Half of this year's two dozen projects are new, including excavating the gardens of Horace's Italian villa , tracking gray whales off Vancouver Island , studying small mammals and their prey in the Chilean Andes , and searching near the Sea of Japan for artifacts of ancient maritime cultures . In all UREP expeditions, volunteers join university researchers and provide support for the work by paying the cost of their own meals, lodging, ground transportation and research equipment. The contributions qualify as tax-deductible charitable donations. Each project lasts one to three weeks. Special experience is rarely needed to join an expedition.
Most researchers ask merely that volunteers be interested in the research subject.
The lure of a UREP trip is the depth of involvement with a place or people, says one UREP veteran, retired options trader Patricia Dodson. Instead of just watching a parade, I was able to talk to the people that were making the parade. Working on a UREP project is so much richer an experience than being a normal tourist. And the directors give so much of themselves and they're so informed about their subject, it's like a college course in two weeks. Sign-up deadlines vary by project.