PEAR expedition organizers must create an environment in which effective learning takes place. Being a good scientist and field research does not always mean being a good adult educator or social change agent. The reverse is also true. First, they learn something about the environmental, social, economic, and cultural issues confronting the communities. Volunteers learn how to collect and process research-related information using the techniques prescribed by the researchers.
Volunteers learn something about their own home towns in comparison to the project community.
Volunteers as well as the investigators learn something about each other. Many friendships are formed, as might be expected when a small group of like- minded people share unusual experiences over a period of time. Expeditions can provide a rich source of learning experiences not only about the focus of the scientific investigation, but also about the work of scientists, the places where they work, and the environment that provides context for the investigation. Expeditions are living laboratories in which participants achieve personal and professional goals as well as a sense of contributing towards creating new knowledge. Every expedition offers challenges that demand a lot from volunteers, especially those who have traveled from distant places or from different cultures.