Undergraduate Research Opportunities in the 2005/6 academic year and beyond: Help Wanted!
Dr. Matsuoka involves undergraduate students in his research programs. Some positions are jointly funded by NASA Washington Space Grant. He currently plans to hire three undergraduate students. If you are interested in these positions, please contact Dr. Matsuoka in advance so that we can send the job announcement to you as a timely manner.
Computer simulations and radar experiments in cold lab (1 student for spring & summer quarters): One position will be open to assist computer simulations at the UW in the spring quarter and laboratory experiments at a US Army Laboratory in NH for several weeks in the summer quarter. This student will be supported at 100% level at the rest of the summer quarter to conduct analysis of the experiment data.
Antarctic field work (2 students for fall & winter quarters, 2006/7):Two assistant positions for Antarctic field work from November 2006 to February 2007 will be opened March 2006. These assistants are encouraged to conduct their own research projects (with Matsuoka's advising) beyond just assist the primary purposes of the project. For the austral summer 2005/6, these two positions attracted more than 20 students and then two young scientists who just earned their B.S. June 2005 were appointed to these positions. However, these positions are primary planned for undergraduate students. Motivated strong candidates all over the world are strongly encouraged to apply.
Two assistnat positions for Antarctic field work are now open. Applications are accepted until June 12th (Mon). See this page for more details.
Two summer research studentships are now open through NASA Space Grant. See this page for more details.
NASA Washington Space Grant Summer Research Program
In the 2005 summer, Dr. Matsuoka advised two undergraduate students from engineering departments at the UW. They explore a new world in the remote sensing of glaciology, and complete essential steps in Matsuoka's projects. They presented their research at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium and Northwest Glaciologists meeting and keep working with the projects in the following quarters.
Katie Liu, sophomore, bioengineering, UW
Katie developed a tool to track radar-reflecting layers within and beneath the ice. Her intellectual tool developed on Matlab tracks the layer with a guide of several hand-given positions along a radar transect. It gives two-way travel time and the echo intensity of the layer, which provide essential glaciological information. Similar tools are probably available at many glaciology labs, but her tool is, we believe, one of the most user friendly tools. Katie used the tool that she developed to analyze internal layers and bedrock in the airborne radar data from the central West Antarctica. This analysis complements ongoing efforts to learn past ice-flow history near the region where the US Antarctic Program will drill a full-depth ice core. See Katie's research abstract for more details.
Pavan Vaswani, freshmen, electrical engineering, UW
Pavan worked for a new radar data recording system. The system includes state-of-the-art instruments and entirely controlled by a in-house software. In contrast to our previous system developed in late 1990s, this system can be operated only by a DC battery; generators produce electric noise which sometimes harm the radar data. The new system can acquire the radar data at 14 bit at more than 10 times faster than the previous system that collected the data at 8 bit. Together with the radar data, precise time marker and approximate locations are given by a GPS receiver. Although the recording system itself is quite robust, troubles such as power shut down during the measurements can be happened. For such cases, the system turns on a lamp so that an operator who is not dedicated to the radar measurement can be notified. See Pavan's research abstract for more details.
Check out their poster presentations at Northwest Glaciologists, Vancouver, BC, October 22nd, 2005
Katie's abstract: Analysis of Radar Data from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Katie Liu, PR: Prof. Kenichi Matsuoka
This project constitutes part of a three-year program designed to investigate characteristics of more than 3000-meter-thick ice around a future full-depth ice coring site near the central West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). Using available ice-penetrating radar data gathered by airborne surveys we will investigate spatial variation of internal structures and bed conditions of the ice sheet. Specifically, we wish to focus on the effect of ice temperature anomalies on the internal structure. To accomplish this we will determine the vertical gradient of radar-echo strength within the ice. This gradient is a function of the absorption rate, which is controlled by the ice temperature. Preliminary studies suggest that the major spatial variations in the vertical gradient depend on ice temperature, while minor variations depend on the orientation of ice crystals. The hypothesis is therefore that the vertical gradient is a result of ice temperature variation.
This summer I will help analyze the available radar data. Using the Graphic User Interface feature in MATLAB, a technical computing language, I will create a program that will allow the user to quickly and precisely identify specific radar-echo layers in the ice. Using this tool I will analyze the radar data for several features. The goal for the summer is to first map the deepest depth of the radar echoes from within the ice. This is important in defining the depth range with which the vertical gradient will be calculated. Secondly, the radar data will be analyzed to delineate any localized deep radar layers. These layers are typically short in length and lay beneath the deepest depths of continuous regional radar-echo layer. Chemical analysis of an ice core taken from this area reveals that such layers are the result of volcanic events and not ice temperature variation. The strong echoes from these layers should not be counted when the vertical gradient is derived. Finally, we will derive the vertical gradient of the radar echo. Core research gives very detailed information concerning the structure of the ice, while the information from the radar data covers a large geographical region. The results of this project will therefore contribute to researchers' understanding of the internal structure of the WAIS inland. This project will also aid researchers in understanding how global climate affects the formation and structural changes of the ice sheet as a whole.
[Back to top]Pavan's abstract: Developing a Data Recording System for Radar Survey of Antarctic Ice
Pavan A. Vaswani, PR: Prof. Kenichi Matsuoka
This project is part of ongoing research conducting radar measurements of the interior of the Antarctic ice sheet. Alignment of ice crystals can be used to indicate the local ice flow history as well as predict future ice-sheet changes. The radar system serves to provide a wealth of data about ice crystal alignment variations across the ice sheet, an improvement upon the isolated data typical of ice cores where data is available only at drilling locations.
The present system for data collection consumes a large amount of power, operating on a generator that creates significant noise in the data. Renovations will create a lighter system with more rapid data collection that can operate on a battery, providing more useful data due to reduced noise. In addition, three more major functions will be added to the system to allow for more effective data collection. First, radar data requires the context of location and time collected to be of use to the researcher; therefore functionality to collect and stamp data with time and location coordinates from a GPS receiver through the DAQ board will be added. Second, the system also requires an error detection mechanism to prevent erroneous data collection. For this purpose, an external alarm will be set up for the system. Criteria for generating an alarm will be defined and implemented to activate the alarm when an error occurs. Third, in order to allow researchers to view data being collected to further check for potential errors or malfunction, functionality to allow viewing of data on an external handheld display will be added to the system.
The system implemented will be used in radar data collection in the Antarctic in the austral summer this and next year. Using the techniques in programming the Antarctic system, a smaller, lighter system will be developed on a Pocket PC for studying mountain glaciers and other locations requiring portability. [Back to top]