John Della Costa, a researcher with the BICEP project, is spending a year at the South Pole studying the cosmic microwave background—the oldest light in the universe.
Because internet access is extremely limited, Della Costa downloaded several MIT OpenCourseWare classes before traveling to Antarctica. One of them, Einstein, Oppenheimer, Feynman: Physics in the 20th Century, explores relativity, quantum physics, nuclear science, and the origins of the universe.
He turned the lessons into a weekly event called “Fysics Fridays,” where members of the 45-person research station watch lectures and documentaries together. They have also begun conducting experiments, including the double-slit experiment, and plan to build a cloud chamber to observe cosmic rays.
The initiative eventually caught the attention of MIT Professor David Kaiser, who teaches the course. He plans to give the South Pole community a special online lecture, showing how free educational resources can connect learners—even from one of the most isolated places on Earth.