Annelies Sewell, from the Science and Education department at Commonland, was on hand 17 May 2018 to help jury the pitches of student teams. Commonland is a foundation putting soil remediation science into practical action. Its mission is to create an investable large-scale landscape restoration industry – aligned with international guidelines and policies – in close cooperation with experts and existing initiatives, with an approach based on a sustainable business model: 4 returns, 3 zones, 20 years.

Read the stories of our alumni specialized in Africa here.

While good wishes should naturally be welcomed any time, there is a long tradition to extend well wishes and good will at the end of the year. Today the ‘Happy Holidays’ wish appears most common, replacing the ‘Merry Christmas’ wish, which has a long historical pedigree in the West. Still, ‘Happy Holidays’ derives etymologically from the old English haliday, which means holy day.* In Christianity the holy days refer to the period of Advent, four Sundays leading up to Christmas day and also include Epiphany on 6 January. In a diverse and secularizing world, not only language is changing but also the wording of wishes is subject to diversification. For some, the ‘War on Christmas’ wishes can sometimes become intense.

I always heard that the Netherlands is famous for its unpredictable and unfavorable weather, and this summer proved that to be true. Nonetheless, the moment it started to get better, the summer vacation ended, and the new academic year started. Other students and I who spent their vacation in the Netherlands, were upset about this fact.

Maxime Schut tells everything about her internship, which culminated in a podcast on Cabo Verdean Oral History, now available on Spotify.

It’s been a demanding last three weeks. Suddenly, within one weekend, our university moved to interacting online. Meetings, classes, social gatherings, it’s all via a screen.

Read the stories of our alumni specialized in North America here.

Read the stories of our alumni specialized in Latin America here.

Read the stories of our alumni specialized in Russia and Eurasia here.

This site explains how to reimburse expense claims. Please make sure the costs are agreed upon by the budget holder up front.