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November 8, 2000 Augsburg College Physics Department awarded two National Science Foundation grants for ongoing research projects Minneapolis -- Mark Engebretson, chair of the Augsburg College Physics Department, announced the award of two three-year grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which will support the continuation of two of the four ongoing space research projects currently being conducted at Augsburg, each of which supports student research involvement. The first, a $276,000 grant from the Magnetospheric Physics branch of NSF's Division of Atmospheric Science, supports continued operation of the Magnetometer Array for Cusp and Cleft Studies in Arctic Canada, which began in 1991. This grant also includes funds to continue Augsburg's cooperation with scientists from the Institute for the Physics of the Earth in Moscow. At least two Russian scientists plan to visit Augsburg for an extended period next fall and winter. The second, a $412,892 grant from NSF's Office of Polar Programs, supports continued operation of magnetometers at two sites in Antarctica and two sites in magnetically "conjugate" regions in Eastern Canada and Greenland. This is a long-standing project, for which Engebretson has been a co-investigator for more than 20 years. Beginning this year, he will be the principal investigator, taking over from Professor Roger Arnoldy of the University of New Hampshire. "These grants continue opportunities to enrich our physics program with front line research," Engebretson said. "Our students can see what cutting edge research is all about, and get a head start in developing the skills they will need for their professional careers. Physics research at Augsburg has two purposes, explained Engebretson. It generates new scientific knowledge, and it helps educate undergraduates who are interested in pursuing careers in science or engineering, and who may go on to the graduate level. |