Renske Donkers wins Young Star Award, students surprise lecturers
Molecular Science & Technology student Renske Donkers has won the second edition of the Young Star Award. During the ceremony on Wednesday 17 February, no less than three teachers were awarded the title 'Teacher of the Year'. Finally, students had a surprise in store for all teachers: with a video they thanked everyone in education for their exceptional work in times of corona.
Rising star
Undaunted by the corona crisis, Renske Donkers conducted her bachelor’s research in collaboration with an international university. Her contacts with her supervisors at the University of Limerick, in Ireland, were all online. Donkers contributed to resolving a problem in modelling droplet formation. ‘This is important for use in designing very precise printers, but also for the delivery of medicines that are dissolved in small drops,’ she says.
Besides the title Young Star, Donkers also receives 2500 euros, an amount made available by the van Dishoeck-de Zeeuw fund of the Leiden University Fund. The laudation of the jury says the following: ‘For the quality of her research as well as her thesis she was awarded the grade 9.5 and for her competences as a researcher even a 10, indicating that amongst others she is a very creative researcher and excels as a team player.’
Want to know more? Read the interview below:
Thank you, teachers!
Because of the coronavirus, this year's Faculty Teaching Awards went a little differently than usual. All lecturers have done an exceptional job and kept the education going, something that has not escaped the students' attention: with a surprise video they show their gratitude to the lecturers and others involved in education!
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Watch the video on the original website orThree dedicated teachers
In addition, this year it was impossible to choose one Teacher of the Year, so this year there are three teachers who receive the Faculty Award for Teaching. Congratulations to Thomas Nagler, Jörg Meyer and Alexander van Oudenhoven! Want to know what drives them? Then read the interviews below:
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‘Sparking excitement for my subject and seeing the many talented students grow is an extremely rewarding experience’ -
‘I’m delighted to contribute to making this subject a bit more accessible and hopefully also more popular’ -
‘Teaching adds purpose to myself and my science’
Pictures: Pim Rusch