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Even though she still tries to reach for the stars, nearly defending PhD student Olga never truly was destined to become an astronaut. But exploring the realms of chemistry and biology seems to have wholeheartedly taken that place. Her desire brought her to discover life on asteroid-looking carbon granules and above that earned her the award for most samples analyzed.
The people behind the science, and the science behind the people
That Olga would become a scientist was evident from a young age, though her dream was to be one in outer space. “Knowing that I could not be wearing glasses, I tried to hide my need for this thing,” Bernadet says while laughingly pointing to her spectacles. “It did not take long for my parents to discover that though. And actually, they pointed out that I can become another scientist too.”
So, once she got to study, Olga went for a more tangible route – chemistry and biology. She meant initially to get into a more medicinal field, but in her drive to learn all sorts of experimental sciences, she ended up in biochemistry and biotechnology. “I first thought of going to Japan, but quickly learned that the Netherlands is also one of the great countries when it comes to the field.”
She liked the honesty of the people, and that students are taught much responsibility here. Though Olga was still in for a little culture shock. “Oh, the grey skies. Back in Indonesia, such skies meant quickly following terrible rains; here, they are sort of normal and – just not always – inconsequential.”
But it was not enough to scare her off. Driven by an insatiable desire for research and the freedom to be curious and creative, she found a place at Wetsus instead. In Biological Oxygen-dosed Activated Carbon (BODAC) Technology – Exploring the potential of a bioprocess for the simultaneous removal of micropollutants in wastewater reclamation practice project.
She was to research the carbon granules that float in the BODAC water treatment system. At that time, it was not quite clear why the system worked so well, why the little floating balls had not needed to be replaced yet. There was a question whether the system worked chemically or was biologically active. For that, Olga started monitoring it closely.
“Since I did not know which processes were relevant, I had to hand in many samples for different analyses. I felt sorry for the lab team, especially Mieke, but those analyses were needed.” It were so many that in 2022, they decided to craft a special award for her – a joke award for most samples analyzed. “Luckily, the monitoring results provided a very nice basis for the following thesis chapters, and everything fell into place.”
“We discovered that the microbes are essential for nitrification and manganese removal in BODAC filters, and these microbes resisted the relatively frequent backwashing procedure. We also found indirect evidence for the regeneration of BODAC granules. And, we showed that various processes contributed to organic micropollutant removal in BODAC filters differently.”
Doing multidisciplinary research is not always easy. But the openness here and knowledge sharing is an excellent feature of this way of investigating, and according to her it does take a lot of time for the researcher to become skilled at so many things. “It is rare, however, to have so much technical and analytical support. I would have never completed this research in under four years; it would have been more like ten years if we did not have them at Wetsus.
And maybe the time would not have even mattered to Olga. Research is her way of life, in what way, shape, or form in the future might not be clear yet. “As long as it shares some of the same Wetsus values, it has to be innovative and spark joy.”
Abstract
The realisation of a circular economy has thus far unfolded under the assumption that it would fit within existing economic arrangements. In practice, we witness many circular initiatives struggling to give shape to their ambitions, let alone develop to maturity. These past months, various material recycling organisations terminated their activities, seeing virgin alternatives from other parts of the world flooding the market at prices against they cannot compete. If the transition towards a circular economy (i.e. an economy of value preservation) is to be taken seriously, a new perspective on value in our economic system seems unavoidable, as the rewriting of the rules of the economic game. At this moment, current perceptions of value stand in the way of this transition both at micro as well as macro levels. Several contours for a collective exploration of new directions of value and economic configuration that foster circular transition will be addressed.
Abstract
In his key note he will conclude after a life of innovations that it is impossible that humanity will stay within the save planetary boundaries with innovation only. We should be more critical about the behaviour of the rich population in the world and more critical about new innovations that prove to be dangerous, like the PFAS crisis shows at this moment. In his keynote he will investigate how to look at the world that can stay within the save planetary boundaries, how should we change ourselves? It is clear if we only talk about the words of science and systems we miss the essential words of how we should cooperate and change ourselves. And his search for coherent save innovations. Which innovations will be save and will lead to a fair and sustainable world? And will lead to a world we want to live in.
Abstract
There is a growing number of new sustainable, inclusive, cohesive, participatory, just and humane economic models. A possible next step in the discourse about them is the comparative analysis in order to find out key commonalities, potential synergies, and “requirements” for a future-fit economic model. The author and initiator of the Economy for the Common Good provides an overview of these „new sustainable economic models“ and compares them according to underlying values, principles, and practical ways of implementation. The keynote addresses the cooperative spirit of the conference and prepares the ground for its public highlight on the eve of June 3rd, the round table with representatives of diverse future-fit economic models.
Abstract
The scientific debate on whether economies should always continue to grow increasingly becomes a political and societal debate. On the one hand further growth for the most affluent countries seems neither possible nor valuable, but on the other hand there is still lack of understanding and knowledge what a non-growing economy should look like and could best be governed. In this lecture we discuss various policy measures that can be realistically implemented, take into account government finances and aim at a higher quality of life despite a non-growing economy.
Abstract
Democracy is under pressure, and less and less able to stir the economy into a sustainable direction. Therefore, to stabilize democracy and to make possible the socio-ecological transformation of the economy, democratic principles need to be implemented directly in the economy. This is not only a matter of morality, but also has practical advantages. Democratizing the economy can increase legitimacy and take advantage of the “knowledge of the many” to accelerate the transformation. Democratic practices, especially deliberation, allow bringing together different forms of knowledge, which is crucial for the local implementation of principles of social and ecological sustainability. This talk explores what this idea means in more concrete terms, from democratic participation in the workplace to the democratization of time.
Abstract
Over the past decades, markets have conventionally been seen as the best instrument to stimulate economic growth and enhance prosperity and well-being. The automatic link between markets and economic growth is increasingly questioned, however, as well as the automatic link between economic growth and enhancement of well-being. This has led to attempts to capture well-being development more directly than through GDP per capita figures and has produced a more variegated picture of well-being growth. Also, this has led to a shift of focus to other coordination systems than the market, as primarily the state but increasingly also the association. Analyses of the historical record suggest that especially the latter could be a vital component in future well-being.
