Videos

Brida

Mbuwir

VITO

How to make efficient use of green electricity

What to do when you want to charge your car and the only source of energy you have are solar panels, but the sun is not shining? In her research Brida Mbuwir (VITO - Energyville) is looking for ways to solve this mismatch between green electricity generation and electricity consumption in large buildings. Listen to her explain how in this video.

Ahmed

Shafique

UHasselt

VITO

More sustainable batteries

Smartphones, laptops, electric cars, ... We simply cannot live without batteries. But did you know that in 5 years' time the demand for batteries is expected to be 15 times higher than today? But instead of producing 15 times more batteries, wouldn't it be better to meet the demand by making more powerful batteries? That is why Ahmed Shafique is working on a new generation of batteries: lithium-sulfur batteries.

Yael

Hirschberg

UAntwerpen

VITO

Detecting dementia through proteins

Every three seconds, someone in the world is diagnosed with dementia. But what causes it? Dementia can be caused by diseases such as Alzheimer's & Parkinson's. The only way to find out the exact cause is by studying the brain tissue of a patient after his death 🧠 Yaël Hirschberg hopes to develop a method of identifying this earlier so that a patient can receive targeted care even before the first symptoms of dementia appear. Watch her explain how

Ruth

Vandeputte

VITO

Internet of water: smarter measurement of Flemish water quality

Flanders is a water-scarce region. We must therefore handle our water resources carefully and monitor their quality well. That is why researchers such as Ruth Vandeputte (VITO) are building the 'Internet of Water', a network of sensors that will continuously measure water quality in the whole of Flanders from 2023 onwards and transmit it in real time. Ruth tells you more about it.

Yannick

Wack

KU Leuven

VITO

Can we heat our homes without emitting CO2?

Did you ever hear of 'heat networks'? These are networks of underground pipelines carrying hot water from geothermal plants to houses & buildings. They offer an interesting and sustainable approach to heating. But the larger the network of houses to be heated becomes, the more complex it becomes to manually design an efficient heat network. That's where Yannick Wack's (VITO - KU Leuven - Energyville) research comes in...

Maria

Culman

KU Leuven

VITO

Satellite images: giving computers better eyes for tree mapping

Trees are an important source of food and fuel for local communities all over the world. It is important to map them, so as to be able to protect them. But how do you start mapping millions of trees? Well, by combining satellite images with digital image processing technology. Problem solved? Not yet, as even computers have a hard time recognizing trees on top-down satellite images of the Earth's surface. Maria Culman (KU Leuven - VITO) explains how she intends to overcome this challenge.

Elodie-Laure

Jimenez

KBIN

The large predators of the Ice Age

Meet Elodie-Laure Jimenez (RBINS - University of Aberdeen). As a zooarchaeologist, her job is to study prehistoric predators and their life during the last Ice Age. The only way to understand what happened to these extinct species is to study the fossils that have survived the test of time. In Belgium, this led Elodie-Laure to identify a den where hundreds of cave hyena cubs died shortly after birth. Find out more about her fascinating research in the video.

Camille

Meeussen

UGent

How do we keep our forests cool?

Camille Meeussen (Ghent University) designs forest edges. Yes - you read that correctly: forest edges 🌳 Forests offer a lot of cooling on hot days because trees block the sun's rays. But the edge of a forest has a big impact on that cooling effect. Watch the video to find out more.

Sarah

Adeyinka

UGent

Human trafficking and the wellbeing of victims

"Human trafficking is, simply put, a trade in persons. People are the commodity and it's one of the fastest-growing forms of illegal trade in the world." Sarah Adeyinka's research focuses on the wellbeing of victims of human trafficking: what experiences did they have along the way? Where are they now? And how did they cope and still cope with these experiences of trauma?

Leslie

Held

UGent

Switching easily between tasks: can we train it?

Imagine working from home while watching the kids. Not an easy feat, right? You constantly have to switch your attention from one task to the other. But can we get people to switch easier between tasks? That's what psychologist Leslie Held wants to find out.

Wannes

Slosse

UGent

Strong together: Congolese coffee farmers in conflict area

Do you also just love coffee? A lot of good coffee comes from Kivu and Ituri, regions in eastern Congo where fierce fighting has raged for years between rebel groups and the state. How do coffee farmers manage to produce and sell coffee despite this difficult situation? Cooperatives play an important role in this, explains Wannes Slosse.

Philipp M.

Dau

UGent

Where are the police? Linking crime and patrols

Research shows police spend only 60% of all patrol time in crime hotspots. Philipp M. Dau (UGent) uses data to analyze both police and crime hotspots. These new insights could help police departments more efficiently, guide officers while being on patrol and make our cities a safer place.