Climate Change, Economics, and the Wine Industry: Applied Environmental Problem Solving for the 21st Century

Taught by Dr. Sylvia Dee and other collaborators, this highly interdisciplinary course will introduce concepts from climate change to microeconomics, using the wine industry as a case study.

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Program Details:

• Program Dates: May 6 - 24, 2024
• Program Location: Rice Global Paris Center | Paris, France
• Who Can Apply? Any Rice Undergraduate who has taken at least one programming course (preferably in Python). Students from highly relevant majors including EEPS, ENVS, ECON, CEVE, ECE, and COMP may be prioritized.
• Program Total Cost: $1,200 per credit hour ($3,600 Tuition for 3 credit hours) + travel to Paris ($1000-$2500) and living expenses for 3 weeks ($1000-$1500).
• What's Covered: The program will provide housing for all three weeks, local travel, course-set excursions/tickets, three group meals, and travel insurance.
• What's Not Covered: Airfare to Paris, passport fees (if applicable), any visa fees (if applicable), ride to and from the airport, any non-course planned travel/excursions/tickets, International phone plans and/or SIM cards, incidentals, and most meals.
• Financial Aid: Students looking for financial aid to help with expenses should contact the Financial Aid Office to see if and how much financial aid they qualify for. Summer tuition qualifies for some assistance, and in some cases, grants are available
• Tuition Assistance: Students can also apply to receive further tuition assistance and some international travel assistance from Rice Global Paris. Application for assistance is included in the course application.

Course Details:

• Credit Hours: 3 credit hours
• Course Instructor: Dr. Sylvia Dee (EEPS) - lead instructor, in collaboration with Drs. Mark Torres (EEPS), Matthew McCary (BIOS), and Guha Balakrishnan (Rice ECE)
• Course Description: Wine has been produced throughout the subtropics for thousands of years, and is a pillar of the international dining, leisure, and tourism economies. Climate change is altering weather conditions at wineries whose grape production is critically sensitive to seasonal microclimates. This poses a major threat to the wine industry, but also offers opportunities for targeted adaptation. Wine grapes are sensitive not only to climate, but to soil type and health, bedrock geology, and shade (or terroir - all the environmental factors that influence grapes). To adapt and maintain wine economies in France and worldwide, wine makers require high-resolution seasonal climate predictions coupled with geospatial mapping linking grape production and terroir. Themes, Learning Outcomes (LO): This course will immerse students in an environmental problem solving challenge, working in teams to identify climate change ‘choke points’ for wine makers. This highly interdisciplinary course will introduce concepts from climate change to microeconomics, using the wine industry as a case study.
• Who is this class for? This interdisciplinary course is open to students interested in applying quantitative methods spanning Earth & Environmental Sciences, Computer Science and Economics to climate change adaptation problems. We welcome students from all majors who have taken at least one programming course (preferably in Python). Students from highly relevant majors including EEPS, ENVS, ECON, CEVE, ECE, and COMP may be prioritized.
• Course Zoom Information Session: Click here to view the Zoom information session recording.

For questions, visit our FAQ page or email pariscenter@rice.edu. The application deadline is January 26, 2024.