Caroline Emilie Bleeker (1897-1985) studied mathematics and physics at Utrecht University. From 1919 on she worked as an assistant with various professors. On 5 November 1928 she received her PhD cum laude with a thesis on Emissie- en dispersiemetingen in de seriespectra der alkaliën [Measurements of emission and dispersion in the series spectra of alkaloids]. A year and a half later she started a physical consultancy and established a small factory in scientific apparatus a few months later. The factory prospered and in 1937, influenced by professor Frits Zernike, Lili Bleeker decided to take optical equipment into production. During World War II the factory had to close down, but after 1945 a new factory (NEDOPTIFA) was built in Zeist. This factory was the first in the world to produce the phase contrast microscope invented by Zernike. On 31 December 1963 she ended her work at the factory. Lili Bleeker successfully combined science, production and business; she can be considered a woman ahead of her time.

Nicolaas Godfried van Kampen was born on June 22, 1921 at Leyden, the Netherlands, where his father held a chair in zoology at the university. He deceased on October 6, 2013 in the Dutch town Nieuwegein. His long life was dedicated to physics. Science was his passion until the last day.

Het lange leven van astronoom en KNVWS-erelid prof. Kees de Jager is rijk aan ervaringen, observaties en resultaten. Jaren geleden besloot hij om een aantal daarvan op schrift te stellen. Ze werden als pagina-vullende column “Terugblik”, gepubliceerd in Zenit; dat is het verenigingsblad van de Koninklijke Nederlandse Vereniging voor Weer- en Sterrenkunde (KNVWS). Sommige verhalen gaan over zijn verre verleden op Texel en in Indonesië. Andere gaan over zijn oorlogservaringen. En natuurlijk passeren tal van personen, bijeenkomsten en activiteiten de revue. Kees heeft daarbij een opmerkelijke gave om, ook na jaren, elke Terugblik te schetsen met grote scherpzinnigheid, humor, passie en soms ook ironie.

In the early 1970s Dutch universities were reformed, while scientific research was faced with new social and political demands. A decade later science and university policy changed again, with increasing roles for market pressure and competition. These developments might seem opposed, but in this paper David Baneke will argue that in fact there was great continuity, both concerning the backgrounds of the policy and the practical consequences. Their goal was to cope with the rapid increase in scale and the costs of science, to open up closed elitist networks, and to counter inefficiency and arbitrary spending. The pressure to reform came both from policy makers and from within the universities themselves. In all cases the changes resulted in professional management structures and an increase in bureaucracy. In this paper, Baneke will analyse these developments from the perspective of the internationally prominent Dutch astronomical community, which experienced a serious crisis in 1970 in which every part of the disciplinary infrastructure was reconsidered.