astronomy

Marten Scheffer

Marten Scheffer is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Marten Scheffer rather than just read about it. In short: Marten Scheffer (born 13 September 1958) is a Dutch ecologist, mathematical biologist and professor of Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management at Wageningen University and Research Centre. He was a winner of the 2009 Spinoza Prize.

Key takeaways

Marten Scheffer belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Marten Scheffer to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Marten Scheffer from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Marten Scheffer (born 13 September 1958) is a Dutch ecologist, mathematical biologist and professor of Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management at Wageningen University and Research Centre. He was a winner of the 2009 Spinoza Prize. His research focuses on complex systems and their adaptability.

Career Scheffer was born on 13 September 1958 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He studied ecology at Utrecht University and gained a degree in 1985. He obtained a doctorate from the same university in 1992. He subsequently held research positions at Dorschkamp and the governmental agency RIZA. In 1998 he became professor of Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management at Wageningen University and Research Centre and has since headed the department. Scheffer's research focuses on complex systems and their adaptability, finding that different ecosystems have tipping points. His research is located inside the field of ecology as well as outside of it, with studies into climate change and evolution. In 2009 Scheffer was one of three winners of the Dutch Spinoza Prize and received a 2.5 million euro grant. The awarding organisation, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), praised Scheffer for his contributions "to our understanding of critical transitions in complex systems, varying from shifts in shallow lakes to climate change and the collapse of ancient cultures". As there was no fourth Spinoza Prize awarded in 2009, Scheffer and his co-winners Albert van den Berg and Michel Ferrari asked the NWO to reward them the remaining prize money, which they would spend on a collaborative research effort. Their efforts culminated in a research paper on migraine published in PLOS ONE in 2013. The paper claimed that a critical tipping point of neurons started a migraine attack. Scheffer is member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences since 2012. He is a co-founder of the South American Institute for Resilience and Sustainability Studies and European Institute Para Limes. He was elected a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences in April 2019. Scheffer won the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award (2016) jointly with Gene E. Likens for contributing decisively to what the jury described as "one of the major challenges" of this scientific discipline: to understand and, where possible, anticipate ecosystem responses to human-induced alterations of the natural environment. Apart from his work in science Scheffer is also a musician, who plays the mandolin, guitar and violin. Scheffer toured with Dutch guitar player Harry Sacksioni for several years. Together with two others he has published a CD of world music, Transitions.

Publications Critical Transitions in Nature and Society, 2009, Princeton University Press. Vijver, sloot en plas, 2005, Tirion Natuur. Ecology of Shallow Lakes, 2004, Springer Netherlands.

Art In 2018 Scheffer unveiled a large beetle sculpture named 'Must Leave' in honour of the Centenary of Wageningen University & Research. He created the beetle together with Danish sculptor Vagn Iversen, known for his hyper-realistic installations.

References

External links Profile at Wageningen University and Research Centre Scheffer's personal music website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marten Scheffer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marten Scheffer claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Marten Scheffer before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Marten Scheffer ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Marten Scheffer

In research: Marten Scheffer appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Marten Scheffer in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Marten Scheffer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1958 births, Academic staff of Wageningen University & Research, Dutch ecologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marten Scheffer outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Marten Scheffer in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Marten Scheffer means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Marten Scheffer out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marten Scheffer in simple terms?

Why does Marten Scheffer matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Marten Scheffer?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Marten Scheffer.