Interview of J. McKim Malville by Brian Shoemaker

• Main Author: Malville, J. McKim
• Other Authors: Shoemaker, Brian
• Format: Audio
• Language: English
• Published: Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program 2006
• Subjects: Astrophysics > Antarctica; Antarctica > Discovery and exploration > Interviews; Malville; J. McKim > Interviews; International Geophysical Year (IGY) (1957-1958); Antarctic; Byrd; Filchner Ice Shelf; Finn; Merle; Skidmore; Tuve; Weddell; Weddell Sea; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Shelf
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1811/6517

Key Individuals Mentioned Brown, John, scientist, pp. 15, 31 Chamberlain, Dr. Joseph, auroral physicist, pp. 4-5 Crary, Bert, p. 51 Dufek, Admiral, pp. 26, 51 McCorda, Dan, Captain of the Wyandot, pp. 9-10, 12 Newberg, Hugo, glaciologist, pp. 18-19, 26, 31 Ronne, Finn, celebrated Antarctic explorer, mentioned throughout Skidmore, Don, ionospheric physicist, pp. 15, 39-40, 44 Thiel, Ed, pp. 21, 26, 31 Tuve, Merle, p. 50 Walker, Paul, p. 26 Wexler, Harry, p. 50 The media can be accessed at the links below. Audio Part 1: http://streaming.osu.edu/knowledgebank/byrd/oral_history/Dr_McKim_Malville_1.mp3 Audio Part 2: http://streaming.osu.edu/knowledgebank/byrd/oral_history/Dr_McKim_Malville_2.mp3 Dr. McKim Malville, a graduate of the California School of Technology with a B.S degree in Physics, took part as an auroral specialist in Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1956-1957. He was attracted to the idea of Antarctica because of his background in mountaineering and climbing, and his study of the careers of Antarctic explorers. He chose to focus on the Weddell Sea, especially the Filchner Ice Shelf, since both were largely unexplored at the time, and the expedition would be led by Finn Ronne, next to Admiral Richard Byrd the most experienced Antarctic explorer. The summer of 1956 was spent at Yerkes Observatory in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin working with Dr. Joseph Chamberlain to use a spectograph to measure radiation and its impact on the colors of the aurora. The spectograph was brand new and Malville, a recent college graduate, was handed the rare opportunity to perfect its use. Also, largely on his own, he designed an individual research project to measure the radiation of ionized atmospheric sodium when it appears in the aurora. The voyage to Antarctica aboard the Wyandot took three months. Finn Ronne made no effort at all during that time to speak to civilian scientists, persons he may have considered beneath him, even though just 40 men would soon be spending a year together in ...