Minister won’t apologize The perfect cookies and ‘Go ahead and to Q fever victims the crispiest chicken hang out the fl ag’ ‘Admitting the mistakes would give pa- Physicist Erik van der Linden publishes General relief at reversal of nature budget tients moral support.’ | p.9 | book on science-based cooking. | p.20 | cuts. | p.22 | RESOURCEFor students and employees of Wageningen UR nr. 18 – 10 May 2012 – 6th Volume Student mum Goodbye studies, goodbye room, goodbye student life P.12 (5(6SLQGG 2 >> labour of love >> RON + DESIGNING GARDENS Ron Anbergen, fruit researcher at PPO Randwijk ‘I like colour and depth’ He is a miracle worker in a garden. Small gardens like this one, belonging to friends in Elst. Ron Anbergen designs and plants them. What he likes best is colour, variati- on and perennial plants. ‘And as little hard surface as possible.’ None of your modern minimalist business for him then. He designs gardens for friends, family, colleagues and neighbours. With sensory experience and contrast as key concepts. And no garden is too small for that. RK / Foto: Guy Ackermans RESOURCE — 10 May 2012 (5(6SLQGG ILLUSTRATION COVER: GUY ACKERMANS CONTENTS no 18 – 6th Volume >> 6 >> 15 >> 18 WUR PASS HACKED WAGENINGEN’S MOST FAMOUS BOOK WRITING COMPETITION One Wageningen student gets free Every time Queen Beatrix visits, she Scientifi c approach overlooks beauty and coff ee now. asks to see this book. meaning, claims winner Esther Brouwer. WHY? AND MORE... So why did Resource host the annual conference for the editors of higher educa- 2 Labour of love tion magazines at the end of April? And why did we ask NRC Next editor-in-chief designing gardens Rob Wijnberg to open the conference for us? 4 News and opinion Why questions are the only ones that interest Wijnberg. Not the classic journa- 8 Science list’s questions: who, what, where, when... but why now, why here, why him and 11 Resource.wur.nl why not someone else? For Wijnberg, the context is more interesting than the 12 Student moms hard news that you can get online or on teletext. 15 Exhibition ‘We try not to focus on the news itself because it often doesn’t tell you much of 16 In the picture interest’, he explained. ‘But if you tell me why I need to know something, then dissection I’ll put it on the front page.’ According to Wijnberg, the end of communism – a 18 Writing competition pretty far-reaching development after all – would never have made the front 18 Molecular food pages without a concrete event like the breaking down of the Berlin wall. He is 22 IMO right: people who only look at the news on websites will never get a grasp of is green save now? what’s really going on in the world. 24 Student Newspapers are having a hard time of it but I think NRC Next is making a shrewd 29 Column choice. Commentary and analysis are going to be the only way the paper media 32 Typical Dutch can distinguish themselves from the online ones. dislogue Gaby van Caulil >> The fastest university in Holland! Wageningen wins the Batavieren race at last. Page 25 10 May 2012 — RESOURCE (5(6SLQGG 4 >> news %,1',1*678'<5(&200(1'$7,21 ,16,*+7)25/$;678'(176 ð %LJLPSURYHPHQWQHHGHGLQ SURSRUWLRQRIVWXGHQWV JUDGXDWLQJ ð 6WXGHQW&RXQFLOFDOOV PHDVXUHVèUHDOLVWLFé Wageningen UR is considering gi- ving Bachelor’s students who don’t get enough credits in their first year a binding recommendation to stop their studies. This plan is among the performance agreements the university sent to the Ministry of Education at the start of May. The university is making a pro- viso: slow students will be able to continue studying at Wageningen GUY ACKERMANS PHOTO: UR if they invest in improving their 7DUJHWSHUFHQWRIWKHVWXGHQWVKDYHDŊUVWGHJUHHE\ study skills and respond well to su- pervision by a study adviser. The gree within four years. At present, combination with a study skills thinks is a shame. ‘A university university does not feel a recom- that ratio is 62 percent. The univer- course and permanent invest- education is about more than just mendation based purely on the sity plans to achieve this target by ments in study advisers,’ says studying. But the government un- number of credits is acceptable. offering first-year students study council member Sanne Mirck. fortunately sees things differently.’ The performance agreements skills courses. This training will be Mirck says the target of 75 per- Pim Brascamp, Director of the are an initiative by the state secre- compulsory for slow students. Stu- cent for the graduation/enrolment Educational Institute, says the tary, Halbe Zijlstra. He wants 7 per- dents will also get more hours of ratio is realistic. ‘The slow student applied and academic universities cent of higher education funding contact with staff and more inte- fine has already led to a change in will still have to keep to the perfor- (and ultimately 20 percent) to be rim tests in the first term so that attitude among first years. Finish- mance agreements even though determined by the performance of they get into the habit of studying ing your degree within the official the government has fallen. ‘All the applied and academic universities. right from the start. time period is becoming the norm. parties support an improvement in The idea is that they should im- If the university also invests in stu- the graduation/enrolment ratio. prove teaching quality and reduce NONSENSE dy advisers and courses for impro- Even if we think it’s nonsense, I the drop-out rate. Student Council VeSte is reason- ving study skills, then VeSte is confi- am assuming a new cabinet will Wageningen’s performance ably pleased with the university’s dent 75 percent is attainable.’ She take the same view as the outgoing agreements include a promise that plans. ‘We oppose a binding study does foresee students having less cabinet. These agreements will be 75 percent of Bachelor’s students recommendation but we are pre- time for personal development out- implemented in full.’ LvdN starting in 2012 will get their de- pared to discuss the option in side their studies, which Mirck :85&281&,/:$1765(35(6(17$7,9(21683(59,625<%2$5' move will help it to get its views are not very satisfied with these council’. Thanks to the change in ð :85FRXQFLOZDQWVPRUHLQŋX heard more effectively. Having a consultations.’ the law regarding higher education, HQFHRYHU6XSHUYLVRU\%RDUG board member ‘of its own’ should The role of the Supervisory the WUR council is now allowed to ð 6HOHFWLRQSURFHVVKDVEHJXQ help to improve the communica- Board is precisely to keep an eye propose his successor to the mi- tion between the WUR Council on the management. Three Super- nister of EL&I. and the Supervisory Board, ex- visory Board members are due to Intake interviews have already Wageningen UR’s overall consulta- plains chair Cees van Dijk. ‘What step down next September. One of begun, says Van Dijk. He declines tive body, the WUR council, wants we see at the moment is that the them is Laurent van Depoele, lec- to name names but says the candi- to propose a candidate for the or- Supervisory Board mainly just con- turer in European Studies at the dates have to be approachable, to ganization’s Supervisory Board. A sults the Executive Board. Official- Catholic University of Leuven. He be familiar with the university legal change in 2010 makes this ly it is supposed to consult the was ‘member with the particular world, and to have an eye for the possible. The council hopes the WUR Council twice a year but we confidence of the participation WUR Council’s position. RR RESOURCE — 10 May 2012 (5(6SLQGG news << 3+(52021(/$%*2(6,7$/21( company, Pherobank bv. The busi- management of the Plant Sciences mistry and entomology is pretty ð 3KHUREDQNZLOOFRQWLQXH ness cards are ready. Group, a decision was taken to pri- unique in the world.’ ZLWKRXW:DJHQLQJHQ85 It is about time to become vatize Pherobank. Wageningen UR’s StartLife ð 1HZFRPSDQ\VHHV independent, says Griepink. ‘Our Pherobank has developed lures Foundation has provided the new RSSRUWXQLWLHVRQZRUOGPDUNHW hands were tied in many ways for as many as 200 insect species. company with advice and a loan. with in Wageningen UR. Before we These are dispatched in dispen- Arrangements have also been could handle an order we fi rst had sers which release the aromas made for Pherobank to take over The Pherobank lab which develops to run around collecting signatures. slowly. So the services provided by the expensive analysis equipment pheromones with which to trap It was too slow-moving. What is Griepink and Swarts reach many at the lab. Pherobank will remain harmful insects has broken off more, we had earned money over corners of the globe. ‘We are good in Radix for the time being, but from Plant Research International. the past few years but we were not at diffi cult pheromones and have will be moving in due course to Researchers Frans Griepink and free to invest it the way we thought very few competitors in this area. cheaper and more spacious pre- Henk Swarts will direct the new best.’ So in consultation with the The combination of organic che- mises. $6 LQEULHI 1R6WXGHQW&RXQFLOHOHFWLRQV on training the North Korean researchers There will be no elections this year for in Wageningen but there is also 60,000 the Wageningen Student Council. Pulse euros available for improving the Korean was unable to fi eld any candidates and agricultural research institute’s outdated will therefore be losing its three seats in lab.