19-YEAR-OLD'S TRIP TO BOTTOM OF GLOBE A TOP EXPERIENCE.

Byline: Robert H. Reid Associated Press 

A 19-year-old California woman who had never been outside the United States discovered ``a world of possibilities'' in a two-week expedition to Antarctica.

Sharon Ungersma, a physics major from Campbell, joined 34 young people from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe on an odyssey to Antarctica to promote environmental awareness and mark the 50th anniversary of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

``It was absolutely fabulous,'' Ungersma, a junior at Harvey Mudd College, said before boarding a flight back to California. ``It was such a diverse group from 35 countries in the one place in this world that is not owned by any nation.''

The participants, who came from such locations as Russia, Chechnya, Bosnia, Israel and Vietnam, were chosen for their academic records and dedication to the environment. Ungersma was the only American on the journey, called ``One Step Beyond.''

National barriers melted away in a harsh environment where survival depends on helping and learning from one another.

``Everyone was extremely friendly,'' she said. ``Antarctica is isolated so you have to depend on the people you're with. We felt like family.''

The participants assembled at the first of the year in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they linked up with their guide, Robert Swan, the only man to walk on both the North and South Poles.

On Jan. 4 they flew from Buenos Aires to the southernmost town in the world - Ushuaia, pronounced Yoo-shweye'-uh, in Argentina - for leadership and survival training.

At Ushuaia, they boarded a 264-foot Russian ice ship, the Professor Khromov, for a voyage through the often frozen Drake's Passage to the northern tip of Antarctica.

During the period in Antarctica, the group visited British and Chilean scientific stations and helped the scientists with experiments, such as gathering information on penguin colonies.

Most of the participants were chosen because of scientific backgrounds.

``We helped them counting penguin nests, mapping areas where the penguins lived, and comparing previous data,'' Ungersma said. ``Weighing the baby penguins was really neat.''

Participants also explored offshore islands and spent a few nights on the ice. They took scientific measurements, observed wildlife and plant life and observed the effect of pollution.

The project, sponsored by UNESCO and Tandem Computers Inc., was designed to promote global cooperation, leadership, education and environmental awareness, organizers say.

UNESCO hopes the young participants, 16 through 24, take back an appreciation of the importance of preserving the last frontier on earth. Seals and penguins are abundant now, but human footfalls can wreak destruction on the few plants able to endure the fragile ecosystem.

Humans' excessive fishing is hurting wildlife that depends on fish for food. Radiation from the ozone hole centered over Antarctica has increased skin cancer rates in the Southern Hemisphere.

``We were very careful not to send a large group ashore at the same time,'' Ungersma said. ``Tramping around on the land can be very dangerous (to fragile plants). We left absolutely no garbage or remains behind.''