Most scientists study their field in a laboratory, but one university professor will embark on a journey across seas to be part of a worldwide study.

Eric Ferré, a professor of geology, has been nominated to be a part of the International Ocean Discovery Program for the second time.

This summer’s exploration is July 30 to Sept. 29 where Ferré will travel from the port of Yokohama, Japan to Keelung, Taiwan.

The project titled Expedition 352 is to examine the Izu-Bonin- Mariana Forearc, a system of trench gaps located along tectonic plates known as arcs beneath sea level in the Western Pacific Ocean.

The goal of the expedition is to drill at the point of the ocean floor where tectonic plates overlap to study the basaltic rocks retrieved. The crew will drill from the boat at a depth of over 4,500 meters.

“We are going to be able to look at the geological history of this part of the world by drilling deeper and deeper,” Ferré said. “Every time you go deeper, you essentially are looking at older rocks.”

Ferré said the Izu-Bonin- Mariana Forearc was chosen for this expedition because it represents a young volcanic arc where one plate underlays another.

The ship used for IODP explorations is called the JOIDES Resolution, a 470-foot long boat equipped with many tools for scientific journeys.

The crew will consist of 120 people: 30 engineers, 30 cooks and stewards, 30 drillers and 30 scientists. Ferré is one of eight scientists nominated from the United States.

“You basically have a full research department floating in the middle of the ocean,” Ferré said. “And you have also the equipment to look at the material that you retrieve from the ocean floor.”

Ferré said the boat is designed to stay stationary regardless of the tide, winds and sea currents.

“To achieve that, the ship has not only the regular propellers at the back, but it also has the thrusters on the side,” he said. “There are 16 of them distributed all around the ship. They kind of stabilize the ship all the time, so that the ship remains from a GPS coordinate stand point perfectly stationary.”

The JOIDES Resolution also has systems that allow drilling to neutralize during heavy waves.

“The ship is going to go up and down, and you want the drill rig to

remain stable,” he said. “So there’s a heave compensation system also.”

Sarah Friedman, a graduate student from Grayslake studying geoscience, said the trip is a great experience.

Friedman went on an IODP exploration in 2012 from Puntarenas, Costa Rica to Panama City on the same ship as Ferre.

“The boat that he’ll be on is a drill rig and they’ll send down basically just like a drill pipe and drill into the rock and bring that rock up in what’s known as a core,” she said. “And the scientist on the boat will study that core and get as much information from it as possible.”

The boat consists of a helicopter- landing pad, two laboratories distributed across two floors and bunk beds for the crewmembers.

This trip alone will cost the United States between $12 and $15 million. The U.S. pays $250 million per year for about nine of these expeditions.

“It is paid by a consortium of countries: China, Japan, Germany, the UK, and the US,” he said. “They contribute and pitch money to this expedition and obviously you want to make sure the science is solid. So it goes through a very strict, multiphase review process.”

The organization pays a grant to the university and all of Ferré’s expenses.

The IODP has been organizing these trips since 1968. Trips are prepared about 10 years in advance and each year about 60 Americans are nominated for IODP explorations.

While Expedition 352 has eight Americans, there will be just three Japanese scientists even though they will primarily be in Japan. Ferré said how much each country pays depends on how many scientists are allowed from that country.

In order to go on the expedition, scientists must file applications with their credentials. Ferré said one must be in good health, be the right age, have knowledge that will contribute to the trip and must be able to work well with other experts.

“They make sure that all your medical records are up to date,” he said.“Youaretechnicallyawayfrom everything. It would take about two days to get you to a hospital.”

The ship will be about 600 miles from the coast or two days by boat.

Ferré said part of the reason they screen for physical health is because crewmembers work non-stop 12- hour shifts for seven days a week. There are three different shifts, one from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the other from noon to midnight and the last from midnight to noon.

“Every day on the ship costs $135,000,” he said. “That’s a lot of money, so you want to be productive all the time.”

Ferré said there are four administrators who oversee the project, and he hopes to be an administrator in about 10 years.

“Before you become an administrator you really have to climb the ranks and you have to have maybe five or six explorations,” he said. “They really have a breadth of knowledge, the understanding of logistics, because sometimes the chiefs have to make some hard decisions.”

All people partaking on the trip must be in Japan several days prior to help pack food and oil for the two- month expedition.

“While the ship is still on the dock, they start training the people and they start with a safety training,” he said. “They cannot allow you on the boat without receiving the basic safety training.”

Every week the crew undergoes an unexpected fire drill to ensure everyone is prepared for emergencies.

For a future exploration to be considered, scientists send workshop proposals and attract people interested in the research. Then from the workshop a first proposal is crafted, which goes through a review process and is sent back with criticism. Ferré has recently submitted his own workshop proposal.

Laurie Achenbach, interim dean of the College of Science, said Ferré is always enthusiastic and was a clear choice for the nomination.

“This is actually very prestigious in that not that many scientists are invited to be part of this expedition,” Achenbach said. “It’s great for geology, it’s great for the institution and it’s just more exposure for the scientific community.”

Luke Nozicka can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter at @LukeNozicka, or 536-3311 ext. 268.