Finding common ground

Students learn at Theme 3 how to set up and conduct interdisciplinary research within a diverse research team. For this research students integrate knowledge from different disciplines and by doing so produce new and in-depth insight into complex and present-day challenges. It is important that they learn that this interdisciplinary cooperation can create barriers, but that common ground must then always be sought in order to answer the research question.

Research with social relevance

The jury consisted of Jasper ter Schegget (educational director of Bèta-Gamma), Karel van Dam (emeritus professor and founder of the IIS) and Emma van der Zanden (interim educational coordinator FPS). The jury saw that students have done very socially relevant work in all areas. Without exception, research was done addressing complex problems we are facing, now and in the future. A lot of research was also solution-oriented at different levels and presented with great enthusiasm, according to the jury.

Winners advise the Ministry of Health

The 'IIS science prize' was won by Pauline De Ly (Business Administration), Bo Smits (Biomedical Sciences) and Valèrie Vërell (Biology) with their research in the domain Sustainability: 'Standardizing Potassium diclofenac to reduce the potential ecotoxicological hazard for the Dutch aquatic ecosystem '. The winners won € 1000, - to spend on an academic goal. The winning group was praised for their fresh presentation, a wide range of disciplines used and that the research in all disciplines went one step further than strictly necessary. The research concerning the pollution of our surface water through the use of the drug Sodium Diclofenac results in a recommendation to the Ministry of Health. The Audience Award went to the students who researched the recycling of chewing gum to make condoms.