Polar First For Young Scientists
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News Release - School of Physics,
University of New South Wales
Tuesday 21st December 1999
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Two UNSW graduate students will become
the first Australian female research scientists to work at the South
Pole in a UNSW led expedition early in 2000. Jill Rathborne, 22,
a PhD student and Jessica Dempsey, 21 an honours student are part
of an expedition led by Professor John Storey, Head of the School
of Physics at UNSW, to commission a suite of instruments for the
Automated Astrophysical Site Testing Laboratory (AASTO) observatory
at the South Pole.
The AASTO is a mobile laboratory, capable
of being deployed anywhere on the Antarctic plateau by a ski-equipped
Hercules aircraft. It is being used to assess the potential of Antarctica
for a future international astronomical observatory. UNSW, the Australian
National University and the Australian Research Council support
the AASTO project with seed money being provided by the Australian
Antarctic Foundation.
For the two graduate students it is
shaping as the most exciting experience of their scientific careers
so far. They will sleep in tents and brave temperatures of minus
30 degrees. "Being part of research that helps answer the big questions
of science is a once in a life time experience," said Jessica. Antarctica
is the highest, driest and coldest of the continents but on the
Antarctic plateau it is also the calmest places on earth, making
it ideal for astronomical observation.
The UNSW team leaves for the South Pole
in early January.
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Further Information
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Contact:
See also:
South
Pole Webcam
South
Pole Picture Gallery
AASTO
Home Page
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