BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGH VOLCANISM

John Reid’s warm way with undergraduates cannot be replicated, but it is possible to aspire to his level of dedication in introducing students to the geosciences. John recognized that what undergrads lack in knowledge and maturity is more than compensated by youthful enthusiasm, one of the traits John valued most and retained himself. This enthusiasm forms a bond that can transcend barriers of culture and language. Such has been the case for the International Volcanology Field School, established this summer as a joint undertaking of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Kamchatka State Pedagogical University, in cooperation with Hokkaido University.

Japan, the Russian Far East, and Alaska are connected by a continuous chain of active volcanoes. These have been a natural route for human travel through the Holocene. The fact that we often don’t see each other as neighbors is an artifact of deadly 20th century conflict. But we can bring the young people of these three nations together on an exciting theme that already connects them geographically: explosive arc volcanism. There are two field school sessions per summer, one in Katmai National Park, Alaska and one at Gorely and Mutnovsky Volcanoes, Kamchatka. The venue is a remote mountain hut, and the format is daily field excursions on foot to some of Earth’s most remarkable volcanic features, supplemented by lectures, students presentations, and discussion on bad weather days -- usually in ample supply. Topics include magma dynamics, magma chambers, magmatic differentiation, caldera formation, eruptive behavior, eruption deposits, hydrothermal systems, geophysical monitoring techniques, and remote sensing. The controversies and changing interpretations surrounding these topics are themes John Reid relished. Mixing of cultures is achieved by just sharing life, for example cooking. Hunger is a great incentive for communication and collaboration – probably it has been throughout human history!

Judging from students’ comments, the school is encouraging language study as well as geoscience. By bringing young students rather than senior scientists together, we are ensuring not just years but decades of scientific collaboration and discovery, and a restored feeling of neighborhood.