Flood Hydrology and Wine Ecology (Faculty-Led Program)

Spend 3 weeks in Wurzburg, Germany collaborating with students from The Technishe Hochschule Wurzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) on a project focused on flood and landscape models.

• Participate in field trips to watershed protection sites, flood control initiatives, vineyards, and meetings with agencies focused on climate resilience.
• Explore the long history of wine production and wine culture in Germany.

This program studies the intersection of two factors dominating the landscape of the region surrounding Wurzburg, Germany - flooding and wine production. Wurzburg, situated on the Main River, has experienced flooding throughout its history, in part due to regional alterations of the natural landscape. Soils, land cover, and precipitation interact to create conditions of flooding or storage. Climate change is now complicating this hydrologic balance, with larger, more intense storm events and higher temperatures. This, in turn, impacts wine production and landscape ecology. Understanding the factors influencing flooding will help city planners mitigate flood impacts, and wine producers create more climate-resilient and ecologically sustainable landscapes. 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 (prominent features of the region's landscape), you will also explore how the Finger Lakes wineries are dealing with ecological sustainability and runoff mitigation. Both regions are famous for their wines, and wine production is a major part of both region's 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 located a few blocks from the THWS campus.

Course Term: Spring course at RIT, travel to Brazil in early Summer
Travel Dates: May 13-31, 2025
Credits: 3

Course Details:

• ENVS 489 - Urban Hydrology & Wine Ecology (undergrad)
• ENVS 689 - Urban Hydrology & Wine Ecology (graduate)
   

Students will be enrolled in a spring course at RIT 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, and graduate students. 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