Christmas has come early for 13-year-old Danny Wicks.

The grade eight Mount St. Agnes student was yesterday named as Bermuda's newest Jason Project Argonaut and sets off in early May for the high-alpine adventure of his life.

With a team of scientists and peers from the US, England, and Mexico, Danny will travel to Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park where -- unlike your run-of the-mill tourists -- he will actually get to the bottom of Old Faithful's geo-thermal punch.

And while this year's Jason project is entitled "journey from the centre of the Earth,'' the Argonauts will also be introduced to concepts of glaciology and take in some of the Yellowstone's more terrestrial attractions, including grizzly bears and wolves.

"I was shaking when they told me,'' Danny yesterday told The Royal Gazette .

"At first I thought I was in trouble when the Principal came to my room and asked me to come out to the hall.'' Added his mother and Mount St. Agnes teacher, Karen Wicks: "Once we pulled him down off the ceiling he was very excited.'' Bitten by the science bug in grade five, the Devonshire youth hopes to become a marine biologist and has been following the Jason Project for the past few years through class trips to project's primary interactive network site at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research.

Citing algebra and the sciences as his favourite school topics, Danny also spends his time shooting hoops, playing roller hockey, or studying karate.

And he expects his physical prowess to pay off on the Yellowstone expedition: "I've never been to the mountains but I think we'll run into some rough terrain. I know I will able to take it,'' he said.

Danny Wicks