Ronald Plasterk
Encyclopedia
Ronald Hans Anton Plasterk (born April 12, 1957) is a Dutch
politician of the Labour Party
(PvdA). He was Minister of Education, Culture and Science from February 22, 2007 until February 23, 2010 in the Cabinet Balkenende IV. He has been a Member of the House of Representatives since June 17, 2010. He focuses on matters of finance
. A successful scientist and professor, Plasterk is a highly cited and prize-winning molecular geneticist
. Since 1995 he has also been an author and columnist for several national publications.
, where he graduated in 1975, specializing in science
s. After graduation he studied biology
at the Leiden University
and economics
at the University of Amsterdam. During this period he wrote for the student newspaper. In 1981 he obtained cum laude the Dutch doctorandus
degree in biology (roughly equivalent to a Master of Science
degree). He also graduated for his propaedeuse
in economics in the same year. Between 1981 and 1984 he worked as a PhD
-student at Leiden University. In 1984 he was awarded a doctorate
in Mathematics and the Natural Sciences at Leiden University for his thesis "Inversion of the G segment of bacteriophage Mu: analysis of a genetic switch". His study focused on transposon
sequences in DNA. As a PhD-student Plasterk also was a member of the Leiden city council
for the Labour Party.
Between 1985 and 1986, he worked as post-doc at the California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena
. Here he studied the transposon sequences in DNA
in the parasite Borrelia
hermsii. Between 1986 and 1987 he was a post-doc at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
in Cambridge
, where he worked with John Sulston. He studied Caenorhabditis elegans
, a nematode
that is used as a model organism
.
In 1987 he returned to the Netherlands where he became group leader and member of the board of the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam. In 1989 he became director of the research school of oncology
at the institute, where he remained until 2000. Between 1993 and 1997 he occupied the endowed chair in molecular microbiology
at the Free University of Amsterdam. Between 1997 and 2000 he was professor of molecular genetics
at the University of Amsterdam. In February 2000 he became director of the Netherlands Institute for Developmental Biology, also known as the Hubrecht Laboratory, an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
(KNAW). He combined this with a position as professor in developmental genetics at Utrecht University
from May 2000. He retained these positions until February 2007.
Since 2001 Plasterk has been a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Before entering politics he also was a member of the Health Council, which advises the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, a member of the board of the Wellcome Trust
, member of the Committee on Biotechnology and Animals and of the European Molecular Biology Organization
.
Plasterk's research was in the area of genetics
and functional genomics
. He focused on the mechanism and regulation of DNA transposition, and on the mechanisms of RNA interference
and microRNAs, including the functions of RNAi
as a natural defense against the uncontrolled duplication of transposon
s.
Plasterk started as a columnist in the Intermediair
, a weekly magazine oriented at young professionals and academics, in 1995. In the early years he mainly wrote on the political and ethical aspects of genetic research. In 1999 he switched from his column in the Intermediair to a weekly column in the Volkskrant, a leading centre left quality newspaper
and a two-weekly spoken column in Buitenhof
, a political talkshow produced by the VPRO
, the NPS
and the VARA. He continued these columns until 2007 when he became minister. In 2000 several of his columns were bundled in the book "Leven uit het Lab" ("Life from the Lab")
Plasterk wrote on a wide range of subjects: he is an outspoken atheist
. In 1997 he coined the term ietsisme ("somethingism") to refer to the religious belief that the Christian
God
does not exist, but that there is some greater force that created the universe and governs it. This position is roughly equivalent to 18th century Deism
. He first strongly criticized the belief on intellectual grounds, calling it a "poor and irritating phenomena", but later claimed that it was a mix of atheism and nostalgia, and much more sympathetic "than the idea of a cruel God that wants this misery"
In his columns in de Volkskrant and Buitenhof, he also fiercely opposed the proposal of Maria van der Hoeven
, who preceded him as minister of Education
, to teach of intelligent design
in high school
s.
Furthermore in the referendum on the European constitution, he positioned himself as an outspoken critic of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
. He opposed the constitution because he considered that it did not clearly codify the responsibilities of the European Union
. He also felt that it laid too much emphasis on the free market
.
for the Labour Party in the early 1980s. Since 1995 he has been a political columnist for several national publications and a commentator on TV. In the mid-2000s he assumed several more active posts in national politics.
In 2006 he was member of the committee which wrote the election manifesto for the Labour Party in the 2006 elections
, which was led by Paul Depla. He also served as an advisor of the national convention
, a think tank
of the Dutch government on government reform.
On February 22, 2007 he was appointed minister of Education, Culture and Science in the fourth Balkenende cabinet
for the Labour Party. Because of this appointment Plasterk has ended his scientific career, because he considers it is impossible to leave research for several years and then hope to reintegrate. Wouter Bos
, leader of the Labour Party, sees Plasterk as (social and cultural) libertarian, which balances out the (social and cultural) conservativism of the Labour Party's coalition partners Christian Democratic Appeal
and the Christian Union.
As minister Plasterk was responsible for higher education
and scientific education, for research, culture and media
, women's emancipation and of the LBGT, and for policy on the unemployed in the education sector. As such he is vice chair of the national Innovation Platform and member of the task force Women on Top.
A key issue during Plasterk's period as minister was the salary of teachers. When there was no room in the national budget to increase the salaries of teachers as advised by a committee led by Alexander Rinnooy Kan
, Plasterk was forced to find money from within the budget of his own ministry. Kan made his advice public just days after the Miljoenennota (the national budget) was published. One of the solutions Plasterk considered was cutting the allowance for students and raising the fees for universities. Plasterk was strongly criticized by the students union
s for his proposals and by his coalition partners CDA and CU and the leftwing opposition parties SP
and GroenLinks. In the end he and Wouter Bos
, the minister of Finance, were able to find sufficient money for a marked increase in the salaries of teachers. Under the pressure of strikes by teachers, Plasterk came to a deal with the teachers´ union in April 2008.
He resigned, together with all PvdA ministers, in the morning of February 20, 2010. The Queen accepted the resignation on February 23, 2010.
. Plasterk is a member of the Royal Christian Oratory Association "Excelsior" in Amsterdam
, where he sings as a tenor. He participates in the yearly recital of the Mattheus Passion of Johan Sebastian Bach of Excelsior. He also plays the guitar. His other hobbies include literature
, painting
and photography
.
In the summer of 2008 he appeared in Zomergasten, an evening long in depth television interview of the VPRO
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
politician of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
(PvdA). He was Minister of Education, Culture and Science from February 22, 2007 until February 23, 2010 in the Cabinet Balkenende IV. He has been a Member of the House of Representatives since June 17, 2010. He focuses on matters of finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
. A successful scientist and professor, Plasterk is a highly cited and prize-winning molecular geneticist
Molecular genetics
Molecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology...
. Since 1995 he has also been an author and columnist for several national publications.
Scientific career
Plasterk attended the Sint Janscollege in The HagueThe Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, where he graduated in 1975, specializing in science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
s. After graduation he studied biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
at the Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the University of Amsterdam. During this period he wrote for the student newspaper. In 1981 he obtained cum laude the Dutch doctorandus
Doctorandus
Doctorandus is a Dutch academic title according to the pre-bachelor-master system. The title is acquired by passing the doctoraalexamen, traditionally a matriculation exam for admission to study at doctoral level....
degree in biology (roughly equivalent to a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree). He also graduated for his propaedeuse
Propaedeutics
Propaedeutics or propedeutics is a historical term for an introductory course into a discipline: art, science, etc. Etymology: pro- + Greek: paideutikós, "pertaining to teaching"....
in economics in the same year. Between 1981 and 1984 he worked as a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
-student at Leiden University. In 1984 he was awarded a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Mathematics and the Natural Sciences at Leiden University for his thesis "Inversion of the G segment of bacteriophage Mu: analysis of a genetic switch". His study focused on transposon
Transposon
Transposable elements are sequences of DNA that can move or transpose themselves to new positions within the genome of a single cell. The mechanism of transposition can be either "copy and paste" or "cut and paste". Transposition can create phenotypically significant mutations and alter the cell's...
sequences in DNA. As a PhD-student Plasterk also was a member of the Leiden city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
for the Labour Party.
Between 1985 and 1986, he worked as post-doc at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. Here he studied the transposon sequences in DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
in the parasite Borrelia
Borrelia
Borrelia is a genus of bacteria of the spirochete phylum. It causes borreliosis, a zoonotic, vector-borne disease transmitted primarily by ticks and some by lice, depending on the species...
hermsii. Between 1986 and 1987 he was a post-doc at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Laboratory of Molecular Biology
The Laboratory of Molecular Biology is a research institute in Cambridge, England, which was at the forefront of the revolution in molecular biology which occurred in the 1950–60s, since then it remains a major medical research laboratory with a much broader focus.-Early beginnings: 1947-61:Max...
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, where he worked with John Sulston. He studied Caenorhabditis elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans is a free-living, transparent nematode , about 1 mm in length, which lives in temperate soil environments. Research into the molecular and developmental biology of C. elegans was begun in 1974 by Sydney Brenner and it has since been used extensively as a model...
, a nematode
Nematode
The nematodes or roundworms are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 28,000 have been described, of which over 16,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of nematode...
that is used as a model organism
Model organism
A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the organism model will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Model organisms are in vivo models and are widely used to...
.
In 1987 he returned to the Netherlands where he became group leader and member of the board of the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam. In 1989 he became director of the research school of oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
at the institute, where he remained until 2000. Between 1993 and 1997 he occupied the endowed chair in molecular microbiology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
at the Free University of Amsterdam. Between 1997 and 2000 he was professor of molecular genetics
Molecular genetics
Molecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology...
at the University of Amsterdam. In February 2000 he became director of the Netherlands Institute for Developmental Biology, also known as the Hubrecht Laboratory, an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences is an organisation dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands...
(KNAW). He combined this with a position as professor in developmental genetics at Utrecht University
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
from May 2000. He retained these positions until February 2007.
Since 2001 Plasterk has been a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Before entering politics he also was a member of the Health Council, which advises the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, a member of the board of the Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
, member of the Committee on Biotechnology and Animals and of the European Molecular Biology Organization
European Molecular Biology Organization
EMBO stands for excellence in the life sciences. The EMBO mission is to enable the best science by supporting talented researchers, stimulating scientific exchange and advancing policies for a world-class European research environment....
.
Plasterk's research was in the area of genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
and functional genomics
Functional genomics
Functional genomics is a field of molecular biology that attempts to make use of the vast wealth of data produced by genomic projects to describe gene functions and interactions...
. He focused on the mechanism and regulation of DNA transposition, and on the mechanisms of RNA interference
RNA interference
RNA interference is a process within living cells that moderates the activity of their genes. Historically, it was known by other names, including co-suppression, post transcriptional gene silencing , and quelling. Only after these apparently unrelated processes were fully understood did it become...
and microRNAs, including the functions of RNAi
RNAI
RNAI is a non-coding RNA that is an antisense repressor of the replication of some E. coli plasmids, including ColE1. Plasmid replication is usually initiated by RNAII, which acts as a primer by binding to its template DNA. The complementary RNAI binds RNAII prohibiting it from its initiation role...
as a natural defense against the uncontrolled duplication of transposon
Transposon
Transposable elements are sequences of DNA that can move or transpose themselves to new positions within the genome of a single cell. The mechanism of transposition can be either "copy and paste" or "cut and paste". Transposition can create phenotypically significant mutations and alter the cell's...
s.
Columnist
Intermediair
Intermediair is a Dutch magazine for "higher educated professionals in the fields of management, consulting, personnel counselling, financial administration and controlling, and law."...
, a weekly magazine oriented at young professionals and academics, in 1995. In the early years he mainly wrote on the political and ethical aspects of genetic research. In 1999 he switched from his column in the Intermediair to a weekly column in the Volkskrant, a leading centre left quality newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
and a two-weekly spoken column in Buitenhof
Buitenhof (television program)
Buitenhof is a Dutch political interview programme produced by the NPS, VARA and VPRO Netherlands Public Broadcasting and broadcast on Nederland 1 on Sunday mornings. The first edition of Buitenhof aired on 7 September 1997, when it succeeded the interview programme Het Capitool. The programme...
, a political talkshow produced by the VPRO
VPRO
The VPRO was established in the Netherlands in 1926 as a religious broadcasting organization. Falling under the Protestant pillar, it represented the Liberal Protestant current...
, the NPS
NPS
- Organizations :* National Pension Service, the world's fourth-biggest pension fund, which manages $270 billion in assets in Korea* National Park Service, the U.S...
and the VARA. He continued these columns until 2007 when he became minister. In 2000 several of his columns were bundled in the book "Leven uit het Lab" ("Life from the Lab")
Plasterk wrote on a wide range of subjects: he is an outspoken atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
. In 1997 he coined the term ietsisme ("somethingism") to refer to the religious belief that the Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
does not exist, but that there is some greater force that created the universe and governs it. This position is roughly equivalent to 18th century Deism
Deism
Deism in religious philosophy is the belief that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that the universe is the product of an all-powerful creator. According to deists, the creator does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the...
. He first strongly criticized the belief on intellectual grounds, calling it a "poor and irritating phenomena", but later claimed that it was a mix of atheism and nostalgia, and much more sympathetic "than the idea of a cruel God that wants this misery"
In his columns in de Volkskrant and Buitenhof, he also fiercely opposed the proposal of Maria van der Hoeven
Maria van der Hoeven
Maria Josephina Arnoldina van der Hoeven is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal party. She is the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency since 1 September 2011....
, who preceded him as minister of Education
OCW
OCW may refer to:* OpenCourseWare, university material that is available for all to see and use* OCW, The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science*OCW, abbreviation of The Oxford Companion to Wine...
, to teach of intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s.
Furthermore in the referendum on the European constitution, he positioned himself as an outspoken critic of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe , , was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union...
. He opposed the constitution because he considered that it did not clearly codify the responsibilities of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. He also felt that it laid too much emphasis on the free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
.
Politics
Plasterk was a member of the Leiden city councilCity council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
for the Labour Party in the early 1980s. Since 1995 he has been a political columnist for several national publications and a commentator on TV. In the mid-2000s he assumed several more active posts in national politics.
In 2006 he was member of the committee which wrote the election manifesto for the Labour Party in the 2006 elections
Dutch general election, 2006
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on November 22, 2006. And followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet....
, which was led by Paul Depla. He also served as an advisor of the national convention
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
, a think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
of the Dutch government on government reform.
On February 22, 2007 he was appointed minister of Education, Culture and Science in the fourth Balkenende cabinet
Fourth Balkenende cabinet
The fourth Balkenende cabinet or Balkenende IV is the previous Dutch coalition cabinet formed by the political parties Christian Democratic Appeal , Labour Party , and ChristianUnion . The cabinet succeeded the third Balkenende cabinet following the 2006 election, and was installed by Queen Beatrix...
for the Labour Party. Because of this appointment Plasterk has ended his scientific career, because he considers it is impossible to leave research for several years and then hope to reintegrate. Wouter Bos
Wouter Bos
Wouter Jacob Bos is a Dutch management consultant and former politician of the Labour Party . He was Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in the Cabinet Balkenende IV from February 22, 2007 till February 23, 2010...
, leader of the Labour Party, sees Plasterk as (social and cultural) libertarian, which balances out the (social and cultural) conservativism of the Labour Party's coalition partners Christian Democratic Appeal
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
and the Christian Union.
As minister Plasterk was responsible for higher education
Vocational university
A vocational university is an institution of higher education and sometimes research, which provides both tertiary and sometimes quaternary education and grants academic degrees at all levels in a variety of subjects...
and scientific education, for research, culture and media
Media in the Netherlands
The media in the Netherlands – television, radio, newspapers, magazines – are characterized by a tradition of "pillarization" on the one hand and an increasing degree of commercialization on the other.-Television and radio:...
, women's emancipation and of the LBGT, and for policy on the unemployed in the education sector. As such he is vice chair of the national Innovation Platform and member of the task force Women on Top.
A key issue during Plasterk's period as minister was the salary of teachers. When there was no room in the national budget to increase the salaries of teachers as advised by a committee led by Alexander Rinnooy Kan
Alexander Rinnooy Kan
Alexander Hendrik George Rinnooy Kan is a Dutch mathematician and business leader. The Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant named him the most influential man in the Netherlands in 2007, 2008 and 2009....
, Plasterk was forced to find money from within the budget of his own ministry. Kan made his advice public just days after the Miljoenennota (the national budget) was published. One of the solutions Plasterk considered was cutting the allowance for students and raising the fees for universities. Plasterk was strongly criticized by the students union
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
s for his proposals and by his coalition partners CDA and CU and the leftwing opposition parties SP
Socialist Party (Netherlands)
The Socialist Party is a democratic socialist political party in the Netherlands. After the 2006 general election, the Socialist Party became one of the major parties of the Netherlands with 25 seats of 150, an increase of 16 seats. The party was in opposition against the fourth Balkenende cabinet...
and GroenLinks. In the end he and Wouter Bos
Wouter Bos
Wouter Jacob Bos is a Dutch management consultant and former politician of the Labour Party . He was Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in the Cabinet Balkenende IV from February 22, 2007 till February 23, 2010...
, the minister of Finance, were able to find sufficient money for a marked increase in the salaries of teachers. Under the pressure of strikes by teachers, Plasterk came to a deal with the teachers´ union in April 2008.
He resigned, together with all PvdA ministers, in the morning of February 20, 2010. The Queen accepted the resignation on February 23, 2010.
Personal life
Plasterk is married and has two children. He lives in BussumBussum
Bussum is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-History:Bussum was first mentioned in 1306. In this time, Bussum was a large heathland with many small farms, sheep pens and forests as is shown on old maps. Since Bussum is situated near the fortified town...
. Plasterk is a member of the Royal Christian Oratory Association "Excelsior" in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, where he sings as a tenor. He participates in the yearly recital of the Mattheus Passion of Johan Sebastian Bach of Excelsior. He also plays the guitar. His other hobbies include literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
.
In the summer of 2008 he appeared in Zomergasten, an evening long in depth television interview of the VPRO
VPRO
The VPRO was established in the Netherlands in 1926 as a religious broadcasting organization. Falling under the Protestant pillar, it represented the Liberal Protestant current...
.
Prizes
- 2005: Prix Louis D of the Institut de FranceInstitut de FranceThe Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française.The institute, located in Paris, manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open for visit. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which...
- 2002: Award for Communication in the Life Sciences of European Molecular Biology OrganizationEuropean Molecular Biology OrganizationEMBO stands for excellence in the life sciences. The EMBO mission is to enable the best science by supporting talented researchers, stimulating scientific exchange and advancing policies for a world-class European research environment....
- 1999: Spinoza Prize of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific ResearchNederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk OnderzoekThe Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek is a scientific research organization in the Netherlands....
Selected scientific publications
- Ketting, R.F., Fischer, S.E.J., Bernstein, E., Sijen, T., Hannon, G.J., Plasterk R.H.A. (2001). Dicer functions in RNA interference and in synthesis of small RNA involved in developmental timing in C. elegans. Genes & Development 15: 2654-2659.
- Sijen, T., Fleenor, J., Simmer, F., Thijssen, K.L., Parrish, S., Timmons, L., Plasterk, R.H.A., Fire, A. (2001). On the role of RNA amplification in dsRNA-triggered gene silencing. Cell 107: 465-476.
- Tijsterman, M., Ketting, R.F., Okihara, K. L., Sijen, T., Plasterk, R. H. A. (2002) Short antisense RNAs can trigger gene silencing in C. elegans, depending on the RNA helicase MUT-14. Science 25;295 (5555): 694-697
- Wienholds, E., Schulte-Merker, S., Walderich, B., Plasterk, R.H.A. (2002) Target-selected inactivation of the zebrafish rag1 gene. Science 297 (July 5): 99-102.
- Wienholds, E., Koudijs, M.J., Van Eeden, F.J.M., Cuppen, E., Plasterk, R.H.A. (2003) The microRNA-producing enzyme Dicer 1 is essential for zebrafish development. Nature Genetics 35: 217-218.
- Sijen, T., Plasterk, R.H.A. (2003) Transposon silencing in the Caenorhabditis elegans germ line by natural RNAi. Nature 426: 310-314.
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