September 17, 2006
For immediate release
Anahid Yeremian
P.O. Box 655, Menlo Park, CA 94026
<mailto:anahid@slac.stanford.edu>anahi d@slac.stanford.edu
650 – 926 – 4444

UN, NASA, European Space Agency Endorse Cosmic Ray Division’s SEVAN Network

In November 12005, 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 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.crdfri ends.org or write to the Support
Committee for Armenia’s Cosmic Ray Division at SCACRD, P.O. Box 655,
Menlo Park, CA 94026.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress