Having made it through the preliminary round of 25 nominees, the University of Twente scientist is now in the final five.
The prize is awarded annually to the most talented scientist in the Netherlands and Flanders. This year’s award ceremony will be held on Thursday 22 September in Amsterdam.
Bas Borsje (1984), scientist at the Faculty of Engineering Technology’s Department of Water Engineering and Management and the Institute for Innovation and Governance Studies, has been nominated for the award for his research on ecological coastal defence.
‘Soft’ structures
Coastal areas are becoming increasingly vulnerable as a result of rising sea levels. Borsje claims that ‘soft’ structures, such as salt marshes and mangrove forests, can protect coastal areas from flooding. “Natural disasters such as tsunamis and hurricanes have shown just how catastrophic the removal of these soft structures can be. These soft structures are a much cheaper alternative to the traditional hard structures such as dykes and dams, and they’re climate proof.”
Physical forces
Borsje aims to find out how the physical forces of the tide, the waves and the water level affect the coastal region. “At the moment, my research is focused on marshland, land that is only flooded when the water level is extremely high. Marshland slows down waves on their approach to the dykes and stabilizes the ground. I hope that my research can provide future generations with effective and sustainable ways to protect coastal areas from flooding.”
Award
The Scientific Talent of the Year award was established by the popular science magazine New Scientist to give young scientists the opportunity to share their research findings with a wide audience. The winner will be announced during the New Scientist Live: Brain event.
