Canada's Research Icebreaker: New Multimedia Feature Offers a Virtual Tour of the CCGS Amundsen and its Northern Missions

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 20, 2015) - Canada Foundation for Innovation

A multimedia associated with this press release is available here

As the CCGS Amundsen plies the waves off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador on its first expedition of the year, polar scientists and their industry partners are field testing key technologies that will reveal how harsh the wind, waters and ice of the North Atlantic truly are. What is it like to step into their safety boots and work aboard Canada's only dedicated research icebreaker? A new multimedia feature takes you on a virtual tour.

In 2003, the Amundsen was equipped with state-of-the-art labs and tools funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Since then it has been used as a platform for researchers from around the world to better understand Canada's northern environment. The CFI's multimedia feature takes you onto the deck of this floating lab where you'll be introduced to the people and communities who have benefitted from its research missions. Videos include:

• Louis Fortier, project leader of the CCGS Amundsen, describes how an icebreaker destined for the scrapyard was saved for the sake of science
  
  
• A TEDx talk by David Barber, chief scientist for the Amundsen's current research expedition, reflects on the alarming changes in sea ice levels in the North
  
  
• Ian Murdock, who pilots a submarine drone deployed from the Amundsen's moon pool, searches for never-before-seen Arctic corals
  
  
• Marianne Falardeau, a PhD student at McGill University, drags a large net behind the ship to catch fattening sea creatures found at the bottom of the Arctic food web
  
  

The multimedia feature was created to highlight a new report by an independent panel of experts that assesses the accomplishments of the Amundsen since its first research expedition. To begin the virtual tour and find out why the icebreaker is critical to Canada's role and reputation in the Arctic, click here.

About the Canada Foundation for Innovation

The Canada Foundation for Innovation gives researchers the tools they need to think big and innovate. By investing in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in Canada's universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions, the CFI is helping to attract and retain the world's top talent, to train the next generation of researchers, to support private-sector innovation and to create high-quality jobs that strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life for all Canadians. For more information, visit Innovation.ca or follow us on Twitter @InnovationCA.