Ecuadorians initiated an expedition to Antarctica

An expedition into the scientific station Pedro Vicente Maldonado, located in the Greenwich Island, in the South Shetland Islands of  the Antarctic, will depart today with a group of Ecuadorians.

Among the travelers there  are scientists, soldiers, foreigners, journalists and students from the winning schools of the inter-school IV competition Antarctic 2013, organized by the Ecuadorian Antarctic Institute (NAIS).

Darío Medina, of the “Sudamericano” School of Cuenca; and Camila Santamaría, of the “Saint Dominic School” of Quito, will travel accompanied by a delegated tutor of the Ministry of Education.

José Olmedo, director of the NAIS, informed that the 18th expedition must comply with several important tasks, including, servicing the entire structure of the station which operates only in summer, but in two or three years will operate permanently.

Moreover, national scientists and foreigners, will be responsible for performing studies, especially those related to the environmental impact, climate change, applied technologies, health and geometry.

The sixteenth edition of the expedition was carried out in 2012  in which a group stayed two months in the white continent with the participation of 24 researchers and 21 universities.