UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As an experienced guide on countless expeditions — group trips into wilderness areas where people face physical, mental, and emotional challenges — Pete Allison, associate professor of recreation, park, and tourism management, wanted to understand how and why these trips seemed to have such a strong impact on people’s lives.

“Many times, I have heard the cliché that an expedition changed someone’s life,” said Allison. “I wanted to research whether this was true, and if so, how, and why.”

Explore what decades of experience and research have taught Allison about facing physical, psychological, and emotional challenges in nature with a self-reliant team, whether hiking the deserts of Yemen or kayaking the rivers of New Zealand.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately one-quarter of all deaths can be linked to an environmental contributing cause. More and more researchers in the college are studying the ways that environments can affect health and well-being. Read about their discoveries in the latest edition of the interactive Discovery magazine.