FAQ

Logistical Questions

Where will the students be staying?

In Switzerland, the GVSU students will stay at the Hostel Depot 195 in Winterthur, a 10 minutes walk from the ZHAW SoE campus. In the USA, the ZHAW students will be staying on campus at the Grand Valley State University (Campus Allendale), see here and here.

How is the flight booking handled?

ZHAW students need to book and pay the return flight to Chicago by themselves. They are also responsible for arranging the transfer from Chicago to Allendale. Please wait for flight bookings until the organizers have confirmed the conduction of summer school 2024, which will be communicated in February 2024.

How can I reach Allendale from Chicago?

The easiest and most convenient way is to rent and share a care with other students. The car ride from Chicago to Allendale will take you around 3 hrs. There is also a train connection which lasts for around 4 hrs. However, there are only few trains per day running. And finally, there is also the Greyhound coach connecting the two cities, which will take you around 4 hrs.
The Swiss driving license is valid in the USA. However, you need to be at least 25 years old to be entitled to rent a car.

Do I need to travel back to Switzerland straight after the summer school, or is there an option to extend the stay in the USA and travel back later?

Yes, you can extend your stay and continue with your vacation or other travels, back-to-back to the summer school.

Is there a pre-meeting for the participating students?

For the ZHAW students, there will be a remote meeting in March. Final questions can be clarified and the students can get to know each other during this meeting.

Is it compulsory to participate in the weekend activities/excursions?

Yes, this is an integral part of the curriculum and team building.

Do you have additional questions to be clarified, which are not covered here? Do not hesitate to reach out to Patricia Heuberger at patricia.heuberger@zhaw.ch.

Content Questions

Do I need to prepare content-wise for the summer school?

Yes, there will be preparatory material distributed for the Machine Learning part which you are expected to study beforehand. Further pre-requisites are listed on the curriculum sub-page.

If I had already topics covered by the summer school curriculum during my previous studies; is it still worthwhile to participate?

Yes, it is. The curriculum is set-up in way that you will work in teams to tackle a challenge and solve a concrete problem. The challenges/problems stem from the institutes and are real research-based challenges to solve. You will apply your knowledge and expertise, gained during the summer school and beforehand, to solve these challenges in intercultural and interdisciplinary teams.

Do you have additional questions to be clarified, which are not covered here? Do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Manuel Dömer at manuel.doemer@zhaw.ch.