Professors make video calls to 2500 primary-school students

On Wednesday morning 24 March, more than 100 professors from Utrecht University will make video calls to primary-school classes in Utrecht. 7th and 8th-year students have been looking forward to meeting the professors for a long time. During Meet the Professor, they finally get the chance to ask them everything.

This is how Utrecht University introduces primary-school students to science and research in order to reduce the distance between university and society. Professors tell about academic research in general and their own research in particular. The event offers primary-school students the chance to broaden their worlds and contributes to larger future perspectives.

Utmost respect

This year is the fifth edition of Meet the Professor. During the first four editions, the professors of Utrecht University cycled in their gowns to the primary schools. In 2020, Meet the Professor could not continue due to the pandemic outbreak. The professors would have liked to come back to the students at school this year, but unfortunately that is not possible. That is why they will be video calling, a means to which both the professors and the students are already used to through home education.

Rector Magnificus of Utrecht University, Prof. Henk Kummeling announced the digital program in a video message. About the digital edition, he says: “I have the utmost respect for the teachers, and for what they have achieved while working from home. The flexibility and great things that have been achieved. We will make the best of it as well on 24 March. ” Teachers are excited as well: “It is great that the professor can still come into our class this year, even if it is online. We are very curious, the students are already preparing questions to ask the professor.”

Unravelling identity

In the build-up to 24 March, the participating classes each received a golden envelope with class ideas and a hint on their visiting professor every month. This let every class find out more and more about their professor's identity and research. This is because the fields of expertise vary strongly from climate change, particle physics and diversity to ethics and plant pathology. At the same time, the children learn about academic research and the university in this early stage of their education.