The groundbreaking adventure of the Antarctic expedition will welcome a Thai researcher, Chana Sinsabvarodom, a lecturer and researcher from the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University, joining an international team of 350 scientists from 14 countries as part of the Antarctic Ice Cube upgrade project.
This marks an important milestone as it is the first time that Thai researchers have been involved in this frontier of scientific discovery. The project is a joint initiative of Thailand and the United States, confirmed by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and will be carried out, researched and innovated at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory.
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, popularly known as the IceCube, is located at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. The observatory is a cubic kilometer particle detector embedded in the Antarctic ice near the space station, extending to a depth of about 2,500 meters below the surface.
At the suggestion of Princess Sirindhorn, Thailand began participating in a polar research project in 2013. The project covers a wide range of research areas such as geology, biology, physics, astronomy, microplastics, climate change, and polar ice melting.
Since its establishment, at the initiative of Princess Sirindhorn, the Information Technology Foundation has fostered collaboration between various research institutes, universities in Thailand and their international counterparts, including China, Japan and South Korea. Chiang Mai University is reportedly one of the participants in the IceCube collaboration, recently participating in the IceCube Upgrade, an engineering-focused research project.
Chana Sinsabvarodom, a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University, will be the first Thai to work at the Antarctic Ice Cube, where the average temperature plummets to -28 degrees Celsius during the hottest season. The minimum temperature reached -60 degrees Celsius.
The Chana will be transported by a U.S. Air Force specially modified aircraft designed to transport researchers and scientists to and from Antarctica. Extreme weather conditions in the region have limited the team's working hours to a maximum of four months per year.
In related developments, Ajcharaporn Phakwan, a researcher at Cosmic Rays and Solar Energy Particles at Mahidol University, will soon join the research team at the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI). The project will observe cosmic ray changes at different latitudes, from New Zealand to South Korea.
After the end of the project, Thai researchers are expected to return to Thailand with advanced scientific and technological knowledge. This includes experience in conducting research projects in adverse weather conditions, fluid-assisted drilling techniques and space weather forecasting. This valuable insight will undoubtedly contribute to the further development of Thailand's advanced technology.
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