Name: Roos van Doorn
Function: Teacher Communication Nature Conservation and Perception
Organisation: Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences
Employee since: 2005

The best thing about Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) is: “The strong bond between science and practice.”
 
“Van Hall Larenstein is the green professional, application-oriented, higher education institution within Wageningen UR. We offer many different kinds of study programmes, such as Forestry and Nature Conservation to which I am affiliated. At the professional educational level, we educate conservationists, designers and planners to come up with practical and applicable solutions related to green space. The solutions are also based on the scientific research that is conducted within Wageningen UR. The decisiveness and adroitness makes working at a professional educational level very inspiring and I am always at the centre of a continuous flow of knowledge. Many guest scientists host lectures here but also acquire knowledge from our end because or our application-oriented research. This is also valid in the field where our university generates tangible results. This, in turn, leads to an interaction of new ideas and enhanced skills all around.

The new nature conservationist
There is still a lot of work to be done on the competencies at the professional education level. I feel at home here. As a teacher, it allows me to give explicit attention to the learning process. I spend a lot of my hours counselling students besides the time I spend teaching. I find that inspiring. Nature conservationists are taught here to protect nature by also dealing with social problems such as stress, fine dust and obesity. This approach produces a different kind of nature conservationist than the traditional types that submerge themselves in the ecological world. The new nature conservationist is a man or woman that reacts to social trends without losing their base. It is my and my colleagues’ tasks to prepare the students for this role. The base remains a solid academic background combined with new interdisciplinary skills, all of which we offer here.   

Seeing the light
Why do I enjoy going to work everyday? I think it’s wonderful to see people learning. Sometimes I see the light go on in someone’s head when they suddenly ‘get it’. Each person requires different skills from me as a counsellor. We work as a team within Van Hall Larenstein. Our students work on one project seven weeks straight and the lectures are supportive during this process. Therefore, teamwork with other teachers is essential so that the lectures are structured and that education speaks with ‘one’ voice. Giving professional education allows me a lot of freedom to arrange the lectures as I see most fit. If you have good ideas, then I can do a lot with that.”