Lecturer Silvia Coolen tracks down insects on weekends to keep her research going

Bugs and microorganisms are working together

After spending some time working in industry, Silvia Coolen returned to academia several years ago. Now, she teaches biology students in Utrecht, where she also studied and earned her PhD. In her free time, the enthusiastic biologist continues her research on the symbiotic relationship between insects and microorganisms. Coolen: 鈥淵ou have to be a little crazy to want to do this.鈥

Silvia Coolen teaching

After completing her PhD at Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 in 2014, Coolen spent nearly two years working as a researcher at a plant breeding company. But it did not quite suit her, as she craved more challenge and variety. Coolen: 鈥淎 company like that is often very focused on practical and financially attractive solutions, which leaves little room for gaining fundamental knowledge that, in the long run, is valuable and also economically relevant. I wanted to dive deeper into topics and really understand how certain mechanisms work. That is something you can really only do at a university.鈥

But that was not the only reason she returned to academia. 鈥淚 missed working with students,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 love encouraging them to explore and helping them see a project through from start to finish. This helps them to grow into confident, happy individuals, and that brings me a great deal of satisfaction.鈥

Returning to academia

Coolen then spent four years working as a researcher in Nijmegen, where she also took on teaching duties. She was there when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. 鈥淚t was a chaotic time, with lots of online teaching, and that is when I decided to pursue my 木瓜福利影视 Teaching Qualification (UTQ, BKO in Dutch).鈥 After her temporary postdoc contract ended, finding another research position proved difficult. 鈥淲hen I saw a teaching vacancy with the Translational Plant Biology group鈥攆ormerly part of Plant-Microbe Interactions, where I did my PhD鈥擨 decided to go for it. I was secretly a bit nervous, because I was not sure if being purely a lecturer would really suit me.鈥

As an educator here, you have a lot of freedom and flexibility to shape your work.

Varied work

Coolen was hired quickly, and now, after about two years in the role, she knows she truly enjoys it, though it can be intense. 鈥淧eople sometimes ask if I miss doing research, but honestly, I barely have time to think about it.鈥 According to Coolen, the work as a lecturer is incredibly varied. 鈥淚t is not just about giving lectures. You are also developing courses and supervising students, both individually and in groups. And it is not as much one-way-traffic as it used to be. Besides lectures, we now use all sorts of interactive teaching methods, like tutorials, practicals, projects and discussions. Plus, as an educator here, you have a lot of freedom and flexibility to shape your work.鈥

Silvia Coolen, photograph made by Harold van de Kamp
Silvia Coolen and her bugs

Plant-eating shield bugs

However, Coolen keeps her previous research alive in her spare time, so she can pick it up more intensively at a later time. She studies the southern green shield bug, an introduced species in the Netherlands. Using their sucking proboscis, these insects feed on plant juices. This way, they can be harmful to food crops. The southern green shield bug can be identified by the three light dots on its dorsal shield, distinguishing it from the native green shield bug.

The bugs carry microorganisms in their digestive system and salivary glands. Coolen and her colleagues discovered that the bugs transfer these microorganisms to the plants they feed on. The microorganisms then suppress the plant's defence mechanisms, which would otherwise protect the plant from insects. Additionally, the microorganisms can break down the defensive substances the plant is still able to produce. As a result, the bugs can continue feeding on the plant without hindrance.

If I am somewhere and see on observation.org that the bugs are nearby, I cannot resist hunting for a few fresh ones.

Grant applications and publications

The story might go even further. Coolen: 鈥淚t seems that the bugs are attracted to plants that host these microorganisms. If that is the case, we could potentially lure the bugs in a relatively simple way and keep them away from food crops. But we need to test this more closely to confirm.鈥

Illustration made by Coolen

Coolen is currently supervising students conducting research on the bugs and is also working on grant applications to help further develop her research. Additionally, two scientific publications on the bugs have recently been released, which involved Coolen supervising a doctoral student.

Searching during the weekends

The bugs also keep Coolen busy on weekends. To conduct her research, she rears the insects in a greenhouse at the Botanical Gardens. However, from time to time, new bugs are needed. Coolen: 鈥淏ringing in new wild bugs helps prevent inbreeding among the insects in the greenhouse. So, if I am somewhere and see on observation.org that the bugs are nearby, I cannot resist hunting for a few fresh ones.鈥