Star Tribune’s Richard Chin refers to Brian Krohn ‘08 as a “Minnesota Genius” in his article. Among Krohn’s creations are surgery tools, wizard staffs, a cycling workout app, and more recently, Soundly, a cell phone application designed to help people who snore by getting them to play a voice-activated game to strengthen their upper airway muscles.
While at Augsburg, Krohn switched majors from film to chemistry, that’s when his interest in becoming a scientist began. His undergraduate research led him to “Good Morning America” where he talked about a process to produce environmentally-friendly fuel, which was later commercialized in the development of a $9 million pilot plant.
“A lot of times I get a little bug about something, I kind of just do things and see where they go,” says Krohn about his ventures.
Upper-division students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) can apply for new academic merit scholarships for as much as $7,000 per year beginning Fall 2012.
At the end of March, junior physics majors Gottlieb Uahengo, Mohamed Sheikh-Mohamed, Amir Rose, and Fred Vedasto attended the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. The conference included workshops and programming for grade school, collegiate, graduate, technical professional, and international entities of the Society. Their travel was funded through the NorthStar STEM Alliance, an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) which is intended to double the number of African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Alaska Native and Pacific Islander students receiving baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). 
Over the winter break, several departments moved into the Gage Center on the second floor (link level) of the Lindell Library. This change will provide greater accessibility to services for students and will allow for enhanced communication between departments.
At the Minnesota High Tech Foundation awards ceremony held earlier this month, mathematics and physics major Jazmine Darden ’13 [left] was one of eight Minnesota undergraduate students to receive a Tekne Scholarship. The scholarships are awarded to students seeking careers in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields or in STEM teaching.
The following is an excerpt from Sociology professor Tim Pippert’s opening convocation address to students, titled “Information is not knowledge.”
What would persuade an active young college student to spend eight hours a day for 10 weeks of her summer in a laboratory looking over carbon uptake data? Ask Jazmine Darden, a sophomore mathematics and physics major from Brooklyn Park.
The Girls in Engineering, Mathematics and Science (GEMS) and the Guys in Science and Engineering (GISE) are back on the Augsburg campus again this summer. This yearly program, for students in grades 4-12, is designed to develop confidence in and a positive attitude toward math, science, and technology. The students come for the Minneapolis Public School District.