Some academics spend their summer vacation working on their next book or figuring new ways to distort the minds of America's youth. At least one, however, is thinking big.

Meet Greg Crawford, Dean of Science at Notre Dame. In an effort to raise awareness and find a cure for Niemann-Pick Type C Disease, Crawford is cycling 3,500 miles from Los Angeles to Baltimore. This is the fourth such ride on this quest, and Crawford will total more than 11,200 miles once he's done.

NPC is a rare, genetic disease that claimed the lives of three of former Notre Dame football coach Ara Parseghian's grandchildren. Generally, children stricken with NPC do not live past their teens.

Crawford has been maintaining a blog on his travels; he crossed the halfway point in his journey in the middle of last week. Currently, he's rolling with the tide in Alabama. You can also keep an eye on his photos on his Flickr page.