Eating Tomorrow - Rethinking the World Food System

Hosted by ETH Zurich
1 – 20 July, 2012

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The topic of the ETH Sustainability Summer School 2012 will be about food: its production, distribution and consumption.

The ETH Sustainability Summer Schools provide young researchers with the opportunity to work on current and sustainability-related topics in interdisciplinary and intercultural teams. Focus is given not only to teaching theoretical knowledge but also to solving specific case studies. The summer school will be divided into a teaching block where students meet and discuss with experts from various fields and a case study block. The teaching block will be held in an ecological hotel (www.moeschberg.ch) in rural Switzerland, in Emmental. For the case study work in week 2 and 3, students will relocate to the city, to ETH Zurich. During the case study, students will work on their own projects, often in collaboration with partners from universities, industries and NGOs.

"Besides its interesting, informative and entertaining aspect I consider the summer school as a great opportunity to get in touch with interesting and ambitious people from various professional and cultural backgrounds." 2011 GSP participant

For impressions of the 2011 summer school have a look at the 15 minutes long documentary.

Field Trip

Local food production and distribution site in Switzerland.

Target Audience

The Summer School 2012 by ETH Sustainability will invite 30 Bachelor, Master and PhD students from a wide spread of nationalities and disciplines. The course aims to ensure a well-balanced mixture between science and technology. Candidates will be selected from all relevant disciplines (e.g. Food Science, Environmental and Social Science, Architecture, Fine Arts, Business, PR or Marketing). Applicants will be evaluated on their academic strength, creativity, technical-related expertise, and their dedication to solving humanity's grand challenges.

Delivery Method, Exams & Learning Outcomes

During the first week, students will receive an introduction to all topics relevant to food production, distribution and consumption. This will occur through a series of lectures and workshops conducted by both local and international experts as well as inputs speeches by and discussions with sustainability pioneers. All participants will stay in a beautiful ecological hotel in Emmental ( www.moeschberg.ch), 2h away from Zurich. During weeks 2 and 3, students will be split into smaller thematic groups to carry out a guided case study, and to gain further input through lectures, workshops and excursions (students will stay in Zurich and work at the ETH Zurich). At the last day of the course, students will present the outcome of their case studies in an interactive presentation. There are no final exams.

Accommodation

Accommodation and board during the first week at the hotel in Emmental is included in the summer school participation fee. During the second and the third week, students will have to find (and pay for) their own accommodation in Zurich (the organizers will assist students in finding suitable accommodation).

Students must arrive by 12.00pm, Saturday 30 June, 2012.

Costs

Estimated overall cost for the three weeks (excluding travel to and from Zurich): 1500CHF

This is based on an average spending of 70CHF per day (including accommodation, food and local transportation) plus the 500CHF participation fee. Please note that board and accommodation in the first week in the hotel in Emmental is included in the 500CHF participation fee.

The participation fee of 500CHF includes:

Tuition fee
Board and accommodation during the first week in Emmental (July 1 to July 7)
Transport to and from Emmental
Lunch and dinner lectures
Excursions

There will be no funding for incoming students.

FAQ

1. If I am accepted, when will I receive more course details, such as course content, reading lists, timetables, payment schedule & cancellation policies, campus maps and other logistics details?
You will receive the above-mentioned documents as soon as you have accepted our offer. However, the reading including a detailed program and the reading list might be only available by the end of May 2012.

2. Will I have access to student facilities such as computer labs, libraries and health services at the hosting university?
No. But you will have access to the University's wireless network (for the course, you will have to bring your own laptop) and get a cafeteria card so you can benefit from student prices there.

3. Will I need a visa to attend this GSP course?
You can find all necessary information on the following page: http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/sameri/vven/ref_visinf/visven.html.

4. How can we interact with other participants and GSP alumni before the course?
Please visit our GSP Facebook page and join the various events groups to meet informally with other GSP participants as well as alumni. Your may also post questions to course coordinators on the FB Wall.

Further Information

Please visit our website: http://www.sustainability.ethz.ch/projects/akademie_som/so2012/index For further information about this course, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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