Research and society

No more cavities, what's the secret?

Tanden_1

Are soft drinks really that bad for your teeth? What about the eternal debate about electric versus manual toothbrushes? And is flossing the answer? Dentistry professor Luc Martens - who's had no cavities for several decades himself - has tips to keep your teeth free of holes. 

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Laura Sels seeks the secret to a successful relationship

Laura Sels

For Laura Sels, not a day goes past without talking about relationships. You could call her a romantic, although she doesn’t necessarily believe in the ‘one and only’. She spends a little too much time looking at things from a research perspective for that: after all, as a postdoc, she is studying emotional processes in romantic relationships. “I can spend hours philosophising and thinking about them. I am also keen to actually help couples in the future.”

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Vegetables that aim higher: the future of urban horticulture in Roeselare

Agrotopia

Vertical farming is booming, and above all in an urban context, since this method requires less space in order to grow sufficient food for a large number of people. Vertical farming is an agricultural concept where crops are grown in a tall greenhouse, in vertically stacked layers. The plants are not planted in earth; instead, they are cultivated in nutrient-enriched water. Artificial light is needed to ensure that the plants receive enough light in order to grow. But which sort of light gives the best result? This is the focus of one of the studies by a team of bio-engineers from Ghent University.

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striking

Change the direction of light without a mirror? Separating a light source into different colors? Or discover why the sky is blue, the sun yellow and the clouds white? At the time of the Ghent Light Festival, Professor Philippe Smet explains how you can play with light yourself!

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opinion

How do you create equal opportunities in Flemish education?

The equal opportunities policy for education is currently under fire: does it really provide equal opportunities? Doesn’t it lower the bar in education? Dirk Van Damme, Head of the Innovation and Measuring Progress Division at the OECD and Ghent University alumnus professor helped to formulate it. Now, although still behind it in principle, he is taking a critical look at its drawbacks. Ghent University professor Piet Van Avermaet, Director of the Steunpunt Diversiteit en Leren (Learning and Diversity Support Centre) defends the choices made, despite the disappointing outcomes.

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How photonics is dramatically changing the medical world

Fotonica

The medical field is on the verge of a revolution, all thanks to... light. Medical devices will soon become so small and inexpensive that they will become part of everyday equipment. The driving force behind this technological revolution is photonics. ‘It is the fastest growing ‘‘enabling” technology we know’, says Roel Baets, head of the Photonics Research Group.

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