Archive
Here you can find video recordings of old lectures.
The team of Studium Generale would like to build a digital bridge between the university and society. In the past, many of our lectures were recorded. We will put some of the recordings on this website. That way, you will have the opportunity to comfortably watch and listen to interesting, substantive lectures from the comfort of your own home. The recordings combine screenings of the lecturer and the PowerPoint presentation (if there was one). As the recordings were not professionally made, the picture and sound quality sometimes leaves a little to be desired. However, naturally it is the content that counts. We wish you lots of viewing and listening pleasure!
Please note that the Dutch lectures can only be found on the Dutch page.
Lecture: The Time of Our Lives: A Brief History of the Calendar and Time Keeping
Speaker: Dr. Donna Carroll
Date: 02-03-2015
These days our lives are driven by deadlines, schedules, and timetables. There are monthly rent payments, annual interest rates, academic- and tax-years, summer holidays, early morning alarms, and reminders to be somewhere at a certain time to celebrate a special occasion. How many times a day do you check your calendar to see where you need to be, or look at your clock so you can leave in time for your next appointment? Do you ever have the time to stop and wonder where these ideas of time came from? Who’s to blame for the way in which our lives have become completely dictated by the time and the calendar? Why is everything so rigid and structured?
Time and its many divisions (hours, days, weeks, months, and years) have completely shaped our lives and yet we rarely take the time to think about the origins of these concepts. The calendar as we know it is inextricably linked to the mechanics of our solar system, and the way in which we describe our periods of time has arisen from ancient speculations in astronomy, mathematics and religion. Find out how these ideas developed through this lecture, in which Donna Carroll will present a brief history of our calendar, as well as an introduction to time measurement from ancient sundials to modern atomic clocks. This is a fascinating field where astronomy, astrology, mathematics, politics, agriculture, superstition, and religion come together.
Lecture: From Sandcastles to Smartphones: The Development of Microchips and Modern Electronic Devices
Speaker: Dr. Donna Carroll
Date: 05-09-2017
Early computers were built using components so large that they filled entire rooms. Thanks to the invention of the transistor and chips (integrated circuits), technologies thousands of times more powerful are now merely pocket-sized.
The main components you find inside your iPads and smartphones are semiconductors, fabricated from silicon, which is one of the most common constituents of sand. In this lecture, find out how we go from a simple particle of sand to a complicated, modern electronic device. We’ll discuss the remarkable properties that silicon displays and how these are manipulated to produce such varied technologies ranging from lighting, LED televisions, radiation detectors, digital cameras, night vision goggles and solar panels.
Lecture: Epidemics on Networks
Speaker: Prof.dr. Frank den Hollander
Date: 20-03-2017
“On a finite network, sooner or later the epidemic will be gone, but what we should be asking is, how long does that take?” This is one of the many important questions addressed in the lecture “Epidemics on Networks” by Prof.dr. Frank den Hollander. In this lecture, Den Hollander gives an insight in how mathematicians and data scientists use computer models to get a better understanding of how epidemics spread through networks. Here, ‘networks’ refers to both computer networks and interconnected groups of people. With references to the SARS and Ebola outbreaks in 2003, 2007 and 2014, Frank den Hollander explains in what ways networks can sustain epidemics, and what kind of measures have been proven effective in avoiding or averting an epidemic. The lecture is especially insightful when reflecting on the current Corona pandemic.
Please find the lecture here
Lecture: Real-World Networks
Speaker: Prof.dr. W.T.F. den Hollander
Date: 20-02-2017
Complex networks can be found everywhere in our daily lives: our daily transport by train or car, the money traffic between consumers and banks, but also the internet. When the connectivity of a network increases, the network becomes more vulnerable to attacks. A complex network should therefore be balanced: it has to be functional, but not too vulnerable.
In order to understand complex networks, we need physics, mathematics, computer science, biology, social sciences and more.
This lecture describes examples of large networks in society. Empirical properties of real-world networks show a high degree of universality. Some key questions and key challenges are discussed.
Please find the lecture here