The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently chose the University of Alaska to head up a consortium of academic, industry, government, lab and community partners for a new ADAC-ARCTIC Center of Excellence, awarding it $46 million for the effort.
The funding will be spread out over a 10-year cooperative agreement, building up a center focused on research, education and training in the arctic.
“The ADAC-ARCTIC COE will affect major DHS mission priorities by focusing on critical research needed to prepare for and implement effective responses to challenges facing the Arctic domain,” Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov, DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology, said. “The Arctic’s dynamic ecosystem has proven to be an extraordinary challenge, and DHS is fortunate to leverage the expertise of academia to meet operational requirements.”
ADAC-ARCTIC will research and find solutions to natural and man-made disasters, ice melt and communications infrastructure. This research will in turn help DHS better adapt its missions to the arctic, and provide a foundation for training students, faculty and DHS workers.