Ben Feringa goes on school tour of Groningen and Friesland

Over the coming months, Nobel Prize winner Ben Feringa and his team will visit primary and secondary schools in Groningen and Friesland. Curiosity and questioning form the core purpose of the visits. The programme will follow the format of the Dutch TV programme ‘College Tour’, in which pupils will be able to ask Feringa questions. They will also be given the opportunity to conduct experiments themselves. The tour will start on 11 April, with the first stop at Futura primary school in Scheemda. Next up is the Ubbo Emmius secondary school in Stadskanaal (9 May), Het Vogelnest primary school in Heerenveen, and Plein Joure secondary school in Joure (3 June).

The schools are preparing for their visit in the weeks leading up to the day with lesson material developed by the UG’s Pre-University Academy. In these lessons, pupils come up with questions about science, making discoveries, and the Nobel Prize, among other topics. What does a scientist actually look like, how is knowledge created, and could I become a scientist myself?

Feringa is visiting the schools to inspire pupils and to encourage them to be curious about the world around them. Feringa himself grew up in the village of Barger-Compascuum in Drenthe and was the first in his family to go to university. In his youth, he was encouraged to ask questions and make discoveries. Feringa would like to transfer this attitude to pupils: dare to dream and be curious.