Philosophy student Suzanne Bloks wins first prize in Leiden University Thesis Prizes
‘What is the best electoral system for a democracy? First prize in the Leiden University Thesis Prizes 2021 goes to someone who has added their own deftly argued vision to this socially relevant topic.’ These were the words of Annetje Ottow, president of the Executive Board and board member of the Leiden University Fund, at the online University Thesis Prizes ceremony on 3 March. The lucky winner, Suzanne Bloks, studied philosophy.
The candidates for the annual university thesis prizes – first, second and third prize – are nominated by their faculty. Winner of the first prize, Suzanne Bloks, was nominated by the Faculty of Humanities for her thesis that links philosophy to political science and covers the different forms of democratic representation. That resulted in an original argument for a proportional representation system – as in the Netherlands – as opposed to, say, a district system. This won Suzanne, now a PhD candidate at Universität Hamburg, prize money of 3,000 euros.
Second prize
Timo Oosterveer won the second prize of 2,000 euros. He completed the master’s programme in Technical Medicine, which is offered by LDE Universities, the alliance between the universities of Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam, and their medical centres. Technical Medicine links science and technology with clinical practice and its professional medical procedures. Timo was nominated by the Faculty of Medicine. Ottow, whose portfolio on the Executive Board includes alumni, said: ‘Timo is an enthusiastic storyteller, transporting the reader to the future of imaging technology for the analysis of cardiovascular disease.’
Third prize
Third prize of 1,000 euros went to Sarah Deaney, who studied constitutional and administrative law at the Faculty of Law. She explored planning blight law, or how to limit loss resulting from government planning decisions. She had already won the faculty thesis prize. ‘Sarah’s thesis is well-written and the argument clearly structured,’ said Ottow. ‘She also comes with practical, practicable recommendations.’
Minerva Class of 1957/1961/1965 Alumni Fund
The Leiden University Thesis Prizes are made possible by the Minerva Class of 1957/1961/1965 Alumni Fund, part of the Leiden University Fund (LUF).
The jury consisted seven members from the LUF Committee for Academic Expenditure and two Minerva members from the class of 1965: Professor Leonard Blussé van Oud Alblas and Professor Jos van Roosmalen. They decided which theses met the three criteria:
1) well-written and accessible,
2) a clear question, good argument and clear conclusions, and
3) an original question, contrary hypothesis or unusual research method.
A mark of 9 or higher
Ottow was keen to emphasise that there was no doubt that all the nominees were the crème de la crème of Leiden master’s students. ‘All the theses earned a mark of 9 or higher, and you nearly all graduated cum laude, summa cum laude even. Your theses are all of an excellent quality.’
This explains why the four students who did not make it to the top three received an honourable mention and a 250-euro book token. They were:
- Iris van den Brink - Faculty Of Archaeology
- Jorrit van Steijn - Public Sector Management, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs
- Florian Thomas-Odenthal - Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
- Pim Spelier - Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Ottow concluded by thanking the thesis supervisors for their role in pushing the students to such great heights.
Text: Corine Hendriks
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