Luther professor and two students participating in diving expedition

Luther College visiting assistant professor of classics Dan Davis and Luther students Joe Thor and Jeff Emerson are spending July and August aboard a National Geographic ship in the Black Sea off Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea off Cyprus.

Exploration Vessel Nautilus has just started mapping the geological, biological, archaeological and chemical aspects of these regions to depths of approximately 2,000 meters.

E/V Nautilus is a 211-foot research vessel equipped with state-of-the-art exploration and telepresence technology.  Two remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) on board, named Hercules and Argus, are being used to view the seafloor with high definition video.  They will also take environmental measurements and collect geological and biological samples.

Two secondary exploration tools, the towfish named Diana and Echo, will be utilizing side-scan and subbottom sonar technology to explore the seafloor and seek out compelling targets for closer investigation and study.

Dr. Davis and the two Luther students are part of a rotating team of more than 100 scientists, engineers and educators who are exploring these poorly understood regions of the world's oceans.

Video and pictures from the National Geographic expedition is being posted on http://www.nautiluslive.org/.