A hand-held global positioning system (GPS) unit can pinpoint a spot on the surface of the earth within one meter. At Colby, researchers use GPS to record the location of geologic samples and to record the range of individual birds, among other applications. Using GPS to turn an old-fashioned campus scavenger hunt into a high-tech trivia chase was part of The Colby Difference.

As five teams of students, faculty, staff, alumni and trustees raced from clue to clue Friday afternoon, their locations were recorded every five seconds.

Event co-chair Associate Professor of Chemistry D. Whitney King dreamed up the treasure hunt after he heard Larkspur Morton talk about her research studying gray jays. "Here's technology being used by people on campus and in society in general," said King. "Wouldn't it be neat to do something fun that incorporates that?"

A course was mapped, clues were prepared, and a computer program was written by John Kuehne (ITS) using GPS and global information system (GIS) systems to display on an aerial photograph where the teams went.

King arranged an elaborate handicap system for the hunt, using average team ages and bonuses for recruiting trustees, staff and community members.

One (fairly easy) clue, "A solid reminder of the promise of research in the pursuit of levity," sent teams scurrying for the anti-gravity monument near the tennis courts. Afterward GPS data was loaded into a computer, which plotted courses and speeds. Results were presented that night in Dana.

Organizers were able to verify that each team reached required destinations in the correct order, and it was clear how quickly and how far afield teams traveled. Though the hunt was conducted over a two-kilometer course, teams averaged five kilometers in their wanderings. In the end the electronic evidence helped decide the winners. "It was pretty obvious when people were in a car," said King, who assessed a penalty for the vehicular transgression and threw the race into a tie.