Jasper's day
Jasper Knoester is the dean of the Faculty of Science. How is he doing, what exactly does he do and what does his day look like? In each newsletter, Jasper gives an insight into his life.
Tuesday 3 September
‘Despite a short night, no alarm clock is needed. The unconscious anticipation of a hectic day is enough. Yesterday was a late one. I enjoyed the opening of the new Gorlaeus Building, the networking lunch, the opening of the academic year, and the summer dinner in the academy building. It was a special day, busy but full of fun and happy people. Not something to do every week, but opening a building once a year sounds rather nice!
I got home late, tired, and still had to prepare for today’s board meeting, edit a document, and check my emails. On top of that, both kids wanted help with their maths. It was already past midnight by the time I could start packing my suitcase. Tonight, I’m heading to Singapore.
With my head feeling heavy after the short night, I quickly pack the last few things into my suitcase, make breakfast for the children, remind them to lock the house properly when they leave for school, and head off. With my suitcase, I take the tram-train-bus to the now officially opened Gorlaeus Building. The orange carpet is a nice reminder of yesterday, but otherwise, everything in the Rosalind Franklin Square—finally without fencing—has been cleared.
‘Despite the busy schedule, I didn’t need an alarm for two days in a row’
The board meeting agenda includes a few important points, such as the NWO Roadmap application for a new national facility for cryogenic electron microscopy, the successor to NeCEN. We receive an update from Pieter Schipper and identify the statements we still need from various stakeholders within and outside the faculty next week, before we confidently become co-applicants.
We also spend ample time on draft changes to the faculty regulations. Due to the adjustment of our faculty governance model, changes are necessary, and we are taking the opportunity to address some overdue matters. Lastly, for information, there is an interesting report on the table about the results of the faculty delegation to Indonesia in May 2023. It turns out that in addition to the significant intangible value of newly established collaborations, the financial gain ranges between 1.4 and 2.2 million euros. This money is largely in the form of grants awarded or expected for PhD positions. This clearly demonstrates the importance of such missions.
After the meeting, I deal with a few final things that need to be sorted before my departure. Then it’s time for the Tuesday Talk, this month presented by Ionica Smeets (Science Communication). She gives an engaging talk to a fully packed room about the fight against misleading graphs. Afterwards, there is a special performance by the band “The Stream,” which beautifully combines music and science, in collaboration with the students of Rino. It’s busy and festive, fitting for this opening week.
Unfortunately, I can only enjoy it briefly, as at half past five, I step into the taxi to Schiphol, where, with some delay, I depart just after nine for Singapore. I’ll be there until Saturday to evaluate the College of Science at Nanyang Technological University. On board, I scan part of the hefty documentation I already thoroughly reviewed during the summer. I have a bite to eat and fall asleep without much trouble before midnight. Still nine hours left to fly—plenty of time to catch up on some sleep and recharge a bit for the interesting but also intense days ahead. At least I don’t have to worry about the alarm clock or breakfast tomorrow morning—that will surely be well taken care of by the cabin crew!