Technical Assistance Board

The NSF Ice Drilling Program (IDP) convenes a Technical Assistance Board (TAB) of experts on the subject of drill innovation, design, and operation. The TAB meets in-person biennially but are available regularly via email for ongoing assistance with specific technical tasks as needed. The biennial TAB meeting was held on March 5-6, 2025, in Madison, Wisconsin (WI). Discussions included updates regarding recent and upcoming IDP fieldwork, discussion of IDP drill system electronics and shallow wet drill development, an update regarding IceCube upgrade activities, an open discussion of many drilling topics (e.g., pumps/chip transport/fluids, drill tents, driller staffing issues), drilling and technology updates from the TAB members, and a tour of the IDP-WI facility. Twenty-five people participated in-person and three joined via Zoom. As with each TAB meeting, IDP gained very valuable feedback from board members on equipment development projects, ideas regarding new technologies in ice drilling and other fields, as well as input on field project logistics. The agenda and notes from the meeting are available on the IDP website.

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Following a multi-year delay due to the COVID pandemic, IDP resumed biennial meetings of its Technical Assistance Board (TAB) on March 22-23, 2023, at the Fluno Center in Madison, WI. After serving many years on the ICDS/IDDO/IDP Technical Assistance Board, Marshall Pardey rotated off the TAB in 2022. IDP welcomed two new TAB members in 2023. Chris Delahunty, Engineer/Owner of Matrix Drilling Products in Lewisburg, Tennessee, has a long history of working with IDP during the RAID and ASIG Drill development and testing days. Tim Lyons, Project Manager with the Australian Antarctic Program, has been collaborating with IDP in recent years as both Australia and IDP fabricate deep drilling systems (IDP Foro 3000). Twenty-four people participated in person and eight joined via Zoom. As with each TAB meeting, IDP gained very valuable feedback from board members on equipment development projects, ideas regarding new technologies in ice drilling and other fields, as well as input on field project logistics. The agenda and notes from the meeting are available on the TAB webpage of the IDP website.

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IDDO hosted its annual Technical Advisory Board (TAB) Meeting in Madison, WI, on March 6-7, 2018, with drilling experts from all over the world. IDDO presented on the current status of IDDO field projects, equipment development projects, and maintenance and upgrade efforts to existing IDDO equipment. As with each TAB meeting, IDDO gained very valuable feedback from board members on equipment development projects, ideas regarding new technologies in ice drilling and other fields, as well as input on field project logistics. Minutes from the meeting are available at https://icedrill.org.

IDPO conducted the annual Science Advisory Board (SAB) meeting in Madison, WI, on March 6-7. And IDDO conducted its annual Technical Advisory Board (TAB) meeting in Madison, WI, on March 7-8 to allow the two boards to overlap and talk with one another on March 7. The presentations and minutes from the meetings are available on the IDPO-IDDO website at https://icedrill.org/about/science-advisory-board and https://icedrill.org/about/technical-assistance-board.

IDDO held its annual Technical Advisory Board (TAB) Meeting in Madison, WI, on September 13-14, with drilling experts from all over the world and from a wide variety of fields. IDDO also welcomed the attendance of IDPO-IDDO's NSF Program Officer, Mike Jackson, at the meeting. IDDO presented on the current status of IDDO field projects, equipment development projects, and equipment maintenance and upgrade efforts. As with each TAB meeting, IDDO gained very valuable feedback from board members on equipment development projects, ideas regarding new technologies in ice drilling and other fields, as well as input on field project logistics. Notes from the meeting are available at http://icedrill.org/about/tab.shtml .

IDDO held its annual Technical Advisory Board (TAB) Meeting in Madison, WI, on September 14-15, with drilling experts from all over the world and from a wide variety of fields. IDDO presented on the current status of IDDO field projects, equipment development projects, and equipment maintenance and upgrade efforts. As with each TAB meeting, IDDO gained very valuable feedback from board members on equipment development projects, ideas regarding new technologies in ice drilling and other fields, as well as input on field project logistics. Notes from the meeting are available at https://icedrill.org/about/technical-assistance-board.

IDDO held its annual Technical Advisory Board (TAB) Meeting in Madison, WI on September 9-10, with drilling experts from all over the world and from a wide variety of fields. The meeting was well attended by 9 of 12 TAB members, one proxy TAB member, IDDO staff, members from IDPO, former IDDO PI Charlie Bentley and new IDDO PI Mark Mulligan. IDDO presented on the current status of IDDO field projects, equipment development projects and equipment maintenance and upgrade efforts. As with each TAB meeting, IDDO gained very valuable feedback from board members on equipment development projects, ideas regarding new technologies in ice drilling and other fields, as well as input on field project logistics.

Notes from the meeting will be available at /about/technical-assistance-board.

IDDO held its annual Technical Advisory Board (TAB) Meeting in Madison, WI on April 24-25, with drilling experts from a wide variety of fields. The meeting was well attended by all TAB members but one, IDDO staff, an IDPO representative, two distinguished guests from the Polar Research Center at Jilin University in China and others, including NSF Program Manager Julie Palais via phone. IDDO presented on the current status of IDDO field projects and current equipment status and gained valuable feedback from board members on equipment development projects. Notes from the meeting will be available at https://icedrill.org/about/technical-assistance-board

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