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IllusterNov 2018 SUSTAINABILITY The Green Model Illuster has a new format! FOREWORD Imagination Contents ustainability is perhaps the greatest social challenge of this century. While most people in wealthier 22 28 countries are aware of the need for sustainability, this ‘need’ is less ‘The transition S effective as a motivator than The Green ‘potential’ or ‘drive’. ‘Potential’ is about identifying pathways that can lead us to a more sustainable to sustainability world. UU alumnus and Utrecht climate scientist Model Detlef van Vuuren recently published a model study 18 is fraught presenting alternative scenarios that would limit How scientific research global warming to 2 degrees or less. Read more about helps us understand global with risks.’ his research further on in this edition. Batteries climate scenarios. ‘Drive’, on the other hand, assumes we have the ability to imagine a more attractive, sustainable on wheels future. Our imaginations are most active when collaborating across institutional and disciplinary Research on energy storage boundaries. This is precisely our approach in supported by the Utrecht Jesse Hoffman Pathways to Sustainability, the strategic university University Fund. Researcher at Urban Future Studios (UFS), Utrecht University. study on sustainability. For long-term solutions which have the greatest chance of a successful implementation, we must involve the three sectors of society (public, private and civil society) in research from the very start. Utrecht University is therefore financing so-called ‘hubs’, four of which are working on pathways to sustainability in delta regions, cities, industry and the food sector. Publication details 30 4 The big picture 6 Short We want Utrecht to be the Illuster is a publication by Utrecht University and the Utrecht University Fund. It appears twice per year and is sent to alumni Food place where new ideas are and sponsors of Utrecht University. 14 Same degree … different career born, where creativity Editing team James Allan, Xander Bronkhorst, Sophie van problems The career of … is rewarded and den Elsen, Robert-Jan Feunekes, Armand Heijnen, Stephanie 16 where change Helfferich, Inge Mathijssen, Hanneke Olivier, Floor Peeters, Is this little plant 20 Life after graduation… is never far away. Lennaert Rooijakkers, Mirjam Streefkerk. Editing board Olfert Koning, Yao Liu, Julienne Straatman, David Veldman. the solution? This also starts Research Format and design flowdesign.nl Printing Xerox 28 with imagination: Translation Metamorfose Vertalingen imagining the 32 Past and present university of the ISSN 1338-4703 Year 23, #83. © Utrecht University Re-use 10 34 A message from … future. of articles is permitted with citation. 35 Close-up Follow us on Facebook (Alumni Universiteit Utrecht) and The genius LinkedIn (Utrecht University). Email: [email protected] 36 Tips Change of address? Please let us know via [email protected], of nature which can also be used to send us your email address. Prof. dr. Maarten Hajer 40 Jan’s perspective Academic Director of Pathways to Sustainability Illuster is printed on 100% recycled paper. 2 Illuster — Nov 2018 Nov 2018 — Illuster 3 The big picture THE OZONE LAYER Bad news Last summer’s bombshell: atmospheric concentrations of CFC-11 are not dropping fast enough. This may be due to Chinese companies that still use this prohibited chlorofluorocarbon in large quantities for the production of construction insulation. ‘It’s bad news,’ says Guus Velders, professor of Air Quality and Climate Interactions at Utrecht University. ‘The ozone layer started thinning out in the 1970s, mainly due to these CFCs. The layer has been more or less stable for the last ten years, and there are signs that it is starting to recover, but full recovery is not expected until halfway through this century. Furthermore, this will only happen if we can find an alternative to CFCs.’ image NASA 4 Illuster — Nov 2018 Nov 2018 — Illuster 5 Short QUOTED ‘It’s a huge task, Photo: Aron Nijs but it can and DOCTORAL THESIS DEFENCE must be Becoming a doctor — at 86! achieved within 15 years.’ DOCTORAL THESIS DEFENCE On 20 September, Jan Huynen completed his PhD on the options for using hydropower to store energy underground. What makes this even more amazing is Fryer-fat flights the fact that that Huynen is already 86 years old. He theorises that there is currently no available technology Would it be possible to fly on renewable for storing sufficient electricity to be used in the absence fuels made from, for example, used fryer SUSTAINABILITY of wind and sun. He has proposed creating an energy Marjan Minnesma fat? On 15 June, at the defence of his buffer deep below the Earth’s surface in Limburg. Director of the Dutch Urgenda Foundation doctoral thesis titled ‘Green Horizons’ at and Alumnus of the Year 2015, on making the New Green Office According to Huynen, a buffer of this type would enable Utrecht University, Sierk de Jong argued Netherlands climate-neutral. Source: the rapid expansion of wind and solar energy. duurzaam bedrijfsleven.nl that this is possible for a few euros per branch in the city passenger. Since 2014, de Jong has been conducting research at the UU Copernicus centre Institute for Sustainable Energy Development. He claims that it will cost Utrecht University’s Green Office, located at €10 billion to have all flights departing Utrecht Science Park, De Uithof, has been the CARTOON the EU fly on 8% renewable fuels by the primary sustainability platform for UU students year 2030. This equates to a few euros per and staff since 2013. Here, people shape ideas on Argibald passenger, and will neutralise over 70% sustainability, make plans and launch projects, of expected emissions growth between all with a view to making the university more now and 2030. However, it will be sustainable. The Green Office is now expanding INTRODUCTION important to develop new technologies its activities, and has opened a new branch in in order to scale up the production of the Utrecht city centre. The new branch hopes A sustainable start renewable aircraft fuels, and to make to reach a new audience for sustainability them more cost-effective. initiatives, bolstering and supporting the In August, 4200 first-year students were introduced to sustainable communities in the Faculty of Law, Utrecht during the annual Utrecht Introduction Time De Jong’s dissertation is available Economics and Governance and the Faculty of (Utrechtse Introductie Tijd, or UIT). Over the course of five online at the Utrecht University Repository: uu.nl/universiteitsbibliotheek/ Humanities. Like its counterpart at De Uithof, the days, students were introduced to the city of Utrecht and diensten/ utrecht-university-repository. new branch will also host lectures, workshops its student life. This year included a special focus on and interactive events. sustainability activities. The ‘Plogging Run’ was one such example, in which UIT participants collected litter The new office can be found in Room 0.05, while jogging. Drift 13, Utrecht. For more information, go to uu.nl/organisatie/green-office-utrecht. The Utrecht University Fund supports activities run by study societies and student associations, including the Utrecht Introduction Time . Eager to contribute? Visit uu.nl/en/organisation/alumni/contribute. 6 Illuster — Nov 2018 Nov 2018 — Illuster 7 Short Hall of Fame Utrecht University is proud of its graduates, and alumni Want to be ‘famous’? are an important part of Utrecht University’s academic E-mail us your new position at [email protected]. Who knows? You could community. But where do they all end up? In this section, see yourself in the next edition of Illuster, or be named Alumnus of the Illuster presents some major appointments from the last Month (posted monthly on Facebook). six months. Follow us on facebook.com/ AlumniUniversiteitUtrecht. CLIMATE Reimer Veldhuis Feike Sijbesma The Sustainable Panel against plastic Master’s degrees in Master’s degree in History (2002) and Biology (1985) Feike has Young 100 According to UU oceanographer and climate Dutch Law (2003) Reimer became been included in Fortune magazine’s researcher Erik van Sebille, the fight against the the new State Advocate on 1 annual list of the fifty greatest The Sustainable Young 100 is a list of young entrepreneurs, professionals and Pacific trash vortex needs its own panel comparable September, and will aid the State of leaders. He is one of twelve CEOs on students who help demonstrate that a to the IPCC (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate the Netherlands in legal proceedings. the list. Sijbesma is Director of Dutch sustainable future is possible. The 2018 Change). An organisation like this is necessary, he chemical company DSM, and was list includes 15 UU alumni. says, in order to correctly diagnose, evaluate and Janny Bakker-Klein voted Alumnus of the Year 2016 for Sanne Preso Bachelor of Environmental and address the problem based on scientific evidence, Master’s degrees in using the knowledge gained from his Natural Sciences (2012) and Master of and to produce greater effectiveness when dealing Dutch Law (1994) and UU degree to create a better future. Sustainable Development (2014), Francis Zoet EXPERIMENT with the massive quantities of plastic dumped into Law, Governance and Master of Sustainable Development (2016), the ocean each year. Management (1996) Janny has been Sybilla Dekker Marianne Davidson Bachelor of Social appointed to the Executive Board of Master’s degree in Geography and Planning (2011), Paul Mignot UU BioCliVE