Research and society

Since the beginning of the first lockdown, Ghent University has been gauging how and why we comply with the rules. Meanwhile, the motivation barometer has become a unique behavioral study with unprecedented social relevance. “We provide scientifically substantiated policy advice to support our motivation drivers,” says Professor Maarten Vansteenkiste, the driving force behind the study.

It is fair to say that Sir Tim Berners-Lee changed the world when he invented the World Wide Web 32 years ago. And his work is far from finished, because he wants a mid-course correction on the web. An absolute necessity, as he himself says, on which he is working together with Ruben Verborgh from Ghent University, among others.

For many years, bumblebee doctor Dave Goulson has been working to save the bumblebee from extinction. Pioneering work, which earned him an honorary doctorate from Ghent University and the praise of his promoter, Professor Guy Smagghe: “The interest in bees and bumblebees has grown internationally and that is partly thanks to him”.

More frequent environmental disasters due to global warming, plant and animal species that disappear, ecosystems that are disrupted. These are environmental problems, but increasingly they threaten human rights, such as the right to health or even the right to life. It raises the question: is the right to a healthy environment actually a human right?

Ghent University rector Rik Van de Walle still remembers so well just how impressed he was by La Reprise, the last theatre performance by Milo Rau before his official appointment as artistic director of NTGent in September 2018. "From that very moment I was certain that we should give Milo a honorary doctorate some day. Everyone I spoke to on the subject was keen on the idea, so things progressed far quicker than I had imagined."*

“If you are among the top in the world, the world will come to you.” That is the premise of Dr Ajit Baron Shetty. As a top executive at Janssen Pharmaceutica, he brought the world to Beerse, and as chairman of the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), he continues to help build bridges between Ghent University and the world.

What is the role of communication in scientific research? An essential one, according to Professor Iain Stewart. He is a geologist, but above all a science communicator with, among other things, countless series made for the BBC. “It’s more than informing. I also want to connect with people.”

Is the study of antiquity old-fashioned or outdated? Far from it, says Dame Mary Beard of Cambridge University. She is one of the most famous classics scholars in the world, who has succeeded in popularizing the study of the humanities. And in the meantime, she also enriches debate on topical issues. Ghent University awards an honorary doctorate for her achievements.

Assisted reproduction in horses is puzzling scientists. For some unknown reason, the easiest and fastest way, in vitro fertilization (IVF), does not work in horses. That there is an alternative is largely due to the pioneering work of Professor Katrin Hinrichs, who has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Ghent University.

Will we soon have dogs sniffing us out en masse in the fight against coronavirus? It’s possible, as tracker dogs appear to be more accurate in detecting coronavirus than traditional tests. Moreover, it is faster and a lot cheaper. “The first results from our corona dogs are very good,” says Ghent University researcher Chris Callewaert. “They achieve an average accuracy of 95 per cent.”