university research expeditions program

All Programs

High school, middle school, apply now & login.

"On these programs, I repeatedly witness students maturing and gaining skills in self-reliance, collaboration, science, and critical thinking. In short, I watch students become leaders." Dr. M. Jackson, National Geographic Explorer

Student Programs to Inspire Your Inner Explorer

Explore with Nat Geo This Summer

Anthropology, Culture, & Tradition

Understand the links between the ancient and present worlds, communities, and traditions, encountering traces of past civilizations and experiencing vibrant traditions that exist today.

Understand the links between the ancient and present worlds, communities, and traditions, encountering traces of…

Climate & Geology

Examine Earth processes, witness dramatic geological forces at work, and discuss the science of global climate change with local researchers.

Examine Earth processes, witness dramatic geological forces at work, and discuss the science of global…

Innovation, Technology & Robotics

Get a firsthand look at new technologies that are being created to address challenges facing the world today.

Get a firsthand look at new technologies that are being created to address challenges facing…

Photography

Set out on shoots to improve your photography or film skills, leveraging storytelling to illuminate the places you encounter.

Set out on shoots to improve your photography or film skills, leveraging storytelling to illuminate…

Wildlife Conservation

Delve into underwater ecosystems and better understand how the health of our oceans, seas, and shorelines impacts all life on Earth.

Delve into underwater ecosystems and better understand how the health of our oceans, seas, and…

View Programs

On these programs, I repeatedly witness students maturing and gaining skills in self-reliance, collaboration, science, and critical thinking. In short, I watch students become leaders. Dr. M. Jackson, National Geographic Explorer

High School & Middle School Programs

National Geographic Student Travel programs enable high school and middle school students to engage with the world in the spirit of National Geographic Explorers—fueled by curiosity, collaboration, and a desire to understand our planet and its people.

• Attend a Webinar

Featured Programs

• University Workshop

Engineering & Robotics on the MIT Campus

• Exploration

• Photo Workshop

Yellowstone

• Canadian Arctic Exploration
• Costa Rica Exploration
• Ecuador & the Galápagos Exploration
• Engineering & Robotics on the MIT Campus University Workshop
• Iceland Exploration
• Japan Exploration
• Namibia Exploration
• Norway Exploration
• Thailand Exploration
• Yellowstone Photography Workshop Photography Workshop
• Middle School Iceland Middle School
• Middle School Italy & Greece Middle School
• About National Geographic Student Travel
• Program Types
• Our Experts
• Our Leaders
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Scholarships
• Apply to Lead
• Terms Of Use
• Putney Privacy Policy
• Request More Information

Putney Student Travel operates student programs under license from the National Geographic Society. The name of \\\\\\\"National Geographic\\\\\\\" and the Yellow Border are trademarks of the National Geographic Society and Putney Student Travel is an authorized user.

877.877.8759 | [email protected] | 345 Hickory Ridge Rd. Putney, VT 05346

National Geographic content straight to your inbox—sign up for our popular newsletters here

• PLANET POSSIBLE

Ever wanted to volunteer for a scientific expedition? Here’s how.

From missing spacecraft to eerie auroras, volunteer scientists are making some amazing discoveries.

Tashi Hackett paddles his kayak on the Snake River, south of Jackson Hole, Wyoming , and pauses near the shore. All around him is the majestic beauty of the Bridger-Teton National Forest , a haven for wildlife watchers, hikers, and campers, located within the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. But Hackett isn’t here for the view; he’s here to help protect the river.

Hackett is one of many volunteers working with Adventure Scientists , a Bozeman, Montana -based nonprofit that harnesses the skills of experienced outdoor recreationists—from mountain climbers to kayakers—to help scientists collect much-needed data on projects ranging from surveying coral reefs to collecting vegetation samples.

Organizations like Adventure Scientists play an important role in research. Professional scientists are constrained by funding, time, and location, which can limit their ability to conduct their work. Laypeople can fill in the gaps, while helping people engage with science.

Survey the Snake River

The Snake River originates in a watershed known as the Snake River headwaters in northwestern Wyoming. From there, it continues west 1,078 miles through Idaho and into Washington State , where it joins the Columbia River. Sections of the headwaters and the Snake are part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System , a federal designation that preserves sections and entire lengths of 226 rivers across the United States .

Like other nationally designated waterways, the Snake has important ecological characteristics. In southern Idaho, it feeds the Snake River Aquifer , one of the country’s most productive sources of groundwater . The headwaters alone are one of the few remaining intact riparian ecosystems (areas where land and water meet, such as flood plains) in the contiguous U.S.

Yet Wild and Scenic Rivers are historically under surveyed, and the water quality of nearly 40 percent of them is categorized as either unknown or unassessed, says Adventure Scientists founder and executive director Gregg Treinish, who was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2013 .

Adventure Scientists is partnering with a variety of agencies, including the National Park Service , U.S. Forest Service , and Bureau of Land Management , on a five-year endeavor to enlist volunteers like Hackett to gather data on the Snake River. Participants for all projects receive training before going out into the field. Currently, there are 99 teams with more than 500 people on a waitlist.

“By doing this comprehensive effort and by doing it with a ‘citizen science’ model, we’re able to provide the managers with a resource that they desperately need to properly manage these waterways,” he says.

( Parisians want to recover a legendary river, now buried under concrete .)

In the field

Now in its 10th year, Adventure Scientists has enlisted volunteers to collect data for projects around the globe. One project amassed the largest known microplastics data set ever recorded , illustrating the global reach of microplastics pollution. Another gathered scat samples from around the world to help Harvard Medical School researchers study antibiotic resistance .

The current timber tracking project creates libraries of chemical and genetic data about trees in the U.S. to help combat timber poaching around the world. Recently, DNA evidence from that project helped convict two men charged with selling maple trees illegally harvested from Washington’s Olympic National Forest .

“All of our projects are filtered through this lens of ‘is there a tangible pathway to impact?’” explains Treinish.

( Here’s how volunteers are helping scientists during the pandemic . )

On a recent day, Hackett’s schedule begins before 8 a.m. and goes late into the afternoon, with 10 sampling sites on his agenda. By 9 a.m. Hackett is surveying another section of the Snake in Grand Teton National Park . A bald eagle soars overhead as a group of rafters descend on the Deadmans Bar boat ramp nearby. Hackett passes the boaters to a spot about a hundred feet upstream.

There, he wades out into the shallow water, calibrates a probe, and begins to collect measurements. He records information like pH and dissolved oxygen on an app, while also assessing the habitat, including trees, shrubs, and grasses on the bank and at the water’s edge. He adds notes about canopy cover, erosion, and the popularity of the site among commercial outfitters, before taking photos.

Although Hackett is a research scientist by profession, volunteering on the Snake River on his own time, anyone can volunteer. Teams go into the field in pairs for safety. Sometimes the weather is perfect; other times it’s far from ideal. One trip had Hackett wading through a bog and thick brush during a snowstorm.

Another time, in late fall, he donned a dry suit and life jacket to attempt sampling. But ice made it difficult to reach the river and the freezing temperature prevented his equipment from operating correctly. Despite the occasional weather challenges, the lifelong whitewater enthusiast says he enjoys the opportunity to give back.

“It’s been an incredible opportunity to help establish a baseline, more or less, for data that’s going to be used for a long time, to know what the health of the river shed of the place that I love is,” Hackett says. “That feels very impactful and hopefully will be of benefit.”

( Rivers and lakes are the most degraded ecosystems in the world. Can we save them? )

Making an impact

The data Hackett and other volunteers gather is analyzed by scientists and used to advance knowledge. One of the organization’s most heralded projects in 2011 involved twin brother mountain climbing guides Damian and Willie Benegas. Together, they ascended 22,300 feet on Mount Everest to collect samples of the highest-known plant life on Earth.

These plants had fungi living within their roots, resulting in a symbiotic relationship known to allow plants to thrive in harsh conditions. The samples helped researchers develop new methods to grow more climate resilient crops . Damian Benegas says the experience helped fulfill “our childhood dream of trying to understand our surroundings.”

( One way to get kids interested in science? Let them volunteer .)

The Benegas brothers have participated in other scientific endeavors, including a study to see if altitude influences gene expression. That project was modeled after a famous NASA study analyzing how time in space affected twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly.

More than 1.5 million volunteers have participated in NASA’s citizen science projects , which range from analyzing air quality and soundscapes to recording sightings of fireballs and asteroids in the sky.

Sometimes volunteers make extraordinary discoveries. In 2020, volunteers on the Aurorasaurus team, led by Elizabeth MacDonald, a space scientist who works for NASA’s Greenbelt, Maryland-based Goddard Space Flight Center , compiled observations of a purple ribbon of light in the sky. Some scientists believe this light may be a new kind of aurora. Later dubbed STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), the rare phenomenon is still being studied .

Not every volunteer scientist is working on a formally organized project. Scott Tilley, an amateur astronomer in British Columbia , located a missing spacecraft in 2018. One night, while looking for the Zuma satellite , he detected a signal he hadn’t cataloged before. It didn’t have the right characteristics to be Zuma.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was NASA spacecraft 26113, which he soon learned belonged to a mission called IMAGE. The spacecraft launched in 2000, but NASA lost contact with it in 2005. Tilley even found a mission failure report. But the spacecraft he found had a strong, healthy radio signal.

Tilley’s wife encouraged him to reach out to the scientists involved with the project, so he sent an email before going to bed. He says he “woke up the next morning to an inbox that had just exploded… My phone had gone nuts. All these people from NASA were trying to reach out to me and find more information,” he says.

After confirming Tilley’s discovery, a team was able to collect data from the spacecraft before they lost contact again. Thirteen years after NASA lost contact with the satellite, Tilley says his discovery “allowed them to kind of close the book on that mission.”

How You Can Help the Planet

There are many ways to get your hands dirty in the name of science. The National Park Service and other federal agencies have volunteer projects ranging from air quality monitoring to marine ecosystem work on CitizenScience.gov . NASA provides a robust lineup of volunteer astronomy endeavors. National Geographic Society and iNaturalist’s BioBlitz has families, teachers, and scientists cataloguing the biodiversity of neighborhoods and even backyards. SciStarter links people with a wide variety of projects, from a slug survey to community mapping to working with medieval manuscripts. Many activities can be done from home.

Kristen Pope is a freelance writer covering science, conservation, wildlife, and climate change.

Related Topics

• ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION
• WATER CONSERVATION
• CITIZEN SCIENCE
• VOLUNTEERING
• VOLUNTOURISM
• NATIONAL PARKS

You May Also Like

10 best things to do in North Carolina

Visiting Texas? Here’s what the locals love.

For hungry minds.

This tiny island is the best place to dive in the Caribbean

Go wild: these are the best U.S. national parks to suit every taste

How a wild river became a national park—and sparked a movement

Can tourism help recovery after a disaster?

25 essential drives for a U.S. road trip

• Environment
• Perpetual Planet

History & Culture

• History & Culture
• History Magazine
• Gory Details
• Mind, Body, Wonder
• Paid Content
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center

Costa rica winter research expedition.

The CSU-LSAMP Costa Rica Winter Research Training Expedition is a beginning research experience in which students learn the foundations of inquiry-based research, including experimental design, research methods, and analysis while exploring the spectacular ecosystems of Costa Rica. Students receive instruction in the development of research questions, fundamentals of experimental design, sampling, hypothesis testing, and the responsible conduct of research, while engaging in hands-on activities across a wide variety of habitats and landscapes. Students with little or no research experience will benefit from participating in group research activities in terrestrial agroecology. 

The CSU-LSAMP Costa Rica Winter Research Training Expedition  is restricted to only CSU Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (CSU-LSAMP) participants. Travel expenses (flights, local ground transportation, lodging, and meals) will be covered for all CSU-LSAMP student participating in the expedition. First and second year students are especially encouraged to apply. Read on for information on how STEM undergraduates can become LSAMP participants.

Applications for the 2024 CSU-LSAMP Costa   Rica Winter Research Expedition are now closed. Details on future expeditions will become available in fall 2024. 

Program Details

• The 2024 CSU-LSAMP Costa   Rica Winter Research Expedition will run January 1-19, 2024; students will fly on the 1st, landing in Costa   Rica  on January 2nd.
• Total immersion in tropical biodiversity: rainforest, cloud forest, mangroves, coffee plantations
• Selection of students is based on application questionnaire, academic transcripts, references, and interview
• Lower division students  are particularly encouraged to apply, but the program is open to all CSU-LSAMP undergraduates.

Program Leaders: John "Buck" Banks , UROC Director, CSUMB

• Expand icon Application

The 2024 CSU-LSAMP Costa   Rica  Winter Research Expedition will run January 1-19, 2023; students will fly on the 1st, landing in  Costa   Rica on January 2nd. A complete application includes the following:

1. Application form (found on InfoReady). 2. Your current college transcript (unofficial transcripts are acceptable). 3. Your transcript from any other college you have attended. 4. 2 Reference Names (professors or advisors).

Non-CSU Monterey Bay Students: Please use this guide to register for InfoReady. 

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed, no exceptions. Contact Dr. John Banks , if you have questions regarding your application or any detail of the program.

Deadline is September 22, 2023 @12 p.m .

• Expand icon Program Costs
• Only CSU-LSAMP students are eligible for participation.
• CSU Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (CSU-LSAMP) students admitted to the program will have all travel costs covered . This includes all meals, in-country travel, and lodging.  
• Expand icon Eligibility

Students who meet the following criteria are encouraged to apply.

• Only CSU-LSAMP students will be eligible to participate. 
• Students with an interest in an intensive tropical research experience or any STEM research field.
• First & Second year students are especially encouraged to apply.

You do not have to have research experience to apply to this program. There is no minimum GPA requirement

• Expand icon Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are the program dates?

The 2024 CSU-LSAMP Costa   Rica Winter Research Expedition will run January 1-19, 2024; students will fly on the 1st, landing in Costa   Rica  on January 2nd. During the program, the group will travel to a few different locations across several different ecosystems in Costa Rica. On the last few days of the course, the group will travel back to San Jose and fly back to the United States.

Is there any course credit associated with participation in this program?

There is no course credit associated with this program.

I am not a first- or second-year, or transfer student. Am I still eligible to apply for this program?

The program is particularly designed for students who are at the very beginning stages of their exploration of the research processes used in ecology. In addition, one of the goals of the NSF funded CSU LSAMP program, which supports CSU-LSAMP participants, is to train students on the skills and techniques necessary for success in STEM careers. In particular, the CSU LSAMP program is eager to provide this type of training to students at the start of their academic careers.  However, students who are later on in their academic careers are still invited to apply.

Do I have to be a STEM major to participate in this program?

Yes, because to be eligible for the LSAMP program and the full scholarship provided to LSAMP applicants, you must be a STEM major. The focus of the program is on Life Sciences research and the statistical and field-based research approaches necessary to investigate this field.

Does the application require transcripts?

The application does request transcripts.

Does the application require letters of recommendation?

As part of your application you will be asked to have two different references submit an evaluation of you and your personal and professional characteristics. Two references are required for a complete application. 

The application process will ask you to provide your references' email address. Your reference will receive an email that includes a link for them to complete their reference of you. If there are any issues, they can always email Dr. Jessica Bautista at [email protected] for more information.

How do I apply for the LSAMP scholarship if I am already an LSAMP participant?

If you are already an LSAMP participant you simply need to indicate on your application that you are a CSU LSAMP participant by checking the appropriate box next to the question "Are you a current CSU-LSAMP student?" on the first page of the application.

How will I know what to bring? And what not to bring?

The Instructors and Facilitators for this program have many years of experience leading students on field research excursions in Costa Rica. They have used this experience and perspective to create detailed lists of exactly what to bring and what not to bring. If you are selected for this program you will very quickly receive all the information you need about how to prepare. If you still have questions you will be able to contact the instructors with any concerns or details you have.

International Air Travel: How is this arranged? Will I be flying and traveling internationally alone?

If you are feeling apprehensive about the prospect of traveling alone internationally, don't worry. If you are admitted to the Winter Research Expedition, your flight and travel arrangements will be arranged for you.

What are living accommodations like?

Living accommodations vary widely depending on what part of the country the group is in, but they are almost always communal. Expect to regularly be sharing rooms with your peers. Accommodation will vary from shared hotel rooms to open-air bunk houses.

How many students are typically selected each year to participate?

The number of participants is about 10.

• Expand icon Become a part of CSU LSAMP

What is LSAMP?

The goal of the CSU Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program is to increase the participation of individuals who face or have faced social, educational, or economic barriers to careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

Eligibility:

To become a CSU LSAMP participant, students must:

• Be an individual from a minority group who is underrepresented in STEM and has faced or faces social, educational, or economic barriers to careers in STEM.
• Be enrolled at a participating campus in an undergraduate major in STEM discipline or have expressed an interest in pursuing a STEM baccalaureate degree
• Be a U.S Citizen or Permanent Resident

Thanks for helping us improve csumb.edu. Spot a broken link, typo, or didn't find something where you expected to? Let us know. We'll use your feedback to improve this page, and the site overall.

Click here  for details on our COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Travel the world. make a difference..

Earthwatch expeditions pair researchers with volunteers to address some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Explore our current expeditions to discover how you can make a difference.

Help conserve wildlife within the Amazon Basin as you search for pink river dolphins, macaws, and other iconic species.

How much can the humble caterpillar tell us about the world we live in? More than you might imagine.

Scientists expect to see the greatest effects of climate change in the Arctic. But what, exactly, will these effects be?

Amongst the lush forest, help study bees, hummingbirds, and pollinators critical to ecological health.

Why have Pacific leatherback sea turtles almost disappeared? Look for answers and solutions on Costa Rica’s beaches.

Join scientists on the largest island in the Caribbean to conduct an assessment of its diverse array of bird species.

CUSTOM EXPEDITIONS FOR GROUPS

Explore the world together. Our expert staff can coordinate a meaningful experience for school groups, corporate employees, alumni associations, community groups, or other affiliations.

Learn more about group expeditions

Be more than a tourist

This trip exceeded every expectation I had set for it greatly. Maria Fernanda Ayala — Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge

Our Research Focus

Terrestrial Ecosystems

Preserve and restore forests, assess and mitigate the impacts of a changing climate, and conserve biodiversity. 

More about Terrestrial Ecosystems

Ocean Ecosystems

Take action to protect marine habitats, conserve biodiversity, and promote sustainable livelihoods.

More about Ocean Ecosystems

Sustainable Cities and Communities

Collect essential environmental data to promote urban resiliency while helping to influence positive change.

More about Sustainable Cities and Communities

--> University of California, Berkeley. Research Expeditions Program

• EAC-CPF XML

Hide Profile

• Relationships
• Occupations

The University Research Expeditions Program (UREP) was implemented by Director Jean Colvin at the University of California, Berkeley in 1976. The program was designed to encourage involvement of interested scholars and lay people to travel the world performing research work in remote areas in collaboration with UC professors and graduate students.

From the description of University Research Expeditions Program records, 1976-2001. (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 642371094

Corporate Body

Active 1976

Active 2001

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6qs12w4

Ark ID: w6qs12w4

SNAC ID: 38972963

Variant Names

Shared related resources.

University of California, Berkeley. Research Expeditions Program

Social Networks and Archival Context

SNAC is a discovery service for persons, families, and organizations found within archival collections at cultural heritage institutions.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Institute of Museum and Library Services National Endowment for the Humanities

University of Virginia Library National Archives and Records Administration

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Student Experiences Aboard Ships

STEMSEAS aims to provide ship-based, 6-10 day exploratory experiences for undergraduates from diverse backgrounds aboard NSF-funded research vessels. Students will sail with experienced faculty and graduate student near-peer mentors, and engage in geoscience and oceanography activities (while also having fun)!

Most expenses (travel to/from the ports of call, materials, and living expenses while on the ship) will be paid by the program- there is very little cost to participants. Want to see what a STEMSEAS cruise is like? Watch these videos made by STEMSEAS students:

STEMSEAS: A Journey that Could Change Your Life

We also had a feature in the STEM for All Video Showcase here !

You may also want to check out this TedX talk by one of our alumni about the impact of STEMSEAS, and other programs, on her path. She talks specifically about STEMSEAS starting around 04:00, but the whole speech is inspiring!

You can also listen to a podcast featuring STEMSEAS students and another one from AGU2018 featuring an interview with STEMSEAS PIs.

2024 Expeditions – tentative schedule (subject to funding availability)

June 30 – July 9, San Francisco to Honolulu, R/V Kilo Moana

July 29 –  August 3, Seward to Nome, R/V Sikuliaq

September (exact dates TBD), Lewes DE to Lewes DE (Chesapeake Bay), R/V Hugh Sharp

September 29 – October 3, Newport OR to San Diego, CA, R/V Sally Ride

Other opportunities may be added during the year. You can always let us know you’d like to be notified of schedule updates here . And to read a bit about past student experiences, be sure to visit  our blog page .

Are you a STEMSEAS alum, graduate student or scientist interested in leading a STEMSEAS transit? We are always looking for excellent, enthusiastic, creative and flexible instructors and mentors! It’s rewarding, a lot of fun, and we’ll even pay you! You can apply here for these positions now or any time and we will keep your information in our files.

Application Process

Applications for our 2024 season are open.  To be eligible, you must be a U.S. citizen 18 years of age or over and enrolled in an accredited 2- or 4-year college or university.  The application includes:

• A completed application form
• A copy of your latest unofficial transcript
• A recommendation from a professor, adviser or employer (current or former)

About the selection process: We select participants for cruises in the order they occur in the calendar. We will contact you for an interview 8-10 weeks prior to a cruise if you are a finalist . If you do not hear from us, then you are not selected for that cruise. But we will continue to consider your application for each cruise for which you’ve indicated you are available. Contact us privately with any specific questions!

Please look for updates here and on the STEMSEAS Facebook page .

Several articles about STEMSEAS:

From Inside HigherEd

From Columbia Climate School

From University of Delaware

From Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory’s blog

From Oceanography Magazine

From IUP News

From University of Massachusetts

From our graduate student blog

From ECOGIG

From Gallaudet

Conference Papers produced by STEMSEAS alumni and mentors:

Sharon Cooper (LDEO), Lisa White (UCMP), and Jonanthan Lewis (IUP) (2020). Addressing geoscience diversity with innovative at-sea experiences for students and educators . European Geophysical Union General Assembly. on-line (originally Vienna, Austria).

Sharon Cooper, Columbia University in the City of New York; Raquel Bryant, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Jonathan Lewis, Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus; Lisa White, University of California Museum of Paleontology (2019). Come Out to Sea – It Will Change Your Life! . Earth Educator’s Rendezvous. Nashville, TN.

Yasmin Sharbaf, Wellesley College, Neuroscience, Wellesley, MA, United States, Alhasan Alshaarbaf, University of St. Thomas, Biology, Houston, TX, United States and Benjamin Andrew Keisling, UMass Amherst-Geosciences, Amherst, MA, United States (2019). ED32C-07: How the Wind and Waves of STEMSEAS Voyage towards a Diverse Scientific Experience. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA.

Anjali Malati Khisty, Lone Star Community College – University Park, Geology, Spring, TX, United States; Lone Star Community College – University Park, Spring, United States and Benjamin Andrew Keisling, UMass Amherst-Geosciences, Amherst, MA, United States; University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Geosciences, Amherst, MA, United States (2019). ED33G-1049 Participation In Science Oriented Programs Facilitates Undergraduate Learning and Future Success in Research. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA.

Michael Martins, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Mathematics, Fairbanks, AK, United States and Kevin Huo, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Anthropology / Political Science, Fairbanks, AK, United States (2019). ED33G-1050: Learning Outcomes of Field Experiences From the Perspective of Undergraduate Students . American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA.

Emma Renee Renee Robertson, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States, Raquel Bryant, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Geosciences, Amherst, MA, United States, Ciera Renee Carter, Mt. San Antonio College, Los Angeles, United States and Melissa Martinez, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, United States (2019). ED34A-09: STEMSEAS: Student Perspectives on Addressing Issues of Diversity and Inclusion in the Geosciences through Field Research Experiences for Undergraduates. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA.

Sydney Shaner, University of Florida, Geological Sciences, Ft Walton Beach, FL, United States, Lisa D White, University of California Berkeley, Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, CA, United States and Sharon K Cooper, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY, United States (2020). ED34D-3688: STEMSEAS as a Conduit for Furthering Science Communication and Academic Careers. Ocean Sciences 2020. San Diego, CA.

Jonathan C Lewis Indiana University of Pennsylvania Main Campus Sharon K Cooper Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (2020). ED43A-04 – STEMSEAS: An Inclusive, High-Impact Model for Undergraduates to Discover Their Futures by Going to Sea . Ocean Sciences. San Diego, CA.

Tiffany Willis, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego, CA, United States, Lisa D White, University of California Berkeley, Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, CA, United States and Sharon K Cooper, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY, United States (2020). ED51A-12 Impact of STEMSEAS Program on Underrepresented Undergraduate Student Experiences in Pursuing Marine Science Research . Ocean Sciences 2020. San Diego, CA.

Baylee A. Sergent and Isabel J. Kain (2020). STEMSEAS Impact Study: Effect on Student Self-Efficacy and Inclusion in Geoscience. AGU Ocean Sciences 2020. San Diego, CA.

Jonathan C Lewis, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Main Campus, Geoscience, Indiana, PA, United States and Sharon K Cooper, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY, United States (2019). STEMSEAS: A Vehicle for Broadening Participation in the Emerging STEM Ecosystem . American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. San Francisco,

See FAQ’s below for some common questions; for additional questions, please contact:

Sharon Cooper: scooper@ldeo.columbia.edu

Jon Lewis: jclewis@iup.edu

FAQs ( if you don’t see your question answered here, contact us!)

I am a non-STEM student but this sounds interesting. Can I apply?

Yes! We are interested in students from a few specific non-STEM fields participating for reasons of STEM awareness. Students in English, Education, Art, Film Studies, pre-Law and Journalism are especially encouraged to apply

I have already declared my major in Geoscience but I’m only a Freshman. Should I apply?

Yes. We are very keen to have students early in their studies participate.

I’m at a community college studying a non-STEM field that is not one STEMSEAS listed above, but I’m considering changing to a STEM field and completing a 4-year degree. Am I eligible?

Yes, We are very interested in students transitioning between 2-year and 4-year institutions.

Can high school students apply?

Students who have graduated from high school, are already 18 years old and plan to enroll at a 2-year or 4-year institution in the coming year may apply.

I am not a U.S. citizen but attend a U.S. university/college. Am I eligible?

Sorry but no. You must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national OR permanent resident.

I am a U.S. citizen but attend school in another country. Am I eligible?

Are graduate students eligible?

Not as participants, as this program is specifically for undergraduates. However, we have one paid position on every expedition for a graduate student mentor. You can apply for those positions here .

I am a STEM major about to graduate this May, can I participate?

Yes. Although our focus is primarily on undergraduates, we are also interested in students making the transition from college to the workforce or graduate study.

I am a STEM major and I have done similar things. I am eager to have more experiences at sea. Should I apply?

Yes, but recognize that we are trying to provide experiences for students who are not as far along in their studies (e.g., freshman) or who are not certain which STEM field, if any, is right for them.

What research will we do on the ship?

The voyages are all transits between research expeditions so there will be no set research projects underway during the transits. However, we will attempt to make use of the ship to demonstrate an array of scientific research practices and techniques. Sometimes, we’ll be able to collect samples along the way and we will use these to run a suite of standard analyses. We also hope to generate data about both the water column and the seafloor that we will process. Some of these data may be contributed to globally shared databases. If samples are collected, it is possible that our mentors will analyze them for specific parameters that will then be shared. These data certainly could be used as the basis of a student-driven research project. Be aware, however, that STEMSEAS is primarily an exploratory, introductory and “sampler” program, not an in-depth research experience.

I get sick easily on buses, trains and planes. Should I apply? Will I get seasick?

If you are prone to motion sickness, in all likelihood you would find sailing on a research vessel more than just miserable. Take this into consideration. A lot of students do get seasick the first day or two; for most, it goes away after that.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Back to School: Combining Travel With Learning

By Janet Piorko

• Jan. 10, 1988

FOR youthful travelers, vacation can mean a welcome hiatus from classrooms, books and study; for another, often older group it means the opposite, an opportunity to spend two or three weeks rediscovering the pleasures of learning, in many cases through seminars, lectures or research projects. A wide array of programs sponsored by academic institutions, museums and nonprofit organizations offers the opportunity to combine travel and education. In many cases, such trips afford travelers experiences and contacts they might not obtain on their own - whether it be tracking dolphins as part of a research team in Hawaii with the University of California's University Research Expeditions Program or meeting garden owners in Ireland with a New York Botanical Garden group.

Often a traveler choosing an educational travel experience turns first to his or her alma mater, and alumni travel is a big part of educational travel; Stanford's alumni association, to name one, is planning more than 40 trips in 1988, according to a member of the association's staff. The following roundup does not list such trips, since they are generally geared to alumni, their families and sometimes their friends, although several alumni association spokesmen said that any adult who was interested in the educational aims of such trips -and who was willing to pay to join the alumni association - would be welcome. University alumni organizations vary in their attitudes; a spokesman for the University of Michigan's alumni association said the group had no interest in publicizing its program to the general public, while a Dartmouth official said the connection was largely irrelevant on trips. ''People become part of one intellectual family,'' said Steven L. Calvert, director of continuing education and conferences for Dartmouth. ''If people are trying to avoid the intellectual program, they will become outcasts.''

Programs sponsored by extension, adult education or other divisions of universities are also an option. Cornell has been running domestic and foreign study tours for 20 years, initially as part of an alumni program, now as part of Cornell's Adult University, a department of the Division of Summer Session, Extramural Study and Related Programs. Most participants have a Cornell connection, ''but these are not alumni rah-rah programs,'' said Ralph Janis, director of the Adult University.

''You don't have to join the alumni association, and we don't list people's class years on name tags. Learning is the point of it,'' he added.

Other major sponsors of travel programs are museums and other nonprofit organizations. By one estimate, there are about 250 museums offering such programs. The Smithsonian Associates Travel Program offers more than 100 trips. Usually deluxe, museum tours are typically accompanied by a lecturer from the museum or from another institution; in addition to their substantial price tags, they often require a tax-deductible contribution - generally at least $200 - as well.

Most academic and cultural institutions rely in varying degrees on commercial tour companies for assistance in putting together their travel programs. Several companies specialize in the market, among them Academic Arrangements Abroad and Travel Dynamics in New York and Academic Travel Abroad in Washington.

Specialists in the field have suggestions for travelers who are seeking to evaluate an educational tour.

''Travelers should first look at what the aim of the sponsoring institution is,'' according to Harriet Friedlander, president of Academic Arrangements Abroad. ''Is it purely a fund-raiser? Is the package something you can take off the shelf at a travel agency, with a representative of the institution thrown in?

''Take a look at who the lecturer is,'' she said. ''We always know, and we always provide a c.v. I would look for a program with one strong sponsor with an educational aim and a first-rate lecturer.''

Prospective travelers should also be aware that, apart from a few major institutions, museums and other organizations draw heavily on local markets. ''A trip with the Art Institute of Chicago will have participants who are mostly from that area,'' said Margaret Devlin, vice president of sales for Travel Dynamics. Therefore, travelers may be with a group that is geographically homogeneous, and it may take a little extra effort to arrange plane connections to join the group. In some cases, a sponsoring organization will require that all travel arrangements be made through the company that is putting the tour together.

The following is a sampling of educational travel programs in various categories: university-related programs, museum tours, tours sponsored by other nonprofit organizations and research expeditions.

The programs are all sponsored by or affiliated with an educational institution, museum or nonprofit organization; they are either geared to adult travelers or have adults as a substantial percentage of the group; they have no specific academic requirements, last a maximum of three weeks and do not necessarily involve academic credit (in some cases, credit is available and tuition is included). An effort has been made to discuss institutions of various sizes and programs in different price ranges.

Prices are for one person, based on double occupancy, unless otherwise specified. They generally include accommodations and at least some meals. In the case of museum tours, the cost of membership (which is generally mandatory) is not included in the price, nor is the additional contribution to the institution. It is crucial that prospective travelers know what to expect in terms of accommodations, which may be in modest dormitories with common bath or, in the case of research expeditions or outdoor trips, in rustic facilities.

Among books on the subject, two good ones are ''Vacation Study Abroad'' ($19.95) and ''Study in the United Kingdom and Ireland'' ($14.95), both paperbacks published by the Institute of International Education. They are available from the organization's Publications Service, 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10017; 212-984-5412. The institute also has an office and library at the same address but with a different phone number (212-984-5413) where volunteers assist those seeking an educational travel program; it can provide information, for example, on the many British universities that have summer schools open to overseas students. Universities ELDERHOSTEL 80 Boylston Street, Suite 400, Boston, Mass. 02116; 617-426-8056. Overview Independent nonprofit corporation offering about 800 programs for participants 60 and older (or the spouse or companion of a person 60 or older) at colleges, universities and other institutions in more than 30 countries overseas as well as in the United States and Canada. In 1986, 112,000 participants enrolled. No educational requirements. Sample Programs Shenandoah College and Conservatory, Winchester, Va. Studying Aaron Copland, Modern Southern Writers and the Civil War from May 15 to 21; Toscanini, Maria Callas and the Guitar: An Appreciation from May 29 to June 4; Odysseus, Major Voices of Modern American Poetry and Colonial Sites of Northern Virginia from June 12 to 18. Cost of $215 includes accommodations; air fare or other transportation is extra. Turkey, three weeks, many departures from May 31 to Sept. 27. Seven nights in Istanbul, five in central Turkey and eight in western Anatolia, includes lectures in the Hittite and Phrygian Arts; the Civilization of Western Anatolia and the Byzantine Civilization and the Ottoman Empire and Arts. Cost is $2,390 or $2,420, including air fare. INTERHOSTEL University of New Hampshire Division of Continuing Education, 6 Garrison Avenue, Durham, N.H. 03824; 603-862-1147. Overview International travel/study for adults over 50, in its ninth year. Each of 14 programs is co-sponsored by an overseas university or other institution. Classroom lectures combined with excursions. Sample Programs Bamberg and Munich, West Germany, April 18 to May 2. In cooperation with the Spracheninstitut, Bamberg, lectures on German history, politics, economics, art, music and literature as well as visits to Nuremberg, Rothenburg and Wurzburg. Accommodations are in hotels. Cost is $1,195 without air fare. Florence, Italy, May 15 to June 4. In cooperation with the Studio Arts Center International in Florence. Nine hours a week of classes in any two of the following: watercolor, oil painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography, batik or silk screening. Lectures and discussions on art history along with guided tours of the Uffizi Galleries, the Bargello Museum, the Accademia and the Medici Chapel. Dormitory accommodations, dining hall meals. Cost is $1,795 without air fare. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA: BERKELEY EXTENSION 2223 Fulton Street, Berkeley, Calif. 94720; 415-642-8840. Overview Travel-study programs open to the general public. Credit available. Sample Programs Oxford/Berkeley program, June 27 to July 16 and July 18 to Aug. 6. Three or six weeks at Worcester College, with courses taught by tutors in small-group seminars. Courses include Chaucer and the Middle Ages, The Evolution of the English Village, The Novel and Society, History Through the English Landscape, Shakespeare: The Comedies, The Archeology of Prehistoric England, Victorian Society, Shakespeare: The Tragedies, Virginia Woolf and Bloomsbury, Roman Britain and The English Medieval Church. Cost is $2,000 for a three-week session, $3,700 for two sessions, and includes accommodations in a single room; air fare and field trips are extra. Paris program, July 3 to 23. Participants take one of several liberal arts courses, all given in French, that include The History of French Cinema, The Art of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, The History of Paris Through Its Architecture, Literary Paris in the 1920's and 1930's and a French-language course.Classes are at the Odeon Center; accommodations at the Fondation des Etats-Unis, reached by Metro from the Odeon. Cost is $1,920, including accommodations in a single room; air fare is extra. Inside the London Theater Scene, July 11 to 30. In cooperation with the National Theater. Lecture-demonstrations by British actors, playwrights, directors and drama critics; 12 evening performances include the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theater and others. Cost is $1,975 without air fare. Lodgings and meals are at a student dormitory of the University of London. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA: LOS ANGELES EXTENSION Travel Study/Department of Marketing, Post Office Box 24901, Los Angeles, Calif. 90024; 213-825-1901. Overview Travel/study programs open to the general public. Credit available. Sample Programs Cambridge, July 3 to 23 and July 24 to Aug. 13. Live and study at Trinity Hall for one or two three-week sessions, concentrating on one subject. Course titles include British Intelligence Operations in the 20th Century, Medieval English Society, The English Village, Tudor England, English Country Houses, Landscapes and Gardens, Jane Austen and the 19th-Century Novel, Dickens and the Victorian Age, Modernism in English Literature, The Theme of Love in Shakespeare's Plays, Darwin and His Times, Celts, Romans and Saxons, Churchill and His Times, and The World of Samuel Pepys. Instructors are usually faculty from Cambridge or scholars from other English universities, or both. There are class excursions and guest lecturers. Cost is $2,395 for three weeks, $4,325 for six weeks; air fare additional. Accommodations and meals in residence halls. Royal College of Art, London, July 2 to 23 and July 23 to Aug. 13. Participants attend studio classes and lectures taught by British artists and scholars. Courses include Watercolor: The English Landscape, Drawing and Painting in the English Nature Tradition, Contemporary Fashion Design Studio, Print Making: The Spirit of London, Discovering London Through Its Architecture, English Gardens and Landscapes, Textile Design and Production Studio, Jewelry and Metal Work, Art, Architecture and Design of the 19th Century, Photography Arts of the English Renaissance. Accommodations in dormitories near the college. The cost is $2,495 for three weeks, $4,495 for six weeks; air fare additional. Also, about 30 to 40 travel/study programs, particularly in science. No academic requirements. Costa Rica, Feb. 11 to 28. Focusing on natural history, in cooperation with Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica. With Mildred Mathias, professor emeritus of botany at U.C.L.A., and Rafael Campos-Ramirez, assistant curator, School of Biology, University of Costa Rica. Cost is $2,150 without air fare. Spring Gardens of the Southeastern United States, March 26 to April 9. Includes Savannah, Charleston, Calloway Gardens and others. With Mildred Mathias. Cost is $1,896 without air fare to Atlanta. Natural History and Wildlife of Australia, Sept. 30 to Oct. 21. Ayers Rock, Cairns rain forest, Great Barrier Reef. With Hartmut Walter, professor of biogeography at U.C.L.A. Emphasis on natural environment, viewing of wildlife. Cost about $5,000 including air fare from Los Angeles. CORNELL'S ADULT UNIVERSITY 626B Thurston Avenue, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850; 607-255-6260. Overview Study tours overseas and in the United States as well as an extensive program of courses at the Ithaca campus. Sample Programs The New Orleans Jazz Tradition, April 27 to May 1. Exploring the social roots of the development of jazz, with Peggy Haine, a jazz performer who is also director of the Cornell University Summer College, and Martin Hatch, professor of music at Cornell. The group will discuss and attend events during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Cost is $795 including hotel accommodations; air fare is extra. Arizona: The Desert and the Sky, May 14 to 19: Studying desert ecology and astronomy with Verne Rockcastle, professor emeritus of science and environmental education at Cornell, and Yervant Terzian, chairman of the department of astronomy. The itinerary will include a visit to the Sonora Desert Museum and the Kitt Peak National Observatory. Cost is $895 without air fare. China: The Far West and the Silk Road, May 15 to June 6. Led by Charles A. Peterson, a Cornell historian, the group will visit Beijing, Kashgar, Urumqi, Turpan, Dunhuang, Lanzhou, Xian and Shanghai. Cost is $4,200, including air fare from the West Coast of the United States. EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY Office of International Studies, 333 Goodison Hall, Ypsilanti, Mich. 48197. 313-487-2424. Overview Travel study program offering academic credit but open to auditors; price includes tuition. Sample Programs Ecology of the Galapagos Islands, July 5 to 23. Strong concentration on biology; tour will be accompanied by Robert Neely, biology professor. Simple accommodations on small boats, minimal comforts. Primarily independent study; all participants will keep a journal. Price is $2,595 from Miami, including air fare. Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, July 28 to Aug. 20. Designed primarily for undergraduates, draws a mix of participants; last year about a third of the group was older than college age. Directed by Walter Moss, a history professor. Visits Moscow, Leningrad, Novgorod, Tbilisi and Baku in the U.S.S.R., and Warsaw and Cracow in Poland. Cost is $2,099, including air fare from Detroit. New York University School of Continuing Education, 331-332 Shimkin Hall, Washington Square, New York, N.Y. 10003; 212-998-7133. Overview Ten international programs currently scheduled for 1988. Sample Programs Brazil: Carnival and Beyond, Feb. 7 to 21. Visits Bahia, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia; Rio de Janeiro, with seats for Carnival parade and tickets for a ball. Includes a three-day boat trip on the Amazon. With Francis Moreira, who holds a graduate degree from N.Y.U. in cultural anthropology, with a specialty in Brazilian dance and culture. The cost is $3,190 a person, double occupancy, including air fare from Miami. Egypt: A Journey Through Time, Dec. 19 to Jan. 2. Visits Cairo, Abu Simbel, Aswan, Luxor, Memphis and other sites. Includes a six-day cruise on an Oberoi Nile ship. With Dr. Mona Mikhail, a faculty member at N.Y.U.'s Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies. Cost is $2,690 a person, double occupancy, including air fare and some meals. PRATT INSTITUTE Continuing Education, 200 Willoughby Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11205; 718-636-3453. Overview Several study trips abroad, some open only to students and those who have a background in art. The following examples, however, carry no academic requirements. Sample Programs Architecture in Japan, May 20 to June 4. Visits Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya and Tokyo, including meetings with Japanese architects to discuss their work. Led by Lynne Breslin, adjunct faculty member at Pratt and an architect in private practice in New York. Cost is $2,850 a person, including air fare. Sketching in Rio, late December (exact date not set). Features morning sketching trips around the city; subjects include samba dancers rehearsing for Carnival, historic buildings and churches, local markets. Critiques with instructor, Barbara Carr, an illustrator and visiting professor at Pratt. Some participants are professionals in a related field; others are interested amateurs. Cost is $1,800, including air fare. SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY Division of International Programs Abroad, 119 Euclid Avenue, Syracuse, N.Y. 13244; 315-423-3471. Overview Study tours geared to adults, optional academic credit. Cost is about $100 a day including air fare. Sample Programs Soviet Union: A Triangle of Cities, May 9 to 20. Visits Kiev, Novgorod, Vladimir, Moscow and Leningrad. With Norman Reuter, an adjunct professor. Focus is on history seen through architecture. Medieval Pilgrimage Routes, May 30 to June 10, with lectures on Romanesque art. Follows an 1,800-mile route from Arles, France, across the Pyrenees and northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Study churches, monasteries, iconography. Led by William Melczer, a professor in the department of language and literature and chairman of the university's program in Madrid. Politics, Literature and the Theater in London, June 13 to 24. Lectures, seminars and performances. With Fred Frohock, chairman of the political science department. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN Division of Outreach, 432 North Lake Street, Madison, Wis. 53706; 608-263-2774. Overview Study tours geared to adults. Sample Programs British and French Gardens, May 23 to June 6. Accompanied by Robert Najem, professor of French. Includes Chelsea Flower Show in London, Giverny in France. Cost is about $2,900 including air fare from Chicago. United Kingdom and Ireland, June 6 to 27. Led by Robert Schacht, professor of adult education and director of international seminars. Historic focus; itinerary includes Dublin, Edinburgh, Hadrian's Wall, Durham, York, Lincoln, Cambridge, London, Canterbury, Portsmouth. About $4,200 including air fare from Chicago. Performing arts study tour to England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, July 31 to Aug. 20. Includes Edinburgh Festival. Main focus is visual and performing arts, with attendance at 18 performances as well as lectures and discussions. Led by Harv Thompson, chairman of the department of continuing education in the arts for the university. The cost is $2,998 a person including air fare from New York. For Edinburgh week alone, Aug. 12 to 20, $1,698 including air fare from New York. Other performing arts study tours include four-day weekends in Canada for the Stratford Festival, June 24 to 27; the Shaw festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake, July 15 to 18, and a Toronto tour in late October. Price is about $450 a person, including tickets and accommodations; air fare is extra. Contact: Performing Arts Study Tours, University of Wisconsin, 610 Langdon Street, Madison, Wis. 53703; 608-263-6736. Museums AMERICAN JEWISH CONGRESS INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL PROGRAM 15 East 84th Street, New York, N.Y. 10028; 212-879-4588. Sample Programs Jewish Museum Heritage Expedition to France, in association with the American Jewish Congress, April 10 to 26. Participants will hear lectures and visit sites relating to Jewish culture. Itinerary includes Paris, Strasbourg, Colmar, Tournus, Avignon, Arles, Carpentras, Cannes and St.-Paul-de-Vence. With Norman Kleebatt, curator of collections at the Jewish Museum. Cost is $5,475 a person, including air fare from New York. Eastern Europe (Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary, on June 8 to 24) and Israel (Oct. 13 to 30) tours are also planned. AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Discovery Tours, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, N.Y. 10024; 212-769-5700. Overview Sponsoring about 25 tours in 1988. Sample Programs Amazon Wildlife Adventure, Feb. 6 to 13 and July 2 to 9; also February 1989. Based at Explorama Lodge, 50 miles downriver from Iquitos, Peru, the tour includes a longboat trip up the Manati River, home to freshwater porpoise; a two-night stay in Explornapo Camp, with opporunities to see unusual flora and fauna, and a visit to a Yagua Indian village. Rustic accommodations. There is an optional tour to Inca sites. Cost of the basic tour is $1,695 from Miami. Kingdoms of West Africa and Iberia, April 14 to 29. A cruise from Senegal to Portugal on the World Discoverer. Highlights include Dakar, Banjul in Gambia, Nouadhibou in Mauritania, Las Palmas and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, Marrakesh, Casablanca, Seville, Coto de Donana National Park, and Portimao and Lisbon in Portugal. Lecturers include Dr. Labelle Prussin, a professor of architecture at the City College of New York; Stephen C. Quinn, senior preparator-artist at the museum; Dr. John Douglas Hoag, professor emeritus of the History of Art at the University of Colorado, and L. Thomas Kelly, assistant director of the museum and publisher of Natural History magazine. Cost begins at $4,490; air fare is extra. Alaska Wildlife Adventure, July 16 to 31, 1988. Includes Glacier Bay, with a two-night cruise; Prudhoe Bay, Denali National Park and Katmai National Park. With Kenneth A. Chambers, lecturer in zoology and assistant chairman of the department of education at the museum. Cost is $5,990 from Seattle. Voyage of the Vikings: Scotland to Iceland, July 27 to Aug. 10. On board the 74-passenger Polaris. Starting in Edinburgh, the itinerary includes the Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, Faroe Islands, the Westman Islands, off the south coast of Iceland and Reykjavik. Tour leaders include Dr. Malcolm C. McKenna, a museum lecturer, and Dr. Wesley E. Lanyon, an ornithologist. Cost begins at $3,870; air fare is extra. ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART 41 East 65th Street, New York, N.Y. 10021; 212-826-5722. Overview Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the organization traditionally runs a trip each year in October; a destination for 1988 has not yet been set. Also this year, a winter tour departs the end of this month. Sample Program Winter Week in Venezuela, Jan. 30 to Feb. 6. With Bill Woolfenden, former director of the archives and a consultant for Sotheby's. Walking tour of the colonial district in Caracas, visits to artists' studios, private collections and museums. Cost is $1,375; air fare is additional. ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO Membership Programs, Michigan at Adams Street, Chicago, Ill. 60603; 312-443-3917. Sample Programs South America/Easter Island Odyssey, Feb. 16 to March 7: Quito, Santiago, a cruise along the coast of Chile and a flight to Easter Island. With Douglas Newton, chairman of the Department of Primitive Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Cost begins at $3,965; air fare is extra. India and Nepal, Sept. 28 to Oct. 22: Bombay, Madras, Aurangabad, Udaipur, Jaipur, Agra, Khajuraho, Varanasi, Katmandu, Srinigar and Delhi. Accompanied by Jack Sewell, curator of the department of Oriental and classical art. Cost is $6,260, including air fare from Chicago. PRINCETON ART MUSEUM Princeton University, Community Relations, Princeton, N.J. 08544; 609-452-3762. Sample Programs Spain, June 9 to 24. Includes Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona. With Sally Hughes of the museum's docent association. (Prices not yet set for this or other tours.) American Southwest, Aug. 4 to 21, including Santa Fe, Taos and Canyon de Chelly. With Alfred Bush, curator of Western Americana, Princeton University Library. Paris and Southwestern France, Sept. 16 to Oct. 2, includes Bordeaux, Les Eyzies, Albi, Sarlat, Cahors, Cordes. Accompanied by Olive Lorsignol of the American College in Paris. BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, Md. 21218; 301-396-6314. Sample Programs Art and Architecture of Spain and Portugal, April 21 to May 4. Includes Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Barcelona and Lisbon. Accompanied by Martin Petersen, senior curator of the San Diego Museum of Art. Cost is $2,899 including air fare from New York. Voyage to Patagonia and Cape Horn, Feb. 24 to March 5, and Golden Ring of Russian Cities, Oct. 2 to 15. BRANDYWINE RIVER MUSEUM Public Relations Office, Post Office Box 141, Chadds Ford, Pa. 19317; 215-388-7601, Extension 136. Sample Program Tokyo and Kyoto, March 6 to 20. In conjunction with the opening in Tokyo of the worldwide tour of the international exhibit ''An American Vision: Three Generations of Wyeth Art,'' which opens in Tokyo on March 10. James H. Duff, museum director, and George A. Weymouth, board chairman, will accompany the trip. Cost is $4,560. DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Public Programs, City Park, Denver, Colo. 80205; 303-370-6307. Overview Nine tours planned for 1988. Sample Programs Guatemala, April 16 to May 1. With Dr. John B. Carlson, assistant professor of anthropology and astronomy at the University of Maryland. Includes Guatemala City, Quirigua, Copan in Honduras, Tikal, Antigua, Chichicastenango and Panajachel. Cost is about $1,900 without air fare. Egypt, April 20 to May 6, with the museum's Ramses exhibit curator, Barbara Stone. Includes Cairo, Abu Simbel, Aswan, a Nile cruise, Luxor, Dendera and Giza. Cost is $3,906 without air fare. PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Box 7646, Philadelphia, Pa. 19101; 215-787-5496 Tuesday to Friday. Overview More than a dozen trips planned for 1988. Sample Programs Ancient Civilizations of the New World, April 30 to May 12. Featuring a cruise on the Illiria. Itinerary includes Mexico City, Puebla, Palenque, Uxmal, Chichen Itza and Tikal. Accompanied by Esther Pasztory, formerly a professor in the department of art history and archeology at Columbia, and Ralph Lee Woodward Jr., professor of Latin American history and chairman of the department of history at Tulane. Cost starts at $2,795, without air fare. Northern Italy, June 18 to July 2. Includes Venice, Vicenza, Florence, Siena, Lucca and Milan. Timed to coincide with the Venice Biennale, where the museum will be host at the United States Pavilion. Cost is $3,595; air fare is additional. SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10128; 212-360-3553. Overview One or two international trips a year, geared to education and with a focus on the interests of members who are art collectors. Destinations not yet set for 1988. METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART Development Department, Fifth Avenue at 82d Street, New York, N.Y. 10028; 212-570-3956. Overview Six trips currently planned for 1988. Sample Programs Mediterranean Spring Pageant, May 18 to June 2. A cruise on the Argonaut, accommodating 232 passengers. Itinerary includes Lake Maggiore, Genoa, Tarquinia, Florence, Pisa, Marseilles, Carcassonne, Barcelona, Granada and Seville. A museum lecturer will accompany the group. Cost begins at $5,890, including air fare from New York. Danube Passage, June 11 to 26. A cruise to Yugoslavia, Hungary and Austria on the Theodor Koerner. Itinerary includes Prague and Vienna. With Inge Reist, a Frick fellow, as lecturer. Prices to be set. Great Mansions, Landscapes and Seascapes in Britain and Ireland, Aug. 16 to Sept. 1. Visiting more than a dozen great houses, with a cruise on the Argonaut. With John K. Howat, curator of American painting for the Metropolitan and chairman of the American Wing. MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 02138; 617-495-2463. Sample Programs Kenya Safari, Feb. 25 to March 12. With Farish A. Jenkins Jr., professor of anatomy and biology at Harvard and curator of vertebrate paleontology for the museum, and Dr. Kenneth P. Dial, postdoctoral fellow in the museum's department of vertebrate paleontology. Cost is $3,690, including air fare from New York. Same trip will run Aug. 3 to 19 with different lecturers. Galapagos and Ecuador, Aug. 5 to 18. Traveling on a 160-foot motor yacht. Includes a visit to Charles Darwin Research Station. With Craig MacFarland, president of the Charles Darwin Foundation, and Greg Mayer, an expert on zoogeography from the museum. Cost is $2,840; air fare is additional. SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES TRAVEL PROGRAM 1100 Jefferson Drive S.W., Washington, D.C. 20560; 202-357-4700. Overview More than 100 study tours in the United States and abroad. Sample Programs Death Valley and East Mojave, March 9 to 18 and April 8 to 17. The group will explore the proposed East Mojave National Park, search for trilobite fossils in the Marble Mountains, visit the Desert Studies Center at Zzyzx Springs - setting live traps to study nocturnal animals - and tour Death Valley National Monument. Led by naturalists from Betchart Expeditions. Cost is $1,290 from Las Vegas. Costa Rica: Wildlife & Ecology, March 12 to 24. Visits to the active volcano of Volcan Irazu, La Selva Biological Station of the Organization for Tropical Studies, San Jose, Palo Verde National Park, Santa Rosa, Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve, Carara Biological Reserve and Manuel Antonio National Park. The cost is $2,479 a person from Miami. Berlin: One City - Two Worlds, April 14 to 29. In West Berlin, the group will attend a private viewing of the Reichstag's exhibit, ''German History Questioned,'' have a reception with city officials and participate in a discussion on German-American relations with civic leaders, media representatives and business executives. In East Berlin, the group will attend a reception at the U.S. Embassy and have a Champagne reception at the Opera Cafe. The tour will also visit Wittenberg, Weimar and Dresden. Cost is $3,180 a person, including air fare from New York. THE TEXTILE MUSEUM Public Relations Department, 2320 S Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008; 202-667-0442. Sample Program Guatemala: Patterns and Pyramids, March 16 to 28. Participants tour Maya archeological sites (Tikal, Quirigua and Copan in Honduras), meet with the director of Guatemala's textile museum, the Ixcel Museum, visit centers of traditional weaving and goes to Chichicastenango for Holy Week preparation. Accompanied by Janet Berlo, a faculty member of the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Cost is $1,560 from Guatemala City; air fare is additional. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA MUSEUM Women's Committee Tours, 33d and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104; 212-898-4023. Sample Programs Guatemala: Heartland of the Ancient Maya, Feb. 13 to 28. Includes Guatemala City, the archeological site of Kaminaljuyu, the Maya sites of Quirigua, Copan, Sepulturas and Tikal; Antigua, Chichicastenango and Lake Atitlan. With Dr. Christopher Jones, who did archeological work at the site for four years. The cost is $1,894; air fare is additional. Other programs include a study tour in Italy in June, a tour of caves of Spain and France in September and an Aegean trip in October. NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN Education Department, Bronx, N.Y. 10458; 212-220-8736. Sample Programs Venezuela: Land of Contrasts, Feb. 23 to March 4. Includes Morrocoy National Park on the Caribbean coast, a four-day stay at Hato Pinero Ranch, where giant anteaters roam and herds of capybara, a large rodent, can be seen, and Canaima. With Dr. Brian Boom, a botanist on the garden's staff. The cost is $2,442, including round-trip air fare from New York. Spring Gardens of Ireland, May 8 to 21. Tours of gardens include Birr Castle; Muckross House; Rossdohan, Garinish Island and Derreen; Ilnacullin; Annes Grove; Kilmokea House; Killineer; National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin, and Powerscourt. The group will be entertained by owners at some of the properties visited. With Patrick Bowe, landscape architect and garden designer and the author of ''The Gardens of Ireland,'' and Rosemary Kern, director of education for New York Botanical Garden. Cost is $3,268 a person in double occupancy; air fare is extra. Tropical Forest Research Expedition, French Guiana, Aug. 16 to 30. Based at a primitive field station of the French Overseas Research Organization, volunteers will work with Dr. Scott Mori, scientific curator at the Botanical Garden. His research site is in an area currently proposed as a national park. Projects include collecting plant specimens, observing insect, bird and other pollinators and ecological surveys of forest tree species. Limited to eight volunteers. The cost is $1,495 a person, which is tax deductible. Air fare is additional. WHITNEY MUSEUM Development and Membership, 945 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10021; 212-570-3641. Sample Programs Paris, Bordeaux and Basel, June 4 to 16. Trip focuses on American art in Europe. Five days in Paris, four in Bordeaux, two in Basel for the Basel Art Fair. Led by the museum's trip coordinator and trustee, Adrian Mnuchin; a curator, Richard Armstrong, will also accompany the group. Price not yet set, but the trip will be deluxe. Other trips include Spain in mid-October and shorter trips to Santa Fe and Taos (July 14 to 18) and Montreal and Quebec City (Sept. 29 to Oct. 2). European trips are open only to members in the Circle ($1,000) and Friends ($250) categories; shorter trips are also open to Contributors ($150). WINTERTHUR GUILD Winterthur Museum and Gardens, Winterthur, Del. 19735; 302-656-8591. Sample Programs Treasures of Holland and Belgium, April 16 to 29. Includes Amsterdam, The Hague, Bruges, Ghent, Brussels and Antwerp. With John A. H. Sweeney, assistant to Winterthur's director. Features visits to private and public art collections. Cost is $3,100 a person; air fare is extra. Other trips include a tour to the Soviet Union from June 23 to July 7, and a Gardens of Italy tour, Sept. 16 to 30, co-sponsored by the Associates of the Hagley Museum and Library. Other Groups AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY 156 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, New York, N.Y. 10010; 212-242-0214. Overview Seven cruises in 1988, all accompanied by geographers, mostly fellows of the society. Sample Programs China by Sea, April 16 to May 5. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xian, Dalian, Beijing in China; Pusan, Korea; Nagasaki, Kobe, Kyoto in Japan. With Marwyn Samuels, a professor at Syracuse and consultant to the Chinese Government, and his wife, Carmencita Samuels, an expert on Chinese art and architecture. Cost begins at $5,045 a person including flights from the West Coast of the United States. Also, Oct. 3 to 22, China cruise with similar itinerary, with Clifton Pannell of the University of Georgia. Scandinavia, July 20 to Aug. 8. With Vincent Malmstrom, professor at Dartmouth College, and his wife, Ruth, both Scandinavia specialists. Cost is $6,336 to $7,495, including air fare from New York. Other cruises planned include Iceland and Greenland, Sept. 1 to 17, and Athens to Istanbul, also in September. ASIA SOCIETY 725 Park Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10021; 212-288-6400. Overview Nonprofit cultural institution seeking to educate Americans about Asia. Sample Program Yangtze River and Tibet, Sept. 27 to Oct. 18. Four days on a river cruise, plus Hong Kong, Shanghai and Lhasa. Lecturer is Gyurme Dorje, specialist in the study of Buddhist philosophy and history. Cost is $6,475, including meals and air fare from New York. CANADIAN NATURE TOURS Federation of Ontario Naturalists Conservation Center, 355 Lesmill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 2W8, Canada; 416-444-8419. Overview Trips for members of the organization and the Canadian Nature Federation, emphasizing outdoor education, accompanied by naturalists. Sample Programs Pelicans and Plovers, May 28 to June 4. Birding trip in southern Manitoba and western Ontario. Cost is about $650 from Winnipeg, including motel accommodations. Newfoundland Shores, July 2 to 10. Includes Fogo Island and Terra Nova National Park, with bird- and whale-watching. Cost is about $800 from Gander. Tweedsmuir Wilderness, Aug. 1 to 7. Based at Tweedsmuir Lodge, an exploration of British Columbia's biggest park. Cost is about $720 from Stuie, British Columbia. NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY 950 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022; 212-546-9140. Overview About a dozen programs in 1988, with a focus on conservation topics. Sample Programs Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, May 20 to June 1. On board a new ship, the Isabella II, the tour calls at many islands and visits the Charles Darwin Research Station. Itinerary includes Quito and a full-day excursion to Volcano Cotopaxi National Park. With James Rod, manager of the Constitution Marsh Sanctuary. Cost is $3,500 a person; air fare is extra. Alaska Wilderness, July 11 to 24. Sea and land tour, including a cruise and a train trip. Visits Glacier Bay, Mount McKinley and Fairbanks. Accompanied by Dave Cline, vice president of the society's Alaska regional office. Cost is $2,707 without air fare. Canadian Rockies, Aug. 13 to 20. Banff, Lake Louise and Lake Emerald. Includes a helicopter ride in the Bugaboo Mountains. Accompanied by Richard Yank, regional editor for American Birds, an Audubon publication. Cost is $1,295 without air fare. NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION 1785 Massachusetts Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036; 202-673-4138. Overview Sponsoring 17 travel programs in 1988. Sample Programs Sailing Baja California, Sea of Cortes and Mexico's Pacific Coast, Feb. 12 to 22. On board the Sea Cloud, the square-rigged barque once owned by E. F. Hutton and Majorie Merriweather Post. Itinerary includes Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta, Espiritu Santo, La Paz. Guest lecturer is Esteban Padilla, an authority on architecture and history. Cost starts at $3,395; air fare is extra. Brazil - New World in the Tropics, April 5 to 22. Focus on Colonial and modern architecture. Includes Belo Horizonte and colonial towns such as Ouro Preto and Savara. Also, modern architecture in Brasilia and Sao Paulo; Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Iguassu Falls. Meetings with preservationists, artists and gallery owners. Cost is $3,800 including air fare from New York. Historic Preservation in Russia, May 21 to June 4. Tour Leningrad, Moscow and the towns of Suzdal, Bogolyubovo and Zagorsk. Also, meet with city planners working in preservation and restoration. Cost is $3,930 including air fare from Washington. Maritime Provinces: Exploring Canada's Historic Shores, June 9 to 20. A cruise on the 140-passenger Illiria. Itinerary includes St. John and St. Andrews, New Brunswick; Digby, on Nova Scotia's west coast; Halifax; Louisburg, Cape Breton Island; the Gaspe Peninsula; Saguenay River Fjord, Quebec City and Montreal. Lecturers include Jacques Dalibard, executive director of the Heritage Canada Foundation, and Peter John Stokes, a restoration architect. Cost begins at $2,695 a person; air fare is additional. NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY Bronx, N.Y. 10460; 212-220-5085. Overview Four international trips in 1988, plus short domestic outings. Sample Programs Penguins of Patagonia, Jan. 29 to Feb. 17. Working with Dr. Dee Boersma, a zoologist with the society, to help band and weigh penguins, based in Punta Tombo. Escort is Wendy Turner of the society. Cost is $1,795 without air fare. Tanzania and Kenya, Feb. 9 to 26. Camping safari, meeting various scientists. With Dr. Fred Koontz, associate curator of mammals at the Bronx Zoo. Cost is $3,725 without air fare. Papua New Guinea, Aug. 18 to Sept. 5. Includes Bensbach, a wildlife reserve in the western lowlands; Tari, in the southern highlands; Amboin, in the Sepik River basin, and Ubai Gubi, home of the Wildlife Conservation International's Bird of Paradise project. With Dr. Donald Bruning, curator of ornithology. Cost is $5,495 without air fare. India, Nov. 2 to 21. Four of India's wildlife parks, plus Bombay, Jaipur and New Delhi. With James Doherty, general curator and Carter Curator of Mammals at the zoo. Cost is $3,257 without air fare. OCEANIC SOCIETY Expeditions Office, Fort Mason Center Building E, San Francisco, Calif. 94123; 415-441-1106. Overview Environmental organization with an extensive program of trips led by naturalists. Sample Programs Bahamas - Swimming With Dolphins, weekly May to September. Observing and snorkeling with pods of the mammals. Travel and accommodations on a 70-foot sailboat. Cost is $1,050; air fare is additional. Vancouver Island, Sailing and Killer Whales, Aug. 7 to 14. Cruise on 68-foot sailboat to Robson Bight, where killer whales, Dall's porpoises and minke whales congregate to feed. Visits to abandoned Indian villages, shore walks to observe marine life. Cost is $1,290; air fare is additional. WILDERNESS SOUTHEAST 711 Sandtown Road, Savannah, Ga. 31410; 912-897-5108. Overview Nonprofit ''school of the outdoors'' running tours to destinations including the Great Smoky Mountains, Everglades, Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia and South Carolina sea islands, Bahamas, Virgin Islands and Central America. Sample Programs Okefenokee, March 18 to 20 and Nov. 4 to 6. Three-day canoe trip in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Georgia, cabin accommodations, $230. Also, a six-day Okefenokee trip, April 12 to 17, with camping, $390 without air fare. Bahamas Sail and Snorkel, May 14 to 21. Sailing on a 58-foot sloop to the Berry Island chain in the Bahamas. $860 without air fare. Sea Turtle Watch, June 14 to 18 and June 19 to 23. Participants join a team of volunteers on a South Carolina island to help protect sea turtle eggs. Rustic dormitory accommodations. Cost is $255 without air fare. Research Programs EARTHWATCH 680 Mount Auburn Street, Box 403, Watertown, Mass. 02172; 617-926-8200. Overview A nonprofit organization matching volunteers with research expeditions around the world since 1971, Earthwatch will sponsor 450 teams on 110 projects with some 3,000 participants this year. Areas of research include art and archeology; geosciences; life sciences; marine studies, and social sciences. Volunteers' program costs are a tax-deductible contribution. Sample Programs Boeotian Costumes: Three teams of volunteers will research traditional women's dress in Boeotian hill villages in Greece. Team I, June 5 to 18, will work in Athens museums and libraries; Team II, June 19 to July 2, and Team III, July 3 to 16, will interview village women, transcribe tapes and photograph costumes. The project is led by Dr. Linda Welters of the University of Rhode Island. The cost is $1,525, not including air fare. Health Care in Nepal: An examination of health care in the rural Nepalese community of Dhulikhel Township. Teams will map the community, weigh and measure children, interview residents about their health care preferences, help take water samples and identify the people who provide health care. Dates are Sept. 16 to 29 and Oct. 1 to 14; Jan. 1 to 14, 1989, and Jan. 16 to 29, 1989. Research is conducted by a team of four public health professionals, two from Boston University and two from Tribhuvan University in Katmandu. The cost is $1,595, not including air fare. Alpine Meadows of the Rockies: As part of a long-term project in Colorado, volunteers will investigate the relationship between weather and fluctuations in insect and other populations. Teams will count flowers and their pollinators, study the impact of herbivores, measure seed production and sample soils. The project leaders are Dr. Michael Soule of the University of Michigan, Dr. Lynn Maguire of Duke University and Dr. Carl Biehl of the University of California, San Diego. Dates are June 12 to 26, June 26 to July 10, July 10 to 31, and July 31 to Aug. 14. Cost is $1,200 for two-week teams, $1,340 for three-week teams; air fare is additional. UNIVERSITY RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS PROGRAM University of California, Desk H-22, Berkeley, Calif. 94720; 415-642-6586. Overview Sponsoring 27 research programs for 1988 in the United States and abroad. Volunteers' program costs are a tax-deductible contribution. Sample Programs Spinner Dolphins of Lanai: Observing spinner dolphins in Lanai, Hawaii, focusing on the social patterns and behavioral interaction between adult males. Volunteers will track the dolphins from land and from a 22-foot research vessel. Participants should be in good physical condition. Volunteers will work with Jan Ostman, a graduate student at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Dates are June 1 to 21, July 1 to 21, Aug. 1 to 21, Oct. 20 to Nov. 20, and Nov. 19 to Dec. 10. Cost is $975 without air fare. Wildlife of Patagonia: Surveying populations of vizcacha (a rabbit-size animal related to the chinchilla) and other animals in Lihue Calel National Park in southern Argentina. Volunteers will map and survey the animals' habitats and capture and mark the animals. As vizcacha are nocturnal, much of the work will be done at night. Teams will work with Lyn Branch, from the University of California at Berkeley, and Gene Fowler, from the University of Washington. Dates are July 5 to 18 and July 20 to Aug. 2. Cost is from $1,285 without air fare. The Art of Peking Opera: An examination of the art form. Volunteers will interview people involved in the productions, attend performances and study opera-related arts and crafts. The research leader is Kathleen Bick of the University of California at Los Angeles. Dates are June 19 to July 2; second session in July pending. Cost is $1,875 without air fare. WHAT TO CONSIDER BEFORE SIGNING UP FOR A TOUR

Travel programs with an educational focus vary in quality, comfort and effort required. Prospective travelers should exercise care in selecting a tour, considering the organization's track record - Cornell, for example, has been running such programs for 20 years - and its goals. At Earthwatch, commitment to the research is essential; ''education is a byproduct,'' as a spokesman put it. The following list of questions may be useful. How does the program differ from a standard tour?

Many museum tours feature contact with local curators, collectors and artists. Academic tours can offer similar benefits; one University of Wisconsin performing arts tour, for example, is scheduled to hear a lecture by the artistic director of Dublin's Abbey Theater. How large is the tour group?

Many programs limit their numbers. Conversely, if a minimum number is not met, a surcharge may be imposed. Sometimes, particularly on cruises, the sponsored tour will be part of a larger group of passengers or will travel with participants from a different institution. What is included in the cost?

Many tours include virtually all meals, others only breakfast. Field trips or tickets to performances may or may not be included. Most museums require membership and request a contribution - usually in the $200 to $400 range - which is generally tax deductible. What are the accommodations?

Most museum tours are deluxe and priced accordingly. Programs sponsored by universities can run the gamut; some offer hotel accommodations with private bath, while others use dormitories for participants' lodging and meals. Who is the lecturer?

Most tours with an educational aim are accompanied by an expert in a relevant field. Some rely solely on local scholars. In either case, these individuals are generally critical to the success of a program, and some have developed their own followings. What kind of experience does the organization have?

Some organizations have been sponsoring tours for decades, while others are relative newcomers. Brochures or printed itineraries can provide an indication of how well organized the trip is, as can talking with an individual in the appropriate office of the sponsoring institution. Some will put prospective travelers in touch with previous trip members. J. P.

Sunday, Late City Final Edition

How we handle corrections

Janet Piorko is an editor in the Travel section.

Radford University

Departments

• Academic Affairs
• Audit and Advisory Services
• Finance and Administration
• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Office of the President
• Student Affairs
• University Advancement
• University Relations
• Other Offices and Departments

Research There

Encounter unique wildlife, witness rich ecosystem dynamics and learn traditions and sustainable practices from indigenous people in the Amazon Rainforest. »

Research Here

Interact with local residents, learn about the challenges facing Applachian communities and witness the knowledge and resilience of the people who have lived in the communities for generations. »

• Las Piedras Biodiversity Station
• Student Explorers
• Past Amazon Trips
• The Appalachian Research

Follow RARE on:

Escape the classroom. choose your adventure..

Applications for RARE are now open. Select a destination below to learn more and apply.

There's an adventure of a lifetime waiting and it's RARE. What was once known only as the Radford Amazonian Research Expedition (RARE), has evolved and a new adventure has been added, the Radford Appalachian Research Expedition.

Whether it's in the Amazon Rainforst or the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, through RARE, Radford University undergraduate researchers connect with nature, learn from local communities, conduct personally-designed projects and contribute to scientific knowledge.

Both research opportunities allow Radford students to feel a deep appreciation for the land and communities where they are studying, and through immersive fieldwork witness the connections of ecosystems and cultures.

Our Programs

Our student expeditions reflect the places we know and love the best – from the snow-capped peaks of Peru and the pristine rainforests of Ecuador, to the awe-inspiring plants and animals that inhabit the Galapagos. Whether you’re awed by Inca stonework at Machu Picchu or observing native species in the Galapagos Islands (where Darwin developed the theory of evolution), we will be with you every step of the way. Our professional guides and staff take care of all the logistics so you can focus on your students and enjoy each moment of discovery.

MACHU PICCHU & QUECHUA CAMPESINOS

• Explore Machu Picchu
• Visit a Local School
• Build Clean Stoves
• Participate in a Pachamanca Ceremony

AMAZON ECOLOGY & FIELD RESEARCH

• Monitor river otters in the Amazon
• Assist a local biologist
• Conduct a macaw population census

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

• Snorkel with Sea Lions
• Plant Native and Endemic Trees
• Observe Giant Tortoises
• Sea Kayak With Marine Birds

ANDES & AMAZON: ECOSYSTEMS & CONSERVATION

• Explore Ecuador’s Andes & Amazon
• Visit Pichincha Volcano
• Assist Yellow Spotted Turtles in the Amazon
• Andean Reforestation Project

ECUADOR: SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE & MICROBUSINESS

ECUADOR CLEAN WATER & KICHWA COMMUNITIES

• Meet with water specialists
• Visit Kichwa communities
• Explore local & global water issues
• Build clay water filters
• Conduct clean water workshops

COLOMBIA: A CULTURAL RENAISSANCE

• Explore Colombia’s transformation
• Participate in rural projects
• Prepare Sancocho with farmers
• Stay in a Coffee Triangle community

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit sed.

Please fill out the form below and we will be in touch with you shortly with more details about this trip.

Inquire now.

Dateline: Research Program Puts Adventure on The Map

• by Susanne Rockwell
• January 29, 1999

Media Resources

Susanne Rockwell, Web and new media editor, (530) 752-2542, [email protected]

Inspiring Girls* Expeditions

Twelve-day free field science and art education programs for high school youth

Designed for 16-18 year-old high school girls*, these 12-day, FREE summer science and art education programs weave scientific investigation, artistic inquiry, and outdoor exploration on trips led by professional scientists, artists, and outdoor guides. 

*Though Inspiring Girls* Expeditions began as a program seeking to create space for girls and women to grow and thrive in historically male-dominated fields, we welcome cisgender girls and transgender, agender, Two Spirit, nonbinary, intersex, and genderqueer youth on our expeditions.  

Inspiring Girls* Expeditions aims to:

• Increase the participation and diversity of people with marginalized genders in field sciences, art, and outdoor recreation. We encourage attitudes which foster supportive and inclusive science and outdoor communities.
• Foster our participants’ sense of self-confidence in their physical, intellectual, and leadership abilities. 
• Create lifelong advocates for Earth science and environmental stewardship.
• Support a network for current early-career scientists, artists, and guides through continuing development opportunities and collaboration.

Inspiring Girls* Expeditions Alaska

Inspiring Girls* Expeditions began in 1999 with the creation of our flagship mountaineering program, Girls* on Ice, in Washington State. The program has continued to grow around the world, and Inspiring Girls* Expeditions is now a collaborative and international partnership of branches hosted by different universities and nonprofit organizations in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, Central Asia, and New Zealand. 

Inspiring Girls* Expeditions Alaska began running Girls* on Ice Alaska in 2012 with support from the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center. The program has since grown to include two sea kayaking expeditions (Girls* in Icy Fjords and Girls* on Water) and a packrafting and day hiking expedition (Girls* in the Forest). Each year, expedition teams camp in, explore, and study remote landscapes across Alaska. Teams are led by groups of graduate students and early career scientists, artists, and guides, providing a unique and intensive professional development opportunity. 

Each day brings science lessons, outdoor skill development, art activities, and self-designed science research projects. After a week in the field, the teams spend their last two days at learning institutes of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where they publicly present findings from their research projects and tell stories from their expedition. 

• Girls* on Ice Alaska – alpine ecosystems and mountaineering focus on Gulkana Glacier (since 2012)
• Girls* in Icy Fjords – glacial and marine ecosystems and sea kayaking focus in Northwestern Fjord near Seward (since 2017; currently run by Inspiring Girls* Expeditions Oregon State University) 
• Girls* on Water – coastal ecosystems and sea kayaking focus in Kachemak Bay near Homer (since 2019)
• Girls* in the Forest – boreal forest ecosystems and packrafting focus in Interior Alaska near Fairbanks (since 2021)

Project Details

Iarc personnel.

Project website

SCIENCE EXPEDITIONS

Our research vessel Australis provides a flexible, relatively low-cost research platform and logistical support to National Antarctic Programs, Institutions, Laboratories and other peer-reviewed projects.

Each year for nearly two decades, our science-support capability has grown and is now a significant part of our operations.

Click here to enquire today about a science or research expedition.

Below are some of the projects to receive our support:

Thank you and your team once again for your support on our recent Type-D Killer whale expedition. Our overwhelming success was due in large part to your skill and experience in the waters off Cape Horn and further south – we simply could not have done it without your expertise.

What else I can say, if not for your invitation none of these good news would have happened, so thank you again and the time invested.

Great time and excellent science all along! Thanks again Ocean Expeditions for all your help and the success of this mission ! Congratulations to all of you for your work and contributions, it was a great team effort, historic!

Thank you for all you endless knowledge over the past month.

Australian Antarctic Division

For more than a decade we’ve played an integral role supporting the pioneering research into seabird mortality by Dr Graham Robertson, seabird ecologist with the Australian Antarctic Division. As a result of this work, Graham has recently been awarded a prestigious Pew Marine Conservation Fellowship. Congratulations Graham! View project details at:  AAD Research

Malaysian Antarctic Research Program

When the Malaysian Antarctic Research Program was looking for cost-effective logistical support for their inaugural dedicated Antarctic research cruise, they chose Ocean Expeditions. The main research focus was to determine the effect that Antarctic climate change has on the lives and economies of those living in the tropics. The projects didn’t require the support of icebreakers or other large vessels and the results have the Malaysian team keen to return in the following seasons. View project details at:  UTM Antarctic Research

Turkish Antarctic Research Program

The Turkish Antarctic Research Program has been active in Antarctica since the 1960’s, however had never put together their own research voyage… until now! In 2017 it begun, and with the support of the R/V Australis, the expedition included physical sampling of planktons, algae, benthos, distributed over a distance of 2000 nautical miles along the West Antarctic Peninsula. During the expedition, surveying and mapping on land, approximately 2 (two) million square meters of location, a number of points for satellite validation and ground-truthing as well as around 1 million square meters of bathymetric surveying at the adjoining locations were conducted. Bathymetric surveys were jointly conducted by the TAE- I members and the crew of the R/V Australis. The expedition reached until 67°56’ South along the Peninsula.. View project details at:  PolRec Turkish Antarctic Research

Belgian Antarctic Research Voyage

In the framework of the  RECTO project  funded by the  Belgian Science Policy Office , the expedition aims at carrying out a biodiversity census in the Western Antarctic Peninsula in March 2018, and to test-case the potential for an agile sampling platform R/V Australis. The expedition bears a strong historic link to the first scientific expedition to overwinter in Antarctica in 1897-99 recording the first intertidal biodiversity data, 120 years ago. This historic expedition was led by Adrien de Gerlache, onboard the RV Belgica. View project details at:  Belgica 120 Antarctic Research voyage View project details at:  Recto / vERSO projects

Leopard Seal Acoustics

R/V Australis supported the acoustic work of Marlee Tucker from the Rogers / Mammal lab at University of New South Whales – UNSW to both record and play back calls to calculate density of seals present on the antarctic peninsula. The calls recorded can be used to calculate the density of seals present and related back to environmental features that are important to the seals, such as key foraging areas. View project details at:  Marlee Tucker  – fieldwork

Scientific papers written as a result of data collected onboard

Citations since 2003, institutions and laboratories supported, national antarctic programs supported, list of scientific papers, this is a list of scientific papers that have been published as a result of science done onboard one of our vessels:.

• Mohd Shahrul Mohd Nadzir, Matthew Ashfold, Mhd Firoz Khan, Andrew D. Robinson, Conor Bolas, Mohd Talib Latif, Ben M. Wallis, Haris hasrizal, ZamZam Tuah, Goh Thian Lai, Juneng Liew, Fatimah Ahamad, Royston Uning, Azizan Abu Samah, Iq Mead and Neil R. P Harris. The temporal and spatial distribution of surface ozone in the marine boundary layer during Malaysian Antarctic Scientific Expedition Cruise’16 (MASEC’16).
• Raimilla, V., Suazo, C. G., Robertson, G., & Rau, J. R. (2014). Observations suggesting cooperative breeding by Striated Caracaras (Phalcoboenus australis). Journal of Raptor Research, 48(2), 189-191.
• Robertson, Graham, Carlos Moreno, Javier A. Arata, Steven G. Candy, Kieran Lawton, Jose Valencia, Barbara Wienecke, Roger Kirkwood, Phil Taylor, and Cristián G. Suazo. “Black-browed albatross numbers in Chile increase in response to reduced mortality in fisheries.” Biological Conservation 169 (2014): 319-333.
• Acevedo, J., Haro, D., Dalla Rosa, L., Aguayo-Lobo, A., Hucke-Gaete, R., Secchi, E., … & Pastene, L. A. (2013). Evidence of spatial structuring of eastern South Pacific humpback whale feeding grounds. Endangered Species Research, 22(1), 33-38.
• Raimilla, V. (2012). Primer registro documentado del Salteador Pardo Stercorarius Antarticus (Lesson, 1831)(Stercorariidae) para las costas del Pacífico desde el Archipiélago Diego Ramírez, Sur de Chile. In Anales del Instituto de la Patagonia (Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 151-154). Universidad de Magallanes.
• Acevedo, J., O’Grady, M., & Wallis, B. (2012). Avistamiento de la ballena común en el Pacífico Sur Oriental Subtropical:¿ Una potencial área de reproducción?. Revista de biología marina y oceanografía, 47(3), 559-563.
• Aguayo-Lobo, Anelio, Jorge Acevedo R, José Luis Brito, Paola Acuña G, Manuela Bassoi, Eduardo R Secchi, and Luciano Dalla Rosa. “”Presence of the leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx (de Blaincille, 1820), on the coast of Chile: an example of the Antarctica-south America connection in the marine enviroment.” Oecologia Australis 15, no. 1 (2011): 69-85.
• Acevedo, J., Matus, R., Droguett, D., Vila, A., Aguayo-Lobo, A., & Torres, D. (2011). Vagrant Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, in southern Chile. Polar Biology, 34(6), 939-943.
• Acevedo, J., Olavarría, C., Plana, J., Aguayo-Lobo, A., Larrea, A., & Pastene, L. A. (2011). Occurrence of dwarf minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp.) around the Antarctic Peninsula. Polar biology, 34(2), 313-318.
• Kirkwood, R., Lawton, K., Moreno, C., Valencia, J., Schlatter, R., & Robertson, G. (2007). Estimates of southern rockhopper and macaroni penguin numbers at the Ildefonso and Diego Ramírez Archipelagos, Chile, using quadrat and distance-sampling techniques. Waterbirds, 30(2), 259-267.
• Robertson, G., Moreno, C. A., Lawton, K., Kirkwood, R., & Valencia, J. (2008). Comparison of census methods for black-browed albatrosses breeding at the Ildefonso Archipelago, Chile. Polar Biology, 31(2), 153-162.
• Robertson, G., Moreno, C. A., Lawton, K., Arata, J., Valencia, J., & Kirkwood, R. (2007). An estimate of the population sizes of Black-browed (Thalassarche melanophrys) and Grey-headed (T. chrysostoma) Albatrosses breeding in the Diego Ramírez Archipelago, Chile. Emu, 107(3), 239-244.
• Lawton, K., Robertson, G., Kirkwood, R., Valencia, J., Schlatter, R., & Smith, D. (2006). An estimate of population sizes of burrowing seabirds at the Diego Ramirez archipelago, Chile, using distance sampling and burrow-scoping. Polar Biology, 29(3), 229-238.
• Lawton, K., Robertson, G., Valencia, J., Wienecke, B., & Kirkwood, R. (2003). The status of Black‐browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophrys at Diego de Almagro Island, Chile. Ibis, 145(3), 502-505.

R/V ‘Australis’ – Scientific Installations

R/v ‘australis’ – hydrographic installations.

CONTACT US TO BOOK

Commercial expeditions, science and research, ecotourism expeditions, adventure expeditions.

DESTINATIONS

South Georgia

Falkland islands.

ABOUT OCEAN EXPEDITIONS

Why travel with us?

Testimonials, fellowship program, the vessel – australis, vessel tracking, video gallery, latest news.

IAATO member & Antarctic Ambassador

Follow Us On Social Media

© 2023 Ocean Expeditions | All Rights Reserved | Privacy and Terms | Site by AdBoost AI

Please complete the fields below to get in contact with us about an expedition or your bespoke requirements.

We’ll be in touch at our earliest however please note while we are onboard during the season, responses may be delayed.

Got a Question?

Read our FAQ's here

+ 61 (0) 418 585 665

ben(at)ocean-expeditions(dot)com

Have you read our FAQ's?

Click here to find answers to the most common questions we get.

What locations are you interested in? *

University Research Expeditions Program , Berkeley, CA, 94707

• Write a review
• Camp Overview
• Camper Experiences

About Camp [-]

This camp is not currently featured on CampNavigator.com

Camp Activities [-]

Academic activities, adventure activities.

• Assorted adventures

Locations of this Camp [-]

Staff info [-], camper experiences [-], share your experience with university research expeditions program.

NOTE: We inform you that we are not owner of any image displaying on our website. If you found any image that found under your copyrights then please feel free to CONTACT US . We will remove that image as soon as possible. All the images are collected from Google.

Facebook comments

Camp reviews, review university research expeditions program.

Please add a rating or review this camp. No login required.

Safety Checks

Send us a request, suggest a camp.

If we're missing a camp, tell us some basic information so we can add it for all parents to see.

To add your own free listing : Click Here

Login or Register as Parent

Share with a friend, contact camp, report inaccurate information, write a review, share your experience, session details, description, claim this listing.

Do you own this Lisitng? Claim your listing in order to manage your CAMPNAVIGATOR page. You will get access to a free dashboard where you can upload photos and menus, reply to reviews and manage your Lisitng.

Review Details

Need help finding the perfect camp, the camp navigator team is here to help. call us at 1-855- camp navigator (1-855-226-7628), camp advisary, looking for, register now, leave your message, forgot password, camp photo gallery.

Subscribe to our Magazine Newsletter

Read FREE digital magazine and stay way ahead of camping ideas, news and camp activities.

• Search UNH.edu
• Search Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research

Commonly Searched Items:

• How to Begin
• Present and Publish
• Researchers
• Student Ambassadors
• Benefactors
• Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP)
• INCO 590 & INCO 790
• Undergraduate Research Awards (URA)
• Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF)
• SURF for Interdisciplinary Teams (SURF IT)
• International Research Opportunities Program (IROP)
• Research Presentation Grants
• Application Deadlines
• Writing an Effective Research Proposal
• Student FAQs
• Responsible Conduct of Research
• Other Research Opportunities
• Faculty Mentor Eligibility
• Faculty Memos and Recommendation Forms
• Department Liaisons
• Faculty FAQs
• Grant Recipients
• Publications
• About the URC
• URC for Students
• URC for Faculty
• Attending the URC

A Survival Guide to Summer Research

Let’s face it. The idea of conducting research for the first time can be simultaneously one of the most terrifying and exciting prospects in one’s college career. Whether you plan to pursue a career in research and development, industry, or something completely different, the skills gained through undergraduate research are invaluable. But where do you start?

This is exactly what I was asking myself after my Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) proposal was accepted last year. My project involved the conversion of carbon dioxide into methane through catalysis. My job was to synthesize different catalysts containing varying nickel, titanium dioxide, and varying weight percentages of heteropoly acids to determine its effect on increasing the amount of carbon dioxide converted. Despite having done hours of research to understand the topic enough to write a proposal essay, I still had some doubts about whether I was truly qualified. After completing my project, I can safely say that any similar thoughts you may be experiencing are unfounded.  There were several things that made the learning curve much smoother for me. . While not required, these steps may be beneficial to keep in mind as you begin to embark on your own summer research experience.

Prior to research:

If commuting to campus, get a summer parking permit. It can provide peace of mind to not worry about getting a parking permit at the last second. There are also options for summer on-campus housing if that is preferred.

Clearly outline what your goals are. Depending on the type of research project, this could include minimum amounts of data collected, a certain number of experiments run, the hours you plan to work, etc. Ask your mentor what their expectations are to ensure your goals are aligned.

Create an organizational system. For me, this was one of the first times I had to juggle multiple projects simultaneously outside of school. This can quickly become overwhelming. It is important to organize your time and materials in a way that makes sense to you. For me, this involved a research folder for physical documents and a research computer file with Word documents and Excel sheets. Create backups of any files if possible.

Continue learning. Before your project begins, continue to educate yourself as much as possible on your topic of choice. The UNH library has countless databases filled with scholarly articles that likely align with your research topic. They may provide useful insight on how other professionals explore these ideas or what questions are pertinent.

During your research:

Now for the exciting part. Here are the practices I found most useful for efficient research.

Plan each week. This is a 10-week process. It can be very difficult to utilize your time effectively if you are figuring it out as you go. Once you have a solid understanding of the tasks you do, write down what you hope to accomplish before beginning each week.

This is an example from one of my own weekly plans. Even writing a simple plan made me more motivated to complete tasks. I also used a weekly planner to mark important dates, created folders on my computer to make files easy to retrieve, and backed up my files as much as possible. If you ever need to revisit your work months or years later, it is extremely helpful for it to have its own reliable spot.

Document everything. This goes along with planning to some degree, but write down everything you do, even if it seems inconsequential. There are several reasons for this. First, it will greatly help diagnosing errors if results do not make sense or do not meet expectations. When I was having a problem getting my catalyst to form properly, being able to review every step of the process was invaluable to determine the issue, which was slightly too much deionized water being added. Second, if your results are statistically significant, or if you publish your results, understanding exactly what you did to achieve certain results is crucial. Finally, it will assist with writing your project summary once your summer is complete.

Communication is key. If ever you feel stuck or have concerns about anything related to your project, express them to your mentor. No one expects you to solve every problem alone, and whether it be by email, zoom, or in person, mentors are usually happy to assist in any way they can.

Once your research experience is over:

Congratulations! Hopefully you found the process to be as valuable and rewarding as I did. Besides wrapping up final details, many opportunities can be built off your project if want to continue your work.

Tie up loose ends. While you write your research summary and polish any results, I recommend backing up files, organizing and digitalizing documents, and most importantly, thanking everyone who helped you along the process and expressing appreciation for the opportunity.

Consider publishing your research. Did you know the University of New Hampshire has a research journal? Inquiry is an excellent spot to complete the final step of research, which is publication. If written well, the research summary in your final report can be converted to a research brief with minimal work, or you may choose to undergo a longer writing and revision process to publish a full-length research article.

Update your resume and share your experience on LinkedIn. This project likely taught you countless invaluable skills that employers would love to see from prospective employees.

Hopefully these tips help you feel more confident throughout your summer and prove to be as useful as I found them. Anyone can conduct research and there are countless resources available to those ready to utilize them. Good luck and happy researching!

Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research

• URC Archives
• All Colleges Undergraduate Research Symposium
• COLSA Undergraduate Research Conference
• Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Symposium (ISE)
• Naked Arts - Creativity Exposed!
• Paul College Undergraduate Research Conference
• UNH Manchester Undergraduate Research Conference
• Poster Printing Information & Pricing
• Faculty Mentoring 101

• Sustainability
• Embrace New Hampshire
• University News
• The Future of UNH
• Campus Locations
• Calendars & Events
• Directories
• Facts & Figures
• Academic Advising
• Colleges & Schools
• Degrees & Programs
• Undeclared Students
• Course Search
• Academic Calendar
• Study Abroad
• Career Services
• How to Apply
• Visit Campus
• Undergraduate Admissions
• Costs & Financial Aid
• Net Price Calculator
• Graduate Admissions
• UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law
• Housing & Residential Life
• Clubs & Organizations
• New Student Programs
• Student Support
• Fitness & Recreation
• Student Union
• Health & Wellness
• Student Life Leadership
• Sport Clubs
• UNH Wildcats
• Intramural Sports
• Campus Recreation
• Centers & Institutes
• Undergraduate Research
• Research Office
• Graduate Research
• FindScholars@UNH
• Business Partnerships with UNH
• Professional Development & Continuing Education
• Research and Technology at UNH
• Request Information
• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Alumni & Friends