Research on polar science drilling technology at the college began in 2010. In 2018, the Jilin University Institute of Polar Science and Engineering was officially established. Over the past decade, the institute has made significant breakthroughs in key technologies and research achievements in areas such as polar ice drilling, subglacial bedrock drilling, non-polluting exploration and sampling of subglacial lakes, ultra-low temperature logging in polar regions, subglacial sediment sampling, and ice core science research. The institute currently has 10 full-time staff and 4 part-time staff, including 4 professors, 1 associate professor, 1 lecturer, 1 senior engineer, 1 laboratory technician, and 1 technician. Among the faculty, one has been awarded the National Distinguished Expert Title, and recipients include one China Government Friendship Award winner and one recipient of the Jilin Province Changbai Mountain Friendship Award.
Guided by the national strategic needs for polar exploration, the institute emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration. It has undertaken key national research projects, including the development of “Coreless Drilling Equipment for Deep Subglacial Bedrock in Polar Regions” under the National Major Scientific Research Instrument Development Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), and the “Development of a Non-Polluting Drilling, Sampling, and Observation System for Subglacial Lakes in Antarctica” under the National Key R&D Program. The institute has also participated in more than 30 national polar science research projects, including sub-projects of the National “863” Hot Water Drilling Project, the “Key Technologies and System Development for Ice Shelf Hot Water Drilling” program, and the Comprehensive Investigation and Evaluation of the Polar Environment program. Cumulative research funding exceeds 50 million RMB.
Leveraging its disciplinary strengths and research capabilities, the institute has participated in numerous polar expeditions in collaboration with China and other international institutions, conducting field research in polar and mountain glaciers. It has trained the only specialized team in China for polar drilling engineering. The institute played a key role in the China Antarctic Dome A deep ice core drilling project, setting a record depth of over 800 meters for deep ice core drilling in Antarctica. In 2019, the institute independently conducted China’s first subglacial bedrock coring test in Antarctica, obtaining the country’s first subglacial bedrock core, making China the third country in the world, after Russia and the United States, to successfully retrieve subglacial bedrock samples from Antarctica. Additionally, the institute successfully conducted Antarctic field tests of the subglacial lake thermal melting probe, drilling to a depth of over 800 meters. The institute has established strong international collaborations with institutions such as the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, the Marine Geology and Mineral Resources Institute in Russia, the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, and the Geological Survey of Denmark. It has participated in major international polar exploration projects, such as the deep ice core drilling project in East Greenland organized by the University of Copenhagen and sediment sampling under the Antarctic ice in collaboration with Germany and New Zealand. The institute has made several innovative advances in polar drilling equipment, including the development of China’s first coreless drilling system for deep subglacial bedrock and a recoverable non-polluting exploration system for subglacial lakes in Antarctica. It has published 107 academic papers and has been granted 120 national patents. The team has been recognized with honours such as the “China Polar Expedition Advanced Collective” and the “Inspiring Figures of Jilin” award.
