Endowment Lecture by Dr K Kasturirangan at SAC on ‘Forays into Space and Beyond’
An Endowment lecture on the topic ‘Forays into Space and Beyond’ will be organized on Wednesday, December 4 by St Aloysius College, here. The speaker will be Dr K Kasturirangan, former chairman of ISRO and chairman of the committee for Drafting National Education Policy. The lecture will be held at 10 am at the Fr L F Rasquinha auditorium of the college.
The lecture will be presided over by Fr Dionysius Vas SJ, Rector, St Aloysius College Institutions in the city. The coordinator of the programme is Dr Ronald Nazareth and the convener of the programme is Dr Vinola Rodrigues. Dr Fr Praveen Martis SJ, principal, St Aloysius College will also be present.
Dr K Kasturirangan will be felicitated after which he will address the gathering followed by the presidential remarks. Subsequently, Dr K Kasturirangan will move on to the endowment lecture.
St Aloysius College is renowned for its innovative techniques of improved learning. For years, space was a mystery to man. In this century, man delves into the unknown and the beyond on a daily basis. This lecture will help people to understand and will encourage them to do further research on this unknown world.
Dr K. Kasturirangan – Short Biography
Dr K. Kasturirangan is currently Chairman, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Chancellor, Central University of Rajasthan, Chairman, Public Affairs Centre, Bangalore, Member, Atomic Energy Commission, an Emeritus Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore, and Honorary Distinguished Advisor, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Earlier, as Chairman of ISRO, he oversaw the space programme of India between the years 1994 and 2003. He was a Member, Upper House of the Indian Parliament (2003-2009) and concurrently the Director of NIAS, Bangalore and subsequently, Member of the erstwhile Planning Commission. Dr Kasturirangan was also the Chairman of the Committee entrusted with drafting the new National Education Policy (July 2017-December 2018). Dr Kasturirangan completed his Bachelor of Science with Honours and Master of Science in Physics from Bombay University and received his Doctorate in Experimental High Energy Astronomy in 1971 while working at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. His interests include astrophysics, space science and technology as well as science-related policies.
Dr Kasturirangan is a Member of several International and National Science Academies. He is a Fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences and served as its President during 2001-03. He is Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering and was its President during 2005-06. He was also General President of the Indian Science Congress for the years 2002-2003. Besides, he is the Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and the National Academy of Sciences of India. Dr Kasturirangan is the only Indian to be conferred the Honorary Membership of the International Academy of Astronautics and having served as its Vice President earlier. He is a Member of the International Astronomical Union and a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). He is the Honorary Fellow of the Cardiff University, UK and Academician of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Vatican City.
He has won several awards including Brock Medal of International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, (2004), Allan D Emil Memorial Award of the International Astronautical Federation (2004), Theodore Von Karman Award by International Academy of Astronautics (2007), Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Engineering, Aryabhata Award 2003 of Astronautical Society of India, Lifetime Achievement Award of Asia-Pacific Satellite communications Council, Singapore, Aryabhata Medal by Indian National Science Academy (2000), Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Award by the Indian Science Congress, Award of Jewel of Ruia, Ruia College Alumni Association, 2007; Maharana Udai Singh Award 2007-08 by Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation, Udaipur, 2008; Rajayogindra Award, Maharaja of Mysore (2008); Vikram Sarabhai Memorial Gold Medal, Indian Science Congress (2009) etc. He has been conferred with the highest civilian honours Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan by the President of India and Award of ‘Officer of the Legion d’honneur’ by the President of the French Republic, France.