Northwestern students can now pursue environmental issues in a new study abroad program in Bonn, Germany.

Selected students will study at Universitat Bonn each summer and gain firsthand experience working with local companies and organizations to promote renewable and sustainable forms of energy.

The summer program, sponsored by NU’s Study Abroad Office, the Initiative for Sustainability and Energy at NU, Universitat Bonn and Arcadia University , begins July 1 and will last five weeks. In addition to studying at the university and working with local organizations, students will have the opportunity to visit Berlin and Brussels.

There are no prerequisites to participate in the program, and students are not required to speak German, said Bill Anthony, director for Study Abroad. Anthony, a former German professor, visited several locations in Germany before deciding on Bonn, he said. Students will enroll directly at Universitat Bonn for the quarter if selected, he said.

“We quickly centered on Bonn,” he said. “They have the infrastructure, and they have housing with students living in actual dormitories amongst Germans and University of Bonn students.”

Working with organizations in Bonn, some of which are part of the United Nations, will give students experience in a variety of areas, said Bridget Calendo, director for operations and outreach for ISEN. Students will learn about job creation, innovation and marketing, she said.

“There’s some real practical application,” Calendo said. “It’s not just sitting in a classroom and studying it from a German perspective. It’s actually going out in the field and experiencing what a company is doing.”

The program covers aspects of climate change and renewable energy sources, and appeals to a wide range of students, Calendo said.

“It just provides a wealth of knowledge,” she said. “You could be interested in the policy angle, marketing or the business angle, engineering perspective or scientific angle.”

McCormick senior Alan Fast, co-president of Engineers for a Sustainable World, said students could benefit from this program in several ways.

“Germany is pretty widely renowned for its work in energy and sustainability,” he said. “Having that kind of hands-on experience in Germany may give (students) a leg-up and some different ideas when they come back to the U.S.”

Fast studied in a different location in Germany and said he would recommend the study abroad experience.

“I really loved studying abroad,” he said. “Had this been around when I was able to do a summer study abroad program, I definitely would have done it.”

Applications for the program are due March 3, and Anthony said he predicts the program will accept 12 to 15 students.[email protected]