Press Release 14-039
Breaking the Ice
R/V Sikuliaq completes preliminary acceptance trials
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R/V Sikuliaq departs Wisconsin shipyard for five days of preliminary acceptance trials. |
March 20, 2014
The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) ice-capable research vessel R/V Sikuliaq conducted preliminary acceptance trials on the Great Lakes at the end of February, and NSF planners hope to have her in the Washington, D.C., area for a summer visit while completing the remainder of her testing along the east coast.
The NSF-owned research vessel is a 261-foot ship that the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences will operate as part of the U.S. academic research fleet. R/V Sikuliaq is uniquely equipped to operate in ice-choked waters and will be able to do so in extreme ecosystems, especially in the Arctic region, serving the science and engineering research communities for decades to come.
By late September, R/V Sikuliaq is expected to begin funded science, but the historically cold winter on the Great Lakes gave an ideal opportunity to assess her performance in ice ahead of more formal trials. Video is available of R/V Sikuliaq returning from her preliminary acceptance trials, and here are a few snapshots courtesy of Matthew Hawkins, a program director in NSF’s Division of Ocean Sciences.
-NSF-
Media Contacts
Ivy F. Kupec, NSF, (703) 292-8796, ikupec@nsf.gov
Related Websites
UAF Sikuliaq: https://www.sfos.uaf.edu/sikuliaq/launch/index.html
Sikuliaq Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/RV-Sikuliaq/148646505192538
NSF award information: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1058367&HistoricalAwards=false
NSF Science Nation piece on Sikuliaq: http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/sikuliaq.jsp
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2014, its budget is $7.2 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 50,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes about 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards about $593 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
Useful NSF Web Sites:
NSF Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov
NSF News: http://www.nsf.gov/news/
For the News Media: http://www.nsf.gov/news/newsroom.jsp
Science and Engineering Statistics: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards Searches: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/
