Successful Summer School in the USA

Ten HRW students and four lecturers spent two weeks in Iowa to take part in a summer school on the topic of sustainability. In exciting workshops and group work in a design thinking format, the students successfully developed project ideas in interdisciplinary and intercultural teams.

The Transatlantic Summer School on Sustainability is a cooperation between Iowa State University, Wayne State University in Detroit, Hochschule Harz and Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences and brings together students and teachers from different backgrounds. The Summer School was held for the second time, this year focussing on the topic of ‘Sustainability in Food: Farm to Table’.

‘The Summer School explores food systems at every step of the journey, from cultivation to distribution, while also being mindful of consumption habits and minimizing waste,’ says Ann Marie VanDerZanden, associate provost for academic programs, and Iowa State’s program leader. “It’s an immersive experience that helps students think broadly about how they can help address societal challenges like hunger in ways that are both innovative and responsible.”

In total, more than 30 students and faculty travelled to Ames, Iowa, to explore the sustainability of food and agriculture. A special feature of the summer school is the intercultural and interdisciplinary collaboration between lecturers and students. The participants came from various disciplines, including engineering, economics, tourism, agriculture and health sciences.

The lecturers developed a wide range of teaching content, which they conveyed in various learning formats, such as workshops on Intercultural Competences Applied to Sustainability, Energy and Food Economics, Sustainable Crop Production or in design thinking projects. The first phase of the Summer School 2024 took place online in May and June. For the second part, the participants travelled to Ames from 4 to 16 August to work together on site and get to know the host university, Iowa State University.

In addition to the teaching content, the programme also included visits to numerous Iowa State University facilities and local companies as well as various leisure activities. As the guests were accommodated on the campus of Iowa State University, they were able to experience life at an American university at first hand.

At the end of the summer school, the baton was officially handed over: Next year, the Transatlantic Summer School on Sustainability will take place at HRW! The planning for this has already begun. Initial ideas have also already been collected in terms of content: a particular focus in 2025 will be on the critical success factors for implementing sustainability projects.