…with no problems? Hill climbing isn’t straightforward, whether that is for someone taking on a snowy mountain or for a computer trying to find solutions in an abstract space.

Biology and mathematics offer a lot to each other. One has all sorts of interesting data, while the other knows how to put it to work.

Giving directions is an art. How do you give directions that are not only precise, but which also remain valid in whatever unforeseen situation comes up?

When you cross a bridge, what crosses your mind? Do you think about the weather, about your shopping list, or do you wonder whether you will catch the train?

As it turns out, Dutch windmills are not just national icons. They also hold a unique position in the mathematical landscape.

From 21 to 25 August, nearly 3000 first-year students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in their new lives during the INKOM, the introduction week for new students Maastricht University and Zuyd University of Applied Sciences. This year's edition is organised by the Workgroup INKOM -or WGI in short- which consists of five enthusiastic students who suspend their studies for one full year to focus on planning a successful introduction week.

Councillor Jack Gerats awarded the first certificates to 18 new youth neighbourhood mediators. Maastricht is the first city in the Netherlands where students go into neighbourhoods as youth neighbourhood mediators to bring students and local residents closer together. Two of them discuss their motivations.

FaceTime, WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook: for many older people, it’s like a secret language. In the Conn@ct.us initiative by Enactus Maastricht, students help seniors find their way around the multimedia world. In turn, the students get to practise their Dutch – a win-win situation.

To get a residence permit in the Netherlands, or elsewhere in Europe, asylum seekers need to tell a credible story about their identity, their country of origin and the reason they fled. Yet the way in which asylum officials ask questions does not always make for a good test of reality. This is the conclusion of Tanja van Veldhuizen’s PhD dissertation, which she will defend at Maastricht University on 22 September. One solution may be to ask more open questions.

Valorisation, also known as knowledge utilisation, is becoming ever more important. What many researchers don’t yet realise is that it is also lucrative. And not only in terms of making money, explain Henri Theunissen and Ivo George from the Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus (MHC) and the Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO). They help academics to give their knowledge added value.