To quote Joe Banks

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Trip Start May 22, 2007 Trip End Jun 04, 2007 Next
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  Cypress, Texas
Saturday, May 19, 2007

To quote Joe Banks (Tom Hanks in "Joe Versus the Volcano"); "Take me... to the volcano!"

I begin my trip with this quote because in addition to seeking study abroad opportunities and partnership with the Vesuvian International Institute of Archeology and Humanities (VIIAH), my goal is to explore two of Europe's most storied volcanos; Mt. Vesuvius (Napoli) and Mt. Etna (Catania, Sicily).

Death and rebirth - this is the story of the eternal forces that have shaped both the human and physical landscapes of southern Italy. Both volcanos are unique; Vesuvius most notably for it's devastation of ancient Pompeii and Herculaneum in AD 79, and Etna for it's distinction as Europe's largest active volcano and presently one of THE most active and dangerous volcanos in the world (having erupted as recently as April 30th, 2007).

My academic interests take me to Italy to examine the influence these volcanos have had on the lives of people who've chosen to settle around them. Natural hazards research is an area of geography that assesses risk and looks at the way in which humans weigh economic and other benefits (and simple attachment to place) with the potential for natural disaster. This is one of the areas I studied in grad school and look forward to investigating further in the field.

More on Mt. Vesuvius:

http://www.nsa.naples.navy.mil/disasterprep/home.htm

http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/img_vesuvius.html

http://www.vesuvioinrete.it/e_webcam.htm

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