The O.R.I.E.N.T. Project

Three Days of Exploration

The ORIENT Project was originally designed as a three day program, and that is what the folks at the Burroughs Welcome Fund were gracious enough to endorse with a Student Science Enrichment Program grant in 2006.  This is the most intensive option available at Penn, so far.  As the program is developed further, and improved upon over the course of the next few years, post-program enrichment options will be added, allowing students and teachers to refer back to the data and lessons gathered in their three day experience to further explore areas of environmental science and geo-spatial technology.

Day One focuses on the background knowledge necessary to travel using a GPS unit, topographic map and the decision-making skills of your teammates.  Day Two and Day Three involve intensive "scavenging" for geocaches on Penn's Campus.  Once found, each cache leads to a specific exploration in science, math, etc.   Evening programs, nightly campfires and even nighttime caches round out this exciting experience. 

Seven meals in the dining hall, as well as two nights of accommodations in the cabins

 are included in the cost of a three day program.

Specific arrival, departure and bed times are flexible to allow each program to be

customized for specific school needs.

Day One
10:45           Arrive at Center, settle into cabins

11:30           Orientation & Teacher Meeting
12:00           Lunch in Dining Hall
1:00             Skills Training Rotation (Lat & Long, GPS Tech, Topo Maps)
5:00             Break
5:45             Table Waiters to Dining Hall
6:00             Dinner
7:00             Flag Lowering
7:10             Introduction to Geocaching
8:20             Group Campfires
9:30             Meet at Steps to dismiss to Cabins

Day Two
7:00             Rise and Shine
7:45             Table Waiters to Dining Hall, Everyone else to Flag Raising
8:00             Breakfast
9:00             Geocache Searches w/ Explorations at Each Found Cache
11:50           Break, Table Waiters to Dining Hall
12:00           Lunch
1:00             Geocache Searches w/ Explorations at Each Found Cache
5:00             Break
5:45             Table Waiters to the Dining Hall
6:00             Dinner
7:00             Flag Lowering
7:10             Evening Programs
8:30             Group Campfires
9:45             Return to Cabins   

Day Three
7:00              Rise and Shine
7:45              Flag Raising & Table Waiters
8:00              Breakfast
9:00              Geocache Searches w/ Explorations at Each Found Cache

11:15            Final "Event Cache"
12:00            Lunch in Picnic Shelter
1:00              Departure