George Agnes could barely conceal his excitement this week as he prepared to depart May 12 on the journey of a lifetime—a 12-day trek high into the Bolivian Andes to the Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat.

“It’s an incredible opportunity,” admits the SFU chemistry professor and graduate studies associate dean who is a member of Expedition Bolivia: La Ruta de Sal, the latest mission of the i2P World Expedition Series organized by Impossible2Possible (i2P). The non-profit group of ultramarathoners and adventurers uses its global adventures to inspire students to make positive change in the world.

Five youth ambassadors will also be on the expedition, which includes a marathon-long run per day across the 10,582-sq.-km (4,086-sq.mi.) salt flat formed from transformations between several prehistoric lakes in southwest Bolivia, some 3,656 metres (11,995 ft.) above sea level.

Each i2P expedition explores a central theme of global significance, such as clean drinking water or biodiversity, and the Bolivia expedition’s theme is chemistry.

That’s why SFU ombudsperson and i2P ultramarathoner, Jay Soloman, tapped Agnes to take his place on the expedition.

The mission’s science advisor, Agnes will supervise daily chemistry experiments as thousands of participating high-school students and teachers worldwide take part via the Internet, through videoconferences and broadcasts of experiments in real time. He’ll also answer questions posed by students from their classrooms. The experiments will employ materials present in the Salar to illustrate basic principles of chemistry, “and, of course, the science of the run,” says Agnes, who also plans to do some running.

He spent the last several months training for the expedition and preparing experiments with help from chemistry department colleagues and science undergrads Vincent Chan and Debbie Le.

But Agnes says his main reason for going is to gain first-hand experience before assembling an SFU plan for a continuing relationship with i2P to create training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students regarding future i2P expeditions and other opportunities.

“It would give students an unparalleled experiential learning opportunity.”

Follow the Bolivia expedition, May 12-24, at http://impossible2possible.com/bolivia/home.