Jasper's Day
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.
'It’s a fantastic event: full of joy, encouragement, and celebration.'
Saturday 21 June
‘The longest day of the year, and it’s set to be the hottest one yet. Not ideal, really, because today is the Science Run. This annual relay race on our campus is organised by the faculty’s Communication and Marketing department. The goal is to bring together the faculty community and the companies at the Leiden Bio Science Park to run for a good cause. This year, in celebration of the university’s anniversary, we’re raising money for the newly launched Children’s Fund, part of the Leiden University Fund (LUF). By last night, the total had already passed €10,000! My role today is to hand out medals to all the runners at the finish line and, at the end, to announce the winners in the various categories and present the cheque to LUF.
To avoid the worst of the heat, the starting time has been moved forward to 10 a.m. I leave for Leiden at 8, leaving the rest of the family still asleep. It’s already warm, but quite pleasant. Wearing shorts, a T-shirt, and a cap, I arrive at the Rosalind Franklin Square near the Gorlaeus Building well before 9. Things are still quiet, but it already feels festive. The sun is shining, the square is beautifully decorated and there’s music playing. It’s cheerful and welcoming, even though most of the people around are still part of the organising team. I check in, get some instructions, and head to my office for a bit. I quickly work on a document that needs to be finished and take another look at the notes I’ve been given for today.
At 9:30 I head back outside. It’s getting busier – and warmer – by the minute. Everyone’s doing their best to stay out of the sun, especially the runners. I walk around, catch up with familiar faces, and must explain several times that I’m not running myself anymore – my legs just can’t handle it these days. Swimming and skiing are fine, but running is off the table. It’s a real shame, as I used to take part in lots of events like this.
At 10 sharp, Natascha van Nieuwenhuizen leads the warming-up with energetic music from DJ Teddie Heart. Just after that, I help give the official start signal together with Lilian Visscher from LUF and Jan Schultz from the Bio Science Park Business Association. A total of 61 teams take part. Because of the heat, the format has been adjusted: instead of a full relay, each of the four team members starts every 10 minutes. Thanks to that, the race wraps up by 11:15, and by then Lilian and I have handed out around 250 medals to sweaty but smiling runners. I didn’t run myself, but by the end I’m just as hot as the rest! Still, it’s such a pleasure to be here. It’s a fantastic event: full of joy, encouragement, and celebration, exactly as it’s meant to be.
At 11:30, I announce the winners in the categories of fastest team, fastest woman, fastest man, and the team that raised the most for charity. Finally, I reveal the grand total raised: €14,736 – a record! I hand over the symbolic cheque to researcher Anne de Pagter from LUMC, joined appropriately by a cheerful group of children.
I stay for a while to chat, then head indoors to work on the document that still needs finishing. Around 3 p.m. I leave for home, where at 4 we’re welcoming our new neighbours. The house next to ours had been empty for a long time, so it’s lovely to have new people living there. They’re expats, with a very cheerful six-month-old daughter who’s already stolen our hearts. It’s a really nice first meeting. And as the saying goes, 'a good neighbour is better than a distant friend', we happily shake hands.
In the evening, I go for a swim, which feels amazing after such a hot day. It might sound strange, but afterwards, even ten minutes in the sauna feels great – followed by an ice-cold shower. At 10 p.m. I cycle home, feeling refreshed and energised. It’s still light out. I really enjoyed this longest – and hottest – day of the year. From now on, the days will start getting shorter again, and as I cycle, I can’t help but sneak in a thought about the next ski season… I love beautiful summer days, but nothing quite beats a crisp winter day in the mountains!’
Photo's: Monique Shaw