Science for Sustainability kick-off: ‘One plus one makes more than two’
On Thursday, March 24 2022, the hall of the Marinus Ruppert Building filled up with researchers, students, and support staff from all over the natural sciences interested in sustainability issues. These people came together to festively kick off the Science for Sustainability community; a new community within UU’s strategic theme Pathways to Sustainability.
Kick-off event
The day started with a series of presentations about the three main themes of Science for Sustainability: Materials & Energy, Climate & Environment and Public Engagement & Education. After a short break, various showcases were discussed that explicated how broadly sustainability is incorporated into the natural sciences. The programme also included the new Science for Sustainability Graduate Programme and the Pathways to Sustainability Signature Projects.
During the second half of the afternoon, people had the chance to meet each other and create a pitch for a Signature Project in a brainstorming session. After less than one hour, all groups presented interesting and creative project proposals, such as a self-optimizing neuromorphic computer, the sustainable science meadow and pettable plastic-eating guinea pigs. In just an hour of talking to direct but possibly unfamiliar colleagues, new and inventive ideas already emerged. By stimulating this interaction, Science for Sustainability hopes to nurture creative thinking and innovative solutions to sustainability issues.
A promising start
The day ended with a round of suggestions and ideas from the community. Many suggestions came down to the need of getting to know each other and each other’s research more: showcase different research groups in a newsletter, develop a ‘science for sustainability’-podcast, and, most of all, meet people from the community in events across the year.
The enthusiasm, lively discussions, and creative ideas that have emerged in this afternoon present a promising start to the Science for Sustainability community and the interdisciplinary collaborations that will arise from this. The Science for Sustainability community aims to foster this interdisciplinary interaction and collaboration between researchers, lecturers, and students from the natural sciences interested in sustainability issues.