Dies Natalis
The celebration of the 105th Dies Natalis of Wageningen University & Research took place on 9 March 2023. This year’s theme was: Blue Transitions. Shaping Sustainable Marine Futures.
105th Dies Natalis | Blue Transitions. Shaping Sustainable Marine Futures
9 March 2023 | 15:00-17:00hrs
Wageningen Campus, Orion Building, Bronland 1, Wageningen
Wageningen University & Research celebrated its 105th anniversary on Thursday, 9 March. The theme of the celebration was Blue Transitions, Shaping Sustainable Marine Futures. The speakers discussed the challenges and opportunities related to intensified use of seas and oceans. In addition to presentations and addresses on this topic, Honorary Doctorates were conferred, and the Research Award was presented.
The theme: Blue Transitions, Shaping Sustainable Marine Futures
Watch the videos
Introduction: Prof.dr ir. Arthur P.J. Mol
The sustainable management of seas and oceans require specific knowledge. That is what Prof.dr.ir. Arthur P.J. Mol, Rector Magnificus and Vice-President of Wageningen University & Research, said in his introduction of the 105th Dies Natalis. According to Mol, the challenges in and around the sea are increasing and the 'blue transition' requires WUR's knowledge and insights, including those offered by the new Marine Sciences program and the Delta Climate Center.
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Dies Lecture: Prof. dr Beatrice Crona
According to keynote speaker Prof. dr Beatrice Crona, the aquatic economy must diversify. Aquatic food systems can become more sustainable and resilient if we look beyond the few dominant fish species. Beatrice Crona is a professor of Sustainability Sciences in Sweden, Science Director of the Stockholm Resilience Center and a leading expert on transdisciplinary approaches to global marine sustainability, including aquatic food systems.
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Presentation Maryna Strokal
Dr Maryna Strokal, MSc, takes her audience on a journey to the Dnipro River and the Black Sea, where she used to swim. Pollution makes swimming in the river impossible now. Strokal’s work focuses on a future without pollution. She leads a team at Wageningen University & Research that works on computer models for water pollution and solutions to this problem. She paints a picture of the future where rivers carry 85% fewer microplastics to the sea.
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Presentation Joshua Wambugu
Half of the world’s coral reefs have disappeared, and the remaining half is not doing very well either. Still, PhD candidate Joshua Wambugu has a message of hope. He sees an increasing number of regions where scientists and local communities work together to restore coral. Wambugu works at the Marine Animal Ecology and the Environmental Policy groups. His focus as a researcher is on coral reef systems and community-driven marine nature conservation.
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Watch Dies Natalis 2023
The entire Dies Natalis 2023 in the Orion building can be viewed below. Including the opening by Prof.dr.ir. Arthur P.J. Mol, the lecture on aquatic food systems by Prof.dr Beatrice Crona, the presentations by dr Maryna Strokal and Joshua Wambugu Phd, the nominations to award honorary doctorates to Valerie Trouet, Dennis David Baldocchi and Willy Verstraete and the presentation of the Research Award to WUR researcher Balwina Koopal.
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Honorary doctorate Dennis Baldocchi
Prof.dr Jordi Vila-Guerau de Arellano, Professor of Meteorology and Air Quality, nominates Dennis David Baldocchi, Professor of Biometeorology, for an honorary doctorate, partly because of his work on the observation network FLUXNET and the 'eddy covariance technique'.
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Honorary doctorate Valerie Trouet
Prof. Dr. Ir. Frits Mohren, Professor of Forest Ecology and Forest Management, has nominated Prof. Dr. Ir. Valerie Trouet for an honorary doctorate. Mohren points out that Trouet has carried out important research on the correlation between tree rings and climate.
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Honorary doctorate Willy Verstraete
Huub Rijnaarts, Professor of Environment and Water Technology, nominates emeritus Prof. Dr Ir. Willy Verstraete for an honorary doctorate. Willy Verstraete is a passionate advocate of microbial resource management as a path to a sustainable world.
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More about the 105th Dies Natalis
News
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The search for a sustainable future for the coral reefs in Kenya
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Positive futures for polluted rivers and seas
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‘The blue economy should become far more diverse’
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Introducing the newest and bluest WUR programme
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Arthur Mol on sustainably managing increasingly crowded seas
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What will the jam-packed sustainable North Sea look like in the future?
Programme
| 13.00 | Masterclasses for employees, students, PhD candidates and postdocs |
|---|---|
| 14.00 | Welcoming reception and registration |
| 15.00 | Introduction: Prof.dr ir. Arthur P.J. Mol | Rector Magnificus and Vice-President of Wageningen University & Research |
| Dies Lecture: Prof.dr Beatrice Crona | Science Director, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University and Executive Director of the Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere Programme, at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences | |
| Intermezzo | |
| Presentations by young scientists dr Maryna Strokal and Joshua Wambugu MSc | |
| Conferral of Honorary Doctorates: Prof.dr Dennis David Baldocchi, Prof.dr ir. Valerie Trouet, Prof.dr ir. Willy Verstraete | |
| Presentation Research Award | |
| 17.00 | Reception |
Foto's
Posters Dies Natalis
Research about Shaping Sustainable Marine Futures
Previous editions of the Dies Natalis
Dies Natalis 2022: Metamorphoses. Shaping tomorrow’s university education
What are the trends in university education? How do we want or expect higher education to look like in 2030? Will the student of 2030 still follow a full programme at one university? Will education still take place on campus or move to other educational spaces? And what does this mean for innovating education today?
