UMF sponsoring trip to Alaska for study

FARMINGTON — Hiking and glaciers, touring permafrost tunnels or panning for gold in a wild river, these opportunities and many more are being offered during 15 days of educational adventure in Alaska this summer, sponsored by the University of Maine at Farmington.

The course, INT 324, is an interdisciplinary field studies course to places of biological, geological, environmental, physiographic or cultural importance. The course runs from Aug. 17 to 31 and is geared to those who enjoy outdoor camping.

Leading the trip are Dr. Thomas Eastler, UMF professor of geology, and Robert Bean III, who lived for 15 years in Alaska before moving to Farmington.

The participants will fly from Portland to Anchorage, Alaska, and then tour by camper vans to regions of the state. Included in the tour will be three days at Mount McKinley National Park, a coastal ferry trip from the port of Valdez to Whittier, visits to the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratories and to the Arctic Test Center, and possibly a flight over the Alaska Range.

Enrollment is limited but a few spaces are still available. The $1,875 cost includes three college credits and all expenses from Farmington except for meals. A prerequisite is permission of the instructors. An initial deposit is due no later than Feb. 1.

For more information, contact Eastler at 778-3501, Ext. 458 days or 778-6703 evenings, or contact Bean at 778-9779 days or 778-9666 evenings.