The Polar Research Center of Jilin University was founded in December 2010. The main research fields are drilling and sampling techniques in complex conditions of polar ice and environment of beneath ice shelves, and drilling and logging technology in the polar deep ice. At present, there are 9 full-time and 5 part-time faculty members, including 5 professors and 2 associate professors. Among them, there is 1 distinguished professor of “Leading Talent”, 1 winner of Chinese Government Friendship Award and 1 winner of Changbai Mountain Friendship Award of Jilin Province.

Since its foundation, guided by the national major strategic needs of the polar region, the Polar Research Center of Jilin University, highlights the interdisciplinary integration, actively participates in Arctic and Antarctic scientific expedition of China and serves the international polar cause. The Center has made great breakthroughs in many research fields by undertaking a number of major projects of National Key R&D Program of China, such as supporting project of “Leading Talent”, sub-project of hot water drilling of “863” program and “polar ice bedrock without drill pipe core drilling equipment” of major instrument and equipment project of National Natural Science Foundation. In addition, 5 General Programs of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, 6 Programs of National Natural Science Foundation of China for Young Scholars, 1 Public Welfare Project of the Ministry of Land and Resources, and more than 10 Key Projects of the State and Ministries, such as the Special Project of the Polar Office of the State Oceanic Administration, the Geological Survey Project of the China Geological Survey and the Doctoral Fund of the Ministry of Education of China, have been undertaken and have made good process. The accumulated scientific research funds are more than 50 million yuan

The Polar Research Center of Jilin University has conducted research on “core drilling of the polar glacier and subglacial bedrock”, “permafrost drilling” and “sediment sampling on the seabed”. Since the foundation of the Polar Research Center of Jilin University in 2010, more than 60 academic papers have been published, including 38 indexed by SCI, 19 authorized national invention patents, 3 English monographs and 10 internal research reports. Prof. Pavel Talalay, director of the Polar Center of Jilin University, was awarded the Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2014 for his outstanding contribution to polar drilling in China.

Since its foundation, the center has successively assigned 26 teachers and students to participate in the 28^th, 29^th, 31^st, 32^nd, 33^rd, 34^th and 35^th Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition respectively to carry out the Dome A deep ice core drilling project. Many members have won the honorary title of Outstanding Expedition Team Members and have been commended by the State Oceanic Administration, the Polar Office and the Polar Research Center. During the 35^th Antarctic Scientific Expedition, the teachers and students of the Center successfully implemented the field work of the National Natural Fund’s major instrument and equipment project “Polar Deep Ice Bedrock without Drill Pipe Core Drilling Equipment” on site. Completed 313 times of Antarctic ice sheet and subglacial bedrock core drilling, successfully penetrated the bottom of the ice sheet, drilled about 198m blue ice core and 6cm subglacial bedrock core. This is the first subglacial bedrock core sample drilled in China, and also the first subglacial bedrock sample obtained in this region in the world. This breakthrough is of great significance, which has been reported in “Nature”, XINHUANET and CCTV successively. Meanwhile, this marks that China has become the third country after Russia (the former Soviet Union) and United States has the ability to penetrate the ice sheet and drill Antarctic subglacial bedrock samples.

Our college gradually has acquired the ability to independently carry out the research on polar ice core and subglacial bedrock samples. In addition, 6 teachers and students of the Center participated in investigation of Arctic Greenland Deep Ice Core Drilling Program, 3 participated in the field test of the German Antarctic Expedition Sampler, and 1 participated in the field test of the New Zealand Antarctic Expedition Sampler.