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PE&RC Day reader

 

Schedule with Accordion Abstracts

09:00 - 09:30 Registration & Coffee
09:30 - 09:45 Welcome word by the PE&RC PhD Council (PPC) and a PE&RC representative
09:45 - 10:15 Life in deep sea - Extreme environments & creative solutions: adaptive strategies of deep-sea hydrothermal vent organisms
Dr. Sabine Gollner - Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
Abstract: Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are among the most extreme environments on Earth, yet organisms there thrive in hot, oxygen-poor, metal- and sulfide-rich fluids at great depths. Metazoan adaptations include the evolution of new organs, metal-based heat protection, and symbioses with chemosynthetic microbes, like those seen in giant tubeworms. Vent species populations also withstand disturbances such as volcanic eruptions through diverse dispersal strategies, including recently discovered subseafloor connectivity. Deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems teach us about resilience and harbor unique marine genetic resources with vast potential for future discoveries and applications.
10:15 - 10:45 Life in space - On living with no atmosphere: Growing food on the Moon, Mars and beyond
Dr. Paul Kusuma - Wageningen University
Abstract: Abstract
10:45 - 11:15 Coffee / Tea break
11:25 - 12:15 Introduction pitch session and voting procedure of the 2025 PE&RC Call for Institutional Collaboration
11:25 - 12:15 2025 "PE&RC Call for Institutional Collaboration" pitch sessions (6 proposals, 6 minutes/pitch)
12:15 - 12:30 Voting for best ideas of 2025 "PE&RC Call for Institutional Collaboration" 
12:30 - 13:30 Lunch break
13:30 - 14:00 Life in the Freezer - Life in the Polar Regions
Dr. Stef Bokhorst - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Abstract: Life in the Polar Regions. How is life in the polar regions shaped by the environmental conditions of the cold biomes? Which type of organisms can thrive here and how are they affected by extreme weather events. Finally, I will focus on climate conditions outside the growing season and how they impact on organisms and ecosystems in the polar region.
14:00 - 14:30 Life in the Oven - Understanding drought: combining the disciplines of EcoHydrology and Plant Ecophysiology
Dr. Stefan Dekker - Netherlands Institute of Ecology & Utrecht University
Abstract: During this talk I will focus on three lessons to be learned from droughts in Forests: i) We start from the large water cycle and show how forests are able to buffer droughts; ii) Then I will move towards the small hydrological cycle and show if due to planting trees it will become wetter; iii) That dryland mechanisms will contribute more to the regulations of ecosystem functioning (mainly for mesic, humid and cold regions). Based on those three lessons, I will show some research lines that can be interesting to develop in the near future.
14:30 - 15:00 Coffee / Tea break (voting Picture Awards & PE&RC Call for Institutional Collaboration)
15:00 - 15:30 Long Life - On Genetics, Heredity and Society
Dr. Bas Zwaan, Wageningen University and Research
Abstract: The concept of heredity is intimately related with evolutionary theory. Yet, currently heredity is too narrowly used, sloppily measured, and often misinterpreted. In this talk I will give a brief (historical) account of the concept of heredity and how science is cutting itself short by limiting its value and meaning. Moreover, I argue that, what I call, inclusive heredity helps better explain patterns of phenotypic variation and predict future evolutionary change than genetics alone. This is relevant for the biological sciences as well as for how we structure our society for a just and equal world.
15:30 - 16:00 Discussion panel between speakers and audience
16:00 - 16:20 Report from 2024 "PE&RC Call for Institutional Collaboration" winners
16:20 - 16:45 Announcement of winners 2025 "PE&RC Call for Institutional Collaboration"
16:45 - 17:00 Announcement winners PE&RC Picture Competition Awards 2025 (PE&RC PhD Council)
17:00 - 17:10 Closing remarks
17:10 - 18:30 Borrel