The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Toxicity Reduction program awarded Michael Wentzel, associate professor of chemistry, a grant of nearly $15,000. The grant will be used in a two-year project to develop green chemistry as a unifying theme throughout Augsburg’s chemistry curriculum. While a number of green chemistry principles are woven into the curriculum, this work will coalesce these principles into a clear message across multiple courses, including courses taken by non-majors. Chemistry majors will end their studies with a new capstone course on green chemistry and toxicology.

In addition, David Hanson, assistant professor of chemistry, is now in his third year of a four-year project funded by a $384,080 grant from the National Science Foundation (Award Number 1761638). Hanson is studying the formation and growth of new particles in the atmosphere. The results of his experiments are expected to lead to improved accuracy in predicting the influence of new particle formation on climate, health, and visibility.

Top image: Associate Professor Michael Wentzel in a science lab in the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion in 2018. (Photo by Courtney Perry)

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Mark Engebretson, Augsburg University professor emeritus of physics, received a five-year grant totaling $805,744 from the National Science Foundation (Award Number 2013648).

supports the continued operation and data analysis of the Magnetometer Array for Cusp and Cleft Studies, which is used to study near-Earth space weather, such as solar winds that may disrupt communication and navigation systems. It represents the 30th research study on which Engebretson has served as the principal investigator through NSF funding.

Engebretson has led several research projects—including some with Augsburg student-researchers—studying ionospheric and space physics in collaboration with European and NASA satellite programs. Nearly 100 Augsburg students have gained paid research experience working on these research projects.

Engebretson has authored or coauthored more than 300 scholarly research articles on topics related to space weather.

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The project will provide scholarships, internships, and research experiences for nearly 200 students over a five-year period beginning in the 2020–21 academic year at Augsburg, Century College, Minneapolis College, and Normandale Community College. These institutions will work together to provide seamless pathways for students to transfer from two-year to four-year STEM programs.

Scholarships of $7,500 to $10,000 will be awarded to students pursuing majors in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, food science, mathematics, and physics. These students will be connected to internships and research experiences through partner organizations SciTech, UpTurnships, and MnDRIVE, as well as through Augsburg’s undergraduate research programs.

This is the third phase of a program initiated by Augsburg and funded by the NSF. Grants in the prior phases funded scholarships for 111 STEM students, 100% of whom graduated and went on to pursue careers or continue their education in STEM fields.

The project will be led by Rebekah Dupont, Augsburg’s director of STEM programs and associate professor of mathematics, working in collaboration with principal investigators from the other participating institutions.

Top image: Associate Professor Rebekah Dupont is director of STEM programs at Augsburg. (Courtesy photo)

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