Jan H. van Bemmel: People in Research
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"I am fascinated by the brain’s capacity of storing things; how it enables me to recognize a face in a crowd. Another interesting question is how we control our movements. It is mind boggling how we manage to move a body part to the right place at the right time."
It is a quote* from one of the leading researchers of our university, Chris de Zeeuw, professor of neuroscience at our Medical Faculty, the Erasmus MC.
Many processes in society are governed nowadays by computers. Some people think computers have already become intelligent, others believe this will never happen. When I studied at the Physics Laboratory of Delft University, researchers tried to mimic human intelligence and to develop a robot that could in the end replace a human worker. The early dream was called "artificial intelligence." But what became true of that dream? What robot can walk in the way a one-year old child is already able to do? Apparently, we even don't know "how we manage to move a body part to the right place at the right time."
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What machine is able to recognize a face in a crowd; can imitate the playing of a gifted violinist; can develop a scientific theory and conduct scientific research? Research is people; it is the theme of the academic celebration of the 90th birthday of our university. Conducting research is a terrific pleasure, a human endeavor par excellence. Let me give a few highlights from research done at our university. I will especially emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary research in all three domains of research and education of Erasmus University: (1) Economics and Management, (2) Medicine and Health, and (3) Law, Culture, and Society.
*Quotes are from the brochure on research at Erasmus University: Lugtenberg G and Van Bemmel JH. Erasmus University Rotterdam, Main Port of Knowledge. Rotterdam, November 2003.
