Eberly College of Science Co-op Student of the Year Named

David Atlee, a physics major from King of Prussia, has been selected as the recipient of the 2004 Co-op Student of the Year Award, sponsored by the Eberly College of Science Cooperative Education Program. The award is given annually to outstanding participants in the Eberly College of Science Cooperative Education Program in recognition of their academic achievements and contributions to their employers, the University, the community, and the field of cooperative education.

Atlee was nominated by Dr. Christian Spiering, Group Leader AMANDA/IceCube, DESY in Zeuthen, Germany. During his January through August 2004 co-op assignment, he installed data acquisition and test software needed for the production and testing of digital optical modules for the IceCube experiment, searching for high energy neutrinos from cosmic sources. Dr. Spiering states that "David very effectively made the first tests of optical modules in Germany running. He is in the top 5% of the students in our group over the last ten years."

Dave completed his first rotation during the summer of 2003 with Dr. Douglas Cowen, Associate Professor at Penn State University. During this co-op rotation, David conducted research in neutrino astrophysics, developing software to read out and analyze data from devices which ultimately will be inserted deep into the ice cap at the South Pole.

He will receive a $500 award and certificate of achievement, and will be honored at a luncheon during the fall semester. He will also be nominated for state and national Co-op Student of the Year awards.

Information about the Penn State Eberly College of Science Cooperative Education Program is available on the web at http://www.science.psu.edu/coop.