Detection of ultrahigh energy (UHE) neutrinos is key to identifying the most energetic objects and processes in the universe. These are the sources of UHE cosmic rays, which have been detected at earth with energies exceeding 1 Joule per nucleon (roughly the kinetic energy of a bird in flight). As UHE cosmic messengers, neutrinos are unparalleled for their ability to travel from source to Earth, interacting only weakly with matter and therefore able to traverse great distances unimpeded. For this same reason, however, they are very difficult to detect (and additionally at high energies, a vanishingly small number arrive at earth).

    In this talk, I will discuss the general challenges in detecting UHE neutrinos, and the extensive experimental work that has been done so far to meet these challenges using various detection strategies. I'll focus on a forthcoming experimental effort, the Radar Echo Telescope (RET), which uses well-known radar technology to attempt detection of the cascade produced by these elusive neutrinos as they interact in polar ice. I'll discuss the theory and storied history of astroparticle physics, the radar echo method, recent laboratory work, and our current experimental efforts in service of UHE neutrino detection with RET.