Student testimonial
Angela Noordhoek - Biomass Production and Carbon Capture
I’ve been studying in Wageningen for a few years now. First, I followed the bachelor “Economie en Beleid” and after graduating, I was considering either the master Climate Studies or the master Biobased Sciences. There were several reasons why I eventually chose the master Biobased Sciences. I felt like I could use the skills I learned in my bachelor better in Biobased Sciences than Climate studies. Also, the program was explained to be a bridge between technical details and actual implementation; the bigger picture is important, and a practical difference can be made.
I feel like everything is very accessible, you can just go up to your professor after class and ask your questions.
Could you please tell us about your educational background?
“It was quite challenging to switch from an economic bachelor to this master specialisation. It might be needed that you follow some extra courses to lay the right foundation to succeed in this program. Even though it was quite challenging for me, I think that it’s very doable if you really want it and want to work for it. Having a different background is not only a disadvantage. Especially in the first courses “Circular Economy” and “Principle of Biobased Economy”, there were many students from different backgrounds who could teach me about technical details while I could teach them more about things from my bachelor. This immediately highlighted the importance of an interdisciplinary approach.”
What do you like about Wageningen?
“Being a long-time student at Wageningen University & Research has made me very familiar with the structure of education here. I feel like everything is very accessible, you can just go up to your professor after class and ask your questions. Or alternatively, you can send an email and you always get a response. I’ve also really enjoyed living in Wageningen, where I’ve been active at my study association as well as the rowing association Argo. “
What are your long-term plans?
“I’m currently working on my master thesis where I examine the growth of potatoes. It is fun to combine theory with practice, as I’m managing two potato fields in Wageningen and collecting data about the potato plants. In the future I don’t just want to focus on plant sciences though, I’d rather look at the bigger picture. This aligns with what I think is the main goal of the master Biobased Sciences: to get a holistic view of the biobased value chain. Therefore, I want to look for an internship that is a bit broader than my thesis. I think it would be interesting, for example, to examine a farm and analyse how they can decrease their pollution and improve their production system. Eventually, I’d like to be the bridge between farmers and science.
Currently, the knowledge gap is very large, a lot is known in science, but it doesn’t reach practice on the farms. I would like to contribute to filling this gap in the future.”