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Borders are everywhere. In its new exhibition BORDERS, the Ghent University Museum (GUM) & Botanical Garden dissects the concept in all its forms: from biological membranes to bureaucratic walls and mental scars. By matching objects from its rich academic collections with contemporary art, the exhibition reveals borders not as fixed facts, but as ongoing negotiations experienced differently by each of us.

You may know her from her cookbooks, blog, or Instagram channel Karola’s Kitchen. But before her career as an author and food blogger, Karolien Olaerts studied biomedical sciences at Ghent University. On campus Rommelaere, she looks back on her student days.

War no longer feels as distant for many Europeans. Geopolitical tensions and a renewed arms race have pushed the issue high up the agenda. But does that mean we really need to prepare for war? We put the question to Michelle Haas, a doctoral researcher at Ghent University and defence specialist.

A devastating diagnosis, followed by life-saving treatment from Professor Fritz Offner (Ghent University), led Eddy and Dorinda to a clear decision: their legacy should support science. “We saw with our own eyes how important scientific research is, and we wanted to contribute in our own way.”

Ellen Moons studied Physics at Ghent University in the 1980s and built an international career through her research into solar cells. Since 2026, she has been Secretary-General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the first woman since 1739. In this role, she announces the laureates of three Nobel Prizes.