Florida Tech Professor Earns NSF Grant to Study Solar Atmosphere

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Hakeem Oluseyi, an astrophysicist and professor in the Florida Tech Department of Physics and Space Sciences, has earned a grant for more than $85,000 from the National Science Foundation. The grant funds a solar atmosphere research project.                 Oluseyi and his team are developing next-generation detectors that are scheduled to be deployed on future ground- and space-based observing missions. The intent of the missions is to further understand the nature of the mysterious dark energy that is accelerating the universe’s expansion.                 “As in the past, the technology that we are developing for astrophysical observing missions has potential applications in other fields. These include biology, medicine, homeland security and other commercial applications,” said Oluseyi.                 His program includes substantial student involvement. The students will be trained and involved in establishing laboratory infrastructure, detector characterization, semiconductor properties, electronics, computer programming and the various techniques of data analysis. The grant specifies that under-represented minorities be included in the work. Oluseyi earned a doctoral degree in physics from Stanford University. He has been involved for several years in international nonprofit work to improve science education in developing countries.