De dag van Jasper
Jasper Knoester is the dean of the Faculty of Science. How is he doing, what exactly does he do and what does his day look like? In each newsletter, Jasper gives an insight into his life. This time, Jasper writes his column from Singapore.
Monday 8 May
'I wake up at ten to seven after a short night. I have been in Singapore since Saturday night and jet lag hit hard last night. Until three o'clock, sleeping was an illusion. Always that annoying second night when I travel to Asia! The first day went fine, with some walking around the city, a bit of work and dinner with colleague Howe Siang Tan from Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Today will be a much busier day, so that's going to be tough with that lack of sleep.
At half past seven, I meet colleagues Erik Danen (LACDR), Arnold Tukker (CML) and Yun Tian (faculty office) for breakfast. From today, we will spend a week together, representing the university and faculty on visits to universities in Singapore and Indonesia. From tomorrow in Indonesia, we will also meet Marcello Bonsangue (LIACS), Paul Kessler (Hortus) and others from the university, including college president Annetje Ottow.
So today, Singapore. In the morning, we each have our own programme. I give a research seminar in NTU's Chemistry Department in front of an active audience with lots of questions. It's fun and keeps me awake. After consulting with Howe Siang and his group on research plans for the coming years, we have lunch in the canteen. The choice is to be envied. I eat noodles and dumplings; the latter are in the top 10 of my favourite foods. I have travelled a lot in Asia, but have never seen a cook make thin noodles by hand (without a machine!) from a big ball of dough. Very hard work, but the result is delicious.
In the afternoon, I have a series of meetings with Arnold, Erik and Yun with the College of Science leadership and three departments of NTU. The aim is to see where mutual interests lie and how we can further develop contacts. In doing so, we are building on an existing student exchange contract and some research collaborations.
I have never seen a chef make such a thin noodle by hand from a big ball of dough.
NTU is a broad top university and I am always impressed by its tremendous drive and strategic planning. The strategy is closely aligned with the national agenda. For example, food and food quality has become a national focus over the past three years and this is reflected in the research programmes. I am also surprised by the transition to much more interdisciplinary education in undergraduate programmes. This did not exist at all three years ago, but now it is almost a must for students to look beyond the boundaries of their primary discipline. We see many intersections in mutual research, including in sustainability, ecology, microbiology and immunology and quantum technology.
In the late afternoon, we head to town to have dinner with the provost, Ling San. I have known this mathematician for years, and he is also one of our interlocutors this afternoon. We have a delicious meal, meanwhile chatting about teaching, research and collaboration. We quickly agree that the existing student exchange contract should be renewed, with an extension to all disciplines. We agree that each of us will first inform the constituency and then start making more detailed plans for further research collaborations. There are plenty of opportunities and I will at least try to facilitate that.
In the taxi back to our hotel, we are all very positive about the day. In my room, I make some more notes, read my e-mail and write this column. Tomorrow I have to get up early to go to the airport, on my way to Yogyakarta. Hopefully with a bit more sleep, although that didn't bother me today. It was far too interesting for that.'