I'll re-post here what I posted the last time this came around:
I applied for this job. I have a PhD in physics and have some administrative experience, and I didn't (yet) have a postdoc position.
The application process was very interesting---I had a phone conference-call interview with a few people in Wisconsin and New Zealand. I made what must have been a relatively short short list, because the interview was not cheap: they flew me to WIPAC, had me take a full physical (ultrasound, cardio study, chest x-rays, etc.) which is required for any winter-over position, set up a full day of interviews with science-side, tech-side, and administrative-side people, some of whom themselves had wintered over. The beer and cheese curds in Madison are great. Check out the Great Dane.
A lot of the interview was to gauge personality, and there were a lot of questions along the lines of "If someone was acting in a dangerous & threatening way, and you were in a place more remote than the space station (in the sense that there is no escape capsule or any chance for rescue) what would you do?"
The tech that keeps IceCube going is a bunch of custom-designed and manufactured blades which receive (IIRC) UDP from the sensors in the ice. A lot of processing happens at the pole, because the limited (and satellite-orbit-dependent) bandwidth would make transferring the whole dataset wildly impractical. So the "interesting" events are found on-site and sent over the satellite, while everything is also written to tape. Once the summer comes the tape is swapped out. Scientists can also query additional data to be sent via satellite if they need something specific.
A few weeks later I was told that for the two IceCube winter-over tech positions, I was third choice, and that if one of the people offered the job sustains an injury, fails the psychological examination, or backs out, that I might be called on short notice. As I didn't have a job at that point, it was OK by me, but I was certainly disappointed. I'm happy in my postdoc position, but will certainly apply again when the time comes.
Had I wintered over, it would have been the smallest of small-world phenomena, as someone I know from college was one of the chefs there this winter.
Aside: I have heard that (if you get the job) they will sometimes preventatively remove your wisdom teeth / demand & provide other preventative treatments.
Even after my interview, people couldn't really give me a straight answer. The best anyone could say (which is how I answered too) is that it depends, on a case-by-case basis. Talk to people off-pole. Make sure everybody is safe / aware of what's going on.
What is the profile of the people who would agree to work there? Do they do it for money? You need to live separated from social life for a year (let alone reiterating the next year), that means you're not progressing in terms of love/family. Basically your whole private life is suspended like it is in prison. Even as a solider, there is probably more private life. Is it properly compensated by the coolness of the job?
So do those sysadmins have a profile of "They gave me the choice of prison back home, so I opted for the Pole"? They are ultra-skilled for sure, since paying one excellent admin is cheaper than two average ones. So I guess the pay is 3x the SF wage? OTOH, research isn't known for paying much since it's full of passionate people who'd give up everything to be here.
If it covers all expenses and I can save at least $50k per year, I'd not mind it. Although in full disclosure, I find it very unlikely that I'd return the year after.
I applied for this job. I have a PhD in physics and have some administrative experience, and I didn't (yet) have a postdoc position. The application process was very interesting---I had a phone conference-call interview with a few people in Wisconsin and New Zealand. I made what must have been a relatively short short list, because the interview was not cheap: they flew me to WIPAC, had me take a full physical (ultrasound, cardio study, chest x-rays, etc.) which is required for any winter-over position, set up a full day of interviews with science-side, tech-side, and administrative-side people, some of whom themselves had wintered over. The beer and cheese curds in Madison are great. Check out the Great Dane.
A lot of the interview was to gauge personality, and there were a lot of questions along the lines of "If someone was acting in a dangerous & threatening way, and you were in a place more remote than the space station (in the sense that there is no escape capsule or any chance for rescue) what would you do?"
The tech that keeps IceCube going is a bunch of custom-designed and manufactured blades which receive (IIRC) UDP from the sensors in the ice. A lot of processing happens at the pole, because the limited (and satellite-orbit-dependent) bandwidth would make transferring the whole dataset wildly impractical. So the "interesting" events are found on-site and sent over the satellite, while everything is also written to tape. Once the summer comes the tape is swapped out. Scientists can also query additional data to be sent via satellite if they need something specific. A few weeks later I was told that for the two IceCube winter-over tech positions, I was third choice, and that if one of the people offered the job sustains an injury, fails the psychological examination, or backs out, that I might be called on short notice. As I didn't have a job at that point, it was OK by me, but I was certainly disappointed. I'm happy in my postdoc position, but will certainly apply again when the time comes.
Had I wintered over, it would have been the smallest of small-world phenomena, as someone I know from college was one of the chefs there this winter.
Aside: I have heard that (if you get the job) they will sometimes preventatively remove your wisdom teeth / demand & provide other preventative treatments.