Guest speaker: Dr. Karen G. Andeen

Dr. Karen G. Andeen '03, Wehr Distinguished Associate Professor of Physics at Marquette University, will present "Antarctic Adventures in Cosmic Ray Physics." She began her physics career at Augustana College and has since worked and studied on various experiments across six continents.

Topic description: Mysterious particles coming from beyond our atmosphere were discovered more than 100 years ago; however, the origin and composition of these "cosmic rays" remains relatively uncertain. To help solve these mysteries, we have built the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, consisting of over 5500 basketball-sized light detectors melted deep into the South Pole icecap.  These photodetectors are sensitive to the blue light emitted in the surrounding clear ice when cosmic messengers from some of the most violent processes in the universe pass through the earth.  We will discuss cosmic rays, how to detect them, and what they are telling us about our universe.