By Shelia Watson
Contributing Writer

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration selected the College of Charleston for two grants to conduct gamma ray research. The funding comes from NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Universe Division, in Washington, D.C.

The grants are for basic research relevant to the Swift gamma ray burst mission. The primary goal of this mission is to determine the origin of gamma ray bursts and to use the bursts to probe the early universe. A gamma ray is a type of electromagnetic radiation.

Swift is a unique, multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma ray burst science. Its three instruments work together to observe gamma ray bursts and afterglows, and X-ray, ultraviolet and optical wavebands.

Swift’s mission objectives are to determine the origin of gamma ray bursts, classify gamma ray bursts and search for new types, determine how the blast wave evolves and interacts with the surroundings, use gamma ray bursts to study the early universe and perform the first sensitive hard X-ray survey of the sky.

One of the grants, a total of $29,886 awarded to Jon Hakkila, professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, will support a systematic search for two distinct gamma ray burst pulse types in the data of Swift’s Burst Alert Telescope.

The other grant, a total of $30,817 awarded to Timothy Giblin, assistant professor of astrophysics, will support the research of the transition from gamma ray burst to afterglow.

The College of Charleston is one of three institutions that belong to a consortium to maintain and operate a remote, research-grade telescope on the island of St. Thomas. The extreme eastern location of the observatory and its ability to cover about 80% of the southern celestial hemisphere make it an ideal facility for observing gamma ray bursts.

The sky coverage of the facility allows a detection rate of about 10% to 15% of the Swift detection rate, which makes it a significant contribution to the global network of small telescopes dedicated to gamma ray burst response.

The research also supports the Vision for Space Exploration, NASA’s long-term plan to return astronauts to the moon and extend exploration to Mars and beyond.

Erica Hupp, a spokeswoman with NASA, said of the 67 proposals received for the grants, 33 were selected. The total value of all grants awarded is $1.25 million.

In addition to the grant awards, Norine Noonan, dean of the College of Charleston School of Mathematics and Science, was awarded NASA’s Public Service Medal, the highest-level award available to a non-NASA employee. The Public Service Medal is granted for exceptional contributions to the mission of NASA.

Before coming to the College of Charleston in 2002, Noonan served as the executive director of the National Space Science and Technology Center in Huntsville, Ala. She is the former chief of the Science and Space Programs Branch, Energy and Science Division, at the Office of Management and Budget in Washington, D.C. As chief, she was responsible for the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Space Council and other agencies.

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