Watching the solar eclipse with the University of Groningen

More than five hundred students and staff members have signed an open letter calling on the university to reduce its reliance on Big Tech. They are urging the university to develop a plan to achieve this goal within three years. The opportunity to sign the letter closed last Wednesday, with a total of 503 signatures. The Young Academy Groningen has also expressed its support. 'There is also contact with the University Library, the Centre for Information Technology, and the privacy officer, all of whom support this movement', says initiator Oskar Gstrein. 'There appears to be broad agreement that this is an important issue.'

American Studies will host a symposium on the Trump administration on Tuesday, 20 May. Guest speakers include Debora van Nijnatten, a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada), who will discuss U.S.–Canada relations. Photographer Nicola Moscelli will also be present to speak about his book Dead End, which explores the past and present of the U.S.–Mexico border. In addition to these guest speakers, experts from the American Studies programme’s teaching and research departments will also contribute. You can register for the symposium here.

Professor Inga Kamp has been appointed the new director of the Kapteyn Institute in Groningen, effective April 1. She will serve a three-year term, succeeding Professor of Astrophysics León Koopmans, according to astronomie.nl. Kamp has been affiliated with the University of Groningen since 2008, initially as an assistant professor and, since 2017, as a full professor. Her research focuses on star and planet formation, as well as the composition of planet-forming disks — the cradles of new planets. With her appointment, Kamp also becomes a board member of the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA).

Professor of active molecular systems Nathalie Katsonis has been awarded the Ammodo Science Award 2025. Katsonis will receive the award and a monetary prize of 350,000 euros for her research on molecules that can work together in a coordinated manner. Through this collaboration, materials are created that can, for example, pulsate, curl up, stiffen, and explode—functioning like molecular machines. As a result, they can continuously adapt. In the future, such materials could be used for medical applications, and as alternatives to steel and ceramics. The award ceremony will take place on 7 May at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The film night on April 25 featuring actor Guy Pearce, organised by art history and arts, culture & media student association IK, sold out within two minutes on Wednesday. The evening will include a screening of the acclaimed 2000 film Memento, followed by a live Q&A with Pearce, who played the lead role. Memento tells the story of a man suffering from memory loss, who uses note cards, Post-its, Polaroid photos, and tattoos to search for his wife's killer. The film was directed by Christopher Nolan, who later went on to direct blockbusters such as Oppenheimer, Interstellar, and Inception.

Of the international students who graduated in Groningen between 2014 and 2018, 22.1 percent were still in the Netherlands five years later. This is according to research by Nuffic, the organisation for internationalisation in education. This figure is slightly lower than the national average for that period, which was 25.3 percent. The highest retention rate was in Eindhoven (48.9 percent), followed by Delft (38.7 percent) and Utrecht (36.3 percent). Groningen graduates from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) were more likely to stay (29.1 percent) compared to EEA graduates (19.8 percent). Notably, only 3.1 percent of all students who remained in the Netherlands found employment in the Groningen region.

Robotics professor Ming Cao will receive a 2.4 million euro AiNed growth fund grant from Dutch research council NWO. With this funding, he will spend the next five years investigating the obstacles to implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in SMEs within the technical industry. If adoption does not speed up, it could harm the Netherlands' competitive position and increase dependence on foreign industries. Cao (science and engineering) will collaborate with researchers from law, medical sciences, and economics and business to explore ethical, legal, social, and economic challenges. He is also working with TU Twente, Tilburg University, and thirteen industrial partners.

Two pennants that astronaut and UG alumnus Wubbo Ockels took on his space mission in the 1980s are now on display in the Academy building, near the senate chamber of the Faculty of Economics and Business. One features the UG logo, while the other bears the logo of the city of Groningen. The pennants were part of the 1.5 kilograms of personal luggage each astronaut was allowed to take into space. They orbited the Earth 111 times, covering nearly four million kilometres. After the mission, they were stored in the depots of the municipality and the university. Last Friday, they were unveiled in honour of Ockels’ posthumous 79th birthday—he passed away in 2014.

The University of Groningen (RUG) ranks 28th in Times Higher Education's ranking of the most international universities. This ranking is based on international reputation, determined by surveying scientists about the most prestigious universities in their field. It also considers the number of international students and staff, as well as publications with at least one international co-author. Last year, the RUG ranked 33rd. Now, at 28th place, it ranks above institutions such as MIT (33rd) and Harvard (45th). 'A justifiable and welcome recognition in these times of announced budget cuts', says university president Jouke de Vries.

More than four hundred people have already signed up for the online Gronings course launched in early March by the University of Groningen and the Center for Groninger Language and Culture. The MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) lasts four weeks and gives people the opportunity to master the basics of the Gronings language at their own pace. A fun detail: during the lessons, we follow Enno and Iefke on a road trip through the province. The lessons are presented as videos and WhatsApp conversations, which together form a romantic comedy. You can still join via www.groningsleren.nl.

From 19 March until 11 April, Landleven, the street that runs along the Kapteynborg towards the sports fields on the Zernike Campus, will be closed. A number of UG buildings will be connected to the campus heat grid. This means that the walking routes between the Duisenberg building (FEB), the Kapteynborg and the Foodcourt will be less accessible. There is an alternative wheelchair-friendly walking route via the deck next to the Duisenberg pond. Along there, the main entrance to the Kapteynborg can also be reached.

The Rijksmuseum has purchased a terracotta sculpture ‘of exceptional quality’ of Clara the rhinoceros. The sculpture was created by Groningen anatomist Petrus Camper. Clara travelled across Europe in the eighteenth century and was considered an absolute superstar. She was depicted hundreds of times. In 1738, she was taken in by the VOC merchant Jan Albert Sichterman after hunters had killed her mother, and she was allowed to roam freely in his home in India. In 1740, she was sold and transported to the Netherlands. Camper drew and sculpted her as part of his research, in which he compared human and animal anatomy. 

Employee collective Organise the RUG has announced the programme for the education strike on 18 March. The day will start at 7 a.m. with actions at various locations, including Zernike and the arts, law and social sciences faculties. Then at 12.30 p.m., there will be a joint meeting with lunch at the Grote Markt. An hour later, there will be several speakers, followed by a strike market from 2 to 4 p.m. Employees do not have to ask permission to strike. However, the university board asks to take into account that exams, PhD ceremonies, and other ceremonies can continue. The detailed programme can be found here.

The UG saved 13.6 million euros last year, exceeding the target of 13 million. This was largely due to lower energy costs (a reduction of 7 million euros). Lower housing expenses from selling properties accounted for nearly 2.5 million euros, while reduced hiring of external consultants saved 2 million euros. There were also some setbacks, such as salary increases affecting accrued leave days. Additionally, travel and accommodation costs remained high. Therefore, the UG is calling for less travel and even lower energy use in 2025. This year, the university hopes to save 21 million euros.

UG researchers Merel Keijzer and Charalampos Tsoumpas have each been awarded a Vici grant of up to 1.5 million euros from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This funding will allow them to develop a research line and establish their own research group over the next five years. Keijzer has received the Vici grant for her research on improving dementia care for patients with a migration background by mapping language barriers. She will then explore how language strategies and home-language therapy can help. Tsoumpas' research focuses on improving PET/CT scanners by reducing the amount of radiation used.

The UG is among the top 100 universities worldwide with the best reputation. In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Reputation Rankings for 2025, Groningen is ranked 96th. The UG is preceded by five other Dutch universities: Delft (40th), the University of Amsterdam (52nd), Wageningen (61st), Leiden (64th), and Utrecht (67th). Harvard University tops the ranking, followed by MIT and Oxford. This list differs from the regular THE ranking. The reputation ranking is based on a university’s brand rather than its actual performance. The regular ranking places Groningen 80th for 2025, with Oxford at the top.

The Advisory Committee on Introductory Periods and Incidents (ACII) observed a slight increase in the number of incidents reported by social and study associations in 2024. There were forty-six reports, compared to forty-one annually in the previous two years. Most incidents involved people feeling unwell (10), disputes and fights (8), and sexually transgressive behavior (7), according to the 2024 annual report. The number of safety plans submitted to the committee remained roughly the same. As in the previous year, study associations at Hanze University of Applied Sciences and sports associations lagged behind. However, more codes of conduct were signed, with eighty-five association boards committing to handling their members and prospective members responsibly.