surveys. He was also interested in gathering micro-organisms and meteorite samples from the ice. Negoiţă was disappointed, however, that he had trouble funding Antarctic expeditions. The total expedition cost for three researchers to mobilise for three months could be 25,000 euro. He said, "I started to cry on my own in the middle of the frozen ice land – thinking of the luck the Chinese and Russian researchers were having. From the point of view of the attention that we are given from the state, we are behind even Bulgarians. They get 300,000 dollars per each year from the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs." Most European countries, including the former communist countries Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria, have research institutes funded by a local academic institution and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Romania has no government institute for polar exploration, only the private Romanian Institute of Polar Research, which has a staff of just 10 researchers. For this reason, the Romanian Academy refused to fund the institute, although Negoiţă claimed that there were twenty researchers available in the country. Published papers Negoiţă published more than 28 scientific papers. To promote his research he used a style that was meant to appeal to the Romanian people rather than just scientists. His book Science on ice: With Chinese people in Antarctica (2005), was based on the journal he kept for 130 days in the winter of 2002-2003 during the 19th Chinese expedition to Antarctica. Honours and awards Negoiţă was appointed an officer in the Order of the Star of Romania in December 2000. In 2008 he was promoted to the rank of Commander in that Order. See also Law-Racoviță-Negoiță Station Notes External links Cariere, 18 aprilie 2006 - Teodor Negoiţă: Visul unei nopţi polare - Să păşească pe pământ românesc la capătul lumii Jurnalul Naţional - Suflet în pustiu sticlos Evenimentul Zilei, 22 februarie 2006 - Printre gheţarii Antarcticii Univers ingineresc nr. 22/2005 - Dr.ing. Teodor Gh. Negoiţă s-a întors din Antarctica Cotidianul - Guvernul nu dă nici un pol pe românii de la Polul Sud Cine se teme de Antarctica? 1947 births 2011 deaths Romanian explorers Romanian engineers Romania and the Antarctic Commanders of the Order of the Star of Romania