Finding the truth is what many people strive for. Especially in science; what is true, what is doubtful, and what is simply a consequence of variability is not always that clear, leads to a lot of confusion, and even misinterpretation, especially when put in the light of the main scientific opinions on a specific matter.

In the Science Café that will be held on the 20^th of March, we will shed light on this matter. Prof. Tiny van Boekel, will approach the topic from a statistical point of view, while prof. Jan Kammenga will put the topic more in an overall human perspective. How much of what we do is determined by our current views on things, and maybe ruled by dogmas that may even hinder breakthroughs in science?

Prof. Tiny van Boekel is emeritus professor of Wageningen University and specialized in Food Product Design. In his work, he always paid a lot of attention to the quality of data, and how to model different effects without making these model overcomplicated, and at the same time not too simple. This is a delicate balance that he also addressed in his education and a book that he wrote on the topic.

Prof. Jan Kammenga is a personal professor in Functional Genetics at Wageningen University. He is the founding father of the course: Doubts, Discourse, Dogmas, and Dilemmas in Science. In doing so, he is putting a spotlight not only on how we do science but also how that is influenced by external factors that possibly pushes us in a certain direction that may lead away from the ‘truth’.