Researchers in the spotlight
Youth researchers from all seven faculties of Utrecht University are involved in Dynamics of Youth. But who are these scientists? And what exactly are they investigating? We like to put our youth researchers in the spotlight. Get to know them one by one through the interviews below.
More reading (aloud), fewer tablets
Reading a story every evening, banning the tablet, or, above all, talking to your child a lot? Parents do everything they can to support their children’s language development. Caroline Junge is investigating how the environment and genes of very young children influence language development. Her research focuses on interdisciplinarity and building connections: “My expertise lies in bringing people together. And asking the right questions.”
How do young people themselves feel about taking mental health medication?
Taking mental health medication has quite a significant impact on a child’s life. But how do children and young people actually experience this themselves? Grietje Keller is mapping out these experiences. According to Keller, this is important: “Young people who take medication themselves have valuable insights. It is essential to listen to them.”
Outdoor play for everyone: an inclusive play area
Children with a disability or chronic illness are often less able to take part in both physical and social activities outdoors. “That’s a shame, because playing outdoors has so many benefits: it’s good for your health, it encourages participation in society and promotes well-being,” says Zheng Yen Ng. He recently started as a postdoc on the SPACES project and hopes this project will lead to greater inclusivity in playgrounds.
The upbringing you received influences your view of children
How does the upbringing you received relate to the way you parent and view children? That is one of the questions that Assistant Professor Sanne Geeraerts is exploring. Her research focuses on relationships between parents and children. She links this to how these now-adult participants view and raise children.
Nutrition to boost brain development in premature babies
Premature babies are more likely to suffer from developmental delays. Can providing the right nutrition reduce this risk? Els Janson, PhD candidate at the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, is investigating how nutrients in breast milk can stimulate brain development after premature birth.
From happy to scared: the first steps in emotion recognition
“Emotions can protect you from danger or, conversely, bring you closer to others,” explains Carlijn van den Boomen, Assistant Professor of Psychology. “When babies are seven months old, they can already distinguish between a frightened and a happy face. But not all children are equally good at recognising emotions in others. I am researching the underlying reasons for this.”
How AI helps predict behavioural problems in children
Predicting whether a child is experiencing internalising or externalising problems based on a video. Niilo Valtakari is working on this: "My research shows how machine learning combined with psychology can provide new insights into behaviour." With a background in psychology, he made the switch to the Faculty of Science. In his research, he is training a classification system that can recognise anxiety symptoms based on video.
From full family member to handy tool: About the role of AI in families
Social robots, smart speakers, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa: they are making their way into our homes. But what role do these forms of artificial intelligence play within the family? Do parents and children see them as tools, little brothers or sisters, or more like pets? Ruud Hortensius and his team of researchers are exploring this question.
Loneliness across the world: do young people from different cultures feel the same?
Is feeling lonely the same for everyone in the world? Are (young) people from cultures where family is more central perhaps less lonely? Luzia Heu investigates how culture affects feelings of loneliness. "We found that human beings experience loneliness quite similarly, irrespective of where they live: definitions of loneliness varied more between individuals than between cultures."
Three experts, one topic: neurodiversity
By chance, they found out that they were all researching neurodiversity from their own fields of study. They now meet every month for brainstorming sessions. "Most of all, I hope someone will occasionally point out to me that I am thinking in the wrong direction. The critical eye of my colleagues keeps me on my toes," Anne Smit-van Beveren says. The Diverse Minds research group fosters interdisciplinary collaborations with neurodiversity as the common subject.
Lessons learnt from rats playing tag
Playing with other children is an important learning format for functioning in a complex social environment. Through play, children train their resilience and how to deal with emotions. This does not just apply to children, as many animals play when they are young. Marijke Achterberg is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and is researching social play behaviour in rats.
Gymnasium as an elite school: a historical look at equality in education
"I think it is very important to understand education through its history. Traditions are still affecting education today." Diederik Burgersdijk is Assistant Professor in Classics and Ancient History at Utrecht University. Using his practical experience at secondary schools, he looks at the stratification of the Dutch school system from a historical perspective.
Coping with setbacks: understanding resilience in young people with chronic illnesses
Resilience: what exactly is it? What makes some young people with chronic illnesses more resilient than others? Sabine van der Laan seeks answers to this in her doctoral research at University Medical Center Utrecht. There is one thing Van der Laan is very clear about: "Resilience is not a personal superpower. It’s not a character trait. It’s a dynamic process influenced by all kinds of factors.”
Finding meaningful work in an ever changing world
Most young people in the Netherlands are doing fine in their transition from education to work. But there are some that feel very confused and have difficulty realizing their plans and possibilities. And even as adults we can find ourselves at a job which we have not chosen, but were more or less assigned to. What to do? William Stephens is a postdoctoral researcher at the faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Utrecht University, studying how people become adults in a changing world.
Understanding emotions: the key for young people
Where in your body do you feel that you are angry? Or frightened? Or sad? The better young people are able to describe and recognise emotions, the better they are able to deal with them. Anne Margit Reitsema has been working for several months as a postdoctoral fellow in the Thriving & Healthy Youth community. In her research, she immerses herself in the world of physical and mental characteristics of emotions in young people.
Searching for effective help for depressed youth
Yvonne Stikkelbroek, is an involved jack-of-all-trades with one foot in research and the other in practice. As an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University and a clinical psychologist at the TOP GGZ department Expertisecenter Depression Youth in East Brabant. She shares all her gained knowledge at conferences, lectures, and in the theatre. “I promised myself one thing when I went to obtain my PhD at age 51: if I take all this effort to get into research, I want to share it too. Both with the young clients and their parents.”
Research into brain development in young people: figuring out how young people can grow up even better
Meet Hilleke Hulshoff Pol Professor of Neurosciences – Experimental Psychology at Utrecht University, who is conducting research into brain development in young people. She already concluded in her previous research that genes influence the growth and shrinkage of areas in the brain. Building on this, and as part of the Gravitation project ‘Growing Up Together in Society’, she is now researching how young people develop in a fast-changing and complex society.
Becoming an adult: how do you do that?
Ouissam Abattouy is being awarded the NWO Mozaïek 2.0 doctoral grant for her research into how young people with and without an immigrant background undergo the transition to adulthood. This year is the first time this grant is being awarded again since the previous edition in 2012. Mozaïek 2.0 (‘Mosaic 2.0’) is a springboard for ambitious young academics with an immigrant background who are underrepresented in the Dutch academic community. At the same time, this grant can help to promote the development of an inclusive working environment.
Vulnerability and resilience of children with a chronic illness
In stressful periods, some children turn out to be more resilient than others. Which factors contribute to children’s resilience during stressful events? And how does this work in a more vulnerable group, such as children with chronic illnesses? ZonMw is funding a research project in which these questions take centre stage. Emma Berkelbach van der Sprenkel will start her PhD track to find the answers to these questions this summer.
The power of social relationships in youth
Living long, healthy and happily without other people: it is almost impossible to imagine. Social relationships are very important to adults, but also especially for children. Social-psychology researcher Reine van der Wal investigates how people maintain social relationships in times of conflict and stress. “I try to expose the dynamic between relationship partners with research.” Recently, Van der Wal became a member of Utrecht Young Academy, where she wants to encourage a collective mindset at the university as an ambassador of the new Recognition and Rewards programme.
Meet... Zowi Vermeire
Which impact does the digital world have on how youngsters view education? That is one of the questions youth researcher Zowi Vermeire occupies herself with. She researches how youngsters' online activities have changed how and what they learn. “I use online environments as a source of inspiration to look at regular education differently.”
Meet... Els Stronks
“How our youth develops can't be seen separately from the Dutch culture, language, and historical thinking on child rearing and education in the Netherlands. Cultural-historic research shows these traditions, but also provides space to look at the future.” The person speaking is Els Stronks. As a Professor of Early Modern Dutch Literature, she brings a fresh wind from Humanities to Dynamics of Youth, the UU-wide research theme on the youth as they grow up.
Meet... Manja Coopmans
Her research is focused on factors that improve or inhibit social and political involvement among youngsters. Equality or inequality of opportunities, inclusion and diversity are themes she often comes across in that field. Themes that link up seamlessly with Dynamics of Youth. Her name: Manja Coopmans, an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University. She is currently busy working on the coordination of the Erasmus+ project Vox Pop Europe; an online dialogue platform where youngsters from various countries can meet. So it is about time to get to know this researcher.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on young people’s mental well-being
The first lockdown as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic led to reduced life satisfaction among young people. At the same time, however, they also experienced a slight decrease in physical stress-related symptoms. These are the conclusions drawn from recent research conducted by University Medical Center Utrecht physician-researcher and epidemiologist Sabine van der Laan. Together with PhD supervisors Kors van der Ent and Catrin Finkenauer and co-supervisors Sanne Nijhof and Virissa Lenters, Van der Laan compared the mental health of young people during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with the situation before the pandemic.
An economist's perspective on youth development
‘Social inequality starts at an early age. Increasing equality of opportunity for children is vital to their future – and contributes to greater prosperity in a broader sense,’ says Thomas van Huizen external link, an education and labour economist and an associate professor at the Utrecht University School of Economics. In this interview, he talks about his research into pre-school education, the use of big data and the added value of interdisciplinary research.