Two UA students are exploring desert ecology, water management and the politics behind environmental change.

Bryan Ax, com-munication junior, and Michelle Boomhower, biochemistry sophomore, are doing this at Columbia University's inter-disciplinary Earth Semester at Biosphere 2. The dome is located in Oracle, about 40 miles northeast of Tucson.

The program is designed to teach students about the relationships among diverse biosystems and the impacts human actions have upon those systems.

Ax described the program as "summer camp with a lot of reading."

"We get out into the desert a lot. It's a very good learning experience," he said.

They are just beginning work under the Biosphere 2 dome, Ax said. He said they will study how biosystems react to increased levels of carbon dioxide.

Columbia University took over Biosphere 2 in January after its founder, Texas billionaire Ed Bass, decided the project needed a new direction. The 3.15-acre complex was originally developed as a self-sustaining world and in 1991, eight "biospherians" started a two-year stay sealed inside.

Ax heard about the program through a classified ad and applied because he has always been interested in science. After two months of Earth Semester classes, Ax plans to become an interdisciplinary major and help developing countries manage their natural resources.

For example, if people don't understand that deforestation leads to increased carbon dioxide production, which leads to global warming, they won't stop cutting down the trees, Ax said.

Michael Molitor, one of the Biosphere's permanent faculty, who teaches the political and economic courses, wants students to consider the economic situations that lead to deforestation. Knowing the science isn't enough to change the policies, he said.

That is the fundamental idea behind the program - teaching students the sciences and how to apply them to policy decisions, said Debra Colodner, educational services director.

Boomhower said her experience so far at Biosphere 2 has been good, but she didn't think the program would be as intense as it is.

"We're always reading or unwinding," she said. "There's really nothing else to do - you don't have time for anything else."

An average day for the students includes lectures from 9 a.m. until noon, a break for lunch, and research modules from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., which cover a variety of subjects, including this week's "Biosphere 2 systems management." Students are free for the rest of the night but have substantial assigned readings.

The site ecology has been the most interesting part of the program, Boomhower said. "It's fascinating how plants have adapted and keep themselves alive."

Boomhower was planning a career in medicine but is now considering conservation biology.

The central question the students must answer is "What are the kinds of things humans are doing that lead to global impact?" Molitor said.

Answering that question involves a broad understanding of earth science, conservation biology, law, politics and economics, which are the lecture topics for the semester.

In addition to lectures, the students conduct on-site research in the Biosphere 2 dome, take daylong and weeklong field trips and prepare a water conservation study for Arizona.

Frank von Hippel, Biosphere 2 conservation biology professor, describes the program as a unique combination of the sciences and humanities. He said he thinks any motivated student who works well in groups would benefit from the semester.

Columbia University considers the semester at Biosphere 2 equivalent to a semester at its main campus in New York. The credits students earn will transfer according to the policies of their home campus.

The UA will accept the transfer credit, but each department will decide how the credits are applied. For example, a biology major may be able to use the credits towards the major while a liberal arts student may apply the credits to elective requirements.

This semester, 25 students are participating in the Earth Semester. Next semester, 50 will be admitted and next fall 75. Columbia University plans to cap enrollment at 75 students to keep the classes small and to ensure students have enough access to resources there, Colodner said.

Applications are available at Biosphere 2, and preference is given to students at Columbia University and each of Arizona's universities.

Tuition for the semester is $10,000. Housing is an additional $600, and an optional meal plan is available for $1,900.

"Cost is going to prohibit a lot of students from attending," Colodner said.

However, this semester, 10 full scholarships were awarded - one to each of the Arizona students enrolled. Next semester, three full scholarships will be set aside for Arizona students.

The scholarship program will continue to help as many Arizona students as possible, and other financial aid may become available as the program develops, Colodner said.

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