Acquainted!

You know, your friend stubs his toe against the table and he cringes in pain…and so do you! How? We will try to explain that to you in this blog! The main ones responsible for this are our mirror neurons, cells in our brain. Mirror neurons make it possible to empathize with others, so their pain, sadness but also their pleasure. But mirror neurons are involved in much more than just empathy, such as autism, bird song, language, and infectious yawning. Or not?
We are happy to take you on a journey of discovery through these topics in order to understand ourselves better. With that in mind, let’s introduce ourselves. We are Gonneke, Samanta, Tamara & Tara, four master students with a great passion for biology. We hope to be able to pass this passion on to you through our blog. You can also find us on Instagram and Youtube. To ask? Or continue chatting about this topic? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

Gonneke:

I’m Gonneke Smal, and after a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine I found out that I liked teaching much more than treating animals (although I still think animals are fantastic). So I chose to become a biology teacher with a master’s degree in Science Education and Communication. My interest is still in animals and how people interact with animals, but I am also very enthusiastic about evolution, both on a large and small scale. I hope that I will be able to transfer this knowledge and enthusiasm to my students. Knowing more? Send me an email!

Samantha:

Hello, my name is Samanta Rademaker and I am a real animal lover. I am also studying behavioral biology. With this study, I hope to better understand animals. When we as humans gain more insight into animals, we can help them better. Think, for example, of a better life for laboratory animals and livestock. Our own pets are also sometimes a big mystery. I often use my studies to better understand my dog. I hope to share my knowledge about animal behavior with you, which will help us better understand the animals in our lives.

Tamara:

My name is Tamara Broos, I am 21 years old. I did my bachelor’s degree in biology with a major in Ecology and Evolution. I am particularly interested in evolution and the evolution of the genes that underlie behavior. With my second-degree qualification, I can already touch that a bit in front of the class, but in the upper years, I can express myself much better. To be able to do that, I’m doing the master science education and communication, with which I get my first degree and I can teach about all the best things.

Tara:

Hi, I’m Tara, a happy egg, mountain goat, and champion chatterbox. I am fresh off the press biology bachelor student, interested in developmental biology. In addition, I have a great love for teaching high school students. I have already received my second-degree qualification and now I hope to get my first-degree qualification at Utrecht University at a fast pace. Do you have a great lesson idea or fun fact that you want to share? Then you are one email away from a good conversation with a nice cup of tea.