A Little About Kongsberg
In 1997 we moved to Kongsberg, which continues to be our home. It's a fairly small town with a population of a little over 25,000. Kongsberg has a rich history, and is particularly known for its silver mines dating back to 1623 and lasting until 1957. After silver output started to decline, mining was complimented by the government establishing a defense industry in 1814. In 1987, the state-owned Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk (English: Kongsberg Weapons Factory) fell on hard times and was eventually spilt into several smaller units and sold partly to private investors. Today, the separate firms thrive as one of Norway's main high-tech industrial clusters, centering on the defence and maritime company Kongsberg Gruppen (KOG). KOG consists of four business areas: Kongsberg Defence Systems (KDS), Kongsberg Protech Systems (KPS), Kongsberg Oil & Gas Technologies (KOGT) and Kongsberg Maritime (KM). Bjørn is a systems engineer for Kongsberg Defence Systems, while Ann-Louise works at Kongsberg Maritime.
Kongsberg is also rich in culture, with Kongsberg Church being one of the main focal points. Although there are many concerts and other cultural events throughout the year, the annual jazz festival, Kongsberg Jazzfestival, is definetely one of the highlights of the year.
The kids have never been that interested in our home page, as they are more interested in Facebook and more recently Twitter. As a result, I have included links to their Facebook accounts where you might be able to find out what they are up to.
Family Members
Ann-Louise
Born:
September 14, 1991 in Trondheim, Norway
Current jobb:
Kongsberg Maritime, Engineer
School:
NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology - Trondheim, Norway; Master/Civil Engineer - Cybernetics and Robotics, 2010 - 2015
Kongsberg High School, Sciences (Kongsberg videregående skole, realfag), 2007 - 2010
Hobbies:
Playing basketball, working out (spinning, weight training, etc.) and hanging out with friends
Bjørn-Eirik
Born:
June 18, 1996 in Oslo, Norway
School:
Currently attending NMBU, Norwegian University of Life Sciences - Ås, Norway; Master/Civil Engineer - Geomatics, started August 2015
Kongsberg High School, IB Diploma Program, Sciences (Kongsberg videregående skole), 2013 - 2015
Hobbies:
Watching and playing basketball, playing the guitar and piano, reading and hanging out with friends
Bjørn
Born:
November 26, 1965, Bodø, Norway
Current jobb:
Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, Systems Engineer
School:
Norwegian Air Force Academy (Luftkrigsskolen KS2), 1991 - 92
NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology - Trondheim, Norway; Math and Computer Science, 1991 - 92
Norwegian Military - training and service, Army and Air Force, 1983 - 1991
Mosjøen High School - Møsjøen, Norway, graduated 1983
Hobbies:
Photography, hiking, skiing
Diana
Born:
May 17, 1960 in Winnfield, Louisiana (USA)
Current jobb:
Kongsberg High School, Exams and documentation - responsible for administering exams for both pupils and external candidates (Norwegian: Eksamensansvarlig for både elev- og privatisteksamener)
School:
NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology - Trondheim, Norway; English and teacher certification (Norwegian: Engelsk grunnfag/mellomfag/Pedagogikk), 1991 - 92
Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Bachelor - Accounting, 1981 - 85
Northwestern State University - Natchitoches, Louisiana, Music Education, 1978 - 1981
Winnfield High School - Winnfield, Louisiana, graduated 1978
Hobbies:
Designing websites, image editing (currently Photoshop and Illustrator but previously Paint Shop Pro, as well as DAZ3D and Bryce), watching/following all kinds of sports, especially basketball and American football
