By David Karas | Correspondent

With gear, currency and a satellite phone in hand, a cohort of 16 students from Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, will spend the first part of their summer on a series of expeditions in Romania.

The “ND Conservation Corps,” as they are known, embarked on a two-week journey through the Carpathian Mountains for a biodiversity trip, leaving June 16 to begin their travels to the Eastern European country.

The scientific research expedition is being led by NDHS teacher, Hope Bauch, who has been working with the students to plan the trip throughout the course of the academic year.

"I am proud to take these young men and women out into the world to see the heritage they have been given, and the blessing it is to protect it," said Bauch. "These next two weeks we truly get to see what is meant by being stewards of God’s world."

During their time in Romania, the team will travel into the country’s rugged, mountainous terrain to assist the government with an ongoing project collecting data for scientific research – an endeavor the nation could not sustain without assistance from volunteers like the Notre Dame students.

The students will be mobile throughout the two weeks, spending a few nights in a series of villages scattered throughout the remote Saxon villages and foothills of the Tarnava Mare Natura 2000 area of the country.

Their task includes assisting with an annual survey of the effectiveness in maintaining traditional farming practices and in protecting biodiversity in the region of the country. The work is being done through ADEPT, a Romanian-based NGO.

You can follow their journey online by visiting the team’s blog, which will be updated throughout the experience: http://ndromaniatrip.tumblr.com/.