came all decked out for a three course tremely popular. If you want to join technologists among the lucky on- this evening to get a little taste of dinner. Colourful balls of ‘tricolo- you have to book in good time, be- es tonight. For them the Internati- home. Who is cooking for the next re’ mashed potato are arrayed on cause there is only space for 100 di- onal Kitchens are more than just a International Kitchen? That is still shiny dishes. The secret of this re- ners. This time there were at least cheap night out with friends. What a surprise. Irene Boers FOR & AGAINST Proposition: When student rooms are in short supply, Dutch students should have priority over international students PHOTOS: BART DE GOUW PHOTOS:

MARLIES: It is bad enough not having a room when you are a JILLIS: The university spends money and effort helping foreign students to Dutch student, but for foreign student it is almost impossible to get a room here. Among other things, the university reserves rooms with Ide- study here if you don’t have accommodation. The problem is not alis, and it rents space at hotels and campsites. I find it very strange that this just that foreign students don’t have the option of travelling back happens at the expense of accommodation for Dutch students. The Dutch and forth. It is also much harder for them to look for a room government is keen for Dutch young people to go and study yet a semi- in advance as they tend to arrive here only a short time before public institution like the university is hiving off rooms in order to help yet their courses start. And they know few if any people here, which more foreign students. makes finding a room a lot more difficult. In short, leaving them Aren’t we already the most international university in the Netherlands? Why to sort it out for themselves is just not an option. Incidentally, spend our taxes on yet another 100 foreign students who thank us kindly for none of this diminishes the fact that more rooms are needed for the knowledge transfer and then head off back abroad? Meanwhile Dutch Dutch students and that attention should certainly be paid to students are travelling four hours a day, making public transport even more that issue. crowded. This is just pumping tax money round the system in an inefficient JILLIS RESPONDS: How does Wageningen benefit by having yet and counterproductive way. Let’s stop it! more foreign students? Wageningen and the Netherlands have MARLIES RESPONDS: Most of the temporary accommodation for foreign stu- more to gain from Dutch science graduates. As you yourself said, dents wouldn’t exist without them, so the idea that foreign students are pin- these days it is difficult for Dutch students to find accommodati- ching rooms is nonsense. If there were simply more rooms, these tempora- on here. So it is high time that Dutch students were given priority ry solutions – and thus the money for them – would not be necessary. And when it comes to allocating rooms. this requires better communication between Wageningen UR and Idealis about expected student numbers.

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CRAFTY CHAUFFEURS Recession. People are cutting back. Even if they don’t need to. Scientists Imagine Martin Kropff, our own Rector Magnificus, offering students a lift have discovered why even rich people are reining in (drum roll). When to the campus. At Ghent University, this is going to happen. On Monday times are hard, everyone spends less on non-essentials, such as long students will be able to arrive in time for their exams by hitching a ride trips, equipment and jewellery. This pulls down the average. Which with the rector or the vice-rector. In Flanders, strikes against government means that the super-rich can buy less stuff and STILL BE THE TOP DOGS. cutbacks are planned for Monday and public transport will be affected. Smart. Shame for the economy, though. Right in the middle of the exam period. Anyone not wishing to travel with the rector can sleep on campus. PHOTO: GUY ACKERMANS PHOTO: TEAM OF THE YEAR . Karlijn van der Linden in action against the Klein Zwitserland team on Saturday. The hockey player and her WMHC team won the title Sports team of the year 2011 last week. The Ladies first eleven were promoted last season in both the indoor and the outdoor competiti- ons, to the highest and second highest division respectively. They won the Arnhem match 3-1. An important victory, says Karlijn. ‘At the moment we are fifth out of six teams, and Klein Zwitserland are fourth.’ In order to avoid play-outs and possible demotion, WMHC needs to win next weekend again. ‘And we’re playing against Klein Zwitserland again then. So it will be an exciting match.’ LvdN

OSIRIS ʔ SONNEMA

So will VHL Leeuwarden students all be knocking back giving away a raffle ticket with every shot of Beren- Sonnema Berenburg now? burg. If we sell more Sonnema this year than last year, ‘Quite a lot of Berenburg is drunk here already. We get they’re prepared to do more for us. For example, we through about 300 bottles a year. To put that in per- could get a discount on the drink we buy from them. spective: it’s about the same for wine. Other spirits go In exchange for that, we won’t sell any other brands of Who? Lucas Oud at the rate of about 75 bottles a year. Sonnema started Berenburg. Not a problem , as we’ve never done so What? Catering officer at Osiris, active sponsoring of student societies a year ago, so anyway.’ the student society when I got in touch with them they were immediately at VHL Leeuwarden keen. Something could be arranged, they said.’ Berenburg us an old man’s drink isn’t it? Why? Signed a sponsorship ‘Not at all, everyone drinks it here. Mainly the guys agreement contract with What do you get from Sonnema? though, and mixed with coke. They’ll drink beer all schnapps manufacturer ‘We get 450 euros to spend on merchandise. Caps, evening. Then before they leave, they’ll say, ‘Just one Sonnema Berenburg scarves, posters, that sort of thing. We raffle them by Beco for the road.’ LvdN

26 January 2012 — RESOURCE 28 >> student

>> CULT An Amsterdam brag book What? ‘Niemand in de stad’, a novel about I started this book wondering how my Wageningen student life would com- student life in Amster- pare with that of a real city like Amsterdam? The main character Philip Hof- dam, by Philip Huff . man lives in a student house on one of the Amsterdam canals. The writer Where? Available at knows how to bring him to life. I can feel his love for his girlfriend Elisabeth. most bookshops for I can see the dust on the skirting boards of the creaking staircase in the stu- €19.90 dent house. I can hear his housemates, and the sex scenes are vivid and rea- Tip from Stijn van Gils, listic too. student of Forest and It’s clever, alright. Only it just doesn’t click between me and the main charac- Nature Management ter. The last book I read succeeded in getting me to sympathise with a murde- rer, whereas what happens to Philip does not interest me in the least. And yet the story is autobiographical, at least in part: writer and protagonist are both called Philip and both studied history in Amsterdam. Yet reading about his student life just leaves me feeling disillusioned. Is this the wonderful cultural life of the big city? Getting drunk and sleeping around. ‘Quite right’, I think when his girlfriend chucks him after he confesses that he’s been having an affair for months. But it has made me appreciate Wageningen even more. You can trust your friends here, and they’re not afraid to tell you if you go too far.

>> THE WORKS

TRAINING HORSES IN TEXAS

Who? Annika Seefeld, BSc Animal and Livestock Science, VHL What? Training and looking after horses, organizing summer camps Where? Waxahachie, Texas, VS Why? Texas is the best place to work with horses. It feels just like the Wild West

‘I did my internship at the 4Cs stables in Waxahachie, a suburb of Dal- las, one of the biggest cities in Texas. The company stables the horses, feeds and looks after them and keeps an eye on their medical needs. It also runs summer camps, training sessions and seminars. No two days were the same. Of course there were some daily duties, such as muck- degrees Celsius. I was sweating all the time. ing out and feeding in the mornings. But after that I had all sorts of ‘What struck me about the people I met was that they never seemed to jobs to do. Sometimes I helped out with the summer camps and riding have their own opinion. You could tell them anything you liked, and lessons. And the next day I might be taking care of injured horses. they wouldn’t question anything you said. The Texans say they treat eve- ‘The best bit was getting the chance to take part in rodeos. You had to ryone the same, but I didn’t notice that at all. They are very narrow-min- gallop in teams around a couple of barrels as fast as possible, sticking ded in fact. I heard all sorts of racist and homophobic remarks. I guess to a clover leaf formation all the time. That was really cool! they can’t all be racists; I think they just don’t think about what they are ‘The cultural differences between Texas and Germany, where I come saying. from, were enormous. In Texas they eat incredible amounts of fast food ‘When I came back from my internship I really wanted to go back again. and sweets. Stacey, the owner of the stables, hated cooking, so we ate In the end, I did go, but it was a disappointment. There were too many out every evening. Always fast food. The weather is very different too. things that got on my nerves. It is not a place where I could live all my It’s very hot and humid in Texas. The temperature was often about 38 life.’ EH

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in memoriam tribute his experience as first aid instructor. You could always rely on Jan for some idle chitchat or for a sympa- thetic ear, and this was always combined with a hot cup of coffee and a bit of banter. On the odd oc- casion that things didn’t go to plan, he would get over it quickly by looking forward to a day’s work PAN << in the orchards of the Betuwe Bon- gerd district. Jan and Nematology were inseparably linked. He had a Jan van Bezooijen big heart, open to everyone. A Midnight at De Bongerd Jan van Bezooien passed away on wonderful people person has left Tuesday 17 January at the age of us. Our thoughts are with Aaltje, In summer there was a hit movie called Midnight in Paris. 70. A remarkable man has left us. his children and all who loved him; Adventure at midnight is romantic but not novel to people We at the Nematology chair group we wish them strength and conso- anymore. However, did you ever play sports around mid- are saddened by the loss of a dear- lation in dealing with this great night, especially an intensive one? I did. After playing knots- ly valued colleague and a warm loss. bal, aka tampon-hockey, at de Bongerd at the 17th of janu- person. Having started as a techni- Jan Kammenga, on behalf of the Ne- ary, I proudly added one more tick to my bucket list. cal assistant in 1960, throughout matology chair group an entire career in the Nematology My friend Nico invited me as a Jack at a pinch for his knots- chair group, Jan was passionately bal team since they had a shortage of hands. I’d first like to devoted to Nematology education tell you what knotsbal is exactly. It’s a stupid game at first and research. Over the years he glance: imagine you were playing indoor hockey, but not by did scientific research of his own, a normal stick but a club with a fluffy foam head. And the always looking for ways to apply ball is a small orange-like plastic object. Armed with respec- knowledge practically. His excepti- tive team uniforms, it really looks like eight idiots, mixing onal capacity to pass on know- boys and girls, running and wielding an XXXXL-size tampon ledge and skills ensured him a pro- swab on court. It’s a bit brainless for you as an audience, but minent role in Nematology over trust me, you will get obsessed when you play. Here is my many years, both in the Nether- match log: lands and beyond. It was partly Pushpalatha Sivasubramanian these extraordinary achievements Last week we received the shoc- The game kicked off at around 23.35, which was my first that won him membership of the king news that our PhD student time play a sport at such a late hour. Order of Oranje Nassau, bestowed Pushpalatha Sivasubramanian in 2001. from Pondicherry, India passed After less than a minute, an opponent intended to hit a vol- It was typical of Jan that since he away. Pushpalatha joined our re- ley but in fact made the white cap eject from his stick. I retired in 2001, he continued with search programme on the System cracked up and applauded for his entertaining perform- undiminished enthusiasm to give of Rice Intensification (SRI) in May ance. courses in his field both at home 2010. She was a highly dedicated and abroad. In the 50 years that researcher and extension professi- I was the first to open the score but at a cost of a hole at the he was part of the chair group, he onal with a clear fascination for right-knee area of my pants. imparted his enthusiasm for the her research topic. Her aim was to miniature world of microscopic critically examine to what extent I won my fourth goal to equalize the game to a 5:5 match in worms to hundreds of students, and how SRI had spread among the 25th minute. many of them international. At one rice farmers. Coming back into the of the last conferences Jan atten- academic world as a mid-career They stole a last-minute goal to take home the victory with a ded in South Africa, he could note practitioner was a major challenge score of 6:5. with satisfaction that he had for Pushpa to undertake, one that taught the vast majority of the par- she approached calmly and with It’s pathetic that we lost in this way, but we showed a good ticipants at some point. These peo- growing enthusiasm and assu- team spirit. Hopefully a victory is just around the corner. But ple will undoubtedly remember Jan rance. In the past few months her personally I don’t suggest you do fierce activity the way I did: as the knowledgeable and inspi- research gained momentum when I failed to fall asleep until 2.30 a.m. and suffered a dizzy feel- ring teacher with a nematode hook she discovered documents poin- ing in the next morning. Therefore I won’t be such a sporty propped behind his ear. That was ting to important historical antece- night owl anymore. But if you want to give it a try, no prob- Jan all over, busy with students dents to the introduction of SRI. lem, send me an email and I will call Nico to count you in and always ready to help. Besides She was excited to see things fall their next midnight game. Pan Deli these activities, Jan was actively in perspective and therewith sub- involved in the in-house emergen- stantiate her thesis . Out of clear cy service, to which he could con- blue skies, on the 14th of January

26 januari 2012 — RESOURCE 30 >> service

we were informed that Pushpa had entertainment by Marc Constand- te secretary for Economic Aff airs, around again! Filmhouse Movie W suff ered a severe asthma attack se. Admission free. Agriculture and Innovation and Ca- at Lawicks Allee 13 is screening 19 followed by a stroke while retur- WWW.BBLTHK.NL. rolyn Steel, architect and author of fi lms and documentaries, yummy ning from a visit to the library of Hungry City. Chair: Felix Rotten- snacks, drinks and more. Film in- Tamilnadu Agricultural University Friday 27 January 12.30 berg. Free snacks by top chef Eric clude the children’s fi lm The Fan- in Coimbatore. After fi ve days in INCREASING YIELDS van Veluwen. On 14 February: tastic Mister Fox in English and intensive care, on the 18th of Janu- A lecture for members of the Plant ‘Food in Africa: dramas and oppor- Dutch (kids under 8 go free), the ary, she passed away. As we strug- breeding Study Group on the sub- tunities’ with speakers including dance documentary Pina (2D), Ou- gle to overcome our disbelief and ject of: Cross-breeding crops to in- Africa expert Eric Smaling and Ma- wehoeren, 900 days, Black Swan shock, we remember Pushpa as a crease yields. Speakers; Peer Wil- delon Meijer of Oxfam Novib. and a very special silent German warm, gentle and socially commit- der (KWS LOCHOW GMBH, Bergen, WWW.RODEHOED.NL - WWW.CLM.NL classic with live musical accompa- ted person whom we will miss tre- Duitsland) and Fred van Eeuwijk niment by Kevin Toma (entrance mendously. Our thoughts are with (WUR-Biometrics). Venue: Hotel de 8 February, 19.00 €10). her husband Siva and her son Su- Nieuwe Wereld, Marijkeweg 5, Wa- HIKE FOR MORE INFO: WWW.MOVIE-W.NL rya, as well as with the rest of her geningen. Language: English. Ad- SHOUT organizes a hike every 2nd TICKETS: 0317-484809 [email protected] family and her many colleagues mission free to study group mem- Wednesday of the month in Wagen- and friends in the Indian NGO bers. Interested but not a member? ingen and the surroundings. We community. Contact Prof. Richard G.F. Visser. gather at 19.00 hrs. at the Wilde Cees Leeuwis, Harro Maat, Dominic TEL 0317-482857, [email protected] Wereld for a hike. Afterwards there Glover, Ezra Berkhout, Rob Schipper, is an opportunity to have a drink Erwin Bulte, Paul Richards, CITE Saturday 28 January, 20.00 in a pub. drukken | vormgeving section and WOTRO research team CONCERT PENT’AMUSE WWW.SHOUTWAGENINGEN.NL This Saturday, wind quintet Pent’a- voorlichting | offerte announcements muse (with four WUR members: Weekend of 10, 11 and 12 February two staff , a prof and a PhD resear- FILMFESTIVAL MOVIEWEEKEND proefschriften.nl Announcements for and by stu- cher) will play The Orient Express, The only true Wageningen Film dents and staff . Send no more than a musical trip from Paris to Istan- Festival! MovieWeekend is coming 75 words to [email protected], with bul. Venue: Ontmoetingskerk, Em- ‘Announcement’ as subject, on the malaan 1 in Bennekom. Thursday before publication. WWW.PENTAMUSE.NL

Young KLV training - Speed reading Sunday 29 January, 15.30 Competition Last years training about Speed CONCERT THE SHAGGY DOGS reading, given by René Hogenes, For people who just can’t get The best piece of journalism was a big success! KLV is proud to enough live blues music, there is announce that also in 2012, it will an extra concert by The Shaggy be possible to sign up for this trai- Dogs on Sunday 29 at Bluesclub ning. This training is particularly XXL in Café XL in Wageningen (en- useful for new students and for trance 4 euros). Write a personal column everybody who wants to read fas- WWW.BLUESCLUB-XXL.COM or a convincing essay about the tension ter, concentrate better and learn between science and society. faster. Basically, you will learn to Saturday 4 February, 22.00 hrs. study faster, better and more easi- FUNNY VALENTINE PARTY ly! Date: 8 February, 19.00 - 22.00 It’s almost Valentine’s day and Extra prize: hrs. Venue: Forum, room 222 SHOUT gives a lovely Funny Valen- The Golden Troll WWW.KLV.NL tine Party February 4! Not only lovebirds, but also Bachelor(ette)s For the sharpest agenda are welcome. Maybe you will fi nd reaction on your own Funny Valentine... The resource.wur.nl Thursday 26 January 20.00 doors of the Wilde Wereld, Burgt- WAGENINGEN CITY POET? straat 1, Wageningen open at During National Poetry Day, con- 10pm and entrance is free. testants for the title of Wagenin- WWW.SHOUTWAGENINGEN.NL gen City Poet will battle it out in Prizes the library. The winner will hold Tuesday 7 February, 20.00 two times the title for three years and it co- THE CITY IS HUNGRY AND THE € 250,00 mes with certain offi cial duties. COUNTRYSIDE IS BEING Participants will read a poem DESERTED about a current event in the city, In the debate series ‘The global si- as well as other poems from their tuation explained in terms of food’ oeuvre. A committee will decide in the Rode Hoed in Amsterdam, See www.resource.wur.nl for who will be the city’s poet. Musical speakers include Henk Bleker, sta- deadlines, rules and the jury members

RESOURCE — 26 januari 2012 service << 31

Wageningen UR zoekt: HBO onderzoeker proceskunde - pilot scale algenkweek AFSG BU BBP DLO Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen Vacaturenummer: AFSG-BBP-0006 Physics of complexity and foods (Tenure Track) AFSG Fysica en Fysische chemie levensmiddelen ATV, Wageningen Vacaturenummer: AFSG-FPH-0001 Promovendus kankerepidemiologie AFSG Humane Voeding ATV, Wageningen Vacaturenummer: AFSG-HNE-0027 Post-doc within the EU-ITN project LeanGreenFood AFSG Levensmiddelenchemie ATV, Wageningen Vacaturenummer: AFSG-FCH-0015 PhD Developing a zebrafish model for trypanosome infections ASG DW, CBI, celbiologie en imm., Wageningen Vacaturenummer: ASG-DW-CBI0001 Administratief medewerker WIMEK ESG Centrum Water en Klimaat, Wageningen Vacaturenummer: ESG CWK-0170 PhD Opleidingscoordinator WIMEK/SENSE ESG Centrum Water en Klimaat, Wageningen Vacaturenummer: ESG CWK-0171 Ontwerp en bouw Business Objects Specialist FB IT Information Systems, Wageningen je eigen duurzame woning Vacaturenummer: FB-0020

Digitally signed by Irma Bannenberg Irma Bannenberg DN: cn=Irma Bannenberg, o=CO3, ou, [email protected], c=NL Pedel Date: 2012.01.03 09:58:12 +01'00' FB Facilities Support Pool, Wageningen Vacaturenummer: FB-0002-11 Fisheries data & statistics expert OPROEP IMARES Afdeling Visserij, IJmuiden Vacaturenummer: 0007-6 nominaties Onderzoeksprijs 2012 z Twee onderzoekers (postdocs) opzetten monitoringsnetwerk Het Wageningen Universiteits Fonds (WUF) reikt eenmaal per vier jaar de Waddenzee Onderzoeksprijs uit. Deze wordt uitgeloofd aan een onderzoeker van Wageningen UR IMARES Afdeling Ecosystemen, Den Helder die in de periode 2008-2011 een uitmuntende wetenschappelijke publicatie heeft Vacaturenummer: 0016-2 geschreven. De uitreiking vindt plaats tijdens de Dies Natalis op 9 maart a.s. Technical Assistant Entomology/Zoology De winnaar ontvangt onder andere een geldbedrag van € 2.500. PSG PW Lab. voor Entomologie, Wageningen Vacaturenummer: PSG-ENTO-0028 Voordrachten kunnen uiterlijk 10 februari ingediend worden. Algemeen Directeur Social Sciences Group Richtlijnen en criteria: www.wuf.wur.nl SSG MW Directie, Wageningen Vacaturenummer: SSG-MW-DIR-0001 Rural Development Specialist with an interest in Conflict, Disaster & Reconstruction SSG CDI, Wageningen Vacaturenummer: SSG-CDI-0012 Vakdidacticus / lerarenopleider voor de educatieve minor SSG MW Educatie en Competentie Studies, Wageningen Vacaturenummer: SSG-ECS-0009 Ervaren HR-adviseur SSG LEI afdeling HRM, Den Haag Vacaturenummer: SSG-LEI-HRM-0000

26 januari 2012 — RESOURCE >>TYPICAL DUTCH ILLUSTRATIE: HENK VAN RUITENBEEK HENK VAN ILLUSTRATIE:

Ruled by Rules Many Dutch people seem to think that they are easygoing when it comes to rules. But if you ask me, Dutch people follow rules strictly – unlike in my city, Mumbai, in India.

Here, traffic signals and signs are respected. If there is a ‘no smoking’ sign, normally nobody smokes in that area. If there is a sign saying ‘no dogs allowed’, then there are no dogs. In fact, I was surprised to see that the Dutch carry dog poop pick-up bags for their pets and dispose of the poop in garbage bins with a dog sign on them. Once on a rainy night, I was biking home from Ede railway station. As I was approaching a crossroads, I saw two cyclists patiently waiting at the traffic lights. I thought it was hilarious to wait in the middle of the night when the roads were completely empty. Howev- er, looking at these two Dutch cyclists, I was trapped in guilt and forced to wait a full two minutes till the traffic light changed to green. We exchanged smiles and proudly crossed the road. This is The Dutch not so typical Dutch. OK, many Dutch might occasionally rebel and exceed the speed limit, but they will certainly stick to the limit when there is a traffic camera! rule-bound? To queue is also so typical of the Netherlands. Here, the roads are wide enough to fit four Watch them cars yet drivers maintain queues by nicely keeping a distance between two vehicles. Almost all the pass a cars on the road drive between the white lines. Yet traffic jams are inevitable. The main difference speed camera is that a traffic jam in an Indian city looks like a maze while in the Netherlands it is so very organized! I cannot imagine queuing for a bus, train or tram in an Indian city, either. So to me, abiding by the rules is amazingly and so typically Dutch. Purabi Bose, a PhD researcher at the School of Social Sciences, from India

Do you have a nice anecdote about your experience of going Dutch? Send it in! Describe an encounter with Dutch culture in detail and comment on it briefly. 300 words max. Send it to [email protected] and earn fifty euro and Dutch candy.