FSE Radio

In this episode we are in a chemistry mood. Every reaction around you: the fuel in your daily bus, the processed food you are eating and the medicine you take when you have the autumnal flue all rely on catalysis.

We talk about the catalysis research nowadays, from where do catalysts originate from and the distinctions from organic and inorganic catalysts.

We also highlight the importance of the Stratingh Institute, our very own chemistry institute here in Zernike, Groningen and the research done in there.

Interview is given by Santiago and Thimo.

With this sentimental episode we are saying our goodbyes to Nina, who is off to Karolinska Institute in Stockholm to study public health and Aedan off to Utrecht University studying LLM law and sustainability in Europe. We talk about our growth and lessons learnt from being a part of the FSE Radio. 

Nina tells us about her additional 60 ECT degree here in RUG in psychology and how (although still tough) it felt like a breath of fresh air after her bachelors in biology. Besides discussing our own academic goals, we also ponder about the future of FSE Radio and brainstorm some potential future episodes. 

This also means that FSE Radio is searching for new interviewers and a social media representative who will share the same passion as us! Learn more about it on your Brightspace “My News” page and send us your motivation letter to [email protected]

You can hear Nina, Aedan, Santiago, Thimo and Sandija in this episode.

If you are a part of University of Groningen, you might have at least once received an email from UKrant with some exciting news for that week. 

Today we are joined by Ukrant’s magazine coordinator and writer Christien Boomsma to learn what it means to be an independent newspaper medium for the University of Groningen and how to juggle the urge to tell stories and the need to turn into a detective, always on a hunt for the new scoop. We also touch on the digitalization of media and AI integration in journalism. 

Tune in to learn more about the breath of fresh air that UKrant has to offer. Keep on being curious and vocal about the world around you!

The article “From Gaza to America, It’s your responsibility, too” by Christien Boomsma (https://ukrant.nl/colophon/?lang=en)

The podcast “Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?” by Nicola Quaedvlieg and Alette Smeulers (https://open.spotify.com/show/2Bt5Wg5nbekeSo8UBDI5MY)

The podcast “ECHOES - stories from four centuries of Groningen University” by Christien Boomsma and Rob van der Wal (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEOdWuh_PpU5XOLb-3D6YbB7YdHUzFYpg) 

The interview is given by Santiago and Sandija.

Today we will get medical and discuss dr. Sandra Sminks research about treatment and possible cure of diabetes using islet transplantation. We mainly touch upon what are the different types of diabetes and how pregnant people can unexpectedly be at risk of gestational diabetes.

Such topics as microorganisms and growth of autoimmune disease are briefly touched upon. Not all hope is lost, there are researchers that are actively working towards possible treatments that include donors and stem-cell therapy. 

Hope you enjoy the listen and learn something new about such a familiar topic!

The interview is given by Santiago and Nina.

Put down your sci-fi books, there are real ALIENS ON THIS EARTH! They inhabit almost every ocean and sea, and are vicious wizards that can feed off of sunlight and steal toxins from other sea animals.

In this episode we are go full Marine Biology mode. We shall learn more about sea-slugs that can photosynthesize, poison predators, and discuss why are they beautifully coloured and how come they lost their shells over a few centuries of evolution.

Happy 50th episode!

This interview is given by Santiago and Sandija.

The surge of AI has been rapid and plague-like, and has already taken over some mundane tasks like drafting an email or giving you lunch recipe inspirations. But as these systems grow more capable, deeper questions get raised: Who benefits from AI? Who bears the risks? Who is responsible when something goes wrong?

In this episode we are joined by prof. Herman M. Veluwenkamp, whose work focuses on the philosophical and ethical foundations of artificial intelligence. We touch upon the privacy aspect of using an AI, social robots, Superintelligence and even choosing to adjust the ethics of your own self-driving cars. And what is the deal with having an AI partner?!

The interview is given my Nina, Thimo and Santiago.

Epidemiology literally translates to "the study of what is upon the people" - this also includes reproductive and parental health.

Today with Dr. Henk Groen, epidemiologist and co-leader of the Reproductive Origins of Adult Health and Disease program, we explore what epidemiology really is, why the first stages of life matter so much, and how environmental, genetic and socio-economic factors influence maternal and child health. We also discuss methodological challenges in perinatal research, global health inequalities, and how high are the stakes of parental health from micronutrient deficiency to pre-eclampsia.

The interview is given by Nina and Thimo.

Today we are diving into the concept of Weltanschuung (Worldview) and how societies and the world have changed over time. In simple terms, a Weltanchuung is a lens through which you see culture, religion and history!

Some say "History is written by the winners," but that's because "The way we write and view history and culture can shape our minds and worldview" doesn't sound as snappy. We discuss the impact of French and Industrial revolution as well as Darwin and Marx and the polymath himself- Alexander Von Humboldt, to highlight that humans have always tried to make sense of their world all throughout space and time.

The interview is given by Santiago and Aedan.

Dark matter and dark energy are one of the biggest mysteries in the universe. First hinted at by Fritz Zwicky and later backed up by Vera Rubin, dark matter has gone from a wild idea to a cosmic necessity — though we still don’t know what it actually is.

Today with Dr. Jelle Aalbers we dive into the physics of our obscure cosmos and try to figure out why should we care about this hidden force. We also touch upon the crisis of astronomy, cosmological principle, how related are astrophysics and quantum physics and how fast is our universe growing.

Interview is given by Santiago and Nina.

Did you know that song birds are one of the few creatures that learn how to "speak" through vocal imitation just like we do?

In this episode joined by Dr. Sanne Moorman we discuss stuttering zebra finches, birds with accents and most importantly- how we can extrapolate this neuroscientific research on bird brains to better understand the neural foundations of human communication.

This interview is given by Thimo and Sandija.