Spring break beach trip, Alaska style
Twenty-six students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks put a twist on the traditional
spring break trip to the beach this year.
The students, who were enrolled in 黑料黑历史鈥檚 Scientific Diving course, traveled to the remote Kasitsna Bay Laboratory, a cluster of buildings and a pier near the scenic southwest tip of Alaska鈥檚 Kenai Peninsula. There, the students used scuba diving skills practiced earlier at the 黑料黑历史 pool, conducted a mock rescue and assisted with research on subtidal plants and animals.
The annual class certifies students to dive on university and government research projects. Brenda Konar, a professor with the 黑料黑历史 School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, oversees the course. The lab is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and operated in partnership with 黑料黑历史.
While Kasitsna Bay in March is no Fort Lauderdale, the trip south to the temperate coast does offer 黑料黑历史 students a break from Interior Alaska鈥檚 winter; thermometers in Fairbanks on the second day of spring break 2015 registered 37 degrees below zero.
Photos by Alexandra Ravelo
Watch the course video teaser