UN, NASA, European Space Agency Endorse Cosmic Ray Division’s SEVAN Network
by Anahid Yeremian
September 12, 2006
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The countries of the SEVAN space weather network to be led by the CRD and Prof. Chilingarian with Artur Reimers, winner of a $5000 grant from the NFSAT-CRDF Graduate Research Support Program.
In November 2005, UN, NASA, and the European Space Agency (ESA) jointly organized a multinational meeting to promote international cooperation in space research. A particular interest of the consortium is to study energetic events on the sun and the effects of these events on the Earth’s environment. Prof. Ashot Chilingarian, head of the Cosmic Ray Division (CRD) represented Armenia and proposed a multinational Space Environment Viewing and Analysis Network (SEVAN). The proposal received very high marks and was one of the few programs endorsed by the consortium for the International Heliophysical Year 2007 (IHY-07).
The Cosmic Ray Division is among the world’s top 5 research organizations in cosmic ray physics and space weather research. SEVAN, a nine-country space weather network of ground based cosmic ray particle detectors, will be led by the CRD physicists in Armenia under the leadership of Professor Chilingarian. The network will utilize advanced concepts, technology, data acquisition methods, and computer analysis techniques developed at the CRD. SEVAN will open windows to enhanced understanding of solar phenomena that affect the earth and will promote international cooperation.
At a July 2006 meeting of the international Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) in Beijing, Prof. Chilingarian represented Armenia and promoted the SEVAN network. His reports were received with great and tangible enthusiasm. Nat Gopalswamy of NASA and the international coordinator of IHY-07 mentioned SEVAN in his own presentation as one of the most important projects of IHY-07. Meanwhile, the chairman of the IHY-07 steering committee, Joseph Davila stated, “Space Weather issues are becoming more and more important and the approach advocated by CRD to deploy new type of particle detectors in near-equator countries is very important”.
At home, CRD continues to attract smart and energetic students from Yerevan State University. Artur Reimers, a third year PhD student at the CRD won a $5000 grant from the Graduate Research Support Program organized by Armenia’s National Foundation for Science and Advanced Technology (NFSAT) and the Civilian Research Defense Fund (CRDF) in the US. Tigran Karapetyan and Bagrat Mailyan are the two new graduate students and Armen Hovhannisyan is a new upper class undergraduate student from the Yerevan State University. All three talented students have chosen to focus their studies on cosmic ray physics at the Cosmic Ray Division and we are grateful to Mary Anna Brown for supporting them with tuition and books.
Thanks also to the many Diaspora members for your continued support of the CRD, this vital organization for Armenia’s strength and secure future. We want to thank also several important organizations for their continued support in various ways to facilitate/supplement the Diaspora giving: Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America national headquarters, Michigan, and Greater Metropolitan DC chapters; United Armenian Fund; Nor Serount Cultural Organization; the Armenian Heritage Cruise; and the National Foundation for Science and Advanced Technology. Together we make a winning team!
For more information please visit www.crdfriends.org or write to the Support Committee for Armenia’s Cosmic Ray Division at SCACRD, P.O. Box 655, Menlo Park, CA 94026.