On October 16, 2025, the DFG Emmy Noether Junior Research Group took part in a team-building excursion to the Ahr Valley region. Accompanied by Dr. Rakhmat Hidayat, a visiting fellow in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, PhD student Ignasius Jaques Juru, and Prof. Dr. Kristina Großmann (the department's head), the group learned about life in the Eiffel region, as well as current trends in land use and forest transformation in rural Germany. They also observed the (limited) progress of ongoing recovery efforts nearly five years after the devastating 2021 flood disaster.
During the visit, the group enjoyed activities such as apple picking and hiking through the vineyards of the Ahr Valley, which provided further opportunities for discussion and reflection. The day concluded with a taste of Federweißer, a young, partially fermented wine typical of the harvest season in the region.
