Five Labs That Make Going to Class the Best Part of College

Not every student falls asleep at the thought of doing another lab. For a fortunate few, homework means setting off bombs, making lightning, crashing cars, and unleashing 100mph winds. Come meet the luckiest students in the country inside (with video)

By Annalee Newitz Posted 08.20.2007 at 1:00 am 0 Comments

Play With Lava

Where: U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

What You'll Learn: How to tread lightly around active volcanos; when to run

Future Job: Geologist, geophysicist, geo-information systems engineer

Prospective Employers: USGS, NASA, Google Maps

Today's assignment: Take a hike on Kilauea Volcano, where 2,100F magma is spewing out of an 820-foot-wide crater. Tomorrow, measure exactly how far the lava flow has spread and how much poisonous sulfur dioxide is in the air.

As many as 20 students compete for each volunteer position working and living on one of the world's most active volcanos. Up to eight students at a time sleep in a house in a national park and wake up before the crack of dawn to hike into the wilderness, mapping a region that might soon begin oozing molten rock. The payoff: helping elite researchers measure some extremely powerful underground action, including the bulging shapes created by underground magma flow and the seismic activity that spurs eruptions. Says scientist-in-charge Jim Kauahikaua, "For many, it's their first experience with volcano work, and it changes their lives."

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