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Blog

Blogposts by SENSE researchers. If you are a SENSE researcher and you would like to post a blog on this website yourself, please contact the SENSE communication officer (https://sense.nl/contact/).

Air pollutant eMissions from AgRiculture optimized by EarTh observaTiOns

In recent years, the issue of nitrogen pollution has gained increasing attention in Europe, leading to calls for more effective policies and measures to address this problem and protect the environment. One of Europe's main sources of nitrogen pollution is agricultural activities. Despite the advocacy from researchers and scientists for measures to reduce nitrogen use in agricultural sectors, there is a large amount of miscommunication between academia, government, and industry.

Author
Jerry Ge

PhD candidate Environmental Systems Analysis, Wageningen University

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A more sustainable and resilient financial sector: lessons learned from a Science Practice Lab

“It's time to work towards an EU level playing field for climate risks.” On Friday 9 December, scientists and professionals from the financial sector came together in a Science Practice Lab. The common goal was to work towards a standardized European approach for climate risks in the real estate sector. During this session, financial parties shared their experiences and challenges with reporting physical climate risk and scientists discussed the latest knowledge on climate risk assessments.

Author
Thijs Endendijk

PhD candidate Environmental Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

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Does Biculturalism work?

When I came to the Netherlands in 2014 to do my Master’s studies in Environmental Sciences at Wageningen University, I neither had knowledge nor awareness about Dutch society and culture. During my initial days in the Netherlands, my daily routine was just going to my Master’s classes, coming back home, cooking Sri Lankan food, talking to my family and then going to bed. I almost had zero connection with the Dutch society.

Author
Elackiya Sithamparanathan

PhD candidate Environmental Technology, Wageningen University, and Education Coordinator WIMEK graduate school

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Voor een leefbare planeet moet het poldermodel de prullenbak in

Moordende overstromingen in Nederland, België en Duitsland; een dorp in Canada dat binnen twintig minuten van de kaart gebrand is; extreme hittegolven in Pakistan en India. We leven in een tijd die door steeds meer mensen wordt gezien als een kruispunt voor de mensheid. Met polderen sparen we misschien op de korte termijn de kool en de geit. Maar de gevolgen voor de lange termijn zijn desastreus. De geit blijft immers een grote bron van methaan en stikstof en het is de vraag of de kool nog groeit als de aarde door gif en kunstmest uitgeput raakt. Er moeten snelle en drastische keuzes gemaakt worden die op de korte termijn grote consequenties hebben voor burgers en bedrijven. In dit essay zetten we uiteen waarom het poldermodel voor de klimaat- en biodiversiteitscrisis de prullenbak in kan en concluderen dat het alternatief voor de ogenschijnlijke inclusiviteit van het poldermodel meer democratische controle betekent. 

Author
Martijn Duineveld

Associate professor Cultural Geography, Wageningen University

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Innovative Education for Transformative Change

A course described by students as “one of a kind, emotionally-engaging and potentially life-changing” and “unforgettable and a great source of inspiration for my future career & life!”, was the recipient of the first edition of the Education Innovation Award at Wageningen University & Research’s Dies Natalis on March 9th, 2022.
The two-week intensive course, Transformative Research for Global Social-Environmental Challenges, was designed during the pandemic and involved 21 lecturers, from Wageningen University and Research, the University of Twente, and the Stockholm Resilience Centre. In the acceptance speech, coordinator Josie Chambers emphasized the collaborative effort behind the course: “Together we are part of a growing movement to bridge sharp critique of how our own beliefs and methods constrain us, to a sense of possibility and hope for how we can do things differently by working together.”

Author
Jillian Student

WIMEK Postdoc on Transdisciplinary Research

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SPLENDID opportunities for adaptation in challenging times

Dr Julia Camara de Assis shares her experience on the challenges faced on engaging in transdisciplinary research during the pandemic and some of the lessons learned.

Author
Julia Camara de Assis

Postdoc Researcher Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning, Wageningen University

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Toilets and Transdisciplinarity

Transdisciplinarity in North-South collaborations, knowing what happens between natural sciences and social constraints is a challenge. Transdisciplinary projects have large aspirations to advance science and address societal problems. However, their participatory nature leads them to find their own direction, sometimes beyond the scope and conceptual frames we put on them.
Dr Léon Späth from the ETH Zurich TdLab (Transdisciplinary Tab) and Sustainable Agroecosystems Group was interviewed by Jillian Student, postdoc Transdisciplinary Research at WIMEK (WUR).

Author
Jillian Student

WIMEK Postdoc on Transdisciplinary Research

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October 2021 – Personal Involvement with Research: Conflict of Interest?

Researchers are humans, who despite their professional focus on objective collection of evidence, are also moved by internal motivations. In this story we share personal and collective ideas about what personal involvement means for what we research, how we do it and what we want to achieve with it. What are the implications of seeing personal involvement as a potential conflict of interest?

Author
Wietse Wiersma

PhD candidate Soil Chemistry and Chemical Soil Quality, Wageningen University

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October 2021 – What is the similarity between an iceberg and a fisherman?

Transdisciplinary as science is not just science FOR society, but science WITH society. Researchers can engage societal players from the start of the project as equal partners with their own share of unique and useful knowledge. In such a situation, researchers may experience that they may have a lot of theoretical and scientific knowledge about the Arctic, but do not have a clue about the information fisherfolk and other interested parties need to respond to climate change.

Author
Jillian Student

WIMEK Postdoc on Transdisciplinary Research

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June 2021 – Introducing the Sustainable Cacao and Coffee discussion group

The importance of cacao and coffee in society can hardly be overstated. Caffeine in coffee is the World’s number one drug. Cacao is known as the food of the gods. As globalized commodities, understanding the value chains of both crops is complex. Yet only by merging perspectives can we create sustainable production systems. Our discussion group aims to “explore the width of scientific research to create sustainable cacao and coffee value chains from beans to beverage.” This story is about what we do.

Author
Wietse Wiersma

PhD candidate Soil Chemistry and Chemical Soil Quality, Wageningen University

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