Dave Z. Besson

I am currently involved in several projects seeking to detect ultra-high energy cosmic rays (primarily protons or neutrinos) from either their radio-wave emissions or radar reflections, and at least one of which requires flying barbeque lighters at 38 km above the Antarctic continent. Within the last several years, funded by the Fulbright Foundation, the US CRDF program, and the Russian megagrant program, I have enjoyed a faculty co-appointment at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI), and coordinated work on medical and astrophysical applications of silicon photomultiplies (SiPM's), as well as studies of anomalous charmed baryon correlations with the Belle and Belle-II experiments. To the extent that any of this has been successful, it is only because I've been exceptionally fortunate to be able to collaborate with talented and industrious students, who do all the real work that I take credit for. I would like to gratefully acknowledge support from the NSF, NASA, the Cottrell Research Corporation, the University of Kansas, the State of Kansas, the Civilian Research Defense Fund (CRDF), MEPhI, and the Fulbright Foundation, without whom I would be forced to get a real job.