After his mother passed away, Aurèle De Vos decided to commemorate his mother by establishing a fund and donating to the Botanical Garden. Its purpose is to help the Botanical Garden protect rare and endangered plants.
Only forty per cent of assistance dogs in training actually end up becoming a proper assistance dog. This problem not only causes long waiting lists, it also costs a lot of money. A collaboration, in the form of a professorship between professor Bart Broeckx and the non-profit organisation Purpose Dogs aims to find a solution.
Olexiy Lyamtsev works at the Faculty of Science at the moment. There, he is a beekeeper at Honeybee Valley, a research group led by Professor Dirk de Graaf which focuses on the declining bee population in the wild. Besides this, he is also charged with making an inventory of the museum collection at the Eva Crane Trust, a knowledge centre for beekeeping.
He is one of the most defining characters in the history of Ghent University. His name was recently given to a foundation, set up by professors Marc Cools and Christophe Vandeviver. They believe that Nico Gunzburg is the perfect embodiment of what they are keen to achieve with the foundation.
Cysticercosis is a little-known disease, which can lead to epilepsy and much worse. Annually, it causes the death of 28,000 people. Particularly in Africa, although it is discovered here too on some occasions. Pork tapeworm is the culprit. Professor Sarah Gabriël and her team are tackling this tapeworm and the havoc it causes. “However, everything depends on the governments’ resources and priorities.”
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.
Researchers at Ghent University (UGent) have discovered enzymes that can cure age- and diabetes-related blindness. Nearly 200 million people worldwide suffer from these diseases. Thanks to financial support from one UGent alumnus and the Industrial Research Fund (IOF), the researchers are now working on eye drops made using these enzymes.
If we want to continue enjoying our weekly portion of fish or shellfish in the future, it will be largely thanks to aquaculture. Just call it the fish farm of the future. Ghent University is one of the world’s top researchers on the sustainability and development of aquaculture.
The corona crisis has forced Marleen Temmerman - gynaecologist, ex-politician, Ghent University researcher and professor - to find creative solutions in her work in Kenya. That work is also her life’s work: improving the rights and lives of women and children. When she talks about it, you hear, above all else, her fighting spirit and faith in a better future.
Kinderoncoloog Bram De Wilde staat met zijn onderzoek mogelijk voor een doorbraak. Ondanks de farma-industrie: "De groep patiënten is te klein voor de farmabedrijven, dus zij investeren er niet in." En dus moest de financiering van elders komen.
What social challenges does the sports world face? And could more social sports lead to a better and more friendly society? These are the research questions that preoccupy the Frans Verheeke endowed chair.
