Sarian Kosten receives the nomination for her project 'Aquatic systems in a warming climate'. Natural waters such as lakes, marshes, and rivers store large amounts of carbon worldwide and emit greenhouse gases. Kosten investigates this emission.
From the Jury Report
The jury: "Sarian Kosten, with an extensive network of local, national, and international partners, demonstrates how important it is to address the greatly increased emissions from surface waters caused by human activity in the fight against global warming, and how we can do this. It makes clear that ditches alone account for 15% of all methane emissions in the Netherlands.
Kosten's research and her team's work are not limited to field measurements in the Netherlands and experimental work in the university's test ponds but also span fieldwork in large wetlands such as the Pantanal and the Amazon. Because she disseminates her findings in a particularly versatile way, they have found their way into various societal applications, including improving emission models, making water management climate-resistant through water boards, and setting up fish ponds abroad for fish production with reduced methane emissions."
The jury is not only impressed by the quality, scope, and impact of Kosten's research but also notes that her research enjoys broad media attention, not least because she provides well-thought-out solutions alongside identifying the problems.
About the Huibregtsen Prize
The Huibregtsen Prize was established in 2005 by the board of the Foundation The Evening of Science & Society. On the Evening of Science & Society, October 7, 2024, in the Pieterskerk in Leiden, jury chair Marileen Dogterom (president KNAW) will announce the winner. The Huibregtsen Prize consists of a sculpture, 'The Thinker', by visual artist Wil van der Laan, a cash prize of €25,000 earmarked for research activities, and a workshop offered by the Lorentz Center in Leiden.
