About Us

About Inter

Inter is short for “interdisciplinary, a word that is becoming increasingly popular in science and higher education. A discipline is a more or less defined field within which certain methods and practices are used. Interdisciplinary students and researchers try to connect these different disciplines. They do so out of the conviction that some issues cannot be answered by a single discipline. To understand and address big issues such as climate change, globalization or digitalization, you need to first study them from a variety of perspectives.

Inter was created by the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies at the UvA and follows in the footsteps of the former interdisciplinary magazine Blind, which was founded by students at the University of Amsterdam in 2004. The huge archive of timeless articles on topics such as Gold, Color Consciousness and Energy can still be found as usual on this website.

Inter is created by students for students. The editorial board members come from a variety of different academic backgrounds and always strive for diverse articles that offer wonder, surprise, newsworthiness, depth and the occasional wink. In choosing topics, one’s own interests are followed and social and scientific developments are taken into account.

Our editors are advised by an editorial board consisting of scientists from different fields. The function of the editorial board is important for networking, quality assurance and support, which is possible thanks to the different expertise of its members.

Would you like to contribute to Inter? Then send an email to intermagazine@ziedaar.nl. We are still looking for enthusiasts to join the editorial team, create illustrations and help improve the website.

Our Team

Editors-in-chief

Rena Eliz Hänel is a Masters student in International Trade and Investment Law and holds a BA in European studies, with majors in European Law and East European Studies (UvA). Before moving to the Netherlands, she lived and studied in Germany, the Czech Republic and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In her studies and writing Rena is interested in exploring nature- and community-centred approaches to law and visions of economic organisation beyond growth and extractivism. Her greatest non-academic passions include baking and horror movies. At Inter Rena acts as co-editor-in-chief, as well as writing editor and occasional illustrator.

Rosa Hofstee recently graduated from the MSc Conflict Resolution and Governance, after finishing the bachelor Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. Her firm belief in the power of interdisciplinarity and a strong sense of curiosity always leads her to new, unexpected stories and inspiring people. She loves to write in small notebooks with a black fine-liner, especially on a sunny terrace drinking a Campari. For Inter, Rosa is the co-editor in chief as well as a writing editor.

Media and Outreach

Hannah Brunnschweiler is second-year bachelor’s student of Communication Science. As of now, she does not know what specific domain she wants to study in but is curious about persuasive or political communication. In her studies, she enjoys statistics and conducting research. Outside of university, she enjoys going on walks, listening to music or reading. She loves being creative, whether that is through photography or learning how to play a new song.

Editorial Team

Jasper Brown studies Psychology at UVA and is interested in behavioural economics and heuristics. He enjoys old cinema and music, as well as philosophy.

Roeland Dubèl (1999) is a second-year Research Master’s student in Communication Science. His interests within the science of communication are in how the digitalisation of our media environment has affected our news consumption patterns, as well as how mediated political content can affect us emotionally. In his eyes, the goal of any science should be to answer as many questions as broadly and profoundly as possible. It is the ground for his passion for interdisciplinary science. Within his study, he loves to apply digital methods from the computational sciences, but he also has an interest in using physiological measurements from psychology and the neurosciences (to measure emotional reactions in specific). It reflects his key idea that one is better able to answer questions when one looks at it interdisciplinary.

Moran Katz is a BSc psychology student at UvA. Before coming to Amsterdam, Moran had lived in Poland, Israel, and France. During her time in Israel, she served in the Israeli Armed Forces for three years as an intelligence soldier and later on as a commander of an intelligence course. Her experiences in the countries she lived in and in the army have taught her that in the end, it is all about people, which is why she studies psychology – to try to understand the many complexities of the human mind and connections with meaningful others. Aside from that, she loves exercising at the gym, reading, and eating good food (which Amsterdam has a lot of).

Lina Leskovec is a third year political science student at UvA. Before moving to Amsterdam, she lived in Slovenia. Specialising in political theory, she has an interest in philosophy and its practical application. Other than that, she enjoys reading, art and chess.

Helge Moes (1996) is studying the Research Masters in Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam. Previously, he was an undergraduate Media & Information student and Erasmus exchange student at the School of European Languages Culture and Society at University College London. He wrote his thesis on building virtual communities on social media through the use of affordances during his traineeship as a Digital Transformation Trainee at the Digital Society School. Besides media, science and technology, he has broad interests in (pop) culture, philosophy, history, film, psychology and business administration. At Inter, Helge is writing editor and takes care of pieces related to the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Jai Ramlakhan is a BSc Econometrics student at the University of Amsterdam. Before that he finished an International Business degree in Rotterdam. During his studies he likes to use math to examine the economical models he learned and compare those to recent events. He is a curious student that likes to expand his horizons. Currently that includes learning how to cook and restoring retro video game consoles.

Nicolò Vecchio is a fourth-year Bachelor’s student of Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam, with a minor in Rethinking Sustainable Societies. After eighteen years in Italy, once he was done with high school, he decided to take a gap-year to go live and work in the US. Following this brief experience, he chose to go back to Europe and continue his studies in the Netherlands, where he still lives. He is an extremely curious person that looks for anything that can stimulate him. Among the places where you might find him lately, you can count: parks, concert venues, rehearsal studios, bars (but not the uselessly expensive ones).

Pieter Vergouw is a qualified English and Economics teacher and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Law. At Inter, Pieter writes articles on numerous subjects, including adult education, language learning, integrity in sports, tax policy and international law. In his free time he enjoys cooking, playing guitar and restoring antique typewriters.

Emily Woodcock is a second-year bachelor’s student of Communication Science (UvA). Before moving to Amsterdam she spent most of her childhood in Italy, Switzerland and Slovenia. Her international background has kindled her interest in many different walks of life. She is a keen writer and reader, a curious traveller and a passionate photographer. One of her greatest hobbies is sailing under the Mediterranean sun. When it comes to writing, she enjoys a variety of different topics, from current affairs to arts and culture.

Visual Contributors

Taylor Brunnschweiler is a third year studying European Languages and cultures at the university of Groningen. Other than languages, she enjoys cosmetology, illustration and graphic design in general.

Ashley Miya is a fourth year BA student at Seattle University studying Photography with a minor in Studio Art. She has worked in Social Media for multiple platforms, is a current photography intern and does private and commercial photography. Ashley loves travel, culture, and building community. One of her favorite travel experiences was the opportunity to teach underprivileged children in Myanmar. In her free time she is often found exploring art, music, dance and just being creative.

Alec White is a political science bachelor’s student at the University of California Davis. Outside of his studies, he enjoys playing ultimate frisbee and eating food.

Célia Mortureux is a second-year Communication Science student at the University of Amsterdam. She loves painting, coffee and traveling.

Marlon studied English Language and Culture, with an MA in Youth Literature and in International Education. She thinks Children’s books are a great combination between her love for literature and illustration. With a preference for realism, but a growing interest for more 2D styles, she likes learning to illustrate digitally/digitalize drawings, as well as making lino prints, painting, and engraving. In her free time she likes to knit and read, dance and swim, or make music with her band. You can follow her @marlongiliane.

Merel Hamminga is currently in her last year of the Master Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Amsterdam. She did her bachelor in Psychobiology, but made the step towards Psychology because she thought she didn’t want to go in the scientific direction. In the end, she is no longer sure about that and would like to combine psychology and science in a future job.In her free time, she enjoys a good book, playing tennis and nature (especially birds). But most of all, she likes drawing,crafting or being creative.

Alumni

Below you can find the names of the former editors and contributors of Blind, the predecessor of Inter Magazine:

Sanne van der Marck, Rosa Hofstee, Eva Kwakman, Stella Aalderink, Joy Leering, Nouschka Veerman, Merel Spaander, Maarten Visscher, Frodi Fransman, Rowan Koeleman, Mojdeh Feili, Nora van de Water, Boudewijn van den Berg (webmaster), Annefleur Langedijk, Esther Visser, Esmee Schouten, Hedwig Ens, Iza Korsmit, Petra van der Kooij.

Special thanks to Will van Houten who took on the role of editor-in-chief for Blind for many years.