In this VLAG FLASH we would like to draw your attention to VLAG events, WGS courses and other events. Enough choices to find a suitable course for staff members as well as Postdoc's and PhD students.

We have indicated before that early registration for courses makes life for the VLAG-secretariat much easier. So, if you are intending to participate in one of the following activities please register as soon as possible:

•	Bioreactor Design and Operation (23-27 June 2008)
•	Summer Course Glycosciences (9-12 June 2008)
•	Pectins & Pectinases (21-23 April 2008)

The deadline for submitting information for the 15th VLAG FLASH is 13 May 2008.

During the Board meeting which took place on 11 February, Dr. Ronald P. Mensink, Professor of Molecular Nutrition with emphasis on lipid metabolism at the Department of Human Biology (Maastricht University) was elected new chairman of the Board.

We are honoured to announce that Prof. Ian MacDonald and Prof. Thomas Ohlsson have agreed to join VLAG International Advisory Board.

Prof. Ian MacDonald is professor of Metabolic Physiology and director of research of Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences at University of Nottingham.

His main interests are:

•	Human metabolism and dietary alterations in health and disease
•	Fat, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, in exercise, over- and under-nutrition
•	Metabolic disturbances in obesity and diabetes
•	Metabolic and nutritional factors affecting cognitive function
•	Effects of nutrients on vascular function

Prof. Thomas Ohlsson has just retired from the position as director of a research group on Environmental and Process engineering and Vice President of SIK-The Swedish Institute of Food and Biotechnology in Gothenburg, Sweden.

His main interests are:

•	food processing
•	food manufacturing
•	food packaging
•	environmental aspects of food production

This means that as of March 2008 the VLAG IAB members are:

•	Prof. Ian MacDonald (University of Nottingham, UK)
•	Dr. John O'Brien (Food Safety Authority of Ireland)
•	Dr. Nico Overbeeke (Unilever Research & Development Vlaardingen, NL)
•	Prof. Thomas Ohlsson (SiK, Sweden)

The next meeting of the IAB will take place in Wageningen on 3rd and 4th September 2008.

Dr. Nico Overbeeke has left Unilever Bestfoods (Germany) to become director of Unilever R&D Vlaardingen en Vice President of Unilever Foods Research succeeding Dr. Jan Weststrate.

•	Mini-symposium on Sponge research 9 April 2008, 10.15 -13.00, Chemistry Centre - WU, Wageningen In the context of the public defense of the PhD thesis of Dominick Mendola (Bioprocess Engineering group) is organising a mini-symposium in collaboration with the Graduate School VLAG. Please register for this event in advance by sending an e-mail to Joyce.Krauss@wur.nl.
•	Food fermentation - 3rd edition 14 - 17 April 2008, Wageningen After an introduction into the biodiversity of fermentation micro-organisms and the product technologies involved, this course deals with the specific aspects of functionality related to health, flavour and ingredients, models and control of fermentation and quality, and ~omics in particular the relevance of proteomics, genomics and metabolomics in fermentation innovation and control.
•	Pectins and pectinases symposium - 3rd edition 21 - 23 April 2008, Wageningen This symposium will provide an up-to-date insight into the research on pectin and pectic enzymes involved in their biosynthesis, degradation, modification or utilization. It will function as a 'state of the art' podium for both beginners and experts working in all disciplines of pectin research.
•	VLAG PhD-week - 19th edition 21 - 24 April 2008, Wageningen This activity is a compulsory part of the VLAG education programme and it is meant for the PhD students that have recently started their PhD study.
•	Bioreactor Design and Operation - 4th edition 23 - 27 June 2008, Wageningen Products from biotechnology cover a wide range, from pharmaceutical blockbusters to bulk energy carriers. In the research phase for new products main attention goes to the optimization of the microorganism. Genomics, physiology and metabolic engineering are the main study tools. Scale of operation is not really important in this case.
•	Summer Course Glycosciences - 10th edition 9 - 12 June 2008, Wageningen This course combines general introductions in the field of polysaccharides and glycoproteins with in depth parallel sessions.
•	Management of Microbiological Hazards in Foods - 11th edition 15 - 19 September 2008, Wageningen The aim of this course is to further improve the knowledge of course participants regarding the management of micro-organisms that may compromise the safety of foods. The course programme combines lectures and group work ("case studies") with plenary discussions. The link above gives information on the previous edition of this course.
•	Advanced Course on Applied Genomics of Industrial Fermentation - 3rd edition 13 - 17 October 2008, Wageningen This course aims to familiarize industrial and academic research professionals with the modern concepts of genomics, their use in microbial research and development, and their utility in contemporary biotechnological industry. The link above gives information on the previous edition of this course.
•	Proteomics - 2nd edition 20 - 23 October 2008, Wageningen

• D. Mendola (Dominick) The importance of water flow for culture of Dysidea avara sponges. 09-04-2008, 16:00 hrs, Wageningen Prof. R.H. Wijffels, Prof. J.L. van Leeuwen • Y.L.J. Vissers (Yvonne) Peri-operative arginine metabolism in cancer. 11-04-2008, 12:00 hrs, Maastricht Prof. M.F. von Meyenfeldt, Prof. N.E.P. Deutz, Dr. C.H.C. Dejong, Dr. Y.C. Luiking • E.B.M. Reinaerts (Evelien) Vita & Froet; the development and evaluation of two interventions to promote fruit and vegatable intake among primary school children. 11-04-2008, 16:00 hrs, Maastricht Prof. N.K. de Vries, Dr. J. de Nooijer • H.J.G. van de Werken (Harmen) Computational genomics of hyperthermophiles. 16-04-2008, 16:00 hrs, Wageningen Prof. W.M. de Vos, Prof. J. van der Oost, Dr. S.W.M. Kengen • L.M. Serrano Davalos (Mariela) Oxidative stress response in Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1: a functional genomics approach. 18-04-2008, 11:00 hrs, Wageningen Prof. W.M. de Vos, Dr. E.J. Smid • J.M. Lambert (Jolanda) Bile salt hydrolase in Lactobacillus plantarum: functional analysis and delivery to the intestinal tract of the host. 18-04-2008, 16:00 hrs, Wageningen Prof. W.M. de Vos, Prof. M. Kleerebezem • M.K. Khalesi (Mohammad) Ex Situ cultivation of the soft coral Siinularia flexibilis for biotechnological exploitation. 28-04-2008, 16:00 hrs, Wageningen Prof. R.H. Wijffels, Dr. H.H. Beeftink • E.A. van der Zwan (Eduard) Emulsification with microstructured systems: process principles. 09-05-2008, 16:00 hrs, Wageningen Prof. R.M. Boom, Dr. C.G.P.H. Schroën

• T.W.J.M. van Herpen (Teun) Coeliac disease safe gluten: The challenge to reduce toxicity while preserving wheat technological properties. 23-05-2008, 13:30 hrs, Wageningen Prof. R.J. Hamer, Prof. H.J. Bosch, Dr. L.J.W.J. Gilissen, Dr. M.J.M. Smulders • L.M. Wijnands (Lucas) Bacillus cereus associated food-borne disease: quantitative aspects of exposure assessment and hazard characterisation. 02-06-2008, 13:30 hrs, Wageningen Prof. T. Abee, Prof. M.H. Zwietering, Dr. R.R. Beumer • P.A. Berk (Petra) In vitro and in vivo virulence of Salmonella Typhimurium DT104. 05-06-2008, 11:00 hrs, Wageningen Prof. T. Abee, Prof. M.H. Zwietering, Dr. R. de Jonge • C. Akkermans (Cynthia) Protein fibrillization: preparation, mechanism and application. 06-06-2008, 16:00 hrs, Wageningen Prof. R.M. Boom, Prof. E. van der Linden, Dr. A.J. van der Goot, Dr. P. Venema • B.R. Postmus (Bart) Polymer vs. surfactant. Competitive adsorption at the solid-liquid interface. 10-06-2008, 16:00 hrs, Wageningen Prof. M.A. Cohen Stuart, Prof. F.A.M. Leermakers • G.M. Buijsse (Brian) Antioxidants, oxidative stress, and cardiovascular diseases - Cross cultural comparisons and prospective cohort studies. 11-06-2008, 13:30 hrs, Wageningen Prof. D. Kromhout, Prof. F.J. Kok, Prof. E.J.M. Feskens • Z.I.T.A. Soons (Zita) Advanced monitoring and control in biopharmaceutical production. 13-06-2008, 13:30 hrs, Wageningen Prof. G. van Straten, Dr. A.J.B. van Boxtel

From October 11th until 26th 2008, a group of 18 PhD students and 2 staff members will visit China. They will start their journey in Beijing, and from there they will travel south to China's largest city, Shanghai. Shanghai city will be their starting point to explore the Shanghai area and Wuxi city.

For over 70 years Yakult is the pioneer in probiotics and is stimulating good research into probiotics, gutflora and health.
This poster prize (€ 750,-) is an encouragement for everyone aiming their research at the dynamic and often complex role of pathogenic and functional bacteria in food and the consequences of those bacteria for our health. Everyone working in the field of microbiology, gastro-enterology, medicine, food safety, food technology, dietetics and health in the Netherlands is invited to submit a poster.
Specific areas of interest: Host-bacteria interactions, Therapeutic effects, Biomarkers, Immune modulation.
Deadline is 1 July 2008. (visit BSL)

•	Career Assessment - April/May (visit WGS)
•	Techniques for Writing and Presenting a Scientific Paper - 15 April (visit WGS)
•	PhD Competence Assessment - 22 April (visit WGS)
•	Personal Efficacy - 24 April (visit WGS)
•	The Art of Writing - 6 May (visit CENTA)
•	Communication in Interdisciplinary Research - 6 May (visit WGS)
•	Writing Grant Proposals - 8 May (visit CENTA)
•	Career Orientation - 16 May (visit WGS)
•	Presentation Skills - 19 May (visit CENTA)
•	Mobilising your -scientific- network - 23 May (visit WGS)
•	Information Literacy, incl. Introduction Endnote - 27 May (visit WGS)
•	Coping with Climate Change in Integrated Watershed Management - 30 June (visit WGS)
•	Project- and Time Management - 9 September (visit WGS)
•	Career Perspectives - 21 October (visit WGS)
•	Science, the press and the general public: communication and interaction - 23 October (visit WGS)
•	Interpersonal Communication for PhD students - 27 October (visit WGS)

•	Rubicon Rubicon offers researchers who have completed their doctorates in the past year the chance to gain experience at a top research institution outside the Netherlands (maximum of two years). Deadlines are 1 April, 2 September and 2 December 2008. read more
•	KP7 ICT Calls for Information technology are open. For example for: NoE's, Collaboritive Projects, Integrating Projects, Coördination and Suppoprt Actions. Deadline is 8 April 2008. (visit CORDIS)
•	More Women Researchers as University Lecturers (MEERVOUD) The MEERVOUD programme aims to help women postdocs become university lecturers by creating temporary (part-time) lecturer positions (or similar positions in institutes), with the added guarantee of obtaining a (different) scientific position within their research institution. Deadline is 6 May 2008. (visit NWO)
•	NIH Research related to genomics, incl. analysis of genome structure and function, genetic variation, population genomics and ethical, legal and social implications. Deadlines are 7 May and 7 September 2008. (visit NIH)
•	British Council and Platform Bèta Techniek Within the framework of the cooperation agreement between the British Council and Platform Bèta Techniek applications can be submitted for subsidies for research visits to the UK or for organising joint workshops or seminars with British researchers. Deadline is 15 August 2008. (visit British Council)

•	Emerging Risk Identification in Food Chains This meeting is the second in a series of five to be held in 2008, on topical issues in the area of Chains and Networks, discussed by university and research institute staff of WageningenUR. 27 March 2008, Wageningen (visit Wageningen CNS)
•	Seminars laboratory of Biochemistry Monthly, usually on Thursday, the laboratory of Biochemistry organises seminars for external speakers. Details about each seminar, as well as titles and abstracts will be regularly posted on their website. (visit laboratory of Biochemistry)
•	C2W Career Expo The Career expo for Bachelors, Masters en PhD students in chemistry, chemical technology, life sciences or related background. 3 April 2008, Jaarbeurs Utrecht (visit C2W Career Expo)
•	Food and sustainable energy: Some policy reflections VIP lecture by Professor Gerrit Meester, this lecture is organised by Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy Group 8 April 2008, 16:00-17:30, Wageningen (visit AEP)
•	Retreat 2008 - Thinking outside the box For postdoctoral researchers in Life Sciences During this 3-day meeting you will have the opportunity to explore your career possibilities. 9 - 11 April 2008, Heeze
•	The Future Control of Food: A guide to international negotiations and rules on intellectual property, biodiversity and food security Geoff Tansey will present his new book. 10 April 2008, Room V111, De Leeuwenborch, Wageningen
•	Reconsidering Intellectual Property Policies in Public Research: Sharing the benefits of biotechnology with developing countries An international conference on possible tensions between the practice by public organisations to patent their innovations in the Life Sciences, and ensuring access to new technologies by developing countries. Free registration - Please register before 29 March. 11 April 2008, 10:00-17:15, WICC, Wageningen (visit Society & Genomics)
•	Intermediair PhD Career Event 2008 This event is intended for PhD students in the last phase of their research project and those that recently acquired their PhD degree. It will give the opportunity to meet the leading organisations in commercial and public domains in the Netherlands and to attend important presentations and workshops. Entrance is free. 22 April 2008, Amsterdam (visit Intermediair)
•	NWO-Talent Classes A Talent Class is an extensive workshop, based on the Talent Day. In 2008 the following dates are planned for the Talent Classes: 22 April, 20 May, 17 June, 23 September, 4 November and 9 December. Registration for the first three Talent Classes in 2008 is still possible. (visit NWO)
•	Course Stereology: Sampling and Measurement of 3D Structures Tune Course Centre and University of Copenhagen, May 6-9, 2008 This course presents theory and practical techniques of stereology for obtaining reliable quantitative data from samples of 3D heterogeneous structures. The focus is on applications in food, plant and soil sciences, agriculture, horticulture and biosystems engineering. (visit University of Copenhagen)
•	Bio Career Event This fourth edition of the Bio Career Event will take place in the Amsterdam RAI. This unique network & recruitment event brings talent in the Life Sciences in touch with future employers, recruitment agencies, training agencies and other parties that play an important role in their career development. 21 May 2008 (visit Bio Career Event)
•	NWO-Talent Days NWO organises another Talent Day in the Autumn of 2008. Registration will open before summer. Check the website regularly for more information (visit NWO)