Hello Caston - What type of project are you doing? Would you share the finished version with us? 1. AVO is composed of staff from three partner agencies: the USGS, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. When AVO positions become available, personnel are hired through one of these agencies, so job descriptions and prerequisites are dependent on the HR department of the hiring agency. Although there's no blanket rule of "You must have a Ph.D." -- most AVO staff hold a doctorate or at least at M.S. 2. AVO is federally funded. Best wishes, Cheryl -------- Caston Wetherell wrote: I am doing a project on the AVO, and there are questions about the observatory that I can't find the answers to on your site or anywhere else. I was hoping you could answer them. 1. Are there requirements for being a part of the staff, as in college degrees or past experience? 2.How is the AVO funded? Is it privately funded, government funded, or some different reason? These are the only questions that I had for now, and thank you in advance -- Cheryl Cameron Geologist, Alaska Volcano Observatory Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys voice: 907-451-5012 fax: 907-451-5050