The first SOI expeditions were to Antarctica in 2000 and the Arctic in 2001. As of 2012, twenty-five polar expeditions had been completed including two expeditions to Antarctica for university students. More than 2,000 high school and university students, teachers, and experts from fifty-three countries have participated on SOI expeditions. The Students on Ice slogan "Protect the poles, protect the planet" was adopted in 2008.. In June 2012, a delegation of SOI alumni attended the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where they addressed world leaders and tabled a recommendation paper emphasizing the need for long-term polar sustainability. The alumni delegation was also represented at the 2012 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar.