This international field school will bring U.S. and Russian students together at fixed sites in Alaska (Katmai) and Kamchatka (Gorely-Mutnovsky) to study volcanology. The principal investigators are Dr. John Eichelberger from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and Elena Vesna from Kamchatka State University
Volcanoes are among the most exciting and inspiring phenomena on the planet Earth. Understanding volcanoes has become increasingly important as growing population and technical complexity of society make us more vulnerable to natural catastrophe and as we realize the role of volcanism in global climate change. Although volcanology is a small discipline in the context of science, active volcanism provides unparalleled "teaching moments" for elucidating fundamental physical and chemical process. Scientifically, and as natural classrooms, the proposed venues for the field school are of exceptional quality, each providing access to sites and exposures that illustrate a wide gamut of volcanological phenomena.
This project in earth sciences research will train students in volcanology and will enhance the development of ties between the next generation of volcanologists. This project also fulfills the program objectives of bringing together leading experts in the U.S. and Central/Eastern Europe to combine complementary efforts and capabilities in areas of strong mutual interest and competence on the basis of equality, reciprocity, and mutuality of benefit.
