Exkursions
The ABC/J excursions lead to exciting regions of our earth and bring Master's students and doctoral candidates together at an early stage. This lays the foundation for future collaborations. Upon application, the ABC/J Geoverbund awards scholarships to committed students for participation in the ABC/J excursion.
Geoverbund ABC/J Excursion 2023: Landscape development in Central and Eastern Greece considering geoscientific, geoarchaeological and cultural-historical aspects
Last year it was DOWN TO GREECE, this year it's GREECE, WE'RE COMING! The Geoverbund ABC/J is taking you to Greece again to continue the wonderful and educational time last September.
The interdisciplinary excursion is aimed at students from all institutes affiliated to the ABC/J Geological Network. The Geoverbund ABC/J is sponsoring each of the 20 excursion places with 500 euros!
Date & Excursion guide
- The excursion starts on Saturday, 9 September in Athens and ends on Sunday, 24 September in Kavala (NE Greece). The journey from Germany to Athens and the return journey from Kavala to Germany must be organised independently. Both Kavala and Thessaloniki airports are suitable for the return flight.
Along a SW-NE route, through the regions of Attica, Thessaly and Macedonia, the country is explored in a coach, introducing diverse areas. In total, over 2,000 km will be covered in the country during the entire period.
The excursion planning and implementation is carried out by the ABC/J geo association itself without the involvement of external tour operators.
The excursion is led and organised by Prof. Dr. Frank Wendland and Dr. Konstantin Ntageretzis from the Institute of Bio- & Geosciences - Agrosphere of Forschungszentrum Jülich and the coordination office of Geoverbund ABC/J.
Dr. Chrysanthi Kallini from the Archaeological Institute of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki will accompany us throughout and contribute her (geo-) archaeological and cultural-historical expertise.
On site, the excursion will also be accompanied on a daily basis by expert colleagues from renowned Greek research institutions with which the Geoverbund ABC/J cooperates, among others:
Prof. Dr. Ioannis Papanikolaou | Structural Geology – Agricultural University Athens
Prof. Dr. Georgios Stamatis | Hydrogeology – Agricultural University Athens
Dr. Andreas Panagopoulos | Soil and Water Resources Institute Thessaloniki
Dr. Vassilios Pissinaras | Soil and Water Resources Institute Thessaloniki
Georgios Kampas | Direktor der Wasserbehörde Ostmakedonien-Thrakien
Dimitrios Sarafeiadis | Dipl.-Geol. Geo-Consulting Kavala
MSc. Marinos Vardakis | Bergbau-Ingenieur F.H.L. I.KIRIAKIDIS Marbles – Granites S.A
Madia Angelakaki | Administration F.H.L. I.KIRIAKIDIS Marbles – Granites S.A
Due to the accompaniment by Greek colleagues, lectures will be given in English and German during the excursion.
Thematic contents
Greece is part of the Balkan Peninsula, which is characterised in large parts by a geomorphological wealth of young mountains, which are attributed to the Alpine orogeny. One of the country's main characteristics is the marked diversity of the land surface as well as the coastline. Steep mountains with deep valley incisions, intramontane basins of varying sizes, cliffs and alluvial plains are often found in close spatial proximity. In addition, there is the contrast between the mainland and the extensive island world.
Climatically, Greece has a Mediterranean climate. This subtropical winter rain climate is characterised by mild, humid winters and hot, dry summers that sometimes last from mid-May to October. However, the north and the mountainous regions are always somewhat cooler than the south and the flatter areas of the country.
The mild climate and the diverse natural features of Greece have always favoured human life and activity, which was accompanied by very early cultural development. Therefore, the anthropogenic influence on landscape development dates back to (pre-) historical times. The cultural heritage is correspondingly large and omnipresent. For example, today's European understanding of science, politics and art is decisively shaped by ancient Greece, which is why Greece is still considered the cradle of Europe.
The excursion topics and locations were chosen to be as diverse and varied as the country and the culture. Looking at landscape genesis, the focus is on geological-tectonic as well as geomorphological and hydrological aspects, which in turn intertwine with anthropogenic factors of influence. Looking at land use and cultural development, (geo-)archaeological, historical and cultural-geographical topics from antiquity to the present are examined.
In short, an exciting and multi-faceted intra- and interdisciplinary programme aimed at all ABC/J students who want to think outside the box of their own discipline!
Service provision for a certificate of participation
For students of the study programmes affiliated to the Geoverbund ABC/J, it is possible to have the excursion recognised as a course or examination achievement after an individual examination of the requirements. The respective contact persons at the universities will answer any questions on the subject of recognition of study achievements.
Each participant will prepare a detailed progress report on one day of the excursion with a scientific reference to the respective locations. The excursion day to be recorded will already be determined at the preparatory seminar (see below). This will give the participants the opportunity to prepare the day of their protocol well, so that they will also have the appropriate thematic and site-specific expertise in the field, which they will be able to contribute on site. The protocols are to be prepared in English after the excursion and will be reviewed and evaluated by the excursion leader with regard to performance for a certificate of participation or examination. It is planned to compile all protocols into an excursion report. For all those interested and for those participants who may also have to give a presentation, there will be a follow-up meeting after the excursion (see below). This is because, depending on the location and the degree programme, in addition to the participation in the excursion, a presentation is also obligatory for the examination or performance recognition.
Therefore, before applying for an excursion place, please get in touch with the contact persons of your study offices or examination boards of your locations with regard to the location-specific recognition of the individual study performance.
Preparatory seminar
A preparatory seminar is an integral part of the excursion and a prerequisite for the recognition of academic credits.
- Date & Time: Saturday 17 June 2023, 10:00-16:00
Location: Department of Geography, University of Cologne, Exercise Room 2, Zülpicher Straße 45, 50674 Cologne, Germany
Contents:
Introduction & Getting to know each other Information about the organisation and the course of the excursion General information about Greece and the local conditions General thematic introduction and overview of the locations Allocation of protocols related to the excursion route Common conclusion
Post-meeting for presentations incl. post-colloquium
The follow-up meeting is not compulsory. It is primarily intended for those students who, in accordance with the location-specific requirements, may have to give a presentation in addition to the protocol.
- Date & Time: 24 November 2023, 15:00-19:00 (save the date)
Venue: Department of Geography, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 45, 50674 Cologne, Germany
Organisation
The organisational handling of the excursion (including the application for an excursion place) is carried out for all participants by the ABC/J coordination office based at Forschungszentrum Jülich, which is headed by Dr Konstantin Ntageretzis.
General advice
The information on this page has been carefully compiled. Nevertheless, no guarantee can be given for the completeness, topicality and correctness. Changes are reserved and this information may be updated. Unfortunately, registrations for the excursion are no longer possible.
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