Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes

International Training

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Dates for the International Course in 2027

New dates for 2027: June 5 - July 31.

Recently published, and you can read the article for free. Assessing Human Resources Development in Volcano Observatories Using the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Survey A study by Juan Pablo Sarmiento, Florida International University, interviewing scientists in countries around the world, to find out the impact of the CSAV International course.

The 2026 Course is Up and Running!

Participants are from Argentina, Philippines, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Guatemala. View photos from the 2026 Summer Training Course.

A group of 12 scientists pose in front of a tall fountain of red lava in the distance.The 2026 participants enjoyed a spectacular fountaining eruption at the summit of Kilauea, at the start of the course.

Details of the International Training Course

The cost for this 8-week course is USD $9,000 (this cost includes housing). Participants need to provide their own airfare and food, in addition to the course fees.

To Apply: Download an Application Form ; forms are due in the CSAV office on or before December 1.

Apply to the CSAV International Program

Hawaiian volcanoes are among the most active in the world, but unlike violently explosive volcanoes they can be approached and studied without significant risk. As a result, the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes provides the ideal environment for practicing volcano monitoring techniques.

Visit the Smug Mug International site to see photos!

Overview

The International Training Program is designed to assist developing nations in attaining self-sufficiency in monitoring volcanoes. The field training emphasizes volcano monitoring methods, both data collection and interpretation, in use by the U.S. Geological Survey; participants are taught the use and maintenance of volcano monitoring instruments. Besides learning to assess volcanic hazards, participants learn the interrelationship of scientists, governing officials, and the news media during volcanic crises. A gallery of former participants showcases the 312 scientists and technicians, from 34 countries, who have attended from 1990 - 2026. The instructors come from volcano observatories of the US Geological Survey, and from the University of Hawaiʻi.

Scientists pose in front of the HVO signCSAV International scientists learn volcano monitoring techniques used by volcano observatories of the United States Geological Survey. Here, the 2011 CSAV group poses in front of the HVO sign at Kilauea Summit.

Course focus and objectives

The course is an introduction to a variety of volcano monitoring techniques, rather than detailed training with just one; hence, seismologists who attend will learn about deformation, gas geochemistry, and physical volcanology as well as geophysics. The course is not geared towards academics, but rather, addresses working in a crisis response mode, focusing on forecasting and rapid response to save lives and property.

Hawaiʻi Section: Six Weeks

The Hawaiʻi Section is held at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and covers physical geology, webcams, gas geochemistry, rock identification and mapping, Lahars, photogrammetry, seismology, remote sensing, deformation, and dealing with the press. Field work sites are Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.

View typical apartment housing where International scientists stay during the Hawaii section of the course.

A man next to a tripodDanny Hidayat (Indonesia) sets up a tribrach at UH Hilo, for a practice leveling survey.

A man uses a hammer to collect molten lavaMikhail Herry (Papua New Guinea) collects a sample of molten lava near the ocean.

Scientists wear safety goggles in labPhilippine scientists work in the lab with samples of volcanic gas from Kilauea summit.

A scientist points at a seismogramAt the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Matt Patrick shows the CSAV group how seismic, tilt, and other telemetered signals correlate.

Scientists stand on a black sand beachGroups are small, usually less than 12 students, so everyone gets a chance to work with scientific instruments and computer data.

Scientists work near a tripodCSAV students collect GPS data near Mauna Ulu; the information gathered will be compared to earlier baseline studies.

CVO Section: Two weeks

The CVO section is held in Vancouver, Washington and includes work at Cascades Volcano Observatory as well as field work at Mount St. Helens. Topics covered are stratigraphic sections, mapping, power systems, public outreach, event trees, and the relationship of scientists to media and Civil Defense.

The crater of Mount St. HelensMount St. Helens provides an ideal setting to analyze and map tephra deposits.

Scientists look at a map as they sit on the groundAfter hiking into the crater of Mount St. Helens, the CSAV group makes a rough map.

A man poses in front of a forest of dead treesPablo Masias of Peru views trees blasted by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.

A group of scientists writes at a tableAfter a day of field work, the CSAV group works on isopach maps of tephra.

Scientists use a screwdriver to connect a piece of conduit to a solar panelAt CVO, the CSAV scientists learn how to assemble a telemetry station.

Scientists pour paint down a panel at a tableThe CSAV group participates in activities designed to teach the public about eruptions.

Who may apply

Scientists and technicians who work at volcano observatories in developing countries.

If you are interested in learning about volcanology, but are NOT a scientist or civil worker in a developing country with active volcanoes, you may be interested in attending some of the exciting courses offered by the Geology Department of UH Hilo, including Geology of the Hawaiian Islands (GEOL 205 ) and Volcanology (GEOL 470 ). Read more about the Geology Department!

Scientists pose in front of a wall map of the worldCSAV International participants come from volcano observatories throughout the developing world, including Peru, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Democratic Republic of Congo, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Application deadline: Applications for each summer's course must be received in the CSAV office by December 1 before the year applied for. For the 2027 International Course, applications must be received by December 1 2026. Download an Application Form

Written requests may be mailed to:

Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
200 West Kāwili Street
Hilo, Hawaiʻi 96720-4091

Tel: (808) 932-7791

CSAV participants come from 33 different countries around the world.

Photos from the 2026 Summer Training Course

Stay tuned. Even more photos are forthcoming! Contact Meghann Decker for the latest updates.

Twelve scientists pose, by sitting or standing around a huge tree. The scientists and their countries are: Fabricio Carbajal of Argentina, Nicolas Vigide of Argentina, Allan Bernardo of Philippines, Javiera Veliz Vera of Chile, Edwin Viracucha of Ecuador, Grace Lopez of Philippines, Fabrizio Lemus of Guatemala, Arno Bertold of Costa Rica, Lady Quispe of Peru, David Adriansy of Indonesia, Maria Alejandra Velez of Colombia, and Eman Bere of Indonesia. The 12 participants pose for a group portrait at UH Hilo, before the start of the training course.

Fourteen scientists line up in a row inside a building with web camera equipment in the foreground.The participants visit the new HVO Field Station at the summit of Kilauea, where Matt Patrick, assisted by Raymond Adams, shares information about how useful web cams are for monitoring volcanic eruptions.

A group of people hold canoe paddles as they pose for a photograph around an outrigger canoe.The International scientists take a break after classwork, to paddle an outrigger canoe in Hilo Bay. Miki Warren, an avid paddler, arranged the event, because it's important for the participants to learn about the ocean and Hawaiian culture as well as studying volcanoes.

A woman demonstrates how to make a lei, using ti leaves.Kama Poepoe (yellow) has the participants make lei out of ti leaf, a Hawaiian cultural practice.

People line up on bicycles.The participants are ready to ride back to their UH Hilo dorm housing, on CSAV loaner bicycles.

Students examine rock samples around tables in a lab.Volcanic rocks and their mineral components are identified during an introductory lab.

A group of people gaze at old lava flows on a slope, with blue sky in the background.The group views decades-old lava flows from Mauna Ulu, noting the difference between aa and pahoehoe.

Students sit at lab tables and look at computer screens.In the SDAV Lab of UH Hilo Geography, participants listen to Scott Rowland lecture on remote sensing, while they process satellite image data.

A group of people rest on rounded rocks with the ocean in the background.After class, the CSAV participants can enjoy free time, playing soccer, riding bikes, or snorkeling at Richardson's Beach in Hilo.

People wearing hardhats walk out of a cave.Everyone wears hardhats when visiting Kaumana Cave, a lava tube from the 1881 Mauna Loa eruption.

A woman looks through a surveying gun.Lady Quispe (Peru) reads a surveying rod using a NAK-2 instrument.

A woman kneels on a road and measures a crack using a compass.Grace Lopez (Philippines) measures a crack in the road with a Brunton compass.

A man rests on a rock formation.Fabrizio Lemus (Guatemala) observes an old pahoehoe flow in the Kau Desert, as the group maps the area, aided by remote sensing data.

Three people sit on an old lava flow and take notes.Students take notes on the 2018 lava flows that covered many acres across the Lower East Rift Zone of Kilauea.

A scientist talks to a group of people on an old lava flow, with houses in the distance.Mike Zoeller of USGS (orange) tells the participants about the Kilauea eruption that devastated homes in Kalapana; in the background are rebuilt houses.

Galleries of Recent Participants