Centre for Space Science and Technology Education-Asia Pacific Completes Ten Years

The Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia Pacific (CSSTE-AP) has completed ten years in serving the Asia-Pacific region by creating the important human resources to develop and use space science and technology for the benefit of mankind. A commemoration function to mark the occasion was held on November 8, 2005 at National Agricultural Science Centre Complex at New Delhi. Inaugurating the function, Mr Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office applauded the role of CSSTE-AP and the commitment of India towards creating a better world by sharing its knowledge in space with others. Welcoming the delegates, Mr G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO and Chairman of the Governing Body of CSSTE-AP highlighted the progress made by the Centre during the past ten years and touched on the future strategy. Dr Sergio Camacho, Director, United Nations Office of Outer Space (UN-OOSA) presented the history of UN initiatives in the creation of CSSTEs in different regions of the world and the role CSSTE-AP has played in the capacity building in the use of space science and technology. Dr V K Dadhwal, Director, CSSTE-AP made a presentation on the CSSTE-AP activities and the achievements. Governing Board and Advisory Committee members of CSSTE-AP, ambassadors and representatives of Asia-Pacific and other countries in Delhi, officials/representatives from UN agencies, previous Directors and Deputy Director of CSSTE-AP, Directors and Heads of host institutes of CSSTE-AP, officials of Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, were among those who participated in the function.

Mr G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO (third from right), Mr Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office (to Mr Nair’s right) and Dr Sergio Camacho, Director UN-OOSA (third from left) and other dignitaries during the inguaration.

It was on November 1, 1995, that CSSTE-AP was established in India. UN-OOSA facilitated the establishment of the Centre, acting on recommendations by UNISPACE-II (1982) Conference and the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), endorsed by the UN General Assembly.

CSSTE-AP headquarters is located in Dehradun and its programmes are executed by the Department of Space (DOS) at campuses in Dehradun and Ahmedabad. DOS institutions involved include the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) in Dehradun, the Space Applications Centre (SAC) and the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), both at Ahmedabad. Core funding, facilities, equipment and staffing are provided by DOS through its institutions, namely, IIRS, SAC and PRL.

Similar UN-affiliated Regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education have been, or are in the process of being established in other regions of the world: in Morocco for Francophone Africa, in Nigeria for Anglophone Africa, in Brazil/Mexico for Latin America and the Caribbean, and in Jordan for the West Asia Region (Arab countries). In addition, a network of collaborating institutions and countries is being established in Eastern Europe. The mission of the Regional Centres is to establish national capabilities in developing countries to design and implement education, research and application programmes in space science and technology, in particular in the areas of (1) Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems, (2) Satellite Communications and Global Positioning Systems, (3) satellite meteorology and global climate, and (4) space and atmospheric sciences.

Educational Programmes
The Centre offers post-graduate (PG) level courses in the fields of:
(a) Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (RS & GIS),
(b) Satellite Communication and Global Positioning Systems (SATCOM & GPS),
(c) Satellite Meteorology and Global Climate (SATMET & GC) and
(d) Space and Atmospheric Sciences

Successful completion of the nine month PG-phase of the programme leads to the award of a post-graduate diploma by the Centre. For those students who successfully finish their PG course and who are interested in continuing for a Master of Technology (MTech) degree, the Centre offers the opportunity to do so, in collaboration with Andhra University in Visakhapatnam, India. Short term courses/workshops are also conducted in the above disciplines. All the centres implement the PG courses based on model curricula approved by UN-OOSA.

The Centre has so far conducted twenty one nine-months PG courses: nine in RS & GIS, four in SATCOM & GPS, four in SATMET & GC and four in Space Science. The Centre has further conducted 17 short courses and workshops in the past 10 years. These programmes have benefited about 612 participants from a total of 30 countries in the Asia-Pacific Region. In addition to this, about 26 participants from 16 countries outside Asia Pacific region have also been benefited from the educational programmes.

A teaching session in progress

Management of the Centre
The administrative body of CSSTE-AP consists of Advisory committee (AC) and Governing Board (GB). Members of AC are composed of prominent individuals in the Government, private industry and the academic and scientific community in the field of space science and technology applications. AC provides technical guidance to the centre’s programmes. GB is the principle policy making organ. At present, 15 countries in the region are represented in the GB with two observers. CSSTE-AP conducts all of its educational programmes in close collaboration with DOS institutions and thus has direct access to its physical facilities and intellectual capabilities. In addition to providing facilities, infrastructure and skilled manpower, the Government of India, through the Department of Space, also provides funding for the Centre. Funding for travel grants, tuition fees and scholarships of students of CSSTE-AP is mainly provided by UN-OOSA, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Ministries of Finance and External Affairs of India and UNESCO, besides Department of Space.

CSSTE-AP building at Indian Institute of Remote Sensing Campus, Dehra Dun.

 

Bopal campus of Space Applications Centre at Ahmedabad