
Students publish popular science articles summer 2026
Students publish popular science articles summer 2026
Published on 10-07-2026 11:00
As part of the course Professional Skills - Science Communication, students write popular science articles. We publish a selection of these articles, and will update this page throughout the summer with new articles.
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Are we getting dumber as AI gets smarter?
Rinke van der Meulen wrote about how the use of AI affects our brain:
"AI is good for handling fast, repetitive tasks and generating drafts, while humans remain stronger in creativity, ethical reasoning, emotional understanding and deep critical thinking. Balance is the key: AI should amplify what you can do, not take over the vital work that high-quality learning requires."
Rinke van der MeulenStudent
Turning the tide: saving Europe's freshwater fish
Kyra Beeftink wrote about the current state of Europe's freshwater fish, how we got there, what we can do to save them, and why we should do that.
"Dams, sluices, and weirs, together with increasing temperatures and invasive species, have pushed our freshwater fishes and the ecosystems they live in to a breaking point. It is a challenge that demands our attention, as the health of freshwater ecosystems are fundamental to our recreation, our drinking water, and the food on our dinner plates. "
Kyra BeeftinkStudent
Accretion disks: Revealing the shape of black holes
Robin Botland wrote about accretion disks. What are they? How do they form? And why do we care about them?
"We cannot observe black holes, but we can observe their accretion disks. The shape of the accretion disk is a direct result of the bending of the spacetime. Differently shaped accretion disks tell us about different types of black holes."
Robin BotlandStudent
Professional Skills - Science Communication
This course aims to bridge the gap between academia and the outside world. Science communicators want to explain, spark interest or even convince their audience of the relevance of scientific research. If you want to know more about it, check it out in the course catalogue.