Not one, but two researchers bike to elementary school

On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 180 researchers from Utrecht University took their bikes to visit elementary school classrooms in Utrecht during the 10th edition of Meet the Professor. After an opening at the University Hall, where group 8 of Basisschool Onder de Bogen was festively welcomed, it was time to go in pairs to classrooms. Here the students of grade 6, 7 and 8 finally got the chance to meet their researchers and ask them all kinds of questions.

Tenth edition

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Meet the Professor! In 2020, Stream the Professor was organized where kids could ask questions online to a number of professors. In 2021 was the online edition, where all the professors went on video call with their class. Since 2022, the event has been organized as always at the University Hall. In all these years, around 25,000 children have been reached. Fun fact: Computer scientist Arno Siebes, law professor Antoine Buyse and clinical epidemiologist Rick Grobbee have participated in the project (almost) every year since the beginning.

The children who participated in 2016 are currently 21 and may now be studying at Utrecht University.

Doing research together

To give children the most realistic image of science and who can be a researcher, this year pairs went to the schools. After all, you don't do research alone! A professor therefore took along a PhD student or a colleague who contributes directly or indirectly to the research in another way. In this way, Utrecht University introduces students to science and research in order to reduce the distance between the university and society.

It is beautiful to see the enthusiasm of the children, and the attention of the researchers to the children. Two worlds meeting.

Profpost

The students have spent the past few weeks preparing for the arrival of a research duo using teaching materials. Beforehand, the students do not know which duo will visit them but they could find out with a so-called Wie ben ik-poster. This poster, divided into six posters, shows all the participating researchers. In addition, they sent the duo profpost; a homemade drawing about what they thought the duo would look like and they could ask them questions in advance.

That way a gown is for everyone for a moment!

In class

In class, students found out that their duo looked different than expected! After all, researchers really don't all look like Albert Einstein. And the fact that anyone can become a researcher was also confirmed. In fact, some children were allowed to try on the professor's gown themselves. As one researcher himself said, “That way a gown belongs to and is for everyone! At the end of the visit, researchers were even asked for autographs. Meet the Professor is alive and kicking even after ten years.