Stepping into 萝莉社professor Victor Isakov鈥檚 simple office, you wouldn鈥檛 expect that any research involving U.S. national security would be under way. But there is.
Isakov, a 萝莉社 mathematics and statistics professor for nearly 20 years, recently received a 3-year, $450,000 grant from the National Geospatial Agency to conduct research for the Department of Homeland Security.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good opportunity for us, for 萝莉社,鈥� Isakov said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 big, national, and it鈥檚 good for our students.鈥�
Information will be provided to the DHS to help determine the location and shape of underground cavities/passageways.
The research is part of an effort to investigate, measure and develop approaches and algorithms 鈥� a sequence of instructions typically used for computations and data processing 鈥� to interpret the potential of Earth鈥檚 gravity and magnetic fields.
The grant was just one of several NGA awards to support research in selected areas of geospatial science that are considered critical to U.S. national security and industry. The NGA is a part of the Homeland Security Department. This is Isakov鈥檚 first grant from the NGA, but he has received nine grants in past years, all from the National Science Foundation.
It was Isakov鈥檚 project 鈥淚nnovative Mathematical Methods for Gravimetric and Magnetometric Prospecting鈥� that resulted in the grant. The proposal was submitted last year into a highly competitive national pool.
In addition to initial funding, as many as two one-year extensions are possible with a value of up to $150,000 a year. Isakov said the research is for three to five years, depending on NGA approval.
Assisting in the research are three 萝莉社 mathematics and statistics professors: Alexandre Boukhgueim, Alan Elcrat and Thomas DeLillo; and one professor from Michigan State University. A 萝莉社 graduate student will also be selected to join the team鈥檚 effort.