In order for knowledge to be understood, it must be applied. To this end, the students at Ocean College will receive both practical and theoretical knowledge within their classes as often as possible. Only then can the talents and interests of the individual students be realised and strengthened, their weaknesses discovered and overcome, and through this they can better themselves.
Ocean College has always been based on student participation. Logistics, coordination, and communication with home (via daily journals and blog entries), planning excursions and projects, preparing dinner for the crew, plotting routes, sailing… there are many things for the students, in cooperation with the crew, to experience. At Ocean College we bring in experts to help provide a better learning experience. These experts are only onboard for short periods and work with the students on a specific subject in the form of a project. The students get to see the inner workings of companies, trade work, lab work, and can take part in related projects during their time on board. Our foremost goal at Ocean College is to provide course content with a relevant practical application. Instead of saying “try and imagine”, students can see the outcome. This promotes responsibility and simultaneously boosts motivation. Experts have already been enlisted for a trade project as well as a weather data project. Within the scope of these two projects there is insight into economics, research, and agricultural development. The trade project is based around a complete supply chain. Students will have the opportunity to coordinate and plan for harvest, purchase, transport, product taxes, marketing, branding, distribution, and sales. For the weather data project, students will get an introduction to STEM fields, and will learn to use extrapolated data for their own studies, as well as provide that data to external research partners.
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Joachim Kuehne: Berlin School of Coffee
A sommelier with us from the Berlin School of Coffee. Through extensive time abroad on coffee plantations in Central-America and Ethiopia, he has come to the realisation that quality does not start with roasting. Quality is derived from proper cultivation methods and farming practices. Since then Joachim has expanded his knowledge of coffee agronomy, as well as its botanical characteristics. His experience stems from years of work as a quality manager for raw and roasted coffee, sommelier courses, Roastmaster Week, and many barista seminars. Joachim, with his extensive knowledge on the topic, will guide the students through their coffee project.
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Chris MacBlain: Language Farm Ireland
Chris is a Certificated Mountain Leader and group leader for English Language based programmes. A keen bike enthusiast and outdoor adventurer, Chris provides an experience into the nature of his home country, Ireland.
Landing in the scenic Kerry Coastline, off Valentia Island, Chris will meet the group onboard for a debrief. After a day’s rest, the group will be met on land with touring bikes and proceed with Chris and his guides along the famous Ring of Kerry by bike to the foot of Ireland’s highest mountain, Carrauntoohil. After camping under the stars for one night with some Irish campfire sing-alongs, the group shall climb the great Carrauntoohil. One more night under the stars and the group shall return by bikes to the Ship via a scenic trip through the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks Mountains.
Dr. Rüdiger Stöhr: One Earth – One Ocean / Project Microplastics
Dr. Rüdiger Stöhr is Microbiologist and teacher at a vocational school for Biotechnology and Biology.
His interests are bacteria from hot sources as well as maritime bacteria and fungus, which he tests on biological active substances. As teacher for Biotechnology and Biology at the “Elly-Heuss-Knapp Schule Neumünster” vocational school, he committed himself to the Student-Competition “Jugend forscht” and accompanied his students until the (Bundes Wettbewerb) Since 2015 Dr. Stöhr works for the organization One Earth – One Ocean. There he established the Micro-Plastic Analytics and runs the Micro-Plastic project.
Natija Dolic: LGT Venture Philanthropy / Trading project
Natija is a communication expert and brings more than 10 years of work experience from the fields Sustainability, journalism and Marketing with her.
Motto: Building bridges between apparently irreconcilable worlds, expanding ones and others horizons and together discover new harbours In 2009 Natija moved to Switzerland where she build for the the LGT, the world’s biggest proper ran Private Bank, property of the princely family from and to Lichtenstein, the communications and marketing department of the charitable foundation “LGT Venture Philanthropy” (LGT VP) and lead them until 2016. Since 2017 Natija concentrates on the topics “Sustainability” and “Impact Investing”, where she is a popular moderator and speaker.
Natija will do some modules in in relation to the trading-project with the SuS in the topics Sustainability, communication and marketing. The students will also have an introduction to project management.
