NOLS: The Natonal Outdoor Leadership School

My boss likes to say that people need to hear something 7 times before they remember it. I know that's true with my kids but in the case of NOLS, it applies to me. I had seen the famous mountain and sun logo. I saw their booth at the Adventures in Travel Expo, (my sister won a NOLS T-shirt), but I didn't put it all together until last week: school...outdoors...wilderness...education...SCHOOL! And then I requested a catalog and spent this past weekend drooling over pictures and dreaming of rock climbing in Arizona, sea kayaking in Alaska & Mexico, wilderness canoeing in the Yukon, flyfishing in Patagonia, mountaineering in India, backpacking in Australia & Scandinavia.... Ah! What a catalog it is!

With more than 40 years of experience and courses ranging from 10 days to a full academic year, The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) calls itself "the leader in wilderness education." They back that up by taking students of all ages on "real wilderness expeditions, teaching outdoor skills, leadership, and environmental ethics in some of the world's wildest and most awe-inspiring classrooms." Did you notice the part about the "academic year"? Many of NOLS' students take their courses for college credit -- credit that has transferred to more than 400 colleges around the country. Financial aid is also available through more than $1 million in scholarships annually.

So are you wondering what you can learn in a NOLS course? How's this for starters: backpacking, canoeing, caving, rock climbing, culture, fly-fishing, horsepacking, river kayaking, sea kayaking, mountaineering, rafting, sailing, skiing, snowboarding, leadership, teamwork, environmental studies, and risk management.

If you are interested in honing your leadership and outdoor skills or in taking the trip of a lifetime you've got to check out the NOLS course catalog. Click here.

Singularity University: An Adventure for the Mind

TechCrunch reported last week that some of the top names in science and technology have come together to create Singularity University. In the words of the university itself, "Singularity University, based on the NASA Ames campus in Silicon Valley, is an interdisciplinary university whose mission is to assemble, educate and inspire a cadre of leaders who strive to understand and facilitate the development of exponentially advancing technologies (bio, nano, info, AI, etc.), and apply, focus and guide these tools to address humanity’s grand challenges."

If you're a science or technology go-to girl with a desire to expand your mind, this may be something for your future. We need more women addressing "humanity's grand challenges."