What is your position at the University of Delaware, and what does
it entail?
I am a member of the Bartol Research Institute and a faculty member of the
Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Delaware.
How long have you been at UD?
I have been at UD since 1977 when Bartol moved to the University of
Delaware.
What do you like most about your job? Least?
My favorite activity is to do calculations related to my research, and the
least favorite is doing the necessary paperwork associated with
administration.
What's the most exciting thing that's happened to you on the
job?
In 1987 my longtime colleague Al Mann from the University of Pennsylvania
called me from the Kamioka experiment deep in a mine in Japan to tell me
that the detector he was working on there had just observed neutrinos from
Supernova 1987A.
What is your role in IceTop, and why is this research
important?
I am head of the IceTop group at Delaware and currently Spokesperson of
IceCube. IceTop is an array of detectors on the surface above IceCube. The
sensors in IceTop tanks are fully integrated into the data acquisition
system along with all the IceCube sensors in the deep ice. The deep part of
IceCube is designed to detect high-energy neutrinos coming up through the
Earth. The surface detectors give IceCube the ability to function as a
3-dimensional air shower array that measures downward cascades of particles
generated in the atmosphere by numerous high-energy particles from space
called cosmic rays. By making use of unique aspects of IceCube-IceTop, we
hope to discover the transition from particles accelerated in our own
galaxy to a more energetic population of particles from distant sources
such as active galaxies.
What do you like most about going to the South Pole?
Least?
I like working there, building our part of the detector and working with
others in the IceCube project, but 6 or 7 weeks each year is a long time to
be away from home.
How do you fill your free time at the South Pole?
I like to relax after dinner and talk to others working at Pole”"and I go
to bed early because the work is tiring.
What's your favorite hobby? Movie? Book? Music? TV Show?
Food?
My favorite books in recent years are the Harry Potter series, and I like
to cook.
What other interesting places have you visited as part of your
work?
Most recently I had the opportunity to visit Peru to lecture at a summer
school for young scientists in Latin America. There are many meetings in
interesting places”"for example, the most recent collaboration meeting of
IceCube was at Utrecht in the Netherlands.
What tip would you give to others interested in pursuing your
career?
If you want an academic career, be alert for how fields are changing and
what’s likely to be new, interesting and interdisciplinary.
