'The making of'
WIAS magazine - Fall edition 2021
Word from the board
What an achievement: the first edition of WIAS Magazine has been published! In this short interview we get a sense of the people behind the magazine and dive a bit into the history of it.
Kaylee van Dijk, you are the editor and have been instrumental in getting the magazine up and running. Could you tell us a bit more about where the idea of the WIAS magazine came from?
Maria Forlenza, my supervisor and also academic advisor of the magazine, suggested ‘to create a platform specially for WIAS PhDs & Post-Docs to show the heterogeneity of people we have and promote the work they do at ASG’’. Based on this, I started brainstorming with other WIAS PhDs about how to bring this magazine to life. I would like to thank everyone that participated in these brainstorming sessions about the content and aesthetics of the magazine. Once the magazine started to get more shape, so did the Magazine board that currently consists of three members. This all developed into WIAS Magazine that you can all read from today onwards, based on the idea that science connects us al.
What are the aims of the magazine?
As stated above, WIAS magazine is centred around the idea that science connects us all. Therefore, the main aim of the magazine is to provide a platform to all WIAS PhDs & Post-Docs to share and promote their work. Secondly, the magazine aims to show the people behind the research and have articles with a personal touch to stimulate connections within the WIAS community. Lastly, the magazine board provides a great opportunity to get a taste of what happens behind the scenes of scientific journals.
The board of the magazine currently consists of Kaylee van Dijk, Annemarieke de Bruin and Corrie Gunter. Can you all tell us a bit about yourselves and why you joined the board?
Kaylee: I am a PhD student at the Aquaculture and Fisheries group studying molecules and cells directing inflammation with zebrafish as my model. I very much enjoy sharing knowledge, as well as, writing and I was looking for ways to connect more with the WIAS community. Given those interests, starting the magazine with an almost blank page provided an opportunity I just could not refuse. It’s been great to see all visions for the magazine come together and be able to publish the first edition!
Annemarieke: I am a PhD student at the Animal Production Systems group looking at a just transition of the food system in the North of the Netherlands. I joined the board to support Kaylee with setting up the magazine. It’s great to help put together a magazine that amplifies the voices of PhD students and Post-Docs from across WIAS.
Corrie: I’m a PhD student in the Aquaculture and Fisheries group where I aim to develop novel vaccines for fish to better understand their immune systems. I joined WIAS Magazine because I wanted to contribute and participate in communicating the fascinating science of the WIAS to a wider audience.
WIAS magazine board: Corrie, Kaylee, Annemarieke
What are your ambitions for the magazine?
Kaylee: The current magazine is published online and open access to ensure the widest possible dissemination. I would like for the magazine to reach as all WIAS PhDs & Post-docs positioned around the globe and keep us connected through our science. I also hope that later on we will be able to complement the online magazine with a printed version that can stay in offices and homes for years after their publication date.
Annemarieke: I hope that by this time next year we have managed to include articles from all the different groups that are part of WIAS. My ambition is that it should be a magazine that represents the diverse research strands and interests of WIAS PhDs and Post-Docs.
Corrie: I believe the research that each of us are doing at WIAS is important and platforms like this magazine contribute toward sharing this research with everyone. My ambitions for the magazine is to help grow and sustain this platform as the place to visit for a slightly deeper look into the research of WIAS, that is what this magazine is about.
Anything else you want to add?
Kaylee: We are looking for new members to join the board as designer or co-editor, so please do get in touch if you are interested in science communication! And the deadline to submit for the winter edition is on the 3rd of December, so get writing!
Annemarieke: and if you eat fish – do try out the shrimp recipe. It looks great!
We hope you enjoy the articles included in this first Fall edition!
More articles in WIAS magazine - Fall edition 2021:
Select at first sight: image analysis improves fish breeding
WIAS magazine - Fall edition 2021
Research Overview
Fish farmers want healthy fish to grow faster. However, to properly measure their health status and growth speed, fish needs to be killed or paralyzed for biological samples. This will easily stress the fish and disturb their health. On top of that, the acquired measurements are often lagging behind the real-time development. In Xue’s PhD project, together with breeding company Hendrix Genetics, she will explore the possibility of using image analysis as a fast, real-time and fish-friendly alternative.
Why is early life feeding important in piglets?
WIAS magazine - Fall edition 2021
Research Highlight
Early-life bacterial colonisation can be of particular importance to the overall growth and health of an animal, especially influencing intestinal and immune system development with long-term implications. This is especially relevant in pig production where post-weaning enteric infection is one of the major concerns related to the (gut) health of pigs, and is associated with economic losses and welfare problems. Commercial pig production systems involves early and abrupt weaning, which contrasts with the gradual transition from mother’s milk to solid feed in nature. Due to such abrupt weaning, a piglet is challenged with multiple stressors (including environmental-, nutritional- and psychological-) which is usually associated with changes in gut microbiota and a high incidence of diarrhoea. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the impact of early-life feeding (pre-weaning provision of fibrous feed) on the intestinal microbiota and mucosa development in neonatal piglets, thereby preparing piglets for weaning transition.
How to count what’s hidden beneath the ocean’s surface: The elusive population size of rays in the North Sea
WIAS magazine - Fall edition 2021
Research light
The populations of rays, flat bodied relatives of sharks with wing like fins, in the North Sea have been drastically decreased over the last 50 years. Little is known about their exact population sizes. Kinship among rays may help to shed a light on how many rays are currently inhabiting the North Sea. Timo Staeudle, a marine ecologist and PhD candidate at Wageningen University and Research, is obtaining this kinship information from the similarities and differences found in the genetic code of ray individuals.
Genotypes of animals selected out early in selection process are not always needed in subsequent evaluations of their retained relatives
WIAS magazine - Fall edition 2021
Research light
To further evaluate retained animals, genetic evaluation models known as ‘single-step genomic evaluation models’ only require genotypes of animals selected out early in selection process if their parents are not genotyped. This is the main conclusion from an investigation by researchers in the Animal Breeding and Genomics Group of Wageningen University & Research. The research was published in the Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics.
‘Stocked shrimp in tomato sauce’
WIAS magazine - Fall edition 2021
Student lifestyle
When the WIAS magazine asked me to write a piece for the student lifestyle section, I thought it might be a good possibility to share a great shrimp recipe. It will take you about 25 minutes and you can enjoy your meal with 4 people.
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