Student Awards 2026 for Miriam Osinga, Yeline Hoogmans and Connor Proudfoot

During the Start of the Academic Year, Rector Magnificus Wilco Hazeleger presented the student awards.

The prize for Best Master’s Thesis was won by Miriam Osinga. In her thesis Miriam explores the question of how our consciousness originated through an in-depth discussion of theory from various perspectives, insights and approaches, presenting complex subject matter in an accessible and understandable way.

The award for Social Impact goes to Yeline Hoogmans for launching the FLAQ app, through which she contributes to the social safety of women in public spaces.

The Vliegenthart Thesis Prize went to Connor Proudfoot for his thesis on the interactions between Rüppell’s vultures, their conspecifics and their eggs.

Miriam Osinga, winner Best Master’s Thesis Award

In her thesis, she addresses the question “How did our consciousness arise?”. She especially investigates Orch OR theory developed by physicist Roger Penrose and anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff, which claims that quantum computation in the brain could explain consciousness. It is an in-depth exposition of the theory, covering various approaches, insights, and perspectives, in which this complex subject matter is presented in an accessible manner.

Yeline Hoogmans, winner Student Social Award

With FLAQ Yeline is committed to improving the safety of young women in public spaces. She not only does this through the development of innovative interventions such as an app but also by actively engaging with stakeholders and using public media to address shared responsibility and social safety. In doing so, she creates awareness and provides concrete tools in order to create a safer environment for women, together.