Nationale DenkTank - an interview with Victor Claerbout
Victor Claerbout is an AUC alumnus from the class of 2014. During his time at AUC, he majored in sciences focusing on the mathematics and physics tracks but also took courses in psychology and Chinese during his exchange in Hong Kong. Nowadays he is part of the Nationale DenkTank 2021 where he works on improving the quality of Dutch primary and secondary education. We interviewed him about his work for the Nationale DenkTank and how his time at AUC has prepared him for this position.
What is the Nationale DenkTank?
The Nationale DenkTank is an organisation where every year 20 students from different backgrounds with a maximum of one year of work experience get selected to participate in a research programme. Each year, the research programme focuses on a particular longstanding problem in Dutch society that has reached a standstill. By selecting 20 young people they hope that they can break through the patterns that have cause the problem to get stuck. The project aims to connect society, industry and government and has already led to big changes in Dutch society, such as moving of the alcohol age from 16 to 18.
What does your work at the Nationale DenkTank look like?
The work at the Nationale DenkTank consists of three phases: a research phase, a brainstorm phase, and a solution phase. During the research phase, we collectively interviewed over 200 people in the field of education. In the brainstorm phase, we used the outcomes of this research to think of potential solutions and in the solution phase, we worked on the implementation of these solutions. The subtheme I work on is improving the collaboration between schools for teachers’ professional development, which we are trying to do by encouraging within-neighbourhood exchanges of teachers between schools.
What path did you take to get this role?
After graduating from AUC, I took a pre-master at the VU after which I did my master’s in Theoretical Physics, Chemistry and Material Sciences. This was an Erasmus Mundus programme for which I studied in Amsterdam, Rome, and Lyon. Afterwards, I did my PhD in Applied Physics in Prague. During my time studying in the Netherlands, I also worked with an organization in Amsterdam Zuid-Oost which provided tutoring to underprivileged students.
How did your time at AUC prepare you for this role?
The cool thing about the DenkTank is that they select people from all kinds of fields to participate. Due to my background in physics and mathematics, I am able to use my analytical skills to find numerical indicators of the problem we are working on. However, my colleagues from other fields bring in different perspectives that are also extremely valuable. I think AUC really teaches you to look further than your own field of specialization, have respect for people that bring different perspectives, and see the power of collaboration. I also think that AUC invokes a sense of social responsibility in its students which is central to the work of the DenkTank. Overall, I think the type of mindset at AUC is very similar to that at the DenkTank, which is probably why many AUC alumni have participated in the past.