JOHNSON CITY – "The Miracles of Lake Baikal: A Trip to the Greatest Lake on Earth" is the subject of a Thursday, Jan. 24, lecture and information session on a summer study trip.
This lecture by Dr. Lev Yampolsky, ETSU assistant professor of biological sciences, is planned for 7 p.m. in 206 Brown Hall. It will serve as an orientation for those who have already signed up to participate in the upcoming trip and provide information for others who may be interested in joining the group.
Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, is considered "the deepest, oldest and largest lake on Earth." It is home to "one of the world's most diverse endemic faunas, which includes crustaceans, fish, sponges, mollusks, land-locked seals" and more, according to Yampolsky. It also offers unique diving and birding opportunities. The trip program includes sightseeing stopovers in Paris or another major European city, as well as Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia.
Yampolsky, along with Dr. Fred Alsop, an ETSU professor of biological sciences who specializes in birds, will lead the trip, which is tentatively scheduled for July 15-Aug. 3.
The estimated cost is $1,600 plus regular tuition for ETSU students and non-students who enroll in the "Extended Field Ecology/Biodiversity" course (BIOL-4957-050 or BIOL-5957-050) or $2,000 for those participants who do not take the course. The fee includes round-trip airfare from the Tri-Cities Regional Airport to Moscow. Costs are subject to change. A $200 deposit is required before enrolling in the course, and the final deadline to register for the trip is March 1.
For more information on the lecture or trip, or for special assistance or seating for persons with disabilities, contact Yampolsky at (423) 439-4359 or yampolsk@etsu.edu, or Alsop at 439-6838 or alsopf@etsu.edu. Additional information on Lake Baikal is available online at www.irkutsk.org/baikal/p>