IceCube Summer Student Program 2023 – Astronomy and Astrophysics Antarctic Research in Thailand

Written by W. Kammeemoon

รายงานโครงการนักศึกษาภาคฤดูร้อนของหอสังเกตการณ์นิวตริโนไอซ์คิวบ์
1.นางสาวญานี ต่างใจ (ดาวน์โหลด)
2.นางสาววรรษชล คำมีมูล(ดาวน์โหลด)

About IceCube Summer Student Program

An IceCube software workshop is designed for collaborators and students worldwide to participate and learn about IceCube Neutrino Observatory, which was held from June 5th to June 9th, 2023 at Wisconsin IceCube Astrophysics Center (WIPAC). The program aims to provide an opportunity for participants to gain deeper insights into IceCube research alongside IceCubers. Following the software workshop, students will be assigned an IceCube project to work on for a period of one and a half months.

The IceCube Summer Student Program is specially designed for collaboration between Thailand and IceCube. This program is held for 10 weeks or 2 months, providing an opportunity for Thai students to work on projects relevant to IceCube neutrino research.

This year, two students from Thailand, namely:

Ms. Wassachon Kammeemoon from Mahidol University
Ms. Yanee Tangjai from Chiangmai University

have passed the interview examination conducted by the selection committee and have been finally selected by Her Royal Highness Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to attend the IceCube Summer Student Program 2023. They traveled to the United States of America to attend the IceCube Summer Student Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from June 1 to July 29, 2023. Their international flights, visa fee, travel insurance, and allowance will be supported by the Information Technology Foundation under the Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. WIPAC will support their accommodation and meals.

About Madison

Madison is the state capital located in the southern part of Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is situated in the city, surrounded by Lake Monona and Lake Mendota. June and July are summer months in Madison. The weather during this time is similar to the winter in Thailand. Madison is a peaceful and splendid city. It is definitely worth visiting!

Works

IceCube Summer School (Software workshop)

IceCube Summer School is a software workshop for collaborators and students worldwide to learn about the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. It was held from June 5th to June 9th, 2023, at the Wisconsin IceCube Astrophysics Center (WIPAC). This program covered topics such as the science of IceCube, tools for data analysis and visualization, IceCube research, and related knowledge.

Summer Project: Scintillator Panels Calibration

The scintillator panels are used to calibrate the impact of snow accumulation on cosmic-ray shower reconstruction detected by IceTop and to improve the veto capabilities of IceTop. During the summer, we calibrated the scintillator panels to function effectively in extreme temperatures. The purpose of this calibration is to determine the fitting function and fitting constant of MIP in relation to temperature and voltage. In other words, when the scintillators are located at the South Pole, each panel will maintain a constant MIP value. As the temperature changes, the scintillators must adjust their voltage to preserve the MIP value. We had to test the scintillator panels in the freezer at the Physical Science Lab (PSL) and analyze the resulting data.

IceCube Outreach

There was a Saturday Juneteenth event on June 17th, 2023, at Penn Park (2101 Fisher St.). We had the opportunity to work as IceCube volunteers, acknowledging among people about the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and multimessenger astrophysics. Our booth included a multimessenger astrophysics game, a drilling ice activity, an IceCube information poster, and an Antarctica Virtual Reality (VR) experience.

Travels

A Lake Loop & Olbrich Botanical Garden

A lake loop is a bicycle route that encircles Lake Monona. Thanks to its natural surroundings, while cycling around the lake loop, we can enjoy a scenic view of Madison city along with its diverse wildlife. Along the way, there is the Olbrich Botanical Garden, which boasts a wide variety of plants and features a Thai pavilion.

Wisconsin State Capitol

Farmer Market

Terrace at Memorial Union

Lake Michigan

Wisconsin Maritime Museum

Rafting at Wolf River

Rafting is one of the activities American people usually do in the summer. We went rafting along the Wolf River. We could see a splendid view of the forest and clear fresh water. There was an unexpected situation while we were rafting, so that was a wonderful and unforgettable experience!

The 4th of July Celebration

The Fourth of July is Independence Day in the United States. It is a national holiday, and American people typically celebrate with grills and fireworks. We had the opportunity to witness a fireworks celebration on this day.