Program DescriptionDue in part to the unique resources and the geophysical space environment found in the southern hemisphere, key research areas in this SOARD portfolio are Space Science and Space Situational Awareness. Unique features include the magnetic equator that passes through the heart of South America with a network of scintillation stations located throughout the region to monitor and study ionosphere perturbations that effect GPS and communications. Similarly, the SAMBA magnetometers network runs north and south down the length of Chile and into Antarctica used to study the earth’s magnetic fluxes and monitor magnetic storm effects. These stations are supported by NSF, NASA and the AFRL Space Vehicles (RV) Directorate. Finally, some of the world’s largest and most advanced astronomical observatories are located in the dry regions in the Andes of Argentina, Chile and Peru, taking advantage of what is considered by many as the darkest and clearest skies on the planet. Leveraging these unique resources, SOARD has formed research collaborations with several institutions in Latin America for the purpose of forecasting the geospace environment of Earth. This research is necessary for predicting satellite drag and radiation belt perturbations used in maintaining space situational awareness and for protecting AF space assets used in communications, navigation, and surveillance.
Grant Opportunity: FA9550-19-S-0003
About SOARDSOARD, the smallest of AFOSR’s international offices, was established in 2007 to engage the rapidly emerging Latin American scientific community. Located within the US Embassy in Santiago, Chile, SOARD promotes scientific advancements of interest to the US Air Force by conducting research with the leading scientists of Mexico, Central and South America in partnership with AFRL researchers. In FY20, SOARD managed a total of 46 scientific projects with 36 research institutions in Latin America. Because of its unique location within a US Embassy, SOARD also supports the Dept of State mission by promoting S&T cooperation with government funding agencies, and supporting DoD bi-lateral S&T forums in the region. Similar to its sister offices of AOARD and EOARD, SOARD is co-located with the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) and the Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG) – Americas.
Program Officer: Dr. Geoff AndersenPOC: Ms. Katty MaldonadoSOARD Executive OfficerPhone: +56 2 2330 3139Email:CienciaAmericaLatina@state.govLatinAmericaScience@state.gov