Visiting Madison, WI
I finally got to meet the IceCube Lab in person! I traveled to Madison, Wisconsin a couple weeks ago and earned a few badges toward becoming a true IceCube-er.
What is IceCube? It's the lab I'll be joining on my trip to the South Pole. A lot of labs and projects are happening down south, and IceCube is one of them. In a nutshell, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic kilometer of the ice that is reserved for the detection of subatomic particles called neutrinos, which can give us insights into some of the most violent astrophysical incidents in the universe--exploding stars, gamma-ray bursts, etc. (If it doens't quite click yet, don't worry, we'll have a whole post breaking down the science.) You can learn more here
Even as I stepped outside the airport, my training for the South Pole had begun. It was a cool 45 degrees F, at least 30 degrees colder than what I’m used to. (To be honest, I bought a new sweater just for my trip to Madison.) As a native Southern Californian, I don’t have the opportunity to experience such crisp conditions, so I guess this counts as my adjustment to cold weather. Spoilers--I survived it. I was only scheduled to be in Madison for a day and a half, so the itinerary was packed with information, introductions, and lots of tours. Here’s a snapshot:
Tour of the Ice Cube Lab
Meeting with the Education and Outreach Team
Trying on Cold Weather Gear for the FIRST time
Tour of the Physical Sciences Lab
Social event: retirement party!
Tour of the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery
Jocelyn trying on Extreme Cold Weather Gear for the First Time
Jocelyn in the CAVE at the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery
Coming up before I leave:
1. Jargie the Science Girl! performance, with my cold weather gear as the special guest
2. Pack, pack, pack
3. Chat with you all! I’ll be doing a few Q&A’s on my Instagram next week. Check them out! @thesciencej
Talk soon, friends.
Jocelyn
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