Read our latest magazine articles

To end (or start) the year right, we have listed all our magazine articles from August to December 2023 for you. This makes it possible to read them again at your leisure during the Christmas break. In each article, a UG researcher talks about his or her field of work.

No life without liver: how can we create systems that more closely resemble the human liver?

PhD student Victoria Palasantzas, employed at both the Department of Paediatrics and the Department of Genetics, is studying the effects of nutrients, such as antioxidants and fatty acids, on fatty liver disease. To do so, she is using a sophisticated liver-on-a-chip model.

'Criminal families': Is it possible to escape?

Why do children of ‘criminal parents’ also go astray? That is the subject of Veroni Eichelsheim's research. It is challenging research, but with a positive message: ‘People are still more likely to turn out right. These are only estimates, but approximately 60% to 80% of children from these families remain on the right path'. Read more

Clashing human rights: how far can demonstrators go?

Blocking motorways, protesting against abortion, and waving torches outside a politician’s home. The right to demonstrate is of great importance, but sometimes causes friction with other human rights. For her PhD research, Noor Swart is looking into the Dutch right to demonstrate and comparing it to other European countries. Read more

Science: more exciting than showbiz

Science often seems very complicated. Most people probably don't really know what researchers do, and what it takes to make a breakthrough. That is why it is important to keep the general public informed of what is happening in science, says Iris Sommer, Professor of Psychiatry at the UMCG: ‘This kind of transparency is essential, also for maintaining society’s trust.’ Read more

Only together we can create child-friendly cities

A city that is pleasant to grow up in. Safe, playful, with organic encounters between residents from different generations and social classes. That is Viviana Cordero Vinueza’s mission. In Groningen, the Ecuadorian PhD student brings together centuries-old values from Indigenous Ecuadoran cultures with lived experiences and global academic insights. Children are her guide. Read more

One mussel doesn't make a reef

Professor of Coastal Ecology Tjisse van der Heide is conducting research into the restoration of mussel banks and other bio-builders, as the living organisms that shape the Wadden landscape are known. Armed with a 3D-printer and industrial design methods, he became a bio-builder himself and is now searching for ways to restore these systems. Read more

Space to grow old happily

Louise Meijering, Professor of Health Geography, has just finished her inaugural lecture . A box of booklets still sits in her office. On the front is the title, ‘Ruimte voor gezondheid’ [Space for health] and some images of wooden houses and trees. Appropriate, because the story she wants to tell is that of designing sustainable communities in an ageing society. Read more

HAICu wants to act as a reliable guide within the realms of Dutch heritage

Sound and Vision, the Geheugen van Nederland, Beeldbank Groningen: these days, all sorts of heritage collections are available online. They are crucial sources of information for a wide range of stories. But just imagine being able to browse all these collections to find the context you need for a good story simply by entering a single search term. This is what the HAICu research project hopes to achieve with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The project is also meant to make a valuable contribution to the ongoing development of AI. Professor Lambert Schomaker is heading the operation. Read more

Co-creation as a strategy for addressing societal challenges

Co-creation and interdisciplinarity are two themes that have long taken centre stage in the work of Iris Vis, who was recently appointed Captain of Science of the Top Sector Logistics. We met up with her to talk about this role in the perfect spot: the UG’s new House of Connections, a space where everything revolves around collaboration and co-creation. How did Vis’s appointment as Captain of Science come about? And what are her plans for the future? Read more

No more DigiD frustrations

We apply for jobs online, follow classes online, meet each other on social media, and manage our affairs using a range of apps. What happens, though, if you don’t have a computer or don’t understand how DigiD works? You tend to slip through the cracks, which can have disastrous consequences. Marcel Broersma, Professor of Media and Journalistic Culture, and Joëlle Swart, assistant professor of Journalism Studies at the University of Groningen, are conducting research on the topic of digital literacy and inclusion. Their aim: to make our digital society more accessible to those who are digitally challenged. Read more

Researchers take publishing process into their own hands

Large commercial publishing houses charge high amounts for open access publication of scientific articles. Dissatisfied with this, more and more researchers want to keep control of the publication process themselves. They are opting for community-driven initiatives. At the UG, the University of Groningen Press (UGP) can play an important role in this, as explained by five researchers. Read more

Journalistic innovation? 'It's mostly a case of slowly adjusting the course'

News is freely available online, resulting in decreasing newspaper sales, social media taking up all of our time, and algorithms dishing up news items that are right up our – prejudiced – alley. It is high time for journalism to radically change its course! Right? Well, journalism doesn’t change that quickly, says Frank Harbers, assistant professor of Media and Journalistic Culture at the Faculty of Arts. And actually, Dutch journalism is not in that bad a state at all. Read more

What your pet wants is not always what you believe it wants

Let there be no doubt about it: researcher Esther Bouma is crazy about animals. Especially cats. She even has a consultancy firm for cat owners, called Katsgewijs. A much needed service, because the ways in which people think about their pets these days, and especially the ways in which they think for their pets, is not always in the animals’ best interests. And that can lead to unpleasant situations. Bouma is one of a handful of people who study the impact of humans on animal wellbeing. Read more

Gas extraction in Groningen: recovering from a fiasco

Gas extraction in the province of Groningen has led to damaged relations between all relevant stakeholders. Agustin De Julio Pardo, PhD candidate of the 'Kennisplatform Leefbaar en Kansrijk Groningen', explores ways to reconcile the various groups and restore trust between them. Read more

Vulnerable 'girls knee' cries out for preventative measures

First the run-up, she’s going faster and faster. There's the springboard. There she goes, into the air. Flight elements, landing. A jump like she’s done a hundred times before without a problem. This time it goes wrong. Anne Benjaminse hears a snap. ‘I can still remember the pain in my knee, more than twenty years later.’ Read more

Learning from every suicide

Diana van Bergen investigates suicide among young people. Together with her colleagues, she interviews young people who have attempted suicide or have suicidal thoughts. She also speaks to the families of young people who committed suicide. By taking a scientific approach to mapping these life stories, Van Bergen hopes to contribute to suicide prevention. Read more

'I hope that I've managed to contribute in some way'

On Friday 1 September, Cisca Wijmenga handed over her chain of office to the new Rector Jacquelien Scherpen. Looking back on four years on the ‘roller coaster’ that characterizes ‘the best job in the world’, Wijmenga smiles with satisfaction. She’s now ready for peace of mind, taking time for herself, and walking the Pieterpad. Read more

Alumnus of the Year 2023: Taku Mutezo

Taku Mutezo from Zimbabwe is the Alumnus of the Year 2023 at the UG. She is an international environmental lawyer with impressive experience on boards and councils. The red thread in her work is her fight for nature and against international animal smuggling. ‘The more inspired and passionate you are, the less something feels like ‘work’.’ Read more