---
title: A South Pole Defense
date: 2021-11-18T05:30:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/a-south-pole-defense"
section: Articles
---
# A South Pole Defense

*November 18, 2021* — by [Jennifer Figgins Rooks](/author/jennifer-rooks)


> Aerospace Engineering Doctoral Student Defends Dissertation From Far, Far Away

*Moonrise Pole web 1920x1080 — The moon rises at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, where Thomas Leps oversaw satellite communications—while defending his Ph.D. dissertation in aerospace engineering.*

Completing a Ph.D. is challenging enough, but add in some of the world’s worst weather, limited internet access, perpetual darkness in the winter and a 13-hour time difference with your university, and it’s just another day at the South Pole for aerospace engineering student Thomas Leps.

Working as a “satcom” engineer at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station—the United States’ scientific research station at the South Pole—Leps not only completed his University of Maryland doctorate remotely, but did so while ensuring that the station’s satellite connections run smoothly during their operational windows, regardless of the time.


*Thomas Leps at South Pole*




**Topics:** [People](https://today.umd.edu/tags/people)


**Tags:** [Aerospace Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/aerospace-engineering)


**Units:** [A. James Clark School of Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/james-clark-school-engineering)