Science can't promise certainty: What volcanoes teach us about trust
For the past four years, I have worked in science communication at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Neuroscience, exploring how scientific knowledge can become more accessible, meaningful, and responsive to the communities it affects. This year, my experiences as a Science Trust Project Ambassador and at a volcano science communication summer school in Iceland have prompted me to reflect more deeply on what it means to build trust in research. But what can volcanoes teach us about communicating neuroscience?
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Supporting 30 years of neuroscience in Leuven: Meet Claudia Van Hove
For thirty years, Claudia Van Hove has been one of the quiet forces helping the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Neuroscience run smoothly. Claudia and the logistics team work behind the scenes to ensure everything is in place: from sterilizing materials and preparing fly food to maintaining facilities and helping colleagues across the center. It is a job that spans countless tasks, and one that has kept her engaged ever since she first walked through the doors in February 1996.
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30 years at VIB: A front-row seat to an extraordinary journey
When Melinda walked into VIB on 2 November 1995, there was little to suggest that she was about to become part of one of Europe's leading life sciences success stories. The organization was brand new, biotechnology was still unfamiliar to many, and VIB itself was little more than an ambitious vision with a handful of people determined to build something exceptional.
Why art-science initiatives are suddenly everywhere and why they matter more than ever
Art-science collaborations are no longer niche experiments on the fringes of academia; in 2026, they have become one of the most dynamic, evidence-backed movements reshaping how we understand health, society, and scientific innovation. Their impact is visible not only in major research breakthroughs but in the lived experience of people working across labs, clinics, museums, and community spaces, from Anna Dumitriu’s work on molecular disease and patient experience to the #ArtGenetics project, where paintings become datasets and museum visitors help trace the evolution of crops through visual culture. Together, these initiatives show how art can illuminate scientific complexity, how public participation can meaningfully contribute to research, and how creativity itself can function as a method for generating knowledge.
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