144 secondary-school pupils fight it out in the ‘Bèta Battle’

On Monday 9 April the UG Bernoulliborg building was the scene of a battle for a day. One hundred and forty-four pupils from 12 schools in the northern Netherlands came to compete in the B è ta Battle, a quiz about science and technology in the north. The participants had made it through preliminary rounds on the internet. Professor Jasper Knoester, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the UG, opened the B è ta Battle. And as in 2017, Praedinius Gymnasium ended the day as the smartest school in the northern Netherlands.

This annual event is organized by Youth and Technology Network Netherlands Jet-Net, an initiative by businesses, schools and local government. ‘The second-years who participate have made it through four preliminary rounds on the internet with very tricky questions,’ says Theo Jurriëns from the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The Province of Drenthe was represented by four schools (CS Vincent van Gogh Assen, CSG Dingstede Meppel, Dr. Nassau College Assen and Esdal College Emmen), the Province of Groningen by six (Aletta Jacobs Hoogezand, Eemsdelta College Appingedam/Delfzijl, H.N. Werkman College Groningen, Praedinius Gymnasium Groningen, Stadslyceum Groningen and RSG de Borgen Leek) and Friesland by two (CSG Liudger Drachten and Leeuwarder Lyceum).

Water rockets

On the day of the final AkzoNobel, Wetsus and the Province of Drenthe gave various workshops. The Province on sustainable energy, AkzoNobel on the versatility of Groningen ‘white gold’ or salt and Frisian water technology institute Wetsus on purifying water with LEGO. There was also an individual quiz for the pupils. Jurriëns: ‘As always, the day ended with a bang with the launch of 40 water rockets!’ Jurriëns is pleased that the Province of Drenthe played such a visible role: ‘Drenthe is the only province in the Netherlands in the network, therefore demonstrating that technical knowledge and education are essential aspects of economic development.’

Jet-Net

In Jet-Net, local government and businesses work with secondary schools to organize challenging science and technology activities. The aim is to enhance teaching materials with real-life examples and to give children an idea of their future perspectives in technology. The participating organizations are: AkzoNobel, BASF, FrieslandCampina, NAM, Philips, the Province of Drenthe, the University of Groningen and Wetsus.