After a positive impression during the Open Day and good talks with students of Wageningen University the choice was quickly made

Prior Education

My name is Babette. From 2008 up un till 2012 I did the Bachelor’s Aquatic Ecotechnology at the HZ University of Applied Sciences. During these four years one is educated to become a true water manager. From water purification to shore protection, everything is discussed. Like for a true girl from the Dutch province of Zeeland the sea and the beach have always attracted my attention. It is probably thanks to that that I have focussed my two internships on marine ecological topics. At Imares I studied what the effects of oyster reefs used to combat the sand hunger in the Oosterschelde were. And at the NIOZ I looked at the effects of water temperature on the vertical distribution of sea grapes. Both internships convinced me that marine ecology is my passion. Rain or shine, a day out in the field is always a good idea.

Experiences

After completing my Bachelor’s I wanted to develop myself further before starting a job. After some orientation I found out that Wageningen University offers the program Aquaculture and Marine Resource Management. After a positive impression during the Open Day and the good talks with students of Wageningen University the choice was quickly made.

Finishing my Master’s

So, the next academic year I was studying at the WUR. As University of Applied Sciences graduate I was quite nervous for the transition to a research university but that deemed unnecessary. My prior education connected perfectly and I could easily keep up with the level and the pace. As specialisation I chose for Marine Resource Management and Ecology (the other 2 specialisations are: Aquaculture and Marine Governance). For the length of a year I increased my knowledge during the lectures and practicals. The days were long, but so interesting and instructional that they flew by.

During one of my lectures I met a professor who worked at Imares. Subsequently, after I had passed all of my courses, I started my thesis at Imares. Here I focussed on the effects of fishing at the bottom of the sea on the condition of flatfish in the north-western North Sea. My thesis consisted mainly out of data analyses and writing work. It was an instructional period. Next, I was ready for work of more a practical nature. Therefore I am living in Wales at the moment, where I am doing an internship at the School of Ocean Sciences, a part of the Bangor University. Here I study the habitat preferences of young crabs and lobsters. I organised the field design and momentarily I go out to sea once or twice a week to conduct research on the young crabs and lobsters. In a couple of months I hope to graduate and thereafter start the search for a job in the Netherlands, Belgium of maybe even the UK. Whether or not to continue onto a PhD is a difficult choice. As of now I don’t think so. Firstly, I want to do up some working experience and who knows what the future will bring?

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