FIU gets more than $130 million a year to conduct research of all kinds.
One of FIU's most exciting research projects is happening right now in the ice and snow near the North Pole. It's a historic research expedition of the Arctic.
51 scientists, students and technicians from around the world made last-minute preps as they left Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on their way to study the Arctic Ocean.
FIU Professor Dave Kadko has planned this expedition for six years. The team is traveling on icebreakers, special Coast Guard ships that can navigate the harsh, ice-covered waters.
They're collecting ice and water samples to measure the levels of certain pollutants found in the Arctic, to compare against future conditions.
"In the end, they'll be a huge archive of data that people will be using for generations to come. The impact to society will be outstanding," Professor Kadko said.
These multi-million dollar experiments are supposed to provide the most comprehensive understanding ever of the Arctic's chemical composition. Scientists will explore the Arctic for two months and said all the data will take years to interpret.
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Kadko said it's critical to find out how much man has impacted the Arctic already because a number of countries are planning on expanding shipping, oil drilling and fishing in that part of the world.
