Doing a PhD comes with many different experiences. GUTS PhDs Tatvan Todor and Ethell Dubois experienced science communication in a unique way, by being on stage with the Hoe?Zo! Show. In this blog, they give you a glimpse behind the scenes!

“So, there you are. A scientist on stage, spotlights in your eyes. You look at the garden gnome. And then you look back at a room full of extremely curious 9- to 10-year-olds, all eagerly waiting for you to explain how love works.

And you have five minutes.

That, in a nutshell, is the Hoe?Zo! Show.”

The Hoe?Zo! Show

The Hoe?Zo! Show is an interactive theater show for children aged 9 to 10, who get to ask questions to scientists. Prior to attending the show, a course is provided to inform the children on scientific research. In multiple classes, they learn how to distinguish fact from fiction, form a research question, assess sources on trustworthiness, run an experiment, and how to discuss scientific findings with different audiences. During the show, children get the opportunity to ask a scientific question to the scientists on stage, who then have to provide an answer by working together and using props in support of their explanation. Together with the shows’ presenter, Boy Vissers, the scientists use their improvisation skills and creativity to attempt to successfully respond to the question, all while remaining understandable for 9- to 10-year-olds. A unique but very fun challenge! The Hoe?Zo! Show was developed by Barbara Braams and Lennart de Groot in 2019. More information can be found on the official website: https://hoezoshow.nl/.

Well prepared for improvising

Before we faced a room full of curious 9- to 10-year-olds, we actually had two full days of training. And it turns out there is quite a lot to learn when your job is to explain science on the spot, preferably while holding a random object.

We did theatre and improvisation exercises, learned about how children learn and process information, practiced turning our own PhD research into a short and understandable pitch (for Tatvan, that meant using a Mona pudding as a brain; for Ethell, demonstrating trust by having Boy fall backwards into her arms), and trained how to answer completely unexpected questions using whatever props we were given.

The challenge was not just to get the science right, but to explain it in a way that was fun and engaging for the children, and fun for us too!

And those training days were also about getting to know each other and building a good group dynamic, because that dynamic translated directly onto the stage.

“So, basically, we were learning to think like scientists, explain like teachers, and improvise like actors~ while becoming a bit of a theatre group along the way.”

The discomfort of uncertainty

As researchers, we are constantly trying to make predictions. We make hypotheses for our research questions, we try to anticipate all possible things that can go wrong, and we do our very best to avoid (statistical) uncertainty. All of this goes out of the window once you are on stage with the Hoe?Zo! Show, with questions varying from animal to universe, from toenails to infinity. This discomfort of uncertainty forces us to grow outside of our professional comfort zone. By sharing this exciting experience with other young scientists, we swiftly grew closer to each other.

The group of scientists consisted of 14 PhD students from various disciplines, to ensure a broad realm of background knowledge was present on stage. Each show, up to six scientists were challenged to respond to three questions in ten minutes. Despite having a neuroscientist, an astrophysicist, a chemist and a hydrologist present, children’s questions could still reach beyond the scope of our knowledge. Despite improvising theatrically, we must provide as correct of an answer as possible. That’s where our handy-dandy tablets came into play.

Considering, as Boy would say; “the scientists know a lot about one thing, but not everything about everything”, we were allowed a brief Google-search on the topic of the posed question. We learned the concept on stage and immediately had to explain it a minute later in accessible language. Although we struggle initially, we eventually manage to come up with an explanation and theatrical use of attributes supporting it. This type of creative challenge is unique to the Hoe?Zo! Show!

A stage to learn

Besides from teaching children about scientific research, we also learn a lot from being on stage. Once, during Tatvan’s introductory pitch, she mentioned teenagers asking whether anyone had an older sibling. Lots of hands went up, until one girl suddenly shouted: “My brother smells like sweat!”. Instead of continuing the planned pitch script, she went with it, continuing her pitch: “… besides the physical changes, like the ones your brother is going through, there are also changes in behaviour, which is what I study”. The girl in the audience had made Tatvan’s pitch more fun and relatable, teaching us to let go of the script, listen to what the children give you, and build on it.

Another interesting moment happened in another show, following a question regarding why our eyes look red on flash photos. During the explanation, a boy in the audience was desperately raising his hand, wanting to add to the explanation. After the show, he came up to Tatvan and explained that some animals’ eyes instead glow green due to a reflective layer behind their retina enabling visibility in the dark. In that moment, he had taught me something, while more importantly reminding her of how exciting it is to learn something, making new knowledge your own, and eagerly sharing it with others.

This enthusiasm for science that can sometimes get lost in everyday routines, was brought back by working with these children.

A lasting impression

The respected interdisciplinary field of science communication became even more meaningful to us. Every year, young scientists travel all throughout the country to be on stage with the Hoe?Zo! Show. From Assen to Breda, and from Amsterdam to Doetinchem, all kids are welcome to learn about scientific research.

A goal of the Hoe?Zo! Show is to prove that science is for everyone, and a scientist does not come in the form of, as Boy would say; “an old white man in a labcoat”. We believe that teaching children scientific and critical thinking skills should be done from an early age already. Children should be encouraged to take the risk of asking a question and learn to trust that it will be well received. But the curiosity? Children already have plenty of that. And sometimes, they are the ones who bring that curiosity back to us as scientists and adults.

Taken together, we thoroughly enjoyed being part of the team of the 2026 Hoe?Zo! Show and would highly recommend all PhD students to go outside of their comfort zone and learn science communication in a very unique way. This experience confirmed for both of us that science communication is something we want to pursue, perhaps in more surprising ways than anticipated.

The 2026 season of the Hoe?Zo! Show is not over just yet. You can see us on stage on the 16th of October 2026 in Franeker, Theater de Koornbeurs, and on the 25th of October in Utrecht, TivoliVredenburg. For more info and tickets: https://hoezoshow.nl/speeldata.

Last weekend, researchers from GUTS joined colleagues from DREAMS at the Amsterdam UMC stand during the Kwaku Festival in Amsterdam. Together, they engaged with festival visitors around an important topic: stress and mental health.

Throughout the festival, visitors had the opportunity to learn more about stress, mental health and the research being conducted in these areas. By bringing research to a lively public setting like Kwaku, the team could connect with people outside the university and make scientific knowledge more accessible through informal conversations.

The activity was a collaboration between GUTS, DREAMS and Amsterdam UMC, with contributions from Lucres Nauta-Jansen, Adrian Bontje, Carmen-Silva Sergiou, Romina Alizadeh, Maaike Oosterling and Britt van Wijk.

A big thank you to everyone who stopped by the stand and joined the conversation!

Want to get a glimpse of the atmosphere at Kwaku? Check out the LinkedIn post for a fun video from the festival.

The GUTS GO Working Package 3 team has launched a new Instagram account to share their research with a wider audience, including participating families, parents, youth professionals and anyone interested in adolescent brain development. The account offers an accessible window into the research conducted within GUTS GO, translating scientific findings into engaging and understandable content.

Working Package 3 investigates how the adolescent brain and behaviour develop over time, and how these developmental processes influence decision-making and everyday functioning. By following young people longitudinally, the researchers aim to better understand the biological, psychological and environmental factors that contribute to healthy development.

In addition to updates about the study, the Instagram account features behind-the-scenes insights into MRI research, fun facts about the brain, quizzes and educational content about human behaviour. Through this initiative, the team hopes to make developmental neuroscience more accessible while strengthening engagement with participants and the wider community. Follow the account at @guts_go_amc for the latest updates.

Science communication becomes truly powerful when curiosity takes center stage. This year, two GUTS PhD candidates, Ethell and Tatvan, participate in the Hoe?Zo! Show this year. The Hoe?Zo! Show is an interactive theatre show for children in group 6, organised by Barbara Braams. During the show, children ask scientists surprising questions such as: “Why does water feel wet?”, “Why do humans have two kidneys when they only need one?”, “Why do fireworks exist?” or even “How does love happen?”

At a time of information overload, encouraging children to ask questions and think critically is more important than ever. The experience is equally valuable for researchers, who learn to explain complex ideas in accessible and inspiring ways while rediscovering their own sense of wonder through the curiosity of children.

Learn more about the project and upcoming shows at: https://hoezoshow.nl/

Prof. Christian Keysers has been awarded a highly competitive ERC Advanced Grant by the European Research Council for his pioneering research into the neural basis of empathy and social cognition. The grant supports ambitious, curiosity-driven research by established scientific leaders and is among Europe’s most prestigious research funding programmes.

Based at the Social Brain Lab of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Keysers investigates how the brain enables us to understand and share the emotions and experiences of others. His new ERC-funded project will combine advanced neuroimaging techniques with cross-species research to unravel the neural mechanisms underlying empathy. The findings have the potential to deepen our understanding of social cognition and contribute to new insights into conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and other disorders affecting social interaction.

The award recognises both the scientific excellence of Keysers’ research programme and its potential to advance our understanding of one of the most fundamental aspects of human behaviour: our capacity to connect with others.

Dr. Kayla Green has officially delivered her inaugural lecture as Practor for Equal Opportunities at Albeda mbo, marking the start of her practorship focused on strengthening equal opportunities for young people through research, education and practice. The inauguration brought together educators, researchers, policymakers and students to reflect on the question of what young people need to thrive in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing society.

In her new role, Kayla aims to bridge vocational education, higher education and academic research by developing knowledge that directly contributes to educational practice and youth development. During the event, students shared their experiences in conversation with journalist and educator Karim Amghar, highlighting the importance of including young people’s perspectives in discussions about education and opportunity. The programme also featured an opening by Simone Fredriksz and a panel discussion with Gyzlene Kramer-Zeroual, Dean Marjolijn Antheunis (Erasmus University Rotterdam), and MBO Raad chair Adnan Tekin. Together, they explored how collaboration across sectors can contribute to reducing inequalities and improving opportunities for all young people.

Kayla’s appointment closely aligns with the mission of GUTS, where interdisciplinary collaboration and youth participation are central to understanding healthy development and promoting equal opportunities across different contexts.

On 8 April, researchers from across the GUTS consortium gathered for an internal Sociology Symposium dedicated to the social determinants of youth development and health. The symposium provided an opportunity for researchers from different institutions and disciplines to exchange ideas, discuss ongoing work and strengthen collaboration within the consortium.

The programme opened with a keynote lecture by Jeroen van der Waal – examining how social class, poverty and inequality shape young people’s opportunities and developmental trajectories. Throughout the day, participants took part in interactive sessions covering a range of methodological and substantive topics, including the use of CBS register data, analyses of personal social networks and the measurement of socio-economic status within GUTS. These sessions stimulated discussion on how social environments can be better integrated into interdisciplinary research on adolescent development.

By bringing together expertise from sociology, developmental science and data science, the symposium reinforced GUTS’ commitment to understanding youth development from multiple perspectives and to fostering collaboration across disciplines.

Dr. Valeria Gazzola has been awarded a prestigious €1.5 million NWO Vici grant for her project Empathy, helping and aggression: unravelling the missing neural link.

The Vici grant enables senior researchers to develop innovative research lines and establish their own research group. Gazzola’s project focuses on a fundamental question in social neuroscience: how and when empathy for others can inhibit aggressive behaviour.

Aggression causes significant social and economic harm, yet the underlying brain mechanisms remain only partly understood. While it is known that observing another person’s pain activates brain regions involved in empathy, it is still unclear how these signals influence decision-making and help prevent harmful actions. Gazzola’s research aims to uncover how the brain translates empathy into self-restraint, and how this “empathy brake” adapts across different situations.

By investigating how empathy shapes behaviour, the project will contribute to a deeper understanding of social interactions and may ultimately inform strategies to reduce aggression and support prosocial behaviour.