AV短视频

Programme Overview

Etna: Reading Landscapes, Risks and Heritage in a Volcanic Region

WHO IS THE COURSE FOR?
Are you fascinated by how our planet and its inner dynamics work? Curious about how humans interact with the Earth, adapting to both its forces and its gifts? Then this course is for you. An immersive experience set in an exceptional environment, on the fertile lands shaped by one of the world’s most majestic volcanoes: Mount Etna.

Note: The summer school is open to Bachelor's, Master's, PhD, and junior professionals. No prior knowledge or qualifications are required.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This 5-day in-the-field summer school explores Mt. Etna as a living laboratory where geology, heritage, and international policy converge. Participants will investigate volcanic landscapes and hazards, analyze how societies adapt and thrive in risky environments, and connect field observations to global frameworks of risk reduction, heritage protection, and sustainability.

With partners from diverse fields of expertise, the course offers a unique opportunity to combine field immersion with interdisciplinary collaboration, while developing applied skills for future academic and professional paths.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Learn to read and interpret volcanic landscapes.
  • Understand the geology and geomorphology of Etna and its surroundings.
  • Identify natural hazards (eruptions, lava flows, earthquakes, landslides).
  • Explore risk, mitigation strategies, and resilience in volcanic regions.
  • Recognize the benefits of living near an active volcano (fertile soils, agriculture, tourism, identity).
  • Connect geology and geomorphology with the historical, cultural, and archaeological heritage of Etna.

EVALUATION

  • Fieldbook (individual – 80%): at least 4 landscape sketches with lecture notes.
  • Participation (individual – 20 %): Engagement during the camp, respect of safety guidelines, and active participation in discussions. 

 

Location: Sicily, Italy.
 

Tuition Fees:  1,400 CHF

Four nights at the Pension (26 - 30 August 2026), with full board, included in the tuition.

Note: Attendees are responsible for arranging and covering the cost of their transportation to the venue on the first day and from the venue on the last day.

 

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Dr. Joël Ruch – Associate Professor
Department of Earth Sciences – AV短视频
Joël is deeply interested in the interaction between volcanism, faulting, and tectonics. These volcano-tectonic processes shape volcanoes and rift zones worldwide, controlling magma propagation through fracture systems up to the Earth's surface.
His research aims to better understand these mechanisms to improve eruption forecasting. He integrates short- and long-term deformation processes using satellite imagery, structural geology, drone mapping, and analogue modeling. He leads the Volcano Tectonic Laboratory and supervises PhD projects in Hawaii and Iceland.
 
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Dr. Lucas Vimpere – Research Associate
Department of Earth Sciences – AV短视频
Geologist specialising in sedimentology, Quaternary environments, palaeoclimatology, and geomorphology. His work examines how landscapes evolve through time, reconstructing past environments and climate from sedimentary archives. He uses field mapping, stratigraphy, landscape sketching, and remote sensing across regions such as the Bahamas, Australia, and the Himalayas.
His strong practice in field observation and scientific drawing trains participants to read physical landscapes, recognise geomorphic processes, and connect outcrop-scale features to regional evolution. He also co-founded SciencEscape, a platform advancing public access to geoscience.
 
GUEST SPEAKER
Dr. Giovan Peyrotty – Geologist and Filmmaker
Director of SciencEscape
Giovan earned a PhD in Geology from the AV短视频. His various scientific projects have taken him around the world, and it is through these field experiences that he found the inspiration to found SciencEscape, an association dedicated to strengthening the link between science and society through the power of visual storytelling.
Passionate about science education and communication, he is now convinced that filming and sharing researchers’ work is one of the most effective ways to convey scientific messages and inspire curiosity.
 
GUEST SPEAKER
Marco Scorti – Artist and painting instructor
Marco is a Swiss painter working between Geneva and Ticino. A graduate of the Haute École d’Art et de Design (HEAD), he holds both a Bachelor’s in Painting and Drawing and a Master’s in Visual Arts. His work focuses on landscape as a space of memory, ambiguity and perception, playing with the tension between illusion and the flat surface of the canvas. Marco often draws from walks and photographic observations, translating subtle variations of light, colour and season into quiet, atmospheric compositions.
He received the Kiefer-Hablitzel Prize (2014) and the Manor Ticino Prize (2016), which led to a solo exhibition at the Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana in Lugano. His works are held in several public and private collections. Alongside his artistic practice, Marco is actively engaged in teaching, leading workshops and mentoring emerging artists in Switzerland.
 
GUEST SPEAKER
Dr. Boris Behncke – Volcanologist
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia
Boris Behncke is a German volcanologist based in Catania, Sicily, where he works at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) – Osservatorio Etneo. After studying geology in Bochum and Kiel, he completed a PhD at the AV短视频 of Catania in 2001. Living in Sicily since the 1990s, he has dedicated his career to studying Mount Etna and other active Italian volcanoes, focusing on eruptive dynamics, hazard assessment, and volcanic mapping.
Passionate about science communication, he is widely known for his efforts to make volcanology accessible to the public through lectures, media outreach, and his long-running website Italy’s Volcanoes.

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