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Research School for Socio-Economic and
Natural Sciences of the Environment
SENSE e-News
    Newsletter February 2019
19 February 2019
Table of contents
Editorial
Walk with us! ››
SENSE News
Spin-off: Implementing cost-effective technologies for removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater ›› 
Scientists support school strike for climate ›› 
SENSE PhD Miedema: "Electrical cars won't mitigate the greenhouse effect" ›› 
Upcoming PhD Graduations
Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period ››
Upcoming courses and discussion groups
MOOC: Citizens co-creating sustainable cities, 5 March - 30 April ››
Grasping Sustainability course, 11-16 March ››
A1 SENSE Introductory Course, 27-29 March ››
Overview of PhD / postdoc courses March - April 2019 ››
Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses ››
Discussion groups ››
Upcoming Events
Research in Remote Areas, a WIMEK documentary evening, 22 February ››
SENSE Forest walk with Shinrin Yoku and Soul Voice®, 22 March ››
SENSE conference Energy landscapes and seascapes, 20 June - SAFE THE DATE! ››
Overview of upcoming events ››
Tips
Climate letter Dutch Universities - want to become a co-signer? ››
Job vacancies
Vacancies at SENSE Partners ››
Other vacancies in the SENSE field ››
SENSE headlines
Grasping Sustainability course, 11-16 March
A1 SENSE Introductory Course, 27-29 March
Research in Remote Areas, a WIMEK documentary evening, 22 February
SENSE Forest walk with Shinrin Yoku and Soul Voice®, 22 March
Climate letter Dutch Universities - want to become a co-signer?
Editorial
Walk with us!
As you all know, the members of the SENSE PhD Council (SPC) are a dedicated bunch of people who are trying to bring the SENSE community to its full(er) potential. It is indeed worthwhile to look out for their activities, as it might well be that you can find benefit from the SENSE community too.

Now the SPC has planned the upcoming SENSE Spring Forest Walk, which will take place on Friday afternoon 22nd March at 15.30-18.30 hrs (gathering place: Train Station Ede-Wageningen, Centre side). This is part of a tradition to go out together and explore some of the beautiful parts of the Netherlands and at the same time find some quiet inspiration for your busy mind, as well as finding time for conversation with your fellow SENSE PhD candidates.

But that is not all.. the SPC has organized a truly attractive and interesting event for you to join on this occasion. Check this out: “From the train station we will walk to the Sysseltse woods. Writer and meditation teacher Beitske Bouwman will guide us to experience Shinrin Yoku. SENSE PhD candidate and Soul Voice® practitioner in training Viola Bennink will introduce us to Soul Voice®. We will end up at the train station again around 18:30. The forest workshops will be paid by SENSE. Afterwards, there is the option to join for dinner at Pizza&Pizza (own expense) á EUR17 p.p. for three courses (breads, pizza, tiramisu/coffee/tea).”

Will you join the SENSE community on this hiking adventure too? If yes, then please subscribe for this event HERE.
     
Let’s make SENSE together! 

Ad van Dommelen
SENSE News
Spin-off: Implementing cost-effective technologies for removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater

 
Four years ago, Ph.D. scientist Arnoud de Wilt (WU) investigated the use of microalgae, in combination with bacteria and light, for improved micro-pollutant degradation in wastewater. This photo-bioreactor was very effective in breaking down different medicine residues in wastewater. However, implementing his idea proved to be challenging due to less favorable conditions for microalgae growth in The Netherlands. Therefore, in the last stage of his research, de Wilt focused on using ozone in combination with bacteria to degrade these compounds. The extra biological treatment step demonstrated a more efficient removal of micro-pollutants compared to just ozone treatment. Hence, implementation of this new cost-effective technology in current wastewater treating plants is promising.
Read more  ››
Scientists support school strike for climate
In Europe young people take to the streets to demand more climate ambition from their governments. Based on the facts generated by climate science, the activists are quite right. Radical action is required to quickly and drastically reduce greenhouse gasses and prevent climate change to cause major changes on earth. On the day of the Dutch school strike for climate 350 Dutch scientists publish an open letter in the Dutch newspaper Trouw, titled: "Climate agreement: time for political leadership!"
Read more  ››
SENSE PhD Miedema: "Electrical cars won't mitigate the greenhouse effect"

 
On 14 January 2019 SENSE PhD candidate Jan Hessels Miedema graduated on his thesis "Biomass or batteries. The role of three technological innovations in the energy transition". In the Dutch newspaper Dagblad van het Noorden he discusses the feasibility of the intention of the Dutch government that from 2030 onward only electrical cars will be sold.
Read more  ››
Upcoming PhD Graduations
Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period
  • Florian Beyer
    Microbiological and process technological aspects of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membrane biofouling
    22 February 2019, Wageningen University, Microbiology
     
  • Yuli Ekowati
    Protection of public health from microbial and chemical hazards in swimming pool environment
    11 March 2019, IHE Delft, River Basin Development
     
  • Isnaeni Murdi Hartanto
    Integrating Multiple Sources of Information for Improving Hydrological Modelling: An Ensemble Approach
    19 March 2019, IHE Delft, Hydroinformatics
       
  • Eskinder Zinabu Belachew
    Estimating combined loads of diffuse and point-source pollutants into the Borkena River, Ethiopia
    26 March 2019, IHE, Aquatic Ecosystems
     
More upcoming graduations ››
Upcoming courses and discussion groups
MOOC: Citizens co-creating sustainable cities, 5 March - 30 April
Around the world, major challenges of our time such as population growth and climate change are being addressed in cities. Here, citizens play an important role amidst governments, companies, NGOs and researchers in creating social, technological and political innovations for achieving sustainability.

This MOOC will teach you about the dynamics of co-creation and the key principles of citizens interacting with service providing companies, technology and infrastructure developers, policy makers and researchers. You will gain an understanding of major types of co-creation and their interdependency with their socio-technical and political contexts. You will become equipped to indicate how you can use co-creation to develop innovative technologies, policy arrangements or social practices for a sustainable city in your own community. You will demonstrate this by developing an action plan, research proposal or project idea.
Read more ››
Grasping Sustainability course, 11-16 March
In the SENSE course 'Environmental Research in Context' several perspectives and approaches to analyse and to solve environmental problems are discussed. You will find out how your own research project fits within other (multi-) disciplinary approaches and you will discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of your approach compared to these alternatives.
Read more ››
A1 SENSE Introductory Course, 27-29 March
In the SENSE course 'Environmental Research in Context' several perspectives and approaches to analyse and to solve environmental problems are discussed. You will find out how your own research project fits within other (multi-) disciplinary approaches and you will discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of your approach compared to these alternatives.
Read more ››
Overview of PhD / postdoc courses March - April 2019
Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses
In case you are interested in either participating or teaching a course that is currently not in the programme, please do not hesitate and contact us with your suggestions.
More upcoming courses ››
Discussion groups
Upcoming meetings:
More discussion groups ››
Upcoming Events
Research in Remote Areas, a WIMEK documentary evening, 22 February
Doing research in remote areas, whether that be physically or psychologically remote, can have a severe impact on your functioning. At the same time, it is a chance to get to know yourself better, and to improve skills that you usually don’t develop. The people or organisms that you do communicate with in such remote areas, usually make a lasting imprint in you.

The WIMEK PhD Council organises a documentary evening about Doing Research in Remote Areas. Our case study for this evening is Antarctica. The documentary is: Encounters at the End of the World, directed by Werner Herzog (highly rated on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes). And we have two speakers. For more information: see around the poster below.
Read more ››
SENSE Forest walk with Shinrin Yoku and Soul Voice®, 22 March
High workload, perfectionism, procrastination, comparison with others and many other issues can make you feel stressed during your PhD. They consciously or unconsciously drain your energy. We can either feel victimised by that, or decide to create a more pleasant PhD life ourselves. How? By joining the upcoming SENSE forest walk, in which you will be introduced to two interesting methods to stimulate a healthy body and mind: Shinrin Yoku and Soul Voice®.
Read more ››
SENSE conference Energy landscapes and seascapes, 20 June - SAFE THE DATE!
The energy transition will lead to big transitions in the urban, rural and sea landscape, causing resistance from citizens, rural inhabitants, farmers, fisherman, politicians, and other persons. This conference will give insight in the national sustainable energy task, different spatial options to realise this task, competing claims for land and sea use and the advantages and disadvantages of different sustainable energy scenarios for wind farms, solar energy farms and the use of biomass. The crucial question is how we can create sufficient public support for the implementation of a timely energy transition.
Read more ››
Overview of upcoming events
Recently announced:
Full list of interesting upcoming events:
See SENSE website ››
Tips
Climate letter Dutch Universities - want to become a co-signer?
On 8 October 2018, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its latest report.
Although many researchers at Dutch universities are active in the debate on climate change, our institutions themselves often have no ambitious climate agenda, and a common approach among universities is lacking. With this letter, we call upon university management to develop and implement policies to drastically reduce the universities’ carbon emissions. We also call on our faculties and colleagues to make the fight against climate change visible in our own practice and to integrate it into education. In this, we follow the example of Danish colleagues, whose letter was signed by 600 scientists.

Become a co-signer of the letter
Do you work at one of the Dutch universities? Then become in a co-signer of the Climate Letter to the Universities.
Read the letter (and become a co-signer) ››
Job vacancies
Vacancies at SENSE Partners
Other vacancies in the SENSE field
More vacancies
During the month new vacancies are regularly posted on the SENSE vacancy page.

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