In practice: Exploring the world of research at Summer School Junior

Anouk Neerincx researches social robots designed for youth health care and counselling services. She works with children, parents and experts to figure out how robots can be put to good use helping children at schools or care facilities. Summer School Junior offered participating kids the opportunity to design and program their own robot. 

Anouk Neerincx is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Science 

How do people use texts, poems and songs to understand and change the world around them? This is one of the main research questions Feike Dietz is currently dealing with. The kids at Summer School Junior listened to and analysed new and old songs by the Dutch children's choir Kinderen voor Kinderen to find out how they had evolved over the years to reflect children's changing environment.

Feike Dietz was still a language researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities at the time of Summer School Junior. She has since moved on to become a professor of Literature at the University of Amsterdam. 

Lonneke IJsseldijk studies beached porpoises, dolphins and whales. The programme saw children examine all kinds of evidence in an attempt to figure out what caused hundreds of dead porpoises to wash up on shore. They also learned how to rescue a live stranded porpoise.

Dr. Lonneke IJsseldijk is a biologist and researcher at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. 

The children set out on their mission equipped with special sniffer equipment designed by Roel Vermeulen. They examined the air quality at Utrecht Science Park by conducting various experiments. The children also presented recommendations on the further improvement of air quality to Utrecht University's Executive Board.

Prof.dr. Roel Vermeulen is professor of Environmental Epidemiology and Exposome Analysis at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. 

The DNA programme introduced children to the subject of DNA and its role in determining characteristics like hair or eye colour. They also learned about DNA's role in illnesses – the subject of Susanne Plugge's research on fixing flaws in DNA.

Susanna Plugge is a molecular cell biologist working at UMC Utrecht 

As part of the Utrecht 900 anniversary celebrations, the children took a trip back in time by interviewing grandparents about their childhood. Next, they got to work designing the City of the Future. The programme is based on research by Jesse Hoffman, exploring people's shared narratives about the future and the way in which our perceptions of the future influence all kinds of decisions. 

Dr. Jesse Hoffman is assistant professor at the Faculty of Geosciences  

Lonneke Roelofs researches mud flows on Earth and Mars and their long-term impact on landscapes. The children experimented with mud flows and river currents and tried to determine what they would be like on Mars. They also examined the soil by taking sample borings.

Lonneke Roelofs is a researcher and lecturer in Physical Geography at the Faculty of Geosciences