Headlines

According to research conducted by Jan Koudstaal, on average,IVF pregnancies result in babies with lower birth weights thannatural pregnancies. Koudstaal will be receiving his doctorate nextweek with a thesis based on this research. His study of nearlythree thousand pregnancies revealed that more than thirty percentof the cases were multiple births. The cause of this less thanfavorable outcome is not known, but Koudstaal, a gynecologist onstaff at the UMC since 1983, emphasizes the need for rigorouspatient selection. He also calls for long-term monitoring of thefurther development of the children involved.

Graduate students

According to Prof. Dr. F.P. van Oostrom of Leiden University,temporary researchers are themselves largely to blame for the factthat they rarely land permanent jobs. He believes that "graduatestudents should fight for themselves, rather than play the victim."A survey taken at the end of last year revealed that only twentypercent of recent doctorate recipients were successful in finding ajob. The professor of pre-modern Dutch literature dropped abombshell at a meeting of the Landelijk Postdoc Platform (nationalgraduate studies platform): young researchers, in his opinion, havethe tendency to blame 'the system'. They focus too exclusively ontheir own research. "For example, they rarely ever participate inthe university boards", while it is essential for them to putthemselves forward and stay in the scene. Van Oostrom believes thatthere will soon be a great deal of room for young staff in the nearfuture, as there are presently many employees over the age offifty.

De Uitwijk

De Uitwijk (Utrecht University's social and cultural center) isa pleasant place in De Uithof to read English and Dutch magazines,enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, play a game or see a free movie. DeUitwijk also organizes creative courses (in English) especially forinternational guests of the university. The courses are reasonablypriced and taught by professionals in a relaxed atmosphere. Coursesinclude graphics and printing, drawing techniques and portraitdrawing (English spoken). Courses start November 15th, 16th and17th. For more information, contact De Uitwijk at 030-253.3502.