International Volcanological

Field School

UAF’s Department of Geology and Geophysics offers a two-week field class in volcanology in cooperation with the Kamchatka State University (KSU) and the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (IVS) in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia. The course is offered every summer both in Katmai National Park, Alaska, site of the largest eruption on Earth of the 20th century and on Gorely and Mutnovsky Volcanoes, south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Students explore and discuss the full range of phenomena that constitutes volcanoes, using some of the best examples in the world. The course is co-taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level by John Eichelberger of the Volcano Hazards Program, USGS, Pavel Izbekov of UAF, and Alexander Manevich of KSU and IVS, as well as by guest scientists from Russia, the US, and Japan. Students come from across the US, Russia, and Japan, and occasionally from other countries.

Dates for 2009:

Katmai -- June 7-20

Kamchatka -- August 7-21

Application deadline for both sessions: April 1

Summer 2009 Information:

GEOS 495/695 Syllabus

Summer 2009 Application

Notes on field school costs and registration

1. The current tuition rates for GEOS 495 and GEOS 695 can be found on the UAF Summer Sessions website. In addition to the tuition, students are responsible for course fees.

2. The course fee for Katmai session is $1,738, which includes transportation from Anchorage to Katmai National Park, lodging, insurance, and most food during the field trip. Students are responsible for arranging their travel so as to arrive in Anchorage on June 7 and depart Anchorage for home on June 20.

3. The course fee for Kamchatka session is $990 which includes transportation while in Kamchatka, lodging, insurance, and most food during the field trip. Students are responsible for arranging their travel so as to arrive in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia on August 7 and depart Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky for home on August 21. We will provide detailed instructions on obtaining Russian visa, as well as information on flights to/from Kamchatka.

4. Since travel arrangements require significant financial commitments from organizers, we request a non-refundable deposit of $500 by April 15 for Katmai session and $500 by June 21 for Kamchatka session. The remaining portion of the payment should be received by Summer Sessions no later than 2 weeks before the trip.

5. Registration and payment is through www.uaf.edu/summer. However, you must first apply by submitting an application to the department. The application deadline is April 1, 2009 for both Katmai and Kamchatka sessions. We will make decisions as quickly as possible after that date.

5. Which to choose? To my mind, they are equally exciting and rewarding. Kamchatka is Russia and Katmai is the biggest eruption of the 20 th century. A tough choice!

John Eichelberger

Additional note from Pavel: We seek support from various funding agencies to subsidize participation of students in this class. At this moment we have one proposal to the NSF pending. Meanwhile, John Eichelberger donates his time and annual vacation for teaching this class, while my time and travel is covered through a combination of various research grants.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. UAF is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution.

Last modified February 5, 2009 by geology@uaf.edu