In a short 30-minute hike up several hundred feet, Abigail Hall of Olympia, Washington, was standing atop a volcano surrounded by a rocky expanse of red-brown igneous overlooking green hills, a small village and the Atlantic Ocean. She and a dozen other students marveled at the lava fields below with steaming vents and ruined buildings as they learned about a 1973 eruption that destroyed hundreds of buildings and wreaked havoc on the nearby farms.
The visit was part of a 10-day trip across Iceland in May 2025 that brought students not only to a volcano but also a geyser, a glacier, mountains, and the rugged coastline. They even trekked through a lava tube created by an eruption through a fissure in the surface, their hard hats with headlamps lighting up the dark cavern shaped by jagged walls of hardened lava.
“I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life,” Hall said.
The experience is a central component of an upper-level travel study course called “ERS410: Sea-to-Sky Experience,” in which students explore dynamic landscapes and conduct real-world research on the oceanic, geologic, atmospheric and ecological processes that shaped them.
In Iceland, students drilled ice cores, obtained water samples, conducted isotope and radiocarbon dating and used ground-and ice-penetrating radar to gather a wide range of data.
The faculty also coordinated opportunities for students to meet and interview local residents affected by the natural processes they were studying for qualitative data and personal context.
“I have been quite interested in natural disaster sciences and mitigation since I began my undergraduate career and seeing the ways that the recent volcanic events have impacted both the landscape and the surrounding communities was extremely interesting,” Hall said. “Having the opportunity to connect with people who were affected first hand by these tragedies was eye-opening and gave me a further sense of direction in my career planning.”
Unlike similar programs at other universities, “Sea-to-Sky” also trains students to become effective science communicators by teaching them how to translate complex research into more accessible formats for a general audience, including drawings, paintings and creative writing.
Karl Kreutz, course instructor and director of the School of Earth and Climate Sciences, said what sets the program apart is the internationally recognized researchers who teach it — Seth Campbell, associate professor of glaciology, and Aaron Putnam, George H. Denton Professor of Earth Sciences; Daniel Dixon, director of 91’s Sustainability Office; and renown environmental artist and alumna ’15, ’18G.
“Our students are exposed to real-world problems that they help solve, and they work with some of the best scientists in the world,” Kreutz said.
“Sea-to-Sky” has been offered four times over the past decade — once in Iceland and three times in Alaska. The idea took shape while Kreutz and Campbell were stranded on a glacier mountain during a five-day storm, where they began brainstorming a program that would immerse students in real-world field experiences in unique environments.
Open to students in earth and climate sciences, environmental science, engineering or other programs, “Sea-to-Sky” prepares participants to become future scientists by engaging them in independent research projects and faculty-led work in the field.
As a capstone course for Earth and climate science students, “Sea-to-Sky” requires participants to present their findings through presentations or posters at public events like the 91 Student Symposium. By contributing to faculty research, students may also receive credit in peer-reviewed journal publications, helping launch their professional scientific careers.
The next “Sea-to-Sky” experience is scheduled for May, when faculty will once again bring students to Iceland for continued research. The program is supported by a gift endowment from the Golden family in honor of Nicholas Golden, an Earth and climate science student who passed away.
Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu
