In today’s episode, Maarke and Gisela explore a new education form for dialogues, The Square. They talk to Sigrid Merx who is part of the Educational innovation project which developed this form at Utrecht University. The Square was piloted within the Life Sciences and Society (LSS) profile. Student and LSS-alumna Maayke Balemans shares her experience as a student who participated in this education form.

Maayke Balemans is a student Neuroscience and Cognition. She followed the LSS-profile in P3 and P4 of 2025 and is now working on her writing assignment to complete her master’s program.

Sigrid Merx is an associate professor at the department of Media and Culture Studies at the Faculty of Humanities. She is a work package leader in the Comenius Leadership Project Fostering an Open Mind and Open Attitude where she has co-developed creative tools to foster dialogue in higher education at a time of growing polarization both inside and outside the classroom. The Square is one of these tools.