More than 250 PhD students receive their PhDs at WUR every year. It is impossible to describe and summarize all these theses. In the Dissertations section you will find a brief overview of the selection of our science editors.
Rivierplastic
Floods double the amount of plastic moved by rivers worldwide. A fairly mild flood, which occurs once every ten years, increases the transport of plastic tenfold. This is what Caspar Roebroek writes in his dissertation on plastic transport through rivers. The daily weather has little effect on that transport. But weather extremes even more so. Solutions to tackle plastic pollution must take this into account, according to Roebroek. Preventing plastic waste is of course even better, is his final conclusion.
The role of hydrometeorology in river plastic pollution.
Caspar Roebroek. Promoters Ryan Teuling and Martine van der Ploeg
Meningitis
Streptococcus suis is a bacterium that can cause serious illness in pigs. The pathogen can also spread to humans and then cause meningitis. The Chinese Tianthong Zhao investigated how the bacterium accomplishes this and reaches the brain. To this end, the bacterium ‘hijacks’ plasminogen in the blood. A protein (enolase) on the surface of the bacterium converts this plasminogen into plasmin. This plasmin helps the bacterium cross the blood-brain barrier, allowing it to do its destructive work there. A fine example of that bacteria.
Crossing Barriers: how Streptococcus suis hijacks the plasminogen-plasmin proteolytic system to invade the brain.
Tiantong Zhao. Promotor Jerry Wells
Power storage
Temporarily storing sustainable electricity is becoming increasingly important. This is possible in methane, for example. Carbon dioxide is converted into methane in a biobattery with the help of bacteria. The Portuguese Micaela Brandão Lavender investigated the electrical aspects of such a system. How do you make the system such that a lot of methane is formed and little energy is lost? That is not easy, according to her results. Storage, efficiency and speed tend to work against each other. Nature is not so easily molded to the will of man.
Power-to-methane in a Bioelectrochemical System.
Micaela Brandão Lavender. Promoter Anemia in Heine
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PhD Frenzy: Comedy Meets Science at WUR
Ah, another day, another 250 PhDs at Wageningen University! You know they say getting a PhD is like getting a tattoo—everyone knows you’ve got one, but no one really cares what it says. Well, hold onto your hats, because today we’re diving into the brave (and highly caffeinated) world of dissertations that tackle everything from plastic in our rivers to bacteria playing hide-and-seek with our brains. And let me tell you, we’ve got more science than a lab coat convention!
Rivierplastic: The Flood of Plastic
Meet Caspar Roebroek, the man who made it his mission to sound the alarm bells on our rivers acting like highway rest stops for plastic. His thesis paints a rather grim picture: when floods occur—yes, the mild ones that your grandmother would probably describe as “a bit of drizzle”—the amount of plastic transported by rivers goes tenfold! I mean, who knew Mother Nature was such a hoarder?
Roebroek argues that if we want to tackle plastic pollution, we really need to focus on prevention. It’s almost like saying, “Hey, you know what would be better than cleaning up a messy room? Not making it messy in the first place!” Wise words, Caspar—you should run for office.
Meningitis: Bacteria with Stealth Mode
Next up, we’ve got Tiantong Zhao and his incredible exploration of the Streptococcus suis bacterium—the pesky little critter with a penchant for causing havoc in pigs and humans alike. It’s like a horror movie where the villain is a microscopic organism! Zhao discovered how this bacterium does the ultimate behind-the-scenes maneuver: hijacking the plasminogen in our blood. If that’s not the slickest burglar move since David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear, I don’t know what is!
As it crosses the blood-brain barrier and leaves chaos in its wake, we may as well start calling it the bacterial ninja. Tiantong, if you need a sidekick for your next adventure, I’m all in. I may not help with the science, but I can certainly offer a witty quip or two while you battle the microbial menace.
Power Storage: Green Energy Dilemmas
Last, but certainly not least, we have the Portuguese powerhouse Micaela Brandão Lavender bringing in some serious electricity hustle! Lavender’s work revolves around storing sustainable electricity in methane, which sounds like something out of a sci-fi film. “Hey, how’s your battery life?” “Oh, I just filled it with some made-up gas that smells questionable.”
But jokes aside, Micaela encountered a classic case in science where efficiency, speed, and storage seem to fight like cats and dogs on a rainy Sunday—all while she’s just trying to whip up some clean energy. Nature has her rules, and let’s just say Micaela’s doing her best to negotiate a peace treaty between Mother Earth and our ever-growing thirst for power. Good luck, Micaela! You might just be the peace envoy we need.
