During the Extreme 2001 expedition, middle- and high-school students from around the nation will be immersed in marine science through a special project developed by Dr. Cary and the UD Marine Public Education Office with funding from the National Science Foundation.

Over 125 classrooms, representing more than 10,000 students, will learn about deep-sea research through a printed resource guide, on-line curriculum activities, and an interactive Web site that will allow visitors to examine a 3-D Pompeii worm and take a virtual tour of the sea-floor, among other innovative features. An educational video also will be provided to the classrooms, courtesy of WHYY-TV, the public broadcasting station in Wilmington and Philadelphia.

As a special highlight, 40 classrooms will be selected to participate in live conference calls with the scientists as they work in the submersible Alvin on the seafloor.

"This project is about getting kids excited about science," says Dr. Cary. "We want to introduce them to one of the most fascinating habitats on the planet and engage them in the process of scientific research and discovery."

The research ship Atlantis will be buzzing with activity as scientists prepare for dives aboard Alvin, process chemical and biological samples from previous dives, conduct experiments, and discuss their findings. Brandon Jones, a doc-toral student at the UD Graduate College of Marine Studies, and Jennifer Jeffers, winner of the 2001 Our World Underwater Scholarship, will serve as ship-board correspondents, reporting each day's activities. Their journals, interviews with scientists and crew, photos, and video clips will be uploaded daily to the expedition Web site.

Jeffers recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in business administration from the University of Colorado, while Jones earned his master's degree in marine biology-biochemistry from UD in 1994.

"In this day and age, it's important for students from all backgrounds to be involved in a project like Extreme 2001," says Jones, who taught science at Gwynn Park High School in Brandywine, Maryland, for five years before returning to UD to pursue his Ph.D. in marine studies. "Live, interactive Web sites are everywhere. If students are to be exposed to so much reality, there should be some substance to it. Extreme 2001 is going to be that."