Science in primary school: ‘A professor is a man or woman who wears something white’

Dozens of professors swapped lecture halls for a Rotterdam primary school class on Thursday morning. They set off by bike (or on scooters) to primary schools to talk to pupils about their field.

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“Hello professor”, rings out in the classroom of class 6/7 on the second floor of primary school De Provenier as Criminology professor Lieselot Bisschop, clad in a gown and a beret, steps across the threshold. When the lesson begins she takes off her gown. “It feels a bit like a wizard’s outfit”, she jokes.

For Meet the professor dozens of professors from Erasmus University head into the city to give talks at primary schools about their research. The university wants to enthuse children about science and make the academic world more accessible. Bisschop thinks that’s important: “That way we can explain how we contribute through our research.”

White clothes

“A professor is a man or woman who wears something white”, thought ten-year-old Naoufal until today. During the class the children have to work in groups to think about questions such as why someone commits a crime and who suffers harm from it.

“Children are very disarming”, Bisschop says. That’s different from the master’s students she normally gives class to. “With them I mainly ask questions. This time I actually received many questions.” The boldest? “How much I earn”, Bisschop laughs.