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The Icebreaker // Fall 2012www.cresis.ku.edu 1
C E N T E R F O R R E M O T E S E N S I N G O F I C E S H E E T S
FALL 2012
The Icebreaker
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// by Bill Daehler
Dr. Dahl-Jensen Publishes Paper in Prominent Journal
(article continues on page 3)
Dahl-Jensen delivers her lecture on Nov. 1, 2012 at the University of Kansas.
Dr. Dorthe Dahl-Jensen recently visited
the University of Kansas (KU) to discuss
research presented in a new article in
Nature; the research was significantly
supported by CReSIS researchers
and technology.
“CReSIS has been a really, really
important part of the project,” said
Dahl-Jensen, a professor at the Niels Bohr
Institute at the University of Copenhagen
and Chairperson of the Scientific Steering
Committee, which runs the NEEM project.
NEEM—or The North Greenland Eemian
Ice Drilling—is an international research
project that drills ice cores to study the
climactic history of the Earth. NEEM is
managed by the Danish Centre for Ice and
Climate and is supported by international
partners, including the National Science
Foundation (NSF). The research conducted
at NEEM is truly an international effort
with 14 partner nations sending scientists
and students to participate. In a presenta-
tion at KU, Dahl-Jensen showed a video of
busy researchers studying ice cores and
said that no two of the researchers in the
lab “are from the same nation.”
The “Eemian” part of the NEEM acro-
nym refers to the previous interglacial
period, which ended about 115,000 years
ago. By studying this period, researchers
are able to develop better projections of
how our current climate will evolve. The
NEEM camp is located in Northwest Green-
land and has hosted CReSIS researchers
multiple times. CReSIS was most recently at
the NEEM camp from June to July this sum-
mer to collect seismic measurements and
ground-based radar measurements.
“The site was selected based on findings
from CReSIS,” said Dahl-Jensen.
According to Dahl-Jensen, the selection
was made based on radio-echo layers from
CReSIS, and since then CReSIS has made
significant contributions by making a grid
around the NEEM camp. The grid—created
by a team led CReSIS’ Dr. Carl Leuschen in
2008—makes it “possible both to make a very
detailed detection of where the bedrock is,”
said Dahl-Jensen, “and to map the base lay-
ers.”
Nature Paper
Nature, one of the most prestigious scientific
journals in the world, published the research
findings from the NEEM project on (insert
publication date here). Though Dahl-Jen-
sen leads the NEEM projects, the Nature
paper is a community paper with contri-
butions from various NEEM partners.
“The paper covers several different find-
ings,” said Dahl-Jensen.
First, they did find ice from the Eemian
period, but it has been disturbed. Using
radio-echograms from CReSIS, research-
ers can look at why this is happening.
Second, by using climate parameters,
researchers can measure ice cores from
The Icebreaker // Fall 2012www.cresis.ku.edu 2
The students Gillette mentored were
mathematics students pursuing careers as
K-12 math teachers. Gillette said that work-
ing with future educators was a great oppor-
tunity, and he hopes to have more of them in
next summer’s program.
“We’ve been trying to get some pre-service
teachers to give them some strategies they
can use before getting into the classroom,”
said Gillette. “We wanted to take them away
from memorization and get them focusing on
the thought process.”
Malcom McConner was just one of three
students mentored by Gillette during this
summer’s REU program. A senior at Eliza-
beth City State University majoring in edu-
cation with a math concentration, McCon-
ner plans on pursuing a career teaching
math following his graduation. His research
project looked at how precipitation and tem-
perature contribute to the decreasing
of glacier mass.
“Brandon spent a lot of time work-
ing with them,” said Cheri Hamilton, the
CReSIS K-12 Education Coordinator. “He
spent time working with them one-on-
one; I think that was very helpful.”
In addition to McConner, Gillette also
mentored Marvin Elder II, a senior at Mis-
sissippi Valley State University, and Erica
Peterson, a sophomore at Mississippi Val-
ley State University.
“Thanks to his efforts the students now
have an elevated understanding of how
precipitation and temperature contribute
to the decrease of Glacier Mass Balance
and have developed CReSIS lesson plans
to share this information with the next
generation,” said Hayden.
// by Bill Daehler
CSO Honors CReSIS GRA with Mentor Award
Brandon Gillette, a CReSIS Graduate Re-
search Assistant at the University of Kan-
sas, has been awarded the CSO Mentoring
Award for his exemplary work with three
undergraduate students in this summer’s
CReSIS REU Program.
“The CReSIS Graduate Student Mentor-
ing Award was enacted to recognize the
outstanding contribution that our gradu-
ate students make to the CReSIS educa-
tion and outreach efforts,” said Dr. Linda
Hayden, CReSIS Associate Director of
Education and Operations at Elizabeth City
State University.
“This award is for M.A. and Ph.D. stu-
dents who put forth the extra effort to sup-
port their students,” said Gillette. “So, to
be selected is pretty cool!”
The CSO award acknowledges Master’s
and Ph.D. graduate students at CReSIS
institutions who have greatly contributed
to the research and professional develop-
ment of future scientists and engineers.
Gillette, a Ph.D. student in Geography,
will receive a certificate and $500 from
the CReSIS Student Organization, or CSO,
in recognition of his efforts. Recipients of
this award must meet a number of quali-
fications established by CReSIS, including
the following:
The awardee has worked collaborative-
ly for four or more weeks with a team of
one or more undergraduate students on a
CReSIS related project.
The awardee must have the recommen-
dation of a CReSIS faculty member to be
considered for this award.
Awardees agree to give a talk with
their mentees as part of the All-Hands
lecture series.
Brandon Gillette, 2012 CSO Mentor Award recipient, in Antarctica.
The Icebreaker // Fall 2012www.cresis.ku.edu 3
Dr. Dahl-Jensen Publishes Paper in Prominent Journal
(article continued from page 1)
Prof. Dorthe Dahl-Jensen of the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.
For CReSIS data featured in Dr. Dahl-Jensen’s paper, please click on the three links below:
ftp://data.cresis.ku.edu/data/rds/2011_Greenland_P3/pdf/20110329_01.pdfftp://data.cresis.ku.edu/data/rds/2011_Greenland_P3/pdf/20110329_02.pdfftp://data.cresis.ku.edu/data/rds/2011_Greenland_P3/pdf/20110506_01.pdf
both Greenland and Antarctica, which al-
lows scientists to compare and date ice to
create an ice core record.
“When we reconstruct the records and
make the climate interpretation, we’re
capable of producing a climate record
through the Eemian period,” said Dahl-
Jensen, “we had temperatures as high
as 8 degrees above the present and that’s
very high compared to other paleo-climate
records of this period.”
They have also found variations in the el-
evation and volume of ice that comprises the
Greenland ice sheet. This allowed NEEM re-
searchers to examine how these factors in-
fluence sea level rise.
“The final finding is that when we go into
the very warm part of the Eemian period we
see that there has been significant surface
melt,” said Dahl-Jensen.
She said researchers identified surface
melt by ice layers that don’t have any air
bubbles, meaning there is lower air content.
They were also able to identify parameters
like methane, which shows large spikes that
correspond with lower air content.
KU VISIT
Dahl-Jensen spent about a week in Law-
rence, Kansas visiting with University of
Kansas faculty, staff, and students. She was
invited to KU by the University’s Provost
and Executive Vice Chancellor Jeffrey S.
Vitter. During her visit, Dahl-Jensen gave
a presentation at Spooner Hall on the KU
campus as part of the University’s “Bold
Aspirations Visitor and Lecture Series.”
Her lecture, entitled Greenland Ice Cores
Inform on Past Warm Climate Periods, at-
tracted an audience of more than 60 fac-
ulty, students, and local community mem-
bers. A reception followed the lecture.
In her presentation, Dahl-Jensen high-
lighted many of the findings from the
NEEM projects and cited CReSIS contri-
butions multiple times.
To read Dr. Dahl-Jensen’s paper in
Nature please click on the link below:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v493/n7433/full/na-ture11789.html
CReSIS’ Education Outreach Strengthen Science-teaching Skills in Future Educators
// by Darryl Monteau & Jennifer Salva
Cheri Hamilton, CReSIS K-12 Education
Outreach Coordinator, typically gives “Ice
Ice, Baby” lessons to elementary, middle
and high school students to spread aware-
ness of our Earth’s changing climate and
inspire future scientists. Recently, Ham-
ilton presented the same lessons to stu-
dents at Haskell Indian Nations Univer-
sity who are training to become educators
themselves.
Hamilton worked with students in the El-
ementary Teacher Education Program (ETEP)
in Haskell’s School of Education. According
to the Haskell Indian Nations University web-
site, this program prepares students for pro-
fessional teacher licensure for kindergarten
through sixth grade.
Her lessons not only taught Haskell’s ed-
ucation students the principles of glaciol-
ogy, but also introduced them to methods of
teaching science to elementary school stu-
dents. “Many elementary teachers are un-
comfortable teaching science and don’t know
how to ask proper science questions,” Ham-
ilton said.
Hamilton teaches the future educators
how to pose thought-provoking questions to
young students. “No yes or no questions, and
don’t ask why,” Hamilton said. She teaches
the importance of making students feel
comfortable answering questions about
science. Instead of searching for a cor-
rect answer, it is important to get elemen-
tary students thinking and talking to their
peers.
Haskell Indian Nations University, lo-
cated in Lawrence, Kansas, educates
members of federally-recognized Ameri-
can Indian and Alaska Native Nations. The
University offers baccalaureate programs
in American Indian studies, business ad-
ministration and elementary teacher edu-
cation. The University also has an envi-
ronmental science program that partners
with CReSIS to help integrate Geographic
Information Systems into the Center’s re-
search.
The Icebreaker // Fall 2012www.cresis.ku.edu 4
Christine Butcher and Alexis Moyer wrote
the following story about their time in the
CReSIS REU program, a National Science
Foundation-sponsored summer internship
that is hosted by CReSIS partner institu-
tions across the country. The REU program
provides undergraduate students with the
opportunity to conduct research that they
can then carry into graduate school, their
careers and beyond. Each REU student
works with a faculty advisor and other stu-
dent researchers throughout the eight-week
summer program.
Christine and Alexis spent the sum-
mer of 2012 in the REU program hosted by
the University of Kansas. Alexis is now a se-
nior at Gettysburg College, and Christine is a
senior at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Thanks to each of them for sharing their
experiences.
Our Project
This summer we did projects that focused
on the mass budget and force balance of
two glaciers on the Greenland Ice Sheet
(Nioghalvfjordsfjorden and Upernavik). When
we first received our project assignments we
were a bit cautious, not knowing exactly how
we would go about accomplishing them. Af-
ter extensive literature reviews and meetings
with our advisors, Leigh Stearns and Kees
Van der Veen, we began to understand the ba-
sics of our projects and how to go about mea-
suring mass budget and force balance. We
also had the opportunity to learn the basics
of different computer programs, including
Surfer and Matlab. It was great to work in a
guided environment while having the oppor-
tunity to figure things out on our own.
Jayhawk Hunt
On our first day in Lawrence, as we explored
the University of Kansas campus, we noticed
there were Jayhawk statues everywhere.
The Jayhawk is the popular mascot of the
University of Kansas. We thought it was awe-
some they had different themes and made
it our goal to take a picture with every Jay-
hawk statue we could find. Our hunt was a
Photo: Christine Butcher and Alexis Moyer with the Jayhawk in-front of the Kansas Union.
The REU Experience: Alexis and Christine
// by Christine Butcher & Alexis Moyer
great success, and we ended up getting
a ton of pictures with Jayhawks on and
off campus.
Preparation for Presentation
/Presentation
Memories from presentation practices
and our actual presentations will stick
with us forever. Many in our REU group
had never done a poster session or a
presentation of this magnitude. It was
great how our group pulled together and
helped each other prepare. We practiced
our presentations over and over in front of
each other, giving feedback and making
sure everyone felt comfortable with their
work. As a whole our presentations and
poster session experiences were a great
success. We all learned a lot and enjoyed
these new experiences.
To learn more about Christine and
Alexis’ projects, this summer’s REU
students, and the REU program, please
visit: https://www.cresis.ku.edu/education/undergraduate/reu-pro-gram/2012
The Icebreaker // Fall 2012www.cresis.ku.edu 5
Throughout much of this fall, CReSIS
faculty, staff and students were deployed
on an Antarctic mission with NASA re-
searchers where they provided support
for the continuing Operation IceBridge
(OIB) project, which will produce the
largest-ever airborne survey of Earth’s
polar regions.
The mission is led by NASA with ex-
tensive support from organizations like
CReSIS. The OIB missions will produce a
groundbreaking three-dimensional view
of Arctic and Antarctic polar ice. The
project generates yearly data on the be-
haviors of ice sheets, ice shelves and sea
ice to contextualize our planet’s rapidly
changing climate.
“Remote sensing plays a key role in
characterizing the world’s major ice
sheets due to their size and the scale of
change that they undergo,” says NASA’s
Cryoshere Program.
Indeed, remote sensing is among the
invaluable technologies that are needed
to understand how our planet functions.
CReSIS is on the forefront of these tech-
nologies and has provided its expertise
to many of the OIB missions.
CReSIS researchers were deployed
from October 9 to November 20, 2012.
First, however, CReSIS personnel went
to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Facil-
itylocated in Edwards, California. Once
at Dryden, teams installed the Multi-
channel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder
(MCoRDS) antenna and Airborne Topo-
graphic Mapper (ATM). After installation,
they conducted tests of these instru-
ments.
// by Bill Daehler
CReSIS Deploys with NASA on Operation IceBridge Mission
Dr. John Paden and the MCoRDS radar. Photo courtesy of NASA.
On October, 8 CReSIS researchers, led by
Dr. John Paden, flew on a DC-8 to Santiago,
Chile and then onto Punta Arenas, Chile. The
team included Daniel Gomez-Garcia, Brian
Townley, Carson Gee and Peng-Seng Tan
from the University of Kansas. They were
joined by Matt Standish from Indiana Univer-
sity.
The CReSIS team, along with NASA re-
search crews, set up base at the University of
Magallanes in Punta Arenas to conduct their
missions flying over Antarctica. The CRe-
SIS team included deployment veterans Dr.
A photo of snow-covered mountains taken from the plane by Carson Gee.
Paden and graduate research assistant
Daniel Gomez-Garcia, as well as some
first-timers, such as IT Manager Carson
Gee and graduate researcher Peng-Seng
Tan.
“It was a blast,” said Gee of his first
deployment. “It shows what CReSIS is re-
ally all about.”
This mission was not only a first for
some researchers, but also for tests of
new research strategies.
“It was our first deployment where we
decided to put processing and back-up on
the plane,” said Gee.
On previous missions, data processing
was done in the lab following each flight
mission. This innovation represents an
important milestone in the evolution of
data processing, as analyses can now be
turned out faster and more efficiently than
ever before.
“Onboard data processing of MCoRDS,
Ku-band and Snow radars on the DC8
(article continues on page 6)
The Icebreaker // Fall 2012www.cresis.ku.edu 6
Ulrik Nielsen, a Ph.D. student at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), will be visiting
CReSIS during the spring 2013 semester. Nielsen earned his M.S. in Electrical Engineering
from DTU in 2011, and throughout his undergraduate and graduate work, Nielsen has spe-
cialized in electromagnetics, signal processing, mathematics and radar systems. His Ph.D.
research focuses on “Surface Clutter Suppression Techniques for Radar Ice Sounding,”
which Nielsen says deals with the “investigation and development of tomographic surface
clutter suppression techniques using array signal processing.” Nielsen says that when he
is not busy with his studies he enjoys kitesurfing, snowboarding and orienteering, which is
a form of cross country running with navigation.
// by Bill Daehler
CReSIS to Host Visiting Students
Christian Panton, a Ph.D. student at the University of Copenhagen, will also be visiting
CReSIS in spring 2013 to further his work on automated internal layer tracing. His research
interests are in the “intersecting fields of computer science and climate research.” Panton
has an MSc in e-Science from the Department of Computer Science at the University of
Copenhagen, where he focused on data management of large ice-core data sets. He has
also worked as a field assistant at the NEEM camp, where CReSIS often sends researchers.
Panton’s wife and daughter will be coming with him to Lawrence, Kansas as he continues
his research at CReSIS.
(article continued from page 5)
CReSIS Deploys with NASA on Operation IceBridge Mission
aircraft in the midst of data collection,”
according to Tan, was first demonstrated
successfully by Dr. Paden on Oct. 15.
This OIB mission conducted surveys
across western Antarctica, including two
glaciers and the Weddell Sea. The re-
search season ended successfully after 16
airborne missions, totaling a distance of
more than three times around the Earth’s
equator, according to NASA.
Dr. John Paden and Peng-Seng Tan in a workspace at the Dryden facility in California. Photo courtesy of Carson Gee.
The Icebreaker // Fall 2012www.cresis.ku.edu 7
// by Jennifer Salva & Bill Daehler
CReSIS Welcomes New Staff Members
Haiji Wang, a junior at the University of Kansas (KU), began working with CReSIS in Oc-
tober. He will be doing data processing with Prof. John Paden. Wang is studying Electrical
Engineering at KU and looks forward to learning more about the field through his work at
CReSIS. Wang comes to CReSIS from his hometown of Nanjing, China. He hopes to con-
tinue his education into graduate school. When he’s not working or studying, Wang says he
enjoys watching movies.
Ashley Detmering joined CReSIS in November 2012 as a student graphic designer. She
will graduate from the University of Kansas in May 2013 with a BFA in Design. She’s
originally from Farmers Branch, Texas. While at CReSIS, she aims to gain work experi-
ence while encouraging the advancement of science. When not designing in-front of a
computer, she enjoys cooking, sports, photography, and generally prefers to be outdoors.
Robby Willer, a junior at the University of Kansas (KU), joined CReSIS as an undergraduate
research assistant in November. Willer is originally from Shawnee, Kansas and came to KU
to study electrical engineering. He says he is very interested in continuing his engineering
studies into graduate school after completing his undergraduate work. Willer enjoys read-
ing books—mostly about science—and playing video games.
Justin Evers joined CReSIS in December as an undergraduate research assistant for Dr.
Fernando Rodriguez-Morales. Evers, a non-traditional student, is in his second year of
study and is working toward a degree in Electrical Engineering. Before joining CReSIS,
Evers was a P-3 Flight Engineer in the US Navy. He is originally from San Jose, California
and hopes to live near mountains or water after graduation.
The Icebreaker // Fall 2012www.cresis.ku.edu 8
Ali Mahmood joined CReSIS as a Graduate Research Assistant in September. He is from
Islamabad, Pakistan and is pursuing a Master’s in Electrical Engineering at the University
of Kansas, where he also earned his undergraduate degree. He is interested in applied
electromagnetics, particularly microwave engineering and remote sensing. Mahmood
says the interdisciplinary and systems engineering aspects of his research are the most
enjoyable and valuable experiences. In his free time Mahmood also enjoys working on his
RC car, golfing, mountain biking, and skiing.
Konstantinos Petrakopoulos, a Ph.D. student at the University of Kansas, joined CReSIS to
work as a GRA for Prof. Leigh Stearns. Petrakopoulos is from Athens, Greece and has also
lived and worked in Sweden, Scotland, and the U.S. His research is focused on modeling
and glaciology, and he wanted to work with CReSIS to collaborate with people who have
similar research interests. Petrakopoulos earned a BS in physics from the University of
Patras in Patras, Greece. In his spare time, Petrakopoulos enjoys photography and sports.
Bruno Camps Raga joined CReSIS as an Engineering Associate in January 2013. He was
born in Valencia, Spain, but has also lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Columbia, Mis-
souri; and Gelsenkirchen, Germany, where he worked as the Head of Numerical Simula-
tion in the private sector. In 2009, while living in Columbia, he received his PhD in Electrical
& Computer Engineering from the University of Missouri. His main research interests are
antenna and radar design, computational electromagnetics, and software development.
Music is his favorite hobby. He has played the guitar for over 20 years, playing in several
bands and recording with musicians around the world. Dr. Camps Raga also enjoys skiing,
squash, and running.
CReSIS Welcomes New Staff Members
Nichols Hall2335 Irving Hill Rd.Lawrence, KS 66045-7552(785) 864-4390
Editors J. Collins, S. Chakrabarti
Design and Layout E. Zingré, A. Detmering
Staff Writers W. Daehler, J. Salva
Contributors C. Butcher, A. Moyer, D. Monteau
Publication Date January 2013
IS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY, CONTRIBUTIONS CAN BE SENT TO:
The Icebreakericebreaker@cresis.ku.edu