An Extreme Expedition for Science
Caudwell Xtreme Everest Team Reaches the
Summit and Saves a Life!
Pacific Science Center's Chief Financial and Operating Officer Darla Norris is one of more than 200 volunteers who joined the Xtreme Everest scientists and doctors for the research expedition to Mount Everest. You can read her final journal entry →here.
"Pacific Science Center is honored to be a part of this extraordinary endeavor," said Bryce Seidl, president and CEO for Pacific Science Center.
Other science centers across the country participating in this once-in-a-lifetime expedition are the →Saint Louis Science Center, the →Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego and the →Discovery Center in Springfield, Missouri.
For more information on this unique
research, click the play button on the image below.
Caudwell Xtreme Everest is a
research project coordinated by the Centre for Altitude,
Space and Extreme (CASE) environment medicine. The team of
doctors and scientists will conduct medical testing on the
volunteers during their ascent to base camp, studying the
effects of extreme altitude and low oxygen levels on human
physiology. The hope is that this research will help
doctors treat critically ill adults and children, who may
be suffering from diseases associated with low oxygen
levels (hypoxia).
During a trip to London in early 2007, participants
underwent pre-trek screenings to establish baselines of
their brain oxygen levels, brain function, muscle oxygen
levels, eye pupil reaction, and even the circumferences of
their heads. The scientific endeavor began April 19 and
lasted 23 days. Along with the medical tests, the
volunteers also kept journals, tracking how they felt at
the increasing altitude.
This is the centerpiece of an extensive program of research
into hypoxia (low oxygen levels) and human performance at
extreme altitude aimed at improving the care of the
critically ill and other patients where hypoxia is a
fundamental problem.
Conditions that will benefit from the data gathered through
this research include acute respiratory distress syndrome
(ARDS), altitude sickness, "blue babies," brain
dysfunction, congenital heart disease, cystic fibrosis,
emphysema, lung disease, oxygen deficiency, severe
infections, sepsis/septic shock, and more.
Pacific Science Center has special exhibits dedicated to
the Xtreme Everest expedition, including in-depth
explanations of the trek and updates from Mt. Everest.
MacGillivray Freeman Films also plans to create
→Return to Everest, an IMAX® film that covers the Xtreme Everest
expedition. In addition, Pacific Science Center is
featuring the IMAX film, The Alps during the expedition. See our
→online schedule for show times.
IMAX® is a registered trademark of Imax Corporation.