Randi Aulie was born in Lofoten, Norway. She arrived in Seattle with her husband, Alf Kristian Aulie, in 1974 and decided to make it their permanent home. In 2001, Randi became the President of the Leif Erikson Lodge, Sons of Norway, an office Alf Kristian held three times before he passed away in 1999. Simrad, Inc. is a division of Kongsberg Gruppen AS, a leading marine technology specialist and manufactuer of underwater instrumentation and hydrography. The company is a leading supplier of satellite reference systems, hydro-acoustic systems, as well as marine electonics to the fishing, coastal, and research vessels. In helping to establish this fund along with the Aulie family, Simrad affirmed the central role of the Norwegian language and culture in the world today.
The Alf Kr. Aulie/Simrad, Inc. Endowed Fund was established by Randi Aulie and Brian Staton, President of Simrad, Inc., to provide support for students of Norwegian studies and the activities of the Norwegian program in the Department of Scandinavian Studies. Students in the College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences and the College of Engineering who include Norwegian studies in their course of studies are also eligible for support from this fund.
In addition to support for the Norwegian program, the Alf Kr. Aulie/Simrad Endowed Fund will provide a scholarship of up to $1,500 for University of Washington students.