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Field research in foreign lands was
once the domain of faculty members, but UGA undergraduates are
now heading for complex and distant projects, thanks to the
Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, funded by the
National Science Foundation.
Senior CarriAyne Jones says she couldn't believe her eyes
last summer when the helicopter carrying her and several other
UGA students and professors landed in the Uzon caldera, an
area of hot springs and other-worldly beauty on the Kamchatka
peninsula. It's an unstable land of permafrost and volcanoes
in the Russian far east, north of Japan.
Jones laughs as she remembers her colleagues' reactions.
"One of the students, Kevin Lee, just kept looking around and
saying 'Are you serious? Are you serious?' " she says. "It was
awesome."
The international microbial and biogeochemical research
study in Kamchatka is led by Juergen Wiegel, a microbiologist
at UGA. "We are trying to discover how the specific
geochemistry and geology influence microbial populations and
what kind of microbes flourish there," says Wiegel, "but more
importantly how the presence of microorganisms is changing the
geochemistry and mineralogy in these hot springs. The students
will be involved in isolating and characterizing novel
microorganisms and unusual minerals that form only by
microbially mediated processes."
"This trip was the experience of a lifetime," says the
still-awestruck Lee, a sophomore microbiology major from
Atlanta. "Having the chance to meet professors from geology
and microbiology and integrate the different scientific fields
not only benefited me as a student but will continue to
benefit the science community as a whole."
Competing in
a Global Economy
The University of Georgia is at
the forefront of the globalization movement in higher
education with a wealth of opportunities for international
experiences. Our students are flocking to study-abroad
programs, thriving on the challenges inherent in confronting a
new cultural environment. More and more, students on campus
are also making choices that reflect an understanding of the
importance of global awareness—from living in a residence
hall-based language community to starting a radio program in
another language to minoring in a foreign language. These
experiences, whether at home or abroad, influence how our
students perceive the world and their place in it. We’re
producing graduates prepared to be world citizens—well
informed, culturally sensitive and technologically
sophisticated. They’re ready to take on the challenges of our
global society, and they’ll be equally at home whether in the
Peach State or the Republic of Georgia.
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Jennifer Kyle (left), a geology graduate
student, and CarriAyne Jones, a senior majoring in geology, process
samples brought back from the research trip to the Uzon caldera in
Kamchatka last summer.
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