Thursday, January 31, 2013
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During December testing of the drill near McMurdo Station, Frank Rack explains the operation of the drill's UV collar used ot decontaminate hoses and cables to be deployed downhole. Rack is executive director of the Antarctic Geologic Drilling (ANDRILL) Science Management Office and associate professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences at UNL. (Photo: Peter West, NSF)
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An image of the inside of the WISSARD borehole. (Photo courtesty the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling Project)
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An image from the 625-mile, 14-day traverse from McMurdo Station to the Lake Whillans drill site.
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Heater Pump Unit 1 of the WISSARD hot-water drill system with four Alkota pressure-washer systems installed. The exhaust is vented through the roof of the container.
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Heater Pump Unit 2 has two of the six Alkota pressure-washer systems that each provide hot-water at the rate of 12 gallons per minute at a temperature of 90 degrees Centigrade (194 degrees Fahrenheit) and pressure of 2,000 pounds per square inch. They are mounted in a 40-foot-long container with water and fuel manifolds arranged along the back wall.
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Ground-level photo of the Lake Whillans drill site.
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Aerial view of the Lake Whillans drill site.
UNL's hot-water drill first to reach subglacial lake
For the first time, a team of scientists and engineers has succeeded in drilling through the Antarctic ice sheet to reach a subglacial lake, and it was accomplished with a hot-water drill system designed and manufactured at UNL.
The National Science Foundation-funded team drilled a 30-centimeter-diameter hole through one-half mile of ice to reach Lake Whillans to retrieve water and sediment samples that have been isolated from direct contact with the atmosphere for many thousands of years. The interdisciplinary Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) project broke through to the lake on Jan. 28 local time (Jan. 27 in the United States; U.S. operations in Antarctica keep New Zealand time). Read more about this discovery in Today@UNL.
NEBRASKA UNION CENTENNIAL ROOM, 6PM
Daily Nebraskan hosts fashion show
The Daily Nebraska Fashion Show is 6 to 9 p.m. in the Nebraska Union Centennial Room. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature local boutiques, vendors and student models.
The UNL a cappella group Boots and Cats will perform during an intermission. A red carpet photo booth will be available before the show. The first 20 guests receive a free VIP gift bag and front row seats.
KIMBALL RECITAL HALL, 7:30PM
Free recital features 'Sounds of Australian Art Song'
Composer Diana Bloom will present "The Sounds of Australian Art Song," featuring her compositions, at 7:30 p.m. in Kimball Recital Hall. She will be assisted by UNL's Kevin Hanrahan, tenor and Jamie Reimer, soprano. The concert is free and open to the public.
Blom is associate professor of music and director of music at University of Western Sydney, Australia. She teaches ensemble performance and composition at undergraduate and post-graduate levels and music education at the post-graduate level. She plays the harpsichord and piano and is a member of a chamber trio, which performs contemporary and other classical repertoire for voice, cello and piano.
Landscape Services clears path after snowstorm
Nestled snug in their beds, faculty, staff and students has visions of a snow day dancing in their heads Tuesday. When morning alarms sounded with a clatter, many arose from their beds to see what was the matter — because it snowed six inches and UNL would surely be shuttered.
However, it was business as usual Wednesday because 71 Landscape Services employees reported in the wee hours to clear snow from UNL's 30 miles of paved sidewalk, 12 miles of streets and 84.5 acres of parking lot. "For us, that was a perfect storm," said Eileen Bergt, assistant director of Landscape Services. "The snow started to taper off around 2 a.m., and by 3 a.m. it had pretty much stopped. That allowed us to have almost everything cleared and ready for students, faculty and staff by our goal of 7 a.m." Read more about Landscape Services in Today@UNL.
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Lied Center offers discounted tickets
The Lied Center for Performing Arts is offering a one-day discount of 50 percent off tickets to spring performances. The discount is available today (Jan. 31) only. Shows included in the discount are: Feb. 7, BBC Concert Orchestra; Feb. 12-13, "Peter Pan;" Feb. 16, "Pride and Prejudice;" March 2, Joffrey Ballet; March 7, "Elvis Lives;" March 9, Danú; March 29-30, "Green Day's American Idiot;" and April 4, "The Hutchins Consort."
The discount is available through purchases online or through the Lied Center box office. To receive the online discount at the Lied Center website, use the code "TODAY." The discount is also available for tickets purchased in person at the Lied Center box office or via phone, 402-472-4747.
Test of new UNL Alert system is today
The UNL Police Department will conduct a test of the new UNL Alert system between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The message will begin with "This is a TEST of UNL Alert." To receive UNL Alerts, you must be registered for the latest version that launched Jan. 17. Register by entering contact information at the UNL Alert website.
In the event of an actual emergency, the UNL Alert test will be postponed. Messages without "This is a TEST of UNL Alert" should be considered a message about an actual emergency. Read more about this system in Today@UNL.
Lectures
BEADLE CENTER ROOM E228, NOONBiochemistry Graduate Student Seminar
Christine Booth
UNL.edu now formatted for all devices
The Internet and Interactive Media group of University Communications and Information Services has concluded the first phase in its effort to provide full support to all devices - desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets - by implementing a suite of web technologies collectively known as 'responsive design.' Recently, the internal and external homepages were re-launched as 'responsive' designs.
You can see the effects of responsive design in your desktop browser by simply re-sizing your browser window (the page will reformat as the window is narrowed), or by viewing on your tablet or smartphone. Please use the 'feedback' links at the bottom of the page if you would like to let us know of any issues. Thank you.
