Soil and Landscapes: Monitoring, Modeling, and Managing Urban Soils and Green Infrastructure
July 21–August 11, 2019
(Summer Session II)
This intensive study abroad program is open to students and faculty committed to learning about soils and green infrastructure. The program begins with five days at People's Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), one of Brooklyn College's exchange partners, learning skills relevant to the field sites to be visited, followed by a two-week field tour from Kandalaksha, near the White Sea in the north, to the Azov Sea in the southern part of European Russia. Participants will learn solid practical skills in monitoring, modeling, and mapping urban soils and green infrastructure over different climatic and anthropogenic conditions. The field tour will give students a unique overview of the natural and cultural diversity of European Russia.
At the end of the program, students will better understand the social, climatic, and geographic factors that contribute to human soil modification in this region; the long-term implications of such changes; practical skills to perform in-field soil monitoring, soil mapping, and remote sensing; and applied skills in identifying, implementing, and managing opportunities for urban green infrastructure development.
Five zones (subarctic, taiga, deciduous forest, forest-steppes, and steppes) will be studied in regard to key issues of urban development, including industrial pollution, forest management, agricultural development, and urban-rural interactions. Urban soils and green infrastructure at each of the regions will be studied in comparison to natural references. Conventional field descriptions and classification will be amplified by advanced techniques of in-field analysis. Lecture and field components of the program will consistently follow the problem-oriented framework to be presented at the final team and individual projects. As this is an intensive program, participants planning tourism in Moscow or other parts of Russia should plan to arrive before the beginning of the program or stay after the completion of the program. The five days of classes at RUDN will include lectures and practicums taught in English by professors from Brooklyn College, RUDN, University of California Berkley, and Germany.
Housing and meals: During the five days of classes at RUDN, participants will live in shared double rooms in one of the RUDN student residence halls. Restaurants, banks, and other facilities are both on campus and nearby. During the field tour, participants will share accommodations in hotels and environmental center accommodations. Food is delicious and inexpensive. Snacks and lunch will be provided each day during the classroom part of the program. Participants will all have collective meals with other participants organized by the field trip leaders.
This RUDN study abroad program is considered a non-ePermit sponsored short-term program. While it is not a Brooklyn College faculty-led program, several college staff/faculty from EESC will be participants and/or teaching. CUNY tuition and fees will not be charged, but transfer credit is possible.
This program is open to undergraduate and graduate students, all majors.
Program Dates
July 21–August 11, 2019
Program Fee
$1,372 estimated (1,200 euros), paid to RUDN. Includes program-related transportation in Russia, housing, excursions/field trips, facility rentals, trip gratuity, all lectures, and most meals.
Additional Costs
- Out-of-pocket costs ($1,042 estimated minimum) for mandatory CISI health/travel insurance, personal expenses, visa, and out-of-pocket meals.
- $700 international round-trip airfare to Russia.
Estimated Total Basic Program Cost: $3,115
Courses and Credits
Participants will be registered by IEGE for a six-credit STABD placeholder code and will receive credit and grades with submission of a completed IPSA Course Equivalency Form and RUDN Certificate of Completion. Students may receive six credits for the following courses listed below:
Undergraduates:
- EESC 3675: Environmental Aspects of Urban Soils
and - EESC 4050: Special Topics in Environmental Science
or - EESC 5700: Seminar III
Graduate Students:
- EESC 7903G: Seminar (graduate students only)
Financial Aid / Scholarships
Financial aid may apply, and alternative loans are available. Scholarships that apply to this program are: Furman, Gould, and SASA, among others (see Scholarship Opportunities). A completed Consortium Agreement will be required for students receiving financial aid.
How to Apply
- Complete and submit the IPSA Notification of Study Abroad/Brooklyn College Study Abroad Application. When referring to the IPSA Study Abroad Document Checklist, note that you are submitting the checkmarks in the Non-CUNY Program column.
- Register on the 3MUGIS International Summer Field School website. Instructions on how to pay the 1,200 euro program fee will be e-mailed to you, and payment should be made to Sutma-Russia (RUDN financial Coordinator) no later than Monday, April 15. A copy of your paid receipt should be submitted to IPSA.
- Contact and meet with the Brooklyn College program director to express your interest in joining the program.
IPSA Application Deadline
Friday, March 15, 2019
More Information
Zhongqi (Joshua) Cheng (Program Director)
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
3131 Ingersoll Hall
P: 718.951.5416
International Programs & Study Abroad
1212 Boylan Hall
P: 718.951.5189
Please note that all information listed above is subject to change at any time.
Page last modified on February 4, 2019.
