The purpose of this travel award is to support a visit at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks by Dr. Yevgeniy Mishin, Head of the Ionospheric Laboratory of the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere, and Radio Wave Propagation (IZMIRAN), to explore the possibility of developing proposals for long- term cooperation in studies of the magnetospheric cusp. This is a targeted topic under the general category of Arctic Research under the Memorandum of Understanding between NSF and the Soviet Academy of Sciences for basic research cooperation. This project fulfills the program objective of advancing scientific knowledge by enabling leading researchers in the United States and the U.S.S.R. to combine complementary efforts and capabilities in areas of strong mutual interest and competence in the field of basic scientific research on the basis of equality, reciprocity, and mutuality of benefit.