On October 28, the College of Construction Engineering at Jilin University held a send-off ceremony for faculty and students participating in China’s 42nd Antarctic Scientific Expedition. The ceremony was hosted by Yang Zhou, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the College.

Zhang Nan, a member of the expedition team, introduced the overall objectives and preparation progress for the mission. The team will rely on the independently developed “Polar Ice Sheet Rapid Hot Water Drilling System” to conduct scientific drilling through a 3,600-meter-thick ice cover above the Qilin Subglacial Lake, located 150 km east of China’s Taishan Station in Antarctica. This mission aims to achieve China’s first systematic sampling and observation of an Antarctic subglacial lake. During the ceremony, Guo Wei, Dean of the College, presented the expedition flag to the team on behalf of the College.

In his speech, Guo Wei emphasized that scientific drilling at Qilin Subglacial Lake is a landmark task under the national “Polar Capability Enhancement Project.” It reflects the College’s ongoing efforts to support China’s deep earth and polar research initiatives and showcases Jilin University’s research and innovation capabilities in deep drilling technology. Facing extreme polar conditions and the challenges of high-level scientific tasks, he urged team members to uphold the glorious tradition of Jilin University’s earth sciences, adopt a rigorous and meticulous research approach, and complete all research objectives successfully, contributing to humanity’s understanding of polar regions.

In his concluding remarks, Yang Zhou noted that participation in the Antarctic scientific expedition is a source of pride for Jilin University, particularly for the College of Construction Engineering. He assured full support for the expedition team through comprehensive logistics and services and expressed hope that all members will achieve excellent results in completing their tasks.

This marks the 11th time that the College of Construction Engineering has participated in China’s Antarctic Scientific Expedition. The six team members will depart from Shanghai on November 1 as part of China’s 42nd Antarctic Scientific Expedition and are expected to complete their mission and return to China in April 2026.