On September 29, 2025, Czech and German students gathered at the University of Jan Evangelista Purkyně in Ústí nad Labem to present their proposals for revitalizing smaller urban watercourses. The international student course was held as part of the ReBioClim project funded by the Interreg Central Europe program.
The international student course began in the spring of 2025 with the first meeting of international teams, and their semester-long work was presented in September. In the course, for which students receive credits upon successful completion, university students participated in both theoretical lectures and practical field work. The course was held in a hybrid format. The students completed the introductory theoretical lectures online in the spring, and then met in Dresden in the summer, where they worked together in Czech-German teams to map and evaluate selected sections of the Geberbach River in Dresden, which is the pilot area of the ReBioClim project. Now, in Ústí, the student teams presented the results of their work, followed by an excursion in the afternoon.
The students will then compile their findings into a “study” that will be presented to representatives of the city of Dresden so that they can use it for further planning of the revitalization of the area. The students greatly appreciate the fact that their work will have potential practical applications. From the perspective of university lecturers, it is important that students have had the opportunity to work on a practical, specifically focused task in a broad international team.
However, this course is not the only international activity of the ReBioClim project focused on students. During the summer holidays of 2026, a week-long international summer school focusing on river revitalization and ecosystem service assessment will take place at UJEP.
The summer school is planned for the week of July 6, 2026, and will be open to students from all over the world. This is a slightly different concept than a classic, albeit international, course, because students from many countries with often very different fields of study will meet here. This diversity will be a truly great experience for them.
More information:
https://www.fse.ujep.cz/en/28076/czech-and-german-students-revitalize-urban-rivers-together/