Summer 2011

Real Heavy Metal: meet the university's carillonneur Auke de Boer

Quite a spectacular interview location it is: all the way up the tower of the University of Groningen Academy Building. Climbing the stairways, we hear the bells ringing and the pedals of the carillon being pressed. The weather is lovely and the view from the tower is astonishing. ‘You should be here when it storms and the whole tower swings back and forth, that can be really frightening’, says carillonneur Auke de Boer, when we finally arrive at his ‘office’, the university’s carillon.

> to the interview

Export of Groningen medical curriculum to Saudi Arabia

As of 2012, medical students of the King Faisal University (KFU) in Saudi Arabia will be taught according to the Groningen medical teaching model. To this end, a contract was recently signed by professor Sibrandes Poppema, President of the Board of the University of Groningen. > read more

In the spotlight: Jodien Houwers of the Office for International Relations

The University of Groningen Office for International Relations carries out an incredible amount of work in many different areas, but much of it is done behind the scenes. Read an interview with Jodien Houwers and learn more about her work in the field of internationalization

> to the interview

What a waste: sustainability at the University of Groningen

If all 67 million photocopies produced by the University of Groningen every year were put onto a pile, it would be as tall as 67 Martini Church towers (6.5 km). If the entire surface area of the University was flooded with the water that the University uses in a year, then all staff would be up to their knees in water. In addition to paper waste and hazardous waste, the University of Groningen produces more than 350 tons of residual waste a year. > read more

'Spread the good word about Groningen'

They came to Groningen from all corners of the globe and this summer, their studies completed, they will go back out into the world again – but in a new guise as international alumni ambassadors for the University of Groningen. The project was launched at Apenheul Primate Park in Apeldoorn. > read more

The one and only University of Groningen lipdub

Quality of Dutch Chemistry Research very high - Groningen receives excellent score

The quality of chemistry research in the Netherlands is very high and it makes a major contribution at an international level to chemistry-related knowledge. This is one of the conclusions of a visitation committee from quality assessor QANU, which reviewed 58 research programmes at seven Dutch universities. Twenty-three of the programmes attained the maximum score for quality, with a quarter of these top programmes being University of Groningen ones. Professor Feringa's research group is one of the groups that achieved this excellent rating. Ben Feringa has recently been appointed Vice President of the prestigious Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).

> portrait of Professor Ben Feringa

> more about the quality of chemistry research

Night of Arts and Science once again great success

More than 15,000 visitors were attracted to the second Night of Arts and Science festival. The one night event, held on 4 June, was hailed by the organizers as a huge success. This was confirmed by the great number of positive responses and the fact that it was even a trending topic on Twitter. > watch a video

International Prize for Album Amicorum

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has given the Album Amicorum, the graduation present for Master’s students and PhD students of the University of Groningen, a Silver Award. CASE – which has its head office in the USA – is regarded as the world’s most important organization of professionals concerned with alumni policy and fundraising in Higher Education. > read more

University of Groningen warmly recommended by international students

When queried by people from their home countries, international students are very positive about the University of Groningen. In an independent survey, in which 1500 international students participated, the University of Groningen received the highest ‘recommendation marks’ of all Dutch universities. > read more

Did you know?

• Failed mergers are often caused by overconfident managers
• Finding an expert on the University of Groningen website has become very easy

Do online friends boost your popularity? Not really

Having a large number of online friends doesn’t say much about your popularity in real life. This is the outcome of a study by University of Groningen researcher Thomas Pollet who questioned 117 people aged 18 to 63 about their online and offline relationships. It appears that online socializing is not linked to having a greater number of real-life friends.

> Read a report about this study in the Los Angeles Times

> Interested in becoming online friends with the University of Groningen? This is where you can find us online  

Join the Law Summer School in Islam and Criminal Justice

The Faculty of Law of the University of Groningen invites you to join the summer school on Islam and Criminal Justice, which will be held from 14-21 September 2011. This summer school is dealing with several issues with regard to criminal justice and how religion can influence that.

Groningen carbon dating fuels debate on prehistoric cave paintings

In 1994 the French speleologist Jean-Marie Chauvet discovered a hidden chamber in a cave near Vallon-Pont d’Arc (Ardèche) with walls that were covered with drawings of animals. Splendid prehistoric cave paintings, the dating of which led to heated debate among archaeologists. > read more

200 international alumni invited to The Hague

11 University of Groningen alumni were among 200 especially selected international alumni, invited to visit the Netherlands for the Holland Alumni Conference. The conference was organized for the second time by Nuffic (Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education) and took place on 26 and 27 May 2011 in The Hague. > read more