PULLMAN, Wash. – India’s leading scientific advisor will discuss his country’s growing role in the international research and higher education communities at 3:10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, in Bryan Hall at Washington State University. A reception will follow the free, public Creighton Distinguished Lecture.
Rajagopala Chidambaram is principal scientific advisor to the government of India and chairman of the scientific advisory committee to the Indian Cabinet. Among the projects he will discuss that demonstrate his country’s commitment to international research partnerships:
* India’s space program, which has successfully launched 74 satellites from 20 countries;
* Scientific contributions of resources and expertise to the large hadron collider at CERN, the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator;
* The international thermonuclear experimental reactor, a facility in France designed to prove the feasibility of fusion power.
Chidambaram served as chair of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission 1993-2000 and chair of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency 1994-1995. He was a member of the Commission of Eminent Persons appointed by the IAEA in 2008 to prepare a report on the “Role of the IAEA to 2020 and Beyond.”
He received his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and has more than 200 research publications in referenced journals. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Padma Vibhushan (India’s second highest civilian award), presented by the president of India in 1999.
The Creighton Distinguished Lecture is sponsored by the Institute for Shock Physics’ John and Janet Creighton Distinguished Professorship and hosted by the institute and the WSU College of Arts and Sciences.
Contact:
Yogendra Gupta, WSU Institute for Shock Physics, 509-335-7217, shock@wsu.edu
