Tanzania Expedition

As part of a science-based NOLS course offered in partnership between Central Wyoming College, the University of Wyoming and NOLS, nine students from around the country traveled to East Africa for a 28-day scientific adventure that started in early January. Of the nine students, five are CWC students; Aaron Strubhar, Tobias Osborne, Bailey Lewis, Gabriel Spoonhunter and John McCormick.

This East African expedition was similar to the outdoor skills and leadership course offered by NOLS. The expedition required students to develop a scientific research project and implement their plan on the flanks of Mt. Kilimanjaro, East Africa’s highest peak. Participants on this course spent several days at more than 17,000 feet to learn about research methods in glaciology and apply them to the high elevation glaciers of Mt. Kilimanjaro. As students ascended and descended the mountain, they learned and applied scientific methodologies associated with learning more about plant morphology and microbiology. They collected data about the changes they observed across climatic life zones on Mt. Kilimanjaro.