Measuring Behavior ’98 was held at the Center for Biological Sciences of the University of Groningen in Haren, a small suburb 5 km south of the main city of Groningen, The Netherlands. Groningen is one of the oldest university towns of the Netherlands. Featuring a historic city center with great outdoor terraces and located close to the Wadden Sea, one of Europe’s most beautiful wetland nature areas, Groningen was the excellent venue for our conference.
|
The Center for Biological Sciences is one of the largest in The Netherlands. It includes all main research directions of Biology. Your host is the Department of Animal Physiology, which is part of the Graduate School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences. This Graduate School is centered around six main research themes: (1) Sensory neural information processing; (2) Neuropsychology of attention, memory, and language; (3) Temporal structure of behaviour; (4) Ontogeny of behaviour, cognition and nervous system; (5) Neurobiology of behaviour, and (6) Cognitive architecture and engineering. |
The UniversityThe University of Groningen is the second oldest university in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1614, with an initial staff of six professors in four faculties: Theology, Law, Medicine and Philosophy. Nowadays there are ten faculties, housed in 150 buildings on various locations in and around Groningen. The staff has grown to five thousand people, including three hundred professors. Together they teach a student population of almost twenty thousand students in more than fifty fields of study. The University of Groningen is a modern classical University - classical, in the sense of universal, because of its wide range of disciplines - modern, because of its research, education, organization and facilities. |
|
This capital of the north was an excellent place for Measuring Behavior ‘98. Groningen has over 180.000 inhabitants and offers a unique blend of history, science and culture; a dynamic city with many contrasting elements. One moment you will find yourself at the busy Main Market (Grote Markt) and the next moment you will enter the quiet Martini cemetery. The historical center of the city is one km2, so the most important attractions are within walking distance. The most prominent statue of the city is of course the 97-meter high Martini Tower or ‘d’Olle Grieze’. When you have the courage to climb upstairs, you will be able to enjoy a fantastic view over the city and its surroundings. In addition to this, there are beautiful old churches, numerous so-called ‘hofjes’ (courts surrounded by former almshouses), old hospices and city mansions.
|
Groningen is making its name as a city of architecture. Those who want to enjoy the typical Dutch landscape will find various scenic areas, lakes, windmills and woods within a short distance from the city. About one hour drive north of the city, you will find large coastal and estuarine nature conservation areas (the famous Wadden Sea) which are famous for their bird life. |
|
But Groningen has much more to offer! What about the State House, the University, the Prince’s Residence with rose garden, the ‘Gasunie’ building and above all the famous ‘Groninger Museum’! Attractive terraces, many pleasant cafés (that do not have fixed closing hours!), excellent restaurants and a wide variety of museums, galleries, cinemas and concert platforms. |
|