👋 Maak kennis met 6 van onze hoogleraren. Zij gaan met elkaar in gesprek💬 over stedelijke uitdagingen in Amsterdam❌ ❌ ❌ Op 22 juni in Pakhuis de Zwijger. Meer info: https://www.uva.nl/…/amsterdamle…/amsterdamlezingen-uva.html ..view more

Looking for a spot to study during the exam period? 📚 💻 The University Library is offering extended opening hours and extra study spaces from 15-27 June! ..view more

What makes the UvA unique? It’s not one thing, but the thousands of individuals who study and work here📚 👫 . Let us introduce you to some of them🙌 . 📷 : by none other than @robin_de_puy ———————— Meet Pleun Aarts, student of Biological Sciences, track: Ecology and Evolution. 'I just completed my first experimental research project, which was about snails in an urban setting. Even though I love nature, I definitely thrive in the city – and this project was a fun way for me to combi... ne the two. Evolution is taking place in the city in a great many ways, among a great many species. My research looked at how the common garden snail has adapted to living in Amsterdam's urban environment. I criss-crossed the city on my bicycle, collecting snails in parks, gardens and in the Amsterdamse Bos landscape park. Then I did an experiment with the snails, in which I used a small paintbrush to startle them. The startle response made them withdraw into their shells, after which I counted how long it took them to re-emerge. This was a way to test how long the snails remained hidden when facing potential danger. By repeating this a few times per day over the course of three days, you can see if there are differences between animals found in and outside the city. It also allows you to see the extent to which the behaviour is an individual characteristic. It may be a bit of anthropomorphism – ascribing human qualities to an animal – but this lets us distinguish whether snails have personalities.’ Want to read more? Check our stories! ..view more