Flood Hydrology and Wine Ecology (Faculty-Led Program)

This program studies the intersection of two factors dominating the region's landscape surrounding Wurzburg, Germany - climate change and wine production.

• Learn how factors that influence flooding will help city planners mitigate flood impacts and wine producers create more climate-resilient and ecologically sustainable landscapes.
• Participate in field visits to watershed protection sites and vineyards and meet with local German agencies developing climate mitigation initiatives.
• Learn how New York Finger Lakes and German wineries are vulnerable to climate change impacts related to flooding and water runoff.
• Explore the long history of wine production and wine culture in Germany.

Wurzburg, situated on the Main River, has experienced flooding throughout its history, partly due to regional alterations of the natural landscape. Soils, land cover, and precipitation interact to create conditions of flooding or storage. Climate change complicates this hydrologic balance with more significant, more intense storm events and higher temperatures. This, in turn, impacts wine production and landscape ecology.  You will learn how to develop enhanced flood and landscape models with students at The Technische Hochschule Wurzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) and study what Würzburg and other cities are doing to help minimize stormwater and flooding impacts (urban resiliency).

As part of your study of the ecology of vineyards in Germany (prominent features of the region's landscape), you will also explore how the Finger Lakes wineries deal with ecological sustainability and runoff mitigation. Both regions are famous for their wines, and wine production is a significant part of their economies, ecology, and cultures. Yet vineyards are both vulnerable to climate change impacts and helping to exacerbate the runoff and flooding issues, having replaced the forests on the region's steep slopes. You will learn about wine ecology and methods for minimizing the impacts of wine production on stormwater runoff and local ecology.

While in Germany, you will stay in a shared hotel or hostel room a few blocks from the THWS campus.

Course Term: Spring course at RIT, travel to Germany in early Summer
Travel Dates: May 12-30, 2025
Credits: 3

Course Details:

• ENVS 389 - Flood Hydrology & Wine Ecology (3 credits)
  Course may count as a Global Perspective, Natural Science Inquiry Perspective, Scientific Principles Perspective or a free elective.

Students will be enrolled in a spring 2025 course in Rochester and will travel to Germany in early summer. During the spring 2025 semester, the class will meet on Fridays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

No pre-requisites. Open to undergraduate majors, 2nd year and above. Graduate students may be able to participate as an independent study (check with your graduate advisor). No German language is required - the program is taught in English.

Application Deadline: October 20, 2024

Eligibility:

• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher (students with lower than a 2.5 GPA would be considered on a case-by-case basis)
• Have a clear conduct record with RIT
• Have no financial holds on your RIT eServices account at the time of your program acceptance/confirmation

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Program Cost & Financial Aid

Program Cost: Student budget worksheet (Flood Hyrology & Wine Ecology Spring/Summer 2025) - outlines all program costs.

Financial Aid:
Financial aid may cover some program costs. As you review the budget worksheet, please remember that it does not include your RIT financial aid or scholarships which may cover some of the program costs. The purpose of the budget worksheet is to show all the costs associated with your study abroad program which will help your RIT Financial Aid Assistant Director determine how your aid and scholarships may be applied. 

To understand how your financial aid and scholarships may apply to your program costs:

• Download a copy of the budget worksheet (linked above)
• Make an appointment with your financial aid assistant director (call Financial Aid at 585-475-2186) and mention that you are calling for a study abroad appointment
• Upload a copy of the budget worksheet(s) via the Financial Aid upload portal at https://join.rit.edu/register/FA_upload (at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled meeting, so they have time to prepare) . For the type of document you are providing, select “Other Financial Aid Forms and Documentation” in the Financial Aid portal.
  • Please rename the file name of your budget worksheet before uploading it to the Financial Aid portal based on the instructions provided in the portal (adding your name and student ID)

To find out the name of your financial aid assistant director for your degree program visit: https://www.rit.edu/admissions/aid/contact#counseling-team

We recommend you meet with Financial Aid before the application deadline so you understand how your aid will apply. The RIT financial aid office is located in Bausch and Lomb Center (Bldg. 77), 2nd floor, 2125.

Scholarships:

• RIT Education Abroad Travel Grants ($500-$1,000)
  All students with pending applications in the RIT Study Abroad Compass for this program will be automatically considered for an RIT Education Abroad Travel Grant. You will be informed of your scholarship status shortly after the application deadline. Scholarships awarded based on financial need.

• Other scholarships: RIT Study Abroad Scholarships, National Study Abroad Scholarships

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To Apply

1) Start an application in the RIT Study Abroad Compass

2) Watch this video on application steps for RIT faculty-led programs which covers important information (video is captioned)