News

2023: These are the most-read WUR stories

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December 29, 2023

As Wageningen University & Research, we publish articles, posts, videos, and podcasts every year about research and education. A lot happens in Wageningen that we want to share with the world: important research results, conclusions from reports, appointments, student stories, campus events, and more.

Photo: Vikram Jolly

The stories revolve around six central themes: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Circular Economy, Feeding the World, Healthy Nutrition & Healthy Living, and Artificial Intelligence. In honor of WUR's 105th anniversary in 2023, we gave extra attention to the theme "Shaping Sustainable Futures". In this article, we look back on 2023 and list the most popular articles, videos, LinkedIn posts, and podcasts. Some articles are only published in Dutch.

WUR-articles

In 2019, the Doctorate Board of Wageningen University (CvP) revoked a doctoral degree. An appeal was filed, but the court rejected it in mid-April 2023. This news gained prominence earlier this year. Many sustainability stories were also widely read. For instance, the English version of the longread on sustainable agriculture proved to be popular.

Food Security; sufficient, safe, and healthy food for everyone

When we zoom in on the topic of Food Security, we see that many readers were interested in Bart de Steenhuijsen Piters' argument about unequal trade that perpetuates hunger and malnutrition in Africa.

Biodiversity

The impact of wind and solar parks on biodiversity is a crucial topic. Research from the past year by Wageningen Marine Research (WMR) revealed that cod are often found near artificial reefs, a promising outcome for biodiversity.

Climate

In the top 5 of climate stories, the Dutch-language and English-language versions of the article on CRISPR-Cas with experts John van der Oost and Phil Macnaghten were popular.

LinkedIn

Research and education often focus on content, but the beautiful photo of a rainbow over the Wageningen Campus on LinkedIn demonstrates that aesthetics are not overlooked. Almost two thousand users expressed their appreciation for the post.

YouTube

In celebration of the annual theme "Shaping Sustainable Futures," we created a video showcasing how Wageningen University & Research collectively contributes, utilizing our knowledge, to shaping a sustainable future. The videos in the series "Bringing Society into Science," where scientists share their passion, were also popular.

Podcasts

By the end of 2023, efforts were initiated to establish podcasts as an integral part of WUR's communication. The most popular podcast focused on a timely theme: polarization. The series provides scientists with insights into what they might encounter when dealing with the dynamics of us-versus-them thinking. However, the lessons from expert Bart Brandsma are of interest to a much broader audience.