Prof. Dr M.K. (Maarten) van Aalst will become Director General and also Chief Science Officer at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. The Council of Ministers has approved the nomination on the proposal of Minister Bruins Slot, Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. The appointment will take effect on February 1st.

Leon Smook, now a PhD student in the Sustainable Polymer Chemistry (SPC; S&T Faculty) department, has received two awards for his master research: The Unilever Research Prize 2022 and the KNCV Golden Master Award 2022. He received the awards for his research on polymer brushes in artificial noses.

Dr Y. J. Erden and Prof Dr Philip Brey recently published a set of ethical guidelines for human enhancement research and development. Their guidelines were published in the scientific journal Science and included in a guidance document of the European Commission. “It is most important that a person using technologies and treatment to enhance their skills must not limit their ability and freedom to make their own choices”, says Erden.

After diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, many women suffer from cancer-related fatigue. Twenty percent of the patients are still severely fatigued after ten years. Is there a way to reduce cancer-related fatigue? PhD candidate Lian Beenhakker of the University of Twente compared 35 globally existing eHealth interventions aimed at reducing fatigue. Beenhakker’s publication appeared last week in the European Journal of Cancer Care. Lian Beenhakker: “Patients and their doctors can use this overview to find an eHealth intervention that fits patients’ personal preferences. It’s the first time that such an overview has been developed in this way.”