New expedition gets special T-shirts and takes a weather station to Antarctica for testing
A unique set of T-shirts was donated by the Technology Transfer Office to all members of the MU expedition to Antarctica. In addition, the polar explorers received an auxiliary device for an automatic weather station from Comet System, which will be tested in Antarctica during this year's expedition in order to obtain the trademark Tested in Antarctica.
"Our multi-year collaboration with TTO on the Tested in Antarctica trademark project has been one of the most rewarding opportunities my varied work has brought me. I appreciate the opportunity to meet and cooperate with professionals – colleagues from TTO, as well as with representatives of industry and the application sphere, because really everyone who has ever been interested in our idea of testing products and technologies in Antarctica are also extremely interesting people, often with remarkable stories, just like the products that have passed our Antarctic test," said Pavel Kapler, manager of the Czech Antarctic Research Programme.
In addition to the equipment for the meteorological station, new T-shirts will also travel to Antarctica, which combine the uniform visual style of Masaryk University with the trademark emblem and logo of the Czech Antarctic Programme. A group of polar explorers received the first set of T-shirts as a gift from TTO, while other T-shirts will be available in the university's MUNIshop and can be purchased by anyone. "I am really happy about the T-shirts. Apart from the fact that thanks to them, we have managed to draw attention to the possibility of cooperation between the private sector and scientists heading to Antarctica, we have also managed to create a product that I hope will be worn not only by veterans of our expeditions, but also by fans and supporters from the public," adds Pavel Kapler.
For the past 7 years, the Technology Transfer Office has enabled products from a wide portfolio to be tested in the harsh conditions of Antarctica and to seek the protective lock of Tested in Antarctica. The trademark acts as a confirmation of quality and also a differentiation within the competition, which is also evidenced by the words of David Beranek, director of Comet System s.r.o., who presented the members of the expedition with an auxiliary device for testing the automatic weather station. "Our enthusiasm for the location and, of course, our desire to see what our product can withstand led us to the testing. So we thought it was a good idea to combine the pleasant with the useful. If our product succeeds, it will certainly help the prestige of both the product and the company. If by any chance it fails in the testing, there is nothing to be done, it is a business, you have to take that into account and I believe that it would still move us forward," said Director Beránek about the testing process.
The J. G. Mendel Station in Antarctica has been serving scientists for over 15 years. A new expedition from Masaryk University will set off for Antarctica on Friday 27 January. The aim of this year's expedition in three different destinations is long-term climate monitoring and comprehensive monitoring of the condition of glaciers, long-term frozen ground, deforested areas allowing the growth of lower plants, river and lake systems and other geomorphological formations.
