While most college students will catch up on sleep, earn some extra cash and revel in the comforts of home during winter break, Jonathan Eisch will be doing the exact opposite: he’ll be residing in an extreme weather climate with a scientific mission in mind.

Eisch, a student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, will spend three weeks in the South Pole studying subatomic particles as part of the IceCube Project.

The project is funded by the National Science Foundation and uses a telescope buried deep within the Antarctic ice to probe the path of neutrinos as they travel from space through the earth, and eventually into the Antarctic region.

Eisch will be working with two prototype detectors for a sister project to IceCube, the IceTop project, and has had his eyes set on taking part in this type of project for some time.

“I first read about the AMANDA project, the predecessor to IceCube, when I was in eighth grade. I was really interested by the project, and I kept up with its progress over the years,” he said. “When I was looking for a college, I wanted to go to one that was part of the collaboration, and River Falls was a good fit for me.”

Eisch noted that the studies he will partake in may have important implications for the future of scientific study in this field. In essence, the period will serve as a testing ground for future explorations, he said.

“We will begin deploying the final detectors in the Antarctic next summer, so the successes and problems we have with these prototype detectors will help us refine our final design.”

Not only will this project benefit the understanding of this area of science, it will also prove invaluable for Eisch on various levels. While he is already in the process of studying this field on a smaller scale, he also anticipates to continue doing so in the future, both of which he believes the IceTop project will benefit.

“I have built a similar detector in my lab at [UW-River Falls], but being able to work on these new prototype tanks at the South Pole will give me first-hand experience with the engineering difficulties in such an extreme environment, and will give me insight as to the direction my research needs to take in the future.”

The University of Wisconsin is the leader of the $250 million observatory more commonly known as the IceCube project, and consists of more than 20 institutions worldwide. The project, which is expected for completion in 2008, works to capture the light of muons as they crash into other ice-residing particles.

Despite all the planning and balancing of time that goes into such a project, Eisch said he is not too worried about his ventures down south.

“I’m really getting excited about going, but I’m very busy with finishing classes and taking finals, so I don’t have too much time to think about it. I’m well prepared for what I’ll be doing, so I’m not very concerned.”