How is the world's ice changing?
Photo of Vatnajökull Glacier in Southern Iceland, Captured by Bhargavi Pochi, March 2018.
My Research
Instrumentation and Remote Sensing
Thermoelectric Ice Core drilling, INSAR remote sensing
Ice Sheet Dynamics and Glacial Melt
Basal sliding, Sea Ice melt, Ice Sheet flow and Fracture Mechanics
Planetary Science
Vapour plumes, Astrobiology, Tidal Heating, Upwelling convection, Surface Ice Fracture
BioGraphy
University of Miami (2015-2019)
Photo of Gal4-UAS imaging system revealing Larval Central Nervous System
During my time as an undergraduate at the University of Miami, I researched Drosophila (fruit fly) larvae neurobiology and behavioural characteristics. I specifically focused on the organism's ability to respond and adapt to vibrational stimuli, and worked to discover an adaptive neural circuit which stores and deploys stimulus information to coordinate muscle action. For more information about this research, see Berne, Alexander C, et al. 2018 below in Publications.
University of Oxford, Exeter College (2019-2020)
Coloured Magnetic Resonance image of Adult Male Brain
Currently, I am studying an M. Sc. course at the University of Oxford in Physics. The course is a part taught and part research based, and my research focus is the interaction between matter and high-energy radioactive particles. Specifically, I investigate the relative biological effect (RBE) of proton therapy treatments on normal tissue and perform Monte Carlo simulations to help improve the standard of current care in cancer treatment facilities which use proton beams. The course will end in Fall 2020.
California Institute of Technology (2020- )
Photo of Jupiter Radiation Belt and aurora with smaller auroras produced by the moons Europa and Ganymede
More information on my research at Caltech will be available starting in Fall 2020. Currently, my tentative plans are to research cryosphere dynamics and ice sheet melt, as well as planetary science and surfaces. My broader interests include improvements in instrumetation for Geophysics research, planetary science research, and remote sensing.
CV and Publications
Publications
Berne, Alexander C, et al.,“ Behavioral pattern transitions and one-way habituation to pulsed mechanical vibration in crawling larvae”, University of Miami (2018).
Berne, Alexander C, Klein, Mason. “Vibration Response: Mapping the Behavioral Response of Fruit Fly Larvae to Mechanical Stimuli”. University of Miami (2016).
https://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=ugr_rcif_2018