Executive Board visits institutes: ‘We want to talk to our colleagues in the place where it all happens’
Board members Annetje Ottow and Hester Bijl recently visited the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL, Faculty of Humanities) and the Mathematical Institute (MI, Faculty of Science). This was the start of a series of visits to institutes at our university. The focus is on talking to researchers and teaching and supporting staff.
‘I was struck at both institutes by the great passion and engagement of the staff we spoke to’, said Board President, Annetje Ottow, afterwards. ‘Visits like these give us the chance to have a proper conversation with our colleagues in the place where it all happens, where they dedicate their time to our research and teaching. In these times of cuts, we need to hear what is going on, collect input and update staff on all the developments. Talking about this openly and in person was incredibly valuable and inspiring.’
Importance of multilingualism
At the LUCL young researchers gave short pitches about their research and how they use it in their teaching. They explained, for example, how the brain produces meaning, stress and syllables before a word is spoken and how this affects our communication. And how implicit questions that spring to mind as we read headlines can make us more or less susceptible to disinformation. The researchers also spoke with the Board about the importance of multilingualism globally. The spotlight was on African but German and French linguistics were also covered during the visit.
Language barriers in healthcare
One of the pitches also looked at language barriers in healthcare – in doctor-patient communication. The pitch showed how AI and technological developments can be used –to provide accurate multilingual health information about vaccinations, for example. The researchers emphasised that humans would continue to play a pivotal role in resolving the big challenges facing society. After the pitches, Hester and Annetje spoke to the staff about the challenge of getting the message across of how important linguistics research and teaching are for all of society: for example for health care and politics, but also for human rights and education policy.
The challenges we face
‘The presentations and conversations once again showed how important the humanities and linguistics research are for humanity, society and the challenges we face’, said Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl. ‘The in-depth conversations have given us more great examples and personal experiences to use in the current debate. We also spoke about combining efforts within the university when it comes to digital support for language learning, including AI.’
Connected and interwoven
The Board was clearly impressed by the presentations at the MI. For example, on the mathematics and geometry behind quantum spaces or how statistical research on bone cancer in children has inspired other studies involving fundamental research, algorithm development and paving the way for better medical care with mathematics.
‘It was also nice to see how connected the institute is with other organisations, including KIKA, KWF, the LUMC, other disciplines and many universities abroad. The institute staff also play an important role in the teaching on many programmes. In these times of cuts, many institutes are tempted to do this teaching themselves – which does not necessarily lead to better teaching or greater efficiency. This is something we need to keep talking about.’