The academic program has been designed to combine didactic instruction with practical experience and field research. Participants develop skills using well-defined, proven methods, but are called upon to put them into practice under unfamiliar and demanding conditions.

Participants live and work alongside professional researcher, sharing in their enthusiasm for their careers, and in the successes and disappointments of each mission. The participants and mentors become equal partners in the learning process and in the pursuit of knowledge. As a result, the participants' educational experiences extend far beyond that found in the conventional classroom. The educational process becomes relevant as participants and mentors confer on their discoveries and evaluate knowledge gained about the research topic in its context.