Summer is at its best in Germany when City College students set out to explore the BMW World and the headquarters of Merck on a science and engineering related program.
Study Abroad is organizing the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics program in Germany and the Netherlands in Summer 2018.
“When you think of excellent engineering, you think of Germany,” said Dr. Raeanne Napoleon, assistant chemistry professor. She will accompany the students on the trip and take them to Berlin, Amsterdam, Essen, Frankfurt and Munich.
“I like the Germans because they are time oriented and very punctual. [They are] not laid back. They care about precision,” she said. “That translates great to the sciences.”
Napoleon has been in Germany many times both on chemistry and science-directed trips.
She believes that Germany is the ideal place for studying the sciences, because the country is a world leader in the chemical distribution market as well as the automobile design and development. German engineers are the masterminds behind Porsche, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.
Napoleon is “psyched” for the students to experience German culture and for them to try out her favorite German delights, currywurst (curry sausage) and spätzle (egg noodles).
Known around the world for being one step ahead with hi-tech products, Germany also has a rich history, including the World War II and the Berlin Wall that divided Berlin both physically and ideologically from 1961 to 1989.
“It’s good that the students get to visit the capital and smaller cities. In that way they will see the different lifestyles and diversity within the regions,” said Nicole Walther, senior study abroad program assistant, who happens to be German.
The students can look forward to walking tours of Berlin, the Berlin Wall Memorial, a boat cruise on the Amsterdam canals, visits to Merck in Frankfurt, BMW in Munich and much more.
Carola Smith, senior study abroad director, said students will see a more inclusive perspective on immigration.
“It should give them a political perspective, open up their world view,” said Smith, who is German as well. “We’re going towards an attitude of closing the U.S. off from other countries.”
Walther and Smith both miss the sense of “common community” present in Germany, where everyone is collectively looking out for eachother.
The program requires no specific major or language skills. Students must be 18 years old and enrolled in the Summer Session No. 2 in 2018.
Napoleon will teach the students STEM101, a course that is both UC and CSU transferable. The course will give the students an overall introduction to the different sciences.
The application deadline is April 16, 2018. Information about scholarships can be found on the Study Abroad website.
“I hope the students will be as sponges, soaking up everything,” said Walther. “Even though it’s only 21 days.”
