Programme

In shame by watching Netflix, why?

It seems that we are becoming more and more aware of the impact on the climate caused by our daily habits. For example, holidays by plane, plastic straws or consuming beef make some people feel guilty. Because these activities would have negative consequences for the planet. But what about watching streaming services such as Netflix, Videoland and HBO? Can you be in shame by ‘binge-watching’ Netflix ? Like people are in shame because of flying out for a short holiday to a sunny destination? What is the real impact of streaming services? Which has more negative influence on the climate: an evening of bbq or watching an entire season of 'Game of Thrones'? Or do you emit less CO2 with 5 episodes of Friends than driving from Leeuwarden to Sneek in an old diesel car?

Questions that are becoming increasingly real and interesting to discuss. But to which we can also provide an answer. During this lecture, Professor Anne Beaulieu will share the responsible figures, some research and of course a dose of common sense.

Anne Beaulieu is a professor and holds the Aletta Jacobs Chair in Knowledge Infrastructures at Campus Fryslân

Language: Dutch

Short-term emission controls for avoiding air pollution episodes

How simulation models of alternate-reality will help us to measure effectiveness

Outdoor air pollution kills more than 4 million people around the world every year. Yes, every year.

In many cities the air pollution levels are consistently above safe standards, but additionally severe pollution episodes occur a few times a year causing hazardous impacts on human health. To bring the general air pollution levels down, a long-term emission reduction strategy is needed, which is a slow process and isn't possible without making substantial changes to the economy and society.

While some form of long-term strategies are in place in many countries, short-term emission cuts are needed as emergency measures to avoid heavy pollution episodes which only last for a few days. Such emergency measures have been applied with some success in cities such as Beijing, Paris and Delhi. Since weather plays a crucial role in determining air pollution levels, it is difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of these short-term policies by comparing the resulting pollution levels to those of previous days.

Atmospheric models serve as excellent tools to construct an alternate reality with different weather and emission scenarios to properly evaluate the effectiveness of a short-term emission reduction policy. In this lecture, we will evaluate the effectiveness of a 10-day emission reduction policy that was applied in Beijing during a special event in 2014, by simulating the alternate-reality where such a policy was not applied.

Dr. Tabish Ansari is an Assistant Professor at UG/Campus Fryslân with expertise in Atmospheric Sciences

Language: English

What are the (im)possibilities of Sustainable Agriculture in a Frisian Circular Economy?

The agricultural sector is a large and important sector for the Frisian and Northern economies. The innovative Frisian agricultural sector is the result of an increase in scale, a strongly growing demand for agricultural products, an agricultural policy aimed at growth, mechanization and a much better knowledge of animal food and production processes. Friesland is agriculture. And agriculture is Friesland. It is the ‘mienskip (community)’ and the cultural Frisian heart with typical Frisian sports like ‘fierljippen’ (pole jumping) and ‘greidefûgels’ (meadow birds) that matters. And that also applies to the provinces of Drenthe and Groningen.

Nevertheless, the agricultural sector is one of the most discussed sectors as well. The nature and size of the agricultural sector seems to be reaching its limits. The loss of biodiversity, increasing nitrogen emissions and the depletion of available agricultural land are just some of the new challenges that need to be solved.

During this lecture, Professor Gjalt de Jong outlines new solution routes for the agricultural sector in the Northern Netherlands. A route in which the ‘mienskip’ and radical innovations are central, as are the farmers' earning models and systemic changes. One cannot exist without the other. We all need a totally new look at our food.

Professor Gjalt de Jong is professor of Sustainable Entrepreneurship in a Circular Economy at the University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân. Together with Professor Jouke de Vries (chairman of the Executive Board of the University of Groningen), Professor de Jong is developing a new agenda for the transition to the regenerative and nature-inclusive agriculture sector in the northern part of the Netherlands.

Language: Dutch

The Shape of Success

The media often credits the success of Olympic athletes to the shape of their bodies. Swimmer Micheal Phelps, the most successful Olympian in history, is said to be so good because of his size 48 shoes, long arms and streamlined chest. In contrast, there are other sports like speed skating, where two champions of the same distance can be very different. Jeremy Wotherspoon and Hiroyazu Shimizu were 500 sprint meter legends, even though one was 1.90m and the other was 1.60m. Why is this? Does body shape matter? What other natural talents lead to success? Can you make it to the top just by practicing? Beorn will give some answers to these questions as we look at the neuroscience of sports, both when it goes right and when it goes wrong.

Beorn Nijenhuis is a former professional speedskater and PhD Candidate at Campus Fryslân, specializing in the neuroscience of movement disorders.

Language: Dutch

Heat Waves in Antarctica?

Climate change is making extreme events, including heatwaves, more frequent and intense. Although heatwaves are increasing all around the world, they are a regional phenomenon and therefore demand for local analyses. In this talk, I will show you some of the record-breaking heatwaves during the last summer worldwide, but I will also show concerning recent trends here in Europe. Sarah will discuss not only why heatwaves occur anywhere and anytime on earth, but moreover why they matter even if they occur at distant locations. To illustrate the latter, the Assistant Professor will present projections of heatwaves (including their frequency, length, and amplitude) under different emission scenarios in Antarctica.

dr. Sarah Feron is an Assistant Professor of Sustainability & Environmental Sciences at the University College Fryslân (UCF)
With a background in social sciences, her research involves both social and natural sciences.

Language: English

A parallel session for young scientists: What the science?!

Fers will come by and park the FryskLab, the mobile library lab, next to our building. On the bus, but also in the Campus Fryslân building, you can join a carousel of activities in which you can, for example, design and print 3D or make your own wearable.

Scheduled: 14.15 -15.00
Scheduled: 15.15 -16.00
Scheduled: 16.15 -17.00

Children from the age of 8 years are invited to join.

DATA WALK Leeuwarden

Discover how you are part of all the information that flows in the city center of Leeuwarden, without realizing it. During the afternoon, you can independently participate in the DATA walk and discover new facts.

START and FINISH at the Beursgebouw (a roadmap will be provided)

Duration: 30 minutes

Workshop producing eco-friendly music

Florian Wolff and his Green Machine

As a musician, Florian tries to run his musical enterprise as green as possible. He started out with making the cover of his debut album out of 100% recycled paper and having it printed with an eco-friendly waterless offset printing technique. Next, Florian came up with band shirts made of bio-cotton and bamboo and even went further when he came up with the idea of playing shows on green energy. In the music world, venue and festival shows cost a lot of power. Why not use solar and wind energy instead of carbon or nuclear generated power? And while we're at it, can't the crowd deliver some as well? This is where the audience can participate and help out.

That's how the Green Tour was born. A tour from festival to festival with a mobile stage, transported by a truck on biofuel, using nothing but energy from the sun, the wind and the crowd.

Mozilla Common Voice Box

A unique scientific project that collects speech material for different languages and ​​that even teaches machines how people speak. On October 2, 'the Voice Box' will be located at Campus Fryslân in Leeuwarden. You can participate in a speak session during the afternoon program. This is your chance to contribute your own voice to this unique project.

Students of the Master Voice Technology of Campus Fryslân will give a demonstration and guide new contributors to the Voice Box.