Early Childhood
Newsletter April 2024
Dear Early Childhood community members,
Now that spring has arrived, it is time for a new DoY newsletter. There are a lot of exciting activities and opportunities coming in the next few months, so read on for more information.
New funding opportunities
Do you also have an idea for a project related to the values of the Early Childhood community? You can obtain support to set up various projects, including an expansion of your current research, a new collaboration you wish to undertake, a public engagement activity and more. The new funding application opportunities are now online.
Click here to read about the criteria for applying.
DoY meet-ups
Every first Tuesday of the month a new DoY meetup event takes place from 15:30 till 17:30. The program consists of two parts: sharing ideas and networking. Each DoY Meet-up is hosted by a community and is open to everyone who feels connected to DoY and/or the topic or the activity. As you can see in the photo’s, we started off with a very successful Early Career event on the 5th of March.
We are looking forward to the next DoY Meet-Up that takes place on Tuesday May 7 from 15:30-17:30 in Theaterhuis De Berenkuil (city centre Utrecht). We’ve all invited you via Teams to join and hereby send you all an e-mail with some more information.
Program in short
15:30 Welcome
15:45 Round Table on education, arts and science introduced by Jaqui Goldin
16:15 Wrap up Round Table
16:30 – 17:30 DoY Network drinks
We really hope that the DoY Meet-Up will be a true meet-up for all Dynamics of Youth community members (to be). So, even if you are not so interested in the first part, we still hope to welcome you and the members of your community to the drinks. Feel very welcome to invite them. Click here for more information about the program
Past events
Besides the Meet-ups, Dynamics of Youth was present during two large events, the Language Science Day of the ‘Institute of Language Sciences’ and the ‘Doing Interdisciplinarity in Youth Research’ event. Below you can find two testimonials about the events.
Thougths on the Language Science Day
“We had a great time during the ILS Language Science Day! The strategic themes Dynamics of Youth and Institutions of Open Societies united and organized a wonderful day during which language scientists were challenged to look across the borders of their own discipline and consider how they might be connected to the strategic theme’s. We concluded the day with a project market during which researchers from other faculties could meet language scientists and exchange ideas and knowledge.”
Thoughts on the interdisciplinarity event
On April 18th, the Dynamics of Youth communities organized a workshop for the ‘Doing Interdisciplinarity in Youth Research Day’. It was a very inspirational event. After a speed dating session where all researchers could get to know each other better, they were challenged to put themselves in the shoes of researchers with a different discipline. The researchers were divided into three different groups, based on their field and background. The groups were asked to formulate research questions about youth-related cases from different lenses. Finally, the groups were mixed, creating three interdisciplinary groups that were challenged to formulate a research question which reflected all disciplines in their group. We really enjoyed showing researchers the value and fun of taking another perspective and broadening your (scientific) horizon.
Click here for more information
Upcoming events
SAVE THE DATE: Escape room 6th of June 2024
Embark on an adventure into the depths of the developing brain!
Are you ready to plunge headfirst into the world of (a)typical brain development?
Brace yourself for an immersive escape room experience that promises to expand your understanding like never before!
Join forces with fellow adventurers from Dynamics of Youth (UU) to the Brain Center and Child Health (UMCU) in a quest to unravel the mysteries of the mind and save countless children from a new developmental disease.
It’s a thrilling interdisciplinary journey that will push your wits to the limit and leave you breathless with excitement!
Mark your calendars for June 6th and secure your spot in one of the afternoon timeslots. But act fast – spots are disappearing quicker than neurons firing in a synapse!
Indulge in drinks and snacks as you vie for victory and claim the prize for the fastest escape time.
Don’t miss out on the adventure – register now and prepare for an unforgettable escapade that’s guaranteed to have a blast!
Click here for more information and registering
SAVE THE DATE: Summer school 19th – 24th of August 2024
We are pleased to announce that the Early Childhood Utrecht Summer school will take place from 19th -23th of August 2024. Get updated on research in the field of early development!
We will discuss the state-of-the-art knowledge in different key disciplines studying early development (from conception to six years of age), including:
- New insights in the fields of language, motor and cognitive development;
- Attention to the influence of prematurity; and
- Deep dives into subjects such as feeding, sleep, play and daycare.
After an update of your theoretical knowledge in the morning, we will use the afternoon for an in-depth workshop about frequently used techniques, including surveys, machine learning, MRI, EEG and observations. Our experts will help you understand these techniques and provide new insights to take home and try yourself.
Our program has now been finalised and can be reviewed in the table below.
For more information click here
UMU sleep exposition April 29th – May 12th
Children are exposed to various stimuli that either enhance or disrupt sleep quality. For example, having a phone on the nightstand or listening to very calm music just before bedtime. What do children think about these factors? Researchers from Utrecht University want to find out.
Between April 29th and May 12th, there will be an exhibition at the UMU where children can learn about sleep-inducing music, sleep positions, and what should and shouldn’t be on your nightstand according to scientists.
At the UMU, children can assist them with sleep research by exploring their own sleep habits. They can also complete a questionnaire to compare their sleep habits with those of their parents. Finally, they can take home a sleep diary. If they anonymously fill it out and return it, the Sleep Discovery Lab can use it to map children’s sleep patterns in the Netherlands.
On April 29th, you can even attend a mini sleep lecture by our sleep researcher, Eline de Groot. A brief lesson on sleep in the brain followed by a quiz. There are three sessions available: at 12:30, 13:30, and 14:30.
The sleep exhibition at the UMU is a collaboration between the DoY Early Childhood community and the Sleep Discovery Lab of the UMC Utrecht.
Want to learn more? Visit the UMU website.
Mothers with 3 month old baby’s needed for research
How do babies communicate before they can say words? An what helps them to develop this impressive ability?
Elanie van Niekerk is recruiting participants for a study that aims to add some pieces to this puzzle. This study on the melody and meening of baby talk is conducted under the guidance of Aoju Chen and Caroline Junge as part of Elanie’s PhD research within the SoundStart project at Universiteit Utrecht, Institute of Language Sciences.
Are you or do you know a Dutch-speaking mother with a baby between 3 and 5 months old? Then we need your help to participate in our non-invasive research! Click here for more information or to register. Or send an email if you have any further questions (e.a.vanniekerk@uu.nl)
