International Workshops

The International German Summer School on Hydrology focuses on training international junior scientists and early professionals from the fields of water and the environment, engineering sciences, as well as from geography, hydrology, chemistry, etc. IGSH provides a program of hydrological training courses which vary each year. The course is held in a very friendly, cooperative and productive atmosphere, which allows the participants to establish close contact to each other and to the lecturers as well. This opens opportunities for future collaboration to establish scientific cooperation and social networks, and to extend the IGSH scientific community. Generally, the Summer School course provides knowledge transfer and exchange on hydro(geo)logical processes relevant in energy production and management. During the course, the participants work in small groups on questions relevant to their own projects with the help of the methods learned during IGSH. Those who want to gain 4 Credit Points to use in their study and doctoral programs were tested by means of a successful written final examination.

Since its inception in 2007, the International German Summer School on Hydrology is held annually with the support of UNESCO. Starting in 2015, IGSH has additionally been sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as serial summer school on sustainable water management.

The lecturers of the International German Summer School on Hydrology are from the Department of Applied Geology of Ruhr-Universität Bochum, invited high-level professionals from the private sector in Germany and international and national partner universities. The lectures include theoretical as well as practical lessons with field excursions. The field excursions and locations differ from year to year depending on the type of the respective course. It is also supplemented by cultural trips and social events.

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Since 2012, dozens of participants from multiple countries from Europe, N America, S America, Asia and Oceania have met in Bochum over the course of a week to learn about diffusion modelling to obtain timescales of diverse (e.g. volcanic, metamorphic, planetary,..) geological processes. The topic is increasing being described by labels such as Diffusion Chronometry / Geospeedometry / High temperature thermochronology. The workshop involves a mix of lectures, practical exercises to calculate timescales, and reports on case studies where such modelling has been applied. Participants can also present their own work as posters to receive feedbacks and get questions answered. Visits to the laboratories at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum are organized. The intense scientific programs are interspersed with social occasions that allow the participants to interact and get to know each other better, beginning with an ice-breaker and ending with a round of farewell drinks and snacks on Friday afternoon. In between, the workshop dinner on Thursday is a well-attended social highlight.

The course has been taught, with minor exceptions, by current and ex-members of the Petrology group in Bochum. In particular, the Masters and doctoral students take an active part as lecturers and tutors and even some BSc students have been involved. This aspect helps the students to gain valuable teaching experience. In addition, these are excellent opportunities for the students to get to know the world at their own doorsteps and form a global network of peers that can help to plan future activities. As people diffuse out on Friday, many email and social media contacts are exchanged and networks formed that have helped to develop and sustain collaborative research and long lasting friendships well into the future.

The courses have been endorsed by the Deutsche Mineralogische Gesellschaft (DMG) and the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA).

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