Kasteel Well Students Explore Water in the Netherlands in Semester-Long Collaboration

Students studying at Emerson’s European campus at Kasteel Well worked with experts and artists from across the Netherlands this semester to create stories and projects around water, an initiative that culminated Monday, April 14, in “Waves of Creativity,” a forum that showcased students’ work.

The projects were done as part of the new Living Learning Community (LLC) at Kasteel Well, which enhances traditional classroom learning by integrating it with experiences outside the classroom, including co-curricular activities and travel (personal and Emerson excursions). The unifying theme of water is an element vital to the Netherlands.

Six groups of six students each presented their projects to an audience of leaders in water management, sustainability, innovation, and creativity, which included Michael Rauner, Mayor of Bergen, of which Well is a village; as well as Emerson Vice Provost for Internationalization & Equity Anthony Pinder.

“Unanimously, the Dutch stakeholders in the audience were impressed by the creativity, originality, and level of professionalism of these Emerson students showcasing their stories,” said Kasteel Well Executive Director Rob Dückers.

Projects took the form of videos, a blog, and PowerPoint presentations on topics including water shortage and artificial intelligence, “Nature in the Port of Rotterdam,” water as life force and mythos, and water in Dutch art. One group created a digital children’s book, Leo Guides Against the Tides, about a lion who protects his village from a “water wolf” by leading the construction of windmills.

During a Q&A, students said the focus on water helped deepen their understanding of the Netherlands and its culture, Dückers said. They also said they valued collaborating with students from different majors and backgrounds, whose diverse perspectives enriched their work.

Keynote speakers were Kasteel Well faculty member Wouter Wolters, who gave the audience a crash course in water management in the Netherlands, and astronaut André Kuipers, the only Dutchman to have completed two separate missions in space and the recipient of many awards. Both emphasized the fragility of the planet and the huge importance of water and water management.

“Dr. Kuipers literally took his captivated audience with him into space, showing what it means to do a space mission and how water plays a role in that, in more ways than one could ever suspect,” Dückers said.

After an official award-ceremony, during which Certificates of Excellence were handed out to the student groups who presented by Mayor Rauner, there was the opportunity to informally meet one another during a mixer with drinks and bites for all students and external guests.

Submitted by Rob Dückers