Alumni meeting

Alumni Open Day - Saturday 3 October 2020

Whether you just recently graduated or have left Wageningen University & Research many years ago, you are and always will be a Wageninger! In that spirit, we invited our alumni to our online Alumni Open Day on October 3rd, 2020.

Organised by University Fund Wageningen
Date

Sat 3 October 2020 14:45 to 17:15

Duration Time zone CET
Venue Online

Online
Once a Wageninger, always a Wageninger! Especially for our alumni, University Fund Wageningen (UFW) organized the Online Alumni Open Day on Saturday the 3rd of October 2020, time zone CET. The entire programme was online, so alumni from all over the world were able to join us.   

Programme
Prof. dr. ir. Louise O. Fresco, president of the WUR executive board and Joris Lohman MSc, director of Food Hub, discussed the role of science and emotions in the current public debate. Afterwards, there were two rounds of elective sessions with lectures by researchers within the Wageningen domain. Moreover, there was a chance to learn more about our international alumni chapters and networks as well as our other international activities. To conclude the day, alumni got the chance to join our virtual chat carousel where they were able to talk with fellow alumni one-on-one based on the field of interest indicated.

More information about the programme can be found below and in the programme booklet. The presentations by the speakers can be found below under 'Presentations'.

Detailed programme

14.50 - 15.00 Registration
15.00 - 15.03 Welcome and opening of the day
15.03 - 15.30 Two-way conversation between Louise O. Fresco and Joris Lohman
15.30 - 15.33 Closing plenary part
15.35 - 15.55 Round 1 elective sessions
16.00 - 16.20 Round 2 elective sessions
16.20 - 16.30 Chat carousel and break
16.30 - 17.00 Quiz Urgert & Van Deudekom (Dutch) and presentations international chapters
17.00 - 17.15 Chat carousel

More information can be found in the programme booklet.

Plenary part

Louise O. Fresco and Joris Lohman discussed the role of science and emotions in the current public debate. In doing so, they went deeper into this theme based on current examples.

The dialogue was conducted under the guidance of former spokesman for the executive board of Wageningen University & Research, Simon Vink.

Website Louise O. Fresco. Here you can read her biography and find out all about her positions, interviews, publications, books, reports, columns, debates and much more.

Website Joris Loman Food hub. Food hub provides education, training and innovative forms of food education. Their mission is to drive the food transition to a fair, healthy, tasty and sustainable food system and they invest in strengthening the global food movement.

Elective sessions round 1

  • Title: A sustainable agricultural ecosystem on Mars to grow crops to feed future human Martians
    English
    Wieger Wamelink    , Ecologist and exobiologist WUR

    When humans are going to live for short or longer periods on Mars they will have to grow their own crops at the site. This will most likely be done indoors and belowground due to the harsh circumstances on Mars. We are investigating if crop growth is possible on Martian soil and if we can design a closed system to grow the crops and support human presence.

  • Title: Nature conservation 2.0: the need for a landscape approach for the conservation of biodiversity
    English
    David Kleijn, Professor of Plant Ecology & Nature Conservation WUR

    David concerns himself with the question of how we can effectively preserve and foster nature in a densely populated country where every piece of land has to be used for multiple things. Much of his research focuses on wild bees because this species group is deteriorating sharply due to human actions. On the other hand, humans are also highly dependent on it for, among other things, the pollination of many of our agricultural crops. Because traditional management has proved insufficiently effective, Kleijn is currently exploring the effectiveness of new forms of nature management that are based on an integrated approach at landscape level, carried out by all those involved: nature managers, farmers, water board, municipalities and the province. He puts this into practice in the South of Limburg at Geuldal.

  • Titel: The New Silk Road: Trade, Development Aid, or Neo Colonialism? 
    Lecture by the Study Circle for Development Issues (SKOV)
    English
    Prof. dr. Meine Pieter van Dijk, Maastricht School of Management and the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture

    China is becoming the world's largest economy. To sustain this development, China builds the “New Silk Road”. Many developing and some developed countries signed up for it. It looks like a beneficial project, but the large loans to pay Chinese construction companies must be repaid with interest. In case of default, China becomes the owner of the facilities, for example a harbour in Sri Lanka. China is expanding its economic and political influence through the New Silk Road, also in Europe, Sub-Sahara Africa and Latin America.

  • Title: Gesprek over voeding: nuance versus hapklare brokken
    Dutch
    Gerda Feunekes and Karin van het Hof
    More information on the Dutch page

  • Title: De mening van een expert: waarheid of wapenstok?
    Dutch
    Jan Staman and Hans van Trijp
    More information on the Dutch page

  • Title: Vereniging Tropische Bossen: Het wereldwijde web dat werkt in de tropen
    Dutch
    Ron Lamain
    • Title: Wat we van ecologische systemen kunnen leren om onze samenleving duurzaam en resilient te organiseren
      Dutch
      Bowine Wijffels

    Elective sessions round 2

    • Title: Near realtime monitoring of trees
      Lecture by the Association for IT professionals in the agricultural domain (VIAS)
      English
      Cornelis Valk, CTO at NEO

      Het Boomregister (a joint effort of Wageningen Environmental Research, Geodan and NEO) finalized the third version of the Nationwide tree register of the Netherlands. Unlike the first versions which were rather static databases, it will be continuously updated using satellite imagery, height models, Open Data and crowd sourcing. We will demonstrate the power of near real time monitoring by showing the general methodology, a number of applications for our customers as well as the internal value of up to date tree information for monitoring other objects. 

    • Titel: A sustainable agricultural ecosystem on Mars to grow crops to feed future human Martians
      English
      Wieger Wamelink      , Ecologist and exobiologist WUR

      When humans are going to live for short or longer periods on Mars they will have to grow their own crops at the site. This will most likely be done indoors and belowground due to the harsh circumstances on Mars. We are investigating if crop growth is possible on Martian soil and if we can design a closed system to grow the crops and support human presence.

    • Title: Gesprek over voeding: nuance versus hapklare brokken
      Dutch
      Gerda Feunekes and Karin van het Hof

    • Title: De mening van een expert: waarheid of wapenstok?Dutch
      Jan Staman and Hans van Trijp

    • Title: XXL mix: over problemen en oplossingen voor 'de verdozing' van het Nederlandse landschap
      Dutch
      Joran Lammers

    • Title: We zitten midden in de transitie, naar een wellbeing economy -  wat betekent dat nou eigenlijk?
      Dutch
      Jelleke de Nooy-van Tol

    International discussion groups

    • Title: How to re-connect with your own group?
      English
      Sana Foday Kebba JATTA Gambia, MSc 1981, Soil Science & Water

      Learn how the 1981-1983 MSc group Soil Science & Water re-connected after some 37 years of almost total silence. Alumni from around 18 countries now hold monthly online get-togethers which they find both enjoyable and useful for networking. They will share their experiences on how they got the group back together but also like to hear experiences and ideas from others on re-connecting alumni groups.

    • Title: Developing the circular economy across the globe
      English
      Vojtech Vosecky, MSc 2017, Urban Environmental Management Technology, Policy and Entrepreneurial specialization, Circular Economy Changemaker, and Board member of the Alumni Chapter Czech Republic.

      Best practices from the Alumni Chapter Czech Republic and an alumnus perspective on developing the circular economy in Czech Republic and in the EU, followed by discussion.

    • Title: How to follow your heart in your career development?
      English
      Ikrom Mustofa      , MSc 2017, Environmental Sciences, Director of Research and Survey PI AREA & Founder of GCI Foundation, Indonesia.

      Hear from alumnus Ikrom his experiences with alumni activities in Indonesia and how he came third in the 2020 Holland Alumni Video competition ‘Life after graduation’ with his personal story leading to setting up the GCI Foundation (declared the winner for best organisation-nomination on Environment Category in 2019). Ikrom closes his video with an appeal to all WUR alumni: “Wageningen alumni, wherever you are, keep working from your heart, keep contributing to your country”. Join him in a discussion.

    • Title: Horticulture: challenges in China, finding answers together
      English
      Dr. XU Dan, MSc 2010 Organic Agriculture, Managing Director of Hortipolaris, China.

    • Title: Water management for environment, agriculture and flood prevention
      English
      Dr. ZHANG Cheng, MSc 2004 International Land and Watermanagement, General Director ICFM-IWHR), China.

    • Title: How viruses can change the animal husbandry in China and worldwide
      English
      Jan Cortenbach, Chief Technology Officer, De Heus Animal Nutrition

      First African Swine Flu had major influence on the Chinese meat production and changed export streams. And a year later coronavirus changed consumption habits.

      Jan graduated in Animal Science in 1988. He worked in Mexico, Netherlands, Yemen, Indonesia, Colombia and Hungary in pigs, poultry as well as ruminant production. Since 1997 in China, respectively as project manager for the Dutch ministry in the Sino Dutch Animal Husbandry Training and Demonstration Centre and as COO of Biomin China.
      Since 2005 Jan is Chief Technical Officer for De Heus and is responsible for technical know-how transfer to/from JV partner Wellhope.
      He is honored with a Chinese Green card for his contribution in the Chinese animal husbandry development.





    Presentations