ISRO press release:
Dr George Joseph Appointed Director of UN-affiliated Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific
December 8, 2006
Dr George Joseph, currently Honorary Distinguished Professor, ISRO has taken charge as Director of the United Nations affiliated Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTEAP), Dehra Dun. Dr George Joseph took over charge on December 6, 2006 from Dr V K Dadhwal, Dean, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Dehra Dun, who was holding the additional charge of Director, CSSTEAP.
Dr George Joseph has served at ISRO’s Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad since 1973, where he guided the development of earth observation remote sensors that put India amongst the premier countries of the world with earth observing capability from space. As Director, SAC, he took initiatives to ensure that benefits of space technology reached the common man. In recognition of his distinguished achievements in remote sensing, Government of India conferred Padma Bhushan on Dr George Joseph in 1999.
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UN-OOSA) facilitated the establishment of CSSTEAP in November, 1995, acting on recommendations by the UNISPACE-II (1982) Conference and the UN Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (COPUOS), endorsed by the UN General Assembly. The Centre is aimed at establishing national capabilities in the Asia Pacific 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.
While the CSSTEAP headquarters is located at Dehra Dun, its programmes are executed by the Department of Space at IIRS campus in Dehradun and Space Applications Centre and Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad. CSSTEAP has so far conducted twenty three 9-month PG courses: 10 in RS & GIS, 5 in SATCOM, 4 in SATMET and 4 in Space Science. The Centre has also conducted several short courses and workshops in the past 10 years. These programmes have benefited 681 participants so far from a total of 30 countries in the Asia-Pacific Region.