To this end, Viking’s Polar Marine Geoscience Fund will endow the university’s Scott Polar Research Institute with its first fully funded professorship. The prestigious position is the Viking Chair of Polar Marine Geoscience and professors will delve into ways of bettering understanding of the behavior of polar environments.
Established in 1920, the Scott Polar Research Institute aims to further the understanding of the polar regions through scholarly research and publication.
Viking Funds New Professorship
The new endowment further extends the company’s existing partnership with Cambridge University’s Scott Polar Research Institute which took a lead role in developing the science enrichment program for Viking’s expedition vessels that launched in early 2022.
The new post will both augment the scientific leadership at the Institute and facilitate new avenues of research in terms of polar environments. Expected research includes the study of polar ice sheets, sea ice, and ocean circulation.
Viking Develops Exciting New Partnership
Viking’s first expedition vessel, the Viking Octantis, debuted in January 2022 and spent the Austral summer in Antarctica. A second, identical sister ship, the Viking Polaris, will join the fleet later this year.
The Viking Octantis is now en route to the Great Lakes region. Scientists from the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), and other renowned academic institutions, are already doing fieldwork onboard Viking Octantis.
Torstein Hagen is the Chairman of Viking and he said, “Our intention in creating ‘the thinking person’s expedition’ is that every voyage should provide opportunities for scientific discovery—for our guests and for our partners.”
He added, “In addition to offering our guests the ability to explore some of the world’s most pristine destinations in comfort and in the most responsible way possible, we are proud that our expedition vessels can also be utilized as ships of opportunity for important research that might not be possible otherwise. By establishing the Viking Polar Marine Geoscience Fund, we are also ensuring that the Scott Polar Research Institute is able to continue critical work in perpetuity—some of which will be conducted onboard.”
Esteemed Viking Expedition Team Leads Shore Excursions
As part of the partnership between Viking and SPRI, university specialists helped to develop The Science Lab on Viking’s expedition vessels. Each lab has wet and dry laboratory facilities and supports a broad range of research.
Julian Dowdeswell is a Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Cambridge and acting Chair of the Viking Research Advisory Group. He said, “We are delighted with the support offered by Viking through both the endowment of a new Professorship at the Institute and the opportunity to use their expedition ships as well-equipped platforms for our scientific investigations of the icy world,” said Professor Dowdeswell.
Viking’s other scientific partners include The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), Norwegian Institute of Water Research, NIVA, Norwegian Polar Institute, Oceanites, The Polar Citizen Science Collective, and the IUCN Species Survival Commission Species Monitoring Specialist Group.
Viking is Now on All Continents
With the launch of Viking Expeditions in January 2022, Viking is now exploring all seven continents. The Polar Class Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris each host 378 guests in 189 staterooms and destination-focused expeditions are available in Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes.
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