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2:10 p.m., July 30, 2003--UD’s College of Marine Studies is gearing up for “Extreme 2003: To the Depths of Discovery,” a deep-sea expedition to hydrothermal vents on the Pacific Ocean floor to be held from Nov. 29 to Dec. 21.

Craig Cary, a UD associate professor of marine biology and biochemistry and director of the Center for Marine Genomics, will lead the deep-sea expedition.

The expedition, led by UD researchers aboard the research vessel Atlantis and making use of the submersible explorer Alvin, is unique in that the scientists do not work in isolation but take thousands of students from around the world with them through Internet and telephone connections.

Last year, more than 42,000 middle and high school students from 527 schools in all 50 states and five foreign countries participated in the dive. Students were able to follow the expedition on a UD-maintained Web site and communicate with the researchers via e-mail and telephone calls placed directly to Alvin as it made its way two miles below the Pacific surface.

For Extreme 2003, teacher registrations are now being accepted online at [www.ocean.udel.edu/expeditions/registration2003.asp]. The deadline is Aug. 15.

As of mid-July, more than 300 classes had registered for the program, according to Tracey Bryant, director of the UD Marine Public Education Office.

Participating teachers and students are provided a printed curriculum, a video documentary and evaluation materials, she said, and classes from 50 schools will be provided an opportunity to place a call to the Alvin.

Craig Cary, a UD associate professor of marine biology and biochemistry and director of the Center for Marine Genomics, will lead the expedition. Cary’s research focuses on the life that is supported by hydrothermal vents, including bacteria and vent crabs.

The 2001 expedition marked the first time DNA sequencing had been accomplished at sea, and, during the 2002 expedition, a middle school teacher joined scientists and crew aboard the Alvin to explore the ocean depths.

Extreme 2003: To the Depths of Discovery is sponsored by the University of Delaware College of Marine Studies with primary funding from the National Science Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program and WHYY-TV, the Public Broadcasting System affiliate serving Wilmington and Philadelphia.

To learn more about this and other UD online expeditions, see [http://www.ocean.udel.edu/expeditions/index.html].

Teachers interested in past classroom experiences with the program can check the Intel corporate web site, which has a section on the Intel Innovation in Education program at [http://www97.intel.com/odyssey/index.asp]. Classrooms that have worked with the UD Extreme expedition program are featured in the web pages for Day 303 and Day 306.

Article by Neil Thomas