Events

STAS participates in a range of ongoing activities with other bureaus and offices at the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Government agencies, and organizations abroad to promote S&T cooperation in the international arena. A selection of such activities and their associated events are documented below:

Geographic Information for Sustainable Development (GISD)

The Geographic Information for Sustainable Development (GISD) project is a public/private partnership aimed at improving the quality, accuracy, and availability of data needed to better understand and monitor the environment and to harness science and technology in support of sustainable development. Recent applications of imagery and data from Landsat and other satellite earth observation systems, the Global Positioning System (GPS), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are creating opportunities and tools to understand and analyze problems in a manner never before possible at the regional, national and community level.

The GISD initiative joins State, USAID, and the technical agencies of the U.S. Government with the Open GIS Consortium, the largest industry association of global information science and technology service providers. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences, foundations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and universities are also GISD partners helping developing nations in Africa chart a course towards sustainability. The effort is designed to strengthen democratic institutions of governance, open markets, and mobilize and use all development resources more effectively and reflects our shared commitment to provide all people with the opportunity to lead healthy, productive, and fulfilling lives.

GISD was showcased by the U.S. at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August 2002.  Follow-on activities are now underway with a large number of countries, international organizations, and NGOs.

For more information see:
OpenGIS Consortium: Geographic Information for Sustainable Development
http://www.opengis.org/gisd/

NRC Report: Down to Earth: Geographic Information for Sustainable Development in Africa http://books.nap.edu/books/0309084784/html/index.html or http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10455.html

Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum

Dr. Norman P. Neureiter, the former Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State, is the co-chairman of the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum, a non-profit organization established to promote and facilitate science and technology cooperation between India and the United States. Professor V.S. Ramamurthy, the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, is the counterpart of Neureiter in India.

The Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum was established on March 21, 2000 during President Clinton's visit to India. The agreement for the Forum was signed by the Indian Minister for Science & Technology, Human Resources Development & Ocean Development, Professor Murli Manohar Joshi, and then Secretary of State, Dr. Madeleine Albright. Its aim is to explore areas in scientific and technological development that may be of mutual interest, and to assist in technology transfer and electronic exchange of information. The Forum is a non-profit society under the Indian Societies Act and its finances are managed through an endowment. It encourages partnerships between the public sector, the private sector and the academia, and may solicit additional funds from sources in both countries. The formal office of the Forum is located in Fulbright House, New Delhi.

The following are some of the major events held under the aegis of the Forum:

• Argo workshop in July 2001 at Hyderabad, organized by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Ocean Development, India (along with several other international organizations), was funded in part by the Forum. The protocol for the deployment, networking and maintenance of Argo floats in the Indian Ocean region for collection, transmission and utilization of ocean data required for modeling studies was configured in this workshop. A report of this workshop can be found at: http://www.marine.csiro.au/~wijffels/iast-4/reports/IndianImplementation/argo_Hyd_report.pdf

• Nanotechnology workshop in November 2001 at Santa Barbara, organized by the National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN) of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and Indian experts in nanotechnology. Technical aspects on the use of nanostructures, application in electronics, optics, composites, biology, drug delivery, coatings etc. (including aspects of nanofabrication and establishment of nanotechnology centers) were discussed.

• Brain Research workshop in January 2002 at New Delhi, organized by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Brain Research Centre, India. The workshop addressed issues of brain function in health and disease in diverse fields of neuroscience ranging from computational neuroscience, brain imaging, systems and cognitive neuroscience, neurogenetics and developmental biology. This event was inaugurated by Minister Murli Manohar Joshi.

• Weather and Climate-Modeling workshop in February 2002 at New Delhi, organized by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and the National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, India. Collaborative efforts in the capabilities of prediction of tropical systems and other disastrous weather events like heavy rainfall, tropical cyclones, flood and drought along with the utilization of satellite data for improving the short term weather forecast capabilities in both the countries were the main focus of this highly productive workshop. A report of this workshop can be found at: http://www.ncmrwf.gov.in/summary1.htm

• Fuel Cell workshop in June 2002 at Washington, DC, organized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Science and Technology, India. Participants discussed the state of fuel-cell technology in the two countries, its prospects (particularly with relation to Global Climate Change), and developed three separate project proposals. A report of this workshop can be found at: http://208.230.252.232/

Further details about the Forum can be obtained by contacting the Office of the Science & Technology Adviser at STAS@state.gov and by visiting the website: http://www.indousstf.org.

Inquiries for the submission of proposals can be addressed to Michael Cheetham, the U.S. Secretariat of the Forum, by e-mail to mcheetha@nas.edu