About us

How small can we go? 

The smallest things can have the biggest impact. Since mid-20th century science started to focus on smaller organisms, molecules and particles. Last year our way of living has been dramatically changed by a virus, which is one of the absolute smallest organisms. A tiny molecule, CRISPR-Cas, can change specific places in the DNA and thereby have an enormous impact on our health. This insight has been rewarded with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year.

How can you visualize these small samples to keep up with the trend in going smaller? And how small can we go? What are current limitations and future possibilities? In this blog we will introduce you to this wonderfully small world, and show how you can observe the smallest things in life. By the end of the ride hopefully you will be as enthusiastic about science as we are.

Who are we?

I am Abe, parttime tutor and fulltime mathematician. After obtaining two degrees in mathematics there is no doubt I love the subject. With maths you create your own reality and by doing so can bend what’s possible. I contributed, for instance, to the creation of software that makes blurry microscopy images look sharp. Now it is time to share maths with others. I will gladly take you on an exploration in the fun, interesting and sometimes surprising world of mathematics.

Hi! I’m Heleen and focus on research on new drugs during my studies. I find it really interesting how a mistake in a building block of our body, of no more than a few nanometers in size, can have an enormous impact on our health. And how can a virus of no more than a micrometer cause a world-wide pandemic? I hope to take you into the fascinating world of small things, and to give you an insight into how these small things can have a large impact on our daily life.

My name is Max and I’m currently in my final year of my master’s in chemistry. Science and technology have always interested me and from a young age Discovery Channel became my favorite channel. Besides chemistry I try to also keep up with technology and other fields. In the last year of my bachelor’s degree, I obtained my teachers license, so I hope to apply the skills I learned in the classroom to also communicate science through different media.

Hello! My name is Marieke, and I am currently in the second and last year of my master’s Environmental Biology, where I follow the fungal track. Already in my Bachelor I started to specialize in microbiology, since I find these very small ‘creatures’ super interesting! Besides this I have been a tutor for 8 years. Now I hope to combine my two passions of education and biology and communicate the scientific world to you all.