Student diversity is key to an exciting learning environment that lasts
The World Food System Center’s 10th Summer School took place this summer, exploring several teaching methodologies and bringing prominent experts on stage to speak about cross-disciplinary issues pertaining to the intertwined social and food systems. Aside from the well-designed technical curriculum, the multiculturality of the cohort as well as the choice of the venue of the Summer School, provide a unique chance for participants to embed themselves in a treasure-learning environment with a long-lasting personal experience. One of the Summer School participants explores this idea in an unconventional and personal manner, linking her experience with the picturesque beauty of Rheinau and the intense interaction among its participants.
Observing the Rheine Falls
Streams popping up from distinct directions before being reunited as just one (Picture: Lorena O. Felipe).
When you have a chance to observe the Rheine River from a high place, for instance from the bridge where the trains run, many streams pop up from distinct directions until reunited as just one, well known as the Rheine Falls. The streams come from various places with unique shapes and distinct ways of flowing; some are very chaotic, others highly organized, and still, others are very peaceful. As they flow through each other, they are unaware of what will happen next. Despite how they flow, the idea remains the same: keep moving forward. Then they will become just one, for a short time, and this is when the waterfall appears and its power is felt.
From streams to a waterfall
Like the streams of the Rheine River, each participant of the Summer School 2022 has a different origin and background. Up to that moment, they had learned how to avoid obstacles, navigate tortuous itineraries, or plan routes in singular ways. However, over the 15 days of the Summer School, they become like a waterfall, powerful, chaotic, beautiful, curious, flowing majestically. Like in the inner and deep flow of a waterfall, an intensive exchange between streams is likely to occur. Everything that they knew and experienced when they were just flowing by themselves starts to be deeply interchangeable. Putting aside all the differences they had before, they reunite as one huge waterfall. The power and energy of their inner flow begin to emerge from the surface as they dissipate. As a result of all this energy, the waterfall starts to wet the observers on the platform.
Some of the participants of the Summer School 2022 at the Rheine (Picture: Lorena O. Felipe)
Learning to flow with others
The chaotic flow of Rheine Falls, with the stone carved in the middle (Picture: Lorena O. Felipe)
At the stone carved exactly in the middle of the Rheine Falls, Michelle, and her team observe the flow patterns. They are recording the rate of the flow and its intensity. They are looking at how they are changing, discovering novel ways to flow, and spending more time on the surface or solely deep inside the flow. That stone works as a safe place, as a compass. Thus, sometimes directions are offered to those who get lost or who are still learning how to flow with others. Using a yellow boat, the Lecturers reach the stone and climb the stairs up to the top, where the Summer School team is positioned. They have one mission: to warn all the streams that the flow is changing ever more rapidly. It is becoming more difficult to move around, and everything is evolving more and more challenging as time passes by. Without stopping the flow, all these issues need to be addressed quickly, in a flexible, courageous, and innovative manner.
Transformed
After the chaotic flow, every stream is following its own direction in a calm manner (Picture: Lorena O. Felipe).
The intensity created by the waterfall cannot last forever. It is just a very intensive time where the streams have the chance to be reunited into one. Everything has time to begin and finish. The streams need to keep flowing regardless of the rate they move forward. Completely transformed, the streams are not the same anymore. They learned that sometimes it is necessary to flow differently and that every single stone in the middle can be overcome, even under constraints. At a specific time, redefining existing ways and directions, or mitigating the dangers on the way might be the most effective and efficient solution. And most importantly, to keep flowing, every stream is now able to count on others. Thus, after an intensive time flowing around each other, sometimes coming closer to one stream than another, it is time to say goodbye. We might flow together again, might not. Might some of them decide to cross their flow indefinitely. Perhaps we receive very limited news from other streams. But one thing will certainly remain in their memories: how quickly they learned to flow together in unison, and all the memories they built in the process.
Time does not turn back, and they know this. Together, the streams form rivers, and naturally, they are destined to empty into the sea. Getting away is not an easy task. Some of us delay reaching the ocean by taking longer routes. Thus, the streams once united at the Rheine Falls have now dispersed universally, turning into marine flows. Marine flows are sweeping through the ocean, ready to bring changes throughout the world. Surprisingly, sometimes, we might cross each other again, flowing around the world, recognizing one another by the way we learned how to flow collectively as the Rheine Falls. Perhaps, in the end, the way streams, rivers, waterfalls, and oceans flow can be viewed as art. Similarly, every Summer School displays different patterns of how streams flow and emerge as one, and as an art form, its uniqueness cannot be repeated.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lorena is ending her journey as a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Tsukuba (Japan), working on the encapsulation of bioactive compounds. Among her hobbies, - beyond to be always in need to soak herself in nature to keep her creativity alive -, on introspective days her favorite distraction is writing non-scientific, poetry texts.