Week of Inspiration 2020

According to Marleen Stikker we are continuously being ‘nudged, trolled and gamified’ when we browse the internet. Stikker is one of the founders of De Digitale Stad, a virtual public space based on democratic principles. Nowadays tech giants dominate the web and earn a lot of money with our metadata. How can the internet be fixed again and become a truly democratic, public infrastructure? Are the tech giants the main culprits or should we also take a critical look at our own lazy and careless surfing behavior? Marleen Stikker is director of Waag Technology & Society in Amsterdam and published the book Het internet is stuk. Maar we kunnen het repareren (2019). Moderator: prof. dr. ir. Peter-Paul Verbeek (Philosophy of Technology, UT). 12.30-14.00 hours, Vrijhof

When you take a pill, your brain starts to anticipate. Based on certain expectations, it produces painkilling or soothing substances: the so called placebo effect. That’s why your headache possibly vanishes after swallowing a fake pill. Prof. dr. Andrea Evers, who holds the chair Health Care Psychology (University of Leiden), investigates how physicians can use this placebo effect to cure their patients more efficiently. In 2019 Evers received the prestigious Stevin award for her placebo research. In cooperation with Dimensie and Sirius. Moderator: dr. Pascal Wilhelm (UCT). 12.45-14.00 hours, Vrijhof

In the last few decades, the vast ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica have started to lose more and more ice due to rising temperatures. It could lead to multi-metre sea level rise worldwide. But how fast and by how much? Peter Kuipers Munneke will show that, in order to understand the behavior of the ice sheets, we rely heavily on ever better satellites and computers. Peter Kuipers Munneke PhD is specialized in the interaction between ice, snow and the atmosphere. He undertook field campaigns to Greenland, Antarctica, and Spitsbergen. He is also a weatherman for NOS. In cooperation with Arago, Inter-Actief and Atlantis. Moderator: ir. Peter Timmerman (Studium Generale). 19.30-21.00 hours, Vrijhof

Een nieuw boek van geschiedkundige prof. dr. Herman Pleij dat gaat over seks, dat trekt de aandacht. Hoewel Pleij in Oefeningen in genot. Liefde en lust in de late Middeleeuwen teksten en afbeeldingen van meer dan een half millennium geleden behandelt, zijn er parallellen met het nu. Eindigen alle seksuele revoluties uiteindelijk in repressie? Volgt op bevrijding telkens weer beteugeling? Herman Pleij was vaste gast bij DWDD. Moderator: Prof. dr. ir. Fokko Jan Dijksterhuis (BMS).

In the near future, will the patient ask the doctor before a (complex) medical procedure: ‘have you already practiced this on me?’ Yes, according to dr. Bon Verweij, neurosurgeon. Practice the procedure with an exact 3D print of this specific patient, use haptic feedback, augmented reality or use them during surgery. Also useful for residents for less complex cases. An ultimate example of personalized healthcare. Making healthcare safer and efficient by embracing innovative techniques and make them user friendly and widely available is his focus. Also curious how clinical data science can improve surgical processes? Come and join! Moderator: prof. dr. ir. Michel van Putten, neurologist (MST) and clinical neurophysiologist (UT). In cooperation with Daedalus. 19.30-21.00 hours, Vrijhof

Since 20 May 2019 the kilogram – along with three other base units of the International System of Units – has a new definition. It is now derived from fixed numerical values of fundamental physical constants. Up until this historic date, the kilogram’s definition relied on a physical artefact: “Le grand K”, stored near Paris. Why was it necessary to relate SI units like the kilogram to physical constants and properties of atoms rather than to macroscopic objects? This lecture by Joachim Ullrich leads you into the world of metrology: the science behind correctly and reliably measuring things. Prof. dr. dr. Joachim Ullrich is President of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt. As President of the Consultative Committee for Units, he played an important role in revising the SI-units. In cooperation with Arago, Atlantis, Alembic, Newton and Scintilla. Moderator: prof. dr. Jennifer Herek (Dean of TNW).12.30-14.00 hours, Vrijhof

Speed and revolution. New ways to transport, build, dress or express yourself. The artistic movement of the Italian Futurism aimed to destroy the old and to design a truly modern society. Instead of presenting static paintings the artists gave dramatic performances in which smells played an important role. Art historian Caro Verbeek MA (VU) tells about this revolutionary movement and lets you sniff it. In cooperation with Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Alembic and Daedalus. Moderator: Hiska Bakker MA (Studium Generale). 19.30-21.00 hours, Vrijhof