Biology Lovers Have All of the Fun

Put some distance between you and the stress with the Cuesta College biology department, which is offering a field study in Hawaii this summer, with expert speakers providing background information and guided tours.

All staff, students and community members are invited to participate in the trip, which departs at 7 a.m. on Sunday, July 25 from the San Luis Obispo Airport. Travelers are scheduled to return to the same airport at approximately 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, August 1. An air transportation deposit of $40 per person is due April 30.

The trip will feature a variety of activities and learning opportunities. Travelers will explore and examine Kilauea Volcano, the planetís most famous active volcano. Activities include viewing of the summit caldera and eastern rift system in order to examine lava flows, periodic explosive tephra ash deposits, fissures, pit craters, lava tubes, fault scarps and many related volcanic features. Also available for viewing are kipuka growths (isolated "islands" of native forests surrounded by lava flows), which offer the perfect setting for the study of plant succession.

A field trip also is planned to the summit of Mauna Kea, the planetís tallest mountain from its ocean floor base, to examine floral zones and Pleistocene glacial deposits. Travelers will have the opportunity to visit one or two of the astronomy observatories.

Many other activities are planned. The cost for the adventure is $1,885 per person, which includes airfare, all onsite transportation, all overnight accommodations and most meals. Final payment is due on May 21.

For more information about the Cuesta College Hawaiian Biology Field Study, contact Pete Pedersen at ext. 3230.