WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) announced that the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been awarded $7.5 million in federal grant funding for the study of permafrost using new technology. These funds are awarded through the Department of Defense’s Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI).

“As one of the nation’s leading research institutions, the University of Illinois continues to secure immense federal support for groundbreaking research projects,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “I’m excited to announce that my alma mater will be receiving $7.5 million in federal funding from the Department of Defense. This project will bring experts from a variety of fields together to help us gain more insight into our global climate.”

The project, called Interdisciplinary Material Science for the Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Permafrost (IM SHARP), will study permafrost properties through newly developed experimental tools including remote sensing, light polarization and electromagnetic theory. The University team will explore the various physical and chemical properties of permafrost under current and changing environmental conditions and will have implications for global climate research.

The Department of Defense’s Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program involves teams of researchers investigating high priority topics and opportunities that intersect more than one traditional technical discipline. For many military problems, this multidisciplinary approach serves to stimulate innovations, accelerate research progress and expedite transition of results into naval applications.

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