Faculty of Science (Utrecht University)

Here's to sustainability and more biodiversity 🍀🌳

Theoretical physicists at Utrecht University, together with experimental physicists at Sogang University in South Korea, have succeeded in building an artificial synapse. This synapse works with water and salt and provides the first evidence that a system using the same medium as our brains can process complex information. The results appeared today in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Tim Kamsma, a PhD candidate at the Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Mathematical Institute of Utrecht University, and the lead author of the study, expresses his excitement, stating, "While artificial synapses capable of processing complex information already exist based on solid materials, we now show for the first time that this feat can also be accomplished using water and salt." He emphasizes, "We are effectively replicating neuronal behaviour using a system that employs the same medium as the brain." Strategic theme Pathways to Sustainability (Utrecht University) https://lnkd.in/geZkyNS2 #UUscience #theoreticalphysics #synapse

Music and computer science are the two passions of Anja Volk. By connecting these two fields, the professor of Music Information Computing at Utrecht University hopes to unlock the fundamental role of music in our lives. On Tuesday, April 16, she delivered her inaugural lecture. With a surprising twist: she may be the first professor to have left the University Hall singing.   Volk's research field is highly interdisciplinary. “We work with music therapists, neuroscientists, psychologists and social scientists. But also within computer science, everything comes together: game design, software technology, artificial intelligence, visualisations and much more. In my eyes, Music Information Computing is the place where everything comes together: fundamental research in the field of algorithms and software and their application to modelling musical structures and interaction.”   For Volk, the choir, with which she started the song at the end of her inaugural lecture, perfectly symbolised the collaboration between people with different backgrounds. “Students, PhD candidates, alumni, university lecturers and professors and an HR colleague all sang together on a shared rhythm, each with their own voice. That is academia at its finest.”   Onderzoeksthema Dynamics of Youth (Universiteit Utrecht)   Read more: https://lnkd.in/eMiqwk9S #UUScience #celebration #MusicInformationComputing

For already 20 years Sjaak Brinkkemper and his team from the department of Information and Computing Sciences work with students on their software products and business plans in the MSc course Science Based Entrepreneurship. Over these years, 40+successfull companies have been started by alumni of the course.

Two projects by Utrecht University researchers are receiving a grant from the National Growth Fund program AiNed. Julian Frommel, Assistant Professor in the Interaction/Multimedia group of the Faculty of Science, will conduct research on harassment in virtual reality environments. His colleague Wilson dos Santos Silva, will focus on improving AI models that can learn from patient data from different hospitals without breaching privacy. Wilson Silva joined Utrecht University recently, as Assistant Professor Explainable AI for Life at the group of Professor Sanne Abeln. “It’s wonderful to obtain my first Dutch grant within six months of starting my Assistant Professor position,” says Dos Santos Silva, who also works at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. His research aims to make AI algorithms more robust so that they can take into account the different types of data they have seen, ultimately enhancing cancer care by supporting more accurate clinical decisions. Frommel and his colleagues are delving into the world of social extended reality (XR). Users are increasingly confronted with intimidation. Frommel: “We want our AI models to learn to understand social interactions between people. If we know how that works, the AI models can help the moderators by detecting potentially inappropriate behavior and prioritizing what to review when there are many complaints.” AI Labs (Utrecht University) Read more on their grants and research: https://lnkd.in/e5UmW4xh #UUScience #AILabs #AI&MediaLab

Over the past months, PhD candidate Roy Hoitink found himself in several theaters. Not to perform in a theatrical production, but to answer science questions from fourth graders. "The curiosity present in young children is something I find really beautiful," he says. "I have a small problem: I am extremely curious," Boy Vissers starts off his story on stage in the Orpheus theatre in Apeldoorn. He is the host of the Hoe?Zo!Show, a science theatre show for children in grade four. "I’m always filled with questions, and that can be quite challenging." Murmurs arise from the audience: It appears that the fourth grade children in attendance share the same insatiable thirst for knowledge. Fortunately, there's a solution: four PhD candidates from various Dutch universities appear on stage. Their mission over the next hour? Answering all questions from the children in the audience." Among these PhD candidates is Roy Hoitink, a researcher in the Soft Condensed Matter group at the Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science of Utrecht University. He frequently finds himself in the lab, spending considerable time peering through a microscope, delving into the stacking of colloids—particles ranging in size from one nanometer to a few micrometers. "During social gatherings, I often struggled to articulate precisely what I do for work. Participating in the Hoe?Zo!Show has taught me how to elucidate my research to those not deeply entrenched in the scientific world." #uuscience #research #sciencecommunication

18 April "Nacht van de Filosofie" between 20.00-22.00 We divide nature into manageable compartments, make rules and laws, organise our thoughts and preferably leave nothing to chance. We try with all our might to get a grip on the chaos around us and within ourselves. During the Utrecht Night of Philosophy, we let go of the reins. What exactly is chaos? And what if we embraced it instead of fighting it? With philosophers from Utrecht and the surrounding area, we explore the chaos around us and within ourselves in a dazzling show. Our researcher Niels Martens unravels (a piece of) the universe with you. And answers the question "Does the world follow the laws of nature?". You can follow the session via the link below. The session is in Dutch. Studium Generale (Universiteit Utrecht) #uuscience #research #universe #philosophy

A consortium of chemists and physicists (ANION) received a Gravitation Fund last week to investigate how electrochemical processes work on the smallest scale. Petra de Jongh of Utrecht University is one of them. She states: "Perhaps this new fundamental knowledge will lead to completely new concepts. We are mainly optimising the known processes now. But maybe we will show that we need to start thinking about batteries and fuel cells in a completely different way. A revolution, instead of optimisation. Then we have to rewrite the electrochemistry textbooks!". Read more about this project here: #UUScience #electrochemistry #collaboration #physics #chemistry

Please, help our next generation academics to test emerging solar panels!

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified timber harvesting areas in Gabon and Congo boast a greater abundance of larger mammals, such as leopards, gorillas, and elephants, than non-FSC forests. Utrecht University researcher Joeri Zwerts and colleagues conclude this based on 1.3 million camera trap images gathered in fourteen commercially exploited forests. The researchers' analysis reveals the effectiveness of wildlife conservation measures in FSC-certified forests. Today, the results of the study are published in the scientific journal Nature. According to biologist Joeri Zwerts, up to now no independent research has provided conclusive evidence that FSC certification leads to strong benefits for forest biodiversity. Yet in making informed decisions about endorsing a label, consumers, policymakers, and NGOs require clear identification of the label's actual impact. This means it was high time for a comprehensive study, which was initiated by Utrecht University researcher Marijke van Kuijk and carried out with the backing of the WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society. #uuscience #research #FSC #wildlife