Dijkgraaf: ‘clear PhD rules needed’     The rules of PhD programmes are not always clear, with sometimes painful consequences, concluded Promovendi Netwerk Nederland (PNN) last year. Education minister Dijkgraaf urges universities to work together to provide more clarity.   It is important that PhD students are well informed about their rights and obligations, the…

Blok and Taebi in Climate Council     The council of ministers has set up a Scientific Climate Council (WKR) to advise the government and parliament on climate policy, solicited and unsolicited. Professor of environment and sustainability Jan Willem Erisman (Leiden University) was appointed chairman on 1 March and a few weeks later the nine…

Scientist Rebellion blindfolded statues     Scientist Rebellion climate campaigners blindfolded the statues of Erasmus in Rotterdam, Spinoza in Amsterdam and Rembrandt in Leiden, this weekend. At least eight statues in the Netherlands were reportedly involved.   The action was carried out not only in the Netherlands, but also in Denmark and Ireland, among others.…

Support for Groningen whistleblower     The dismissal of Groningen university associate professor Susanne Täuber is still causing a lot of commotion. Sympathisers are standing up for her and want the university to put her back to work.   A fortnight ago, the subdistrict court ruled that the University of Groningen may dismiss Susanne Täuber…

Dutch only Microscopiespecialisten Bernd Rieger en Sjoerd Stallinga (faculteit Technische Natuurwetenschappen) verzorgen zondag 26 maart de Van Leeuwenhoeklezing (in het Nederlands) in Theater De Veste. Ze zullen vergelijkingen maken tussen wat Van Leeuwenhoek driehonderd jaar geleden zag en de huidige stand van de techniek. Moderne lichtmicroscopen, lichtgevende moleculen, getunede lasers en computeralgoritmen maken…

De BoerBurgerBeweging heeft vorige week de Provinciale Statenverkiezingen gewonnen, maar niet in de studentensteden en al helemaal niet op de campussen van universiteiten en hogescholen. Daar was GroenLinks meestal de grootste partij. Zo ook in Delft. Hier kreeg GroenLinks de meeste stemmen en boekte nieuwkomer Volt de grootste winst. In de studentensteden wonnen vooral de progressieve…

HvA may fire lecturer because of #MeToo     An Amsterdam college (HvA) lecturer had a sexual relationship with a student and he also behaved inappropriately towards others. The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences had enough reasons to dismiss him, the subdistrict court ruled.   A year ago, in March 2022, the Amsterdam University of…

Delft residents: ‘TU did not hear us on growth plans’     Nine Delft residents’ and neighbourhood associations sent a letter this month expressing their concerns about TU Delft’s multicampus strategy. Among other things, they write that TU Delft has not asked the residents’ associations for their views on the growth plans.   In the…

Former Rotterdam rector receives prison sentence      The former rector of the former Islamic High School Europe has been sentenced to 28 months in prison. He sold thousands of forged receipts of donations, with which donors could claim tax deductions.   The fraud at the non-funded Rotterdam college came to light in 2016. The…

Expulsion of medical student was justified     A medical student at Erasmus University Rotterdam was rightly expelled from the study programme when she proved unsuitable for the profession during her internships. This is stated in a ruling by the Council of State.   The student started studying medicine in 2007 and obtained her bachelor’s…