Off to ASRA

I am leaving for ASRA, a summer camp up in Fairbanks, on Sunday. ASRA is a pretty cool summer camp. It takes place at UAF (University of Alaska Fairbanks) and everyone stays at the dorms. There are probably about 15 different modules,  which means about 15 different camps. So during the day, everyone goes off to their camp. But afterwards, everyone comes back to the dorms and  participates in activities. The activities are really fun and there are a wide selection to choose from: everything from Canoeing the Chena river to Playing Capture the Flag to Hiking in Denali.

The modules are fun to. Since the camp is geared towards motivated learners (you have to write essays and get references just to get in), all of the modules are about learning new things and getting amazing opportunities.

For instance, in the module I was in last year, we learned about Satellite Imagery and Remote Sensing. Since the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) is at UAF, we learned a lot about that. We got to see all the different types of imagery taken by Satellites, use professional software to adjust and analyze the imagery, and even create one of the daily reports on Alaska volcano activity that the AVO puts out. We also got to do a lot of hands on things, like use a FLIR (Forward Looking Infared) cameras to look at the temperature of Geothermal streams and ice sculptures.

This years I am in the Denali Rocks Module, which is about the Geology of Denali National Park. This one, along with a few others, is a remote module. We will start out at the UAF campus, then go to Denali for a week, then come back to the campus and analyze data we have collected.

Anyway, before I leave I have another cousin visiting, this one from Texas. Unfortunately, I won’t get to spend much time with her before I leave, but we should have time to go on some hikes.

I also recently bought a microphone and recorder to go with my camera for video I take. I bought a Azden ECZ-990 shotgun mic and a Jammin Pro HR-5 digital recorder to go with it. This should allow me to capture much better audio. The mic also came with a windscreen, which should allow me to get audio when it is windy out.