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INTERNATIONAL VON KÁRMÁN
WINGS AWARD

Our 25th Anniversary
PAYS TRIBUTE TO

Abdul Kalam
11th President of India, Distinguished Professor, Indian Institutes of Technology

California Institute of Technology
September 2009

Abdul Kalam

slide shows from 2009 event
Kalam Delegation
Reception & Banquet | Kalam visit with KNI
PROGRAM

Hosted Reception 6:00 p.m.
Banquet 7:00 p.m.

Fred W. Bowen
Master of Ceremonies
Video

Jean-Lou Chameau
President, California Institute of Technology
Video

G. Madhavan Nair
Secretary, Department of Space
Chairman, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
Video

Presentation of the International von Kármán Wings Award to Abdul Kalam
Video

Alain Tournyol du Clos
Counselor for Nuclear Energy, French Embassy, Beijing
Video

Presentation of the International von Kármán Wings Award to Yannick d'Escatha
Video

Awards Presented by
Ares J. Rosakis
Chair, Aerospace Historical Society
Chair, Division of Engineering and Applied Science
Theodore von Kármán Professor of Aeronautics and Mechanical Engineering
Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India, was born in 1931 in Rameswaram, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He attended the Madras Institute of Technology specializing in Aeronautical Engineering. Dr. Kalam was the Project Director of India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III), which successfully injected the Rohini satellite into near-earth orbit in July 1980 and made India an exclusive member of the Space Club.

After working for two decades in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and mastering launch vehicle technologies, Dr. Kalam took up the responsibility of developing indigenous guided missiles at the Defense Research and Development Organization as the Chief Executive of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. He was responsible for the development and operations of AGNI and PRITHVI missiles and for building indigenous capability in critical technologies through networking of multiple institutions. Dr. Kalam was the Scientific Advisor to the Defense Minister and Secretary and gave thrust to self-reliance in defense systems by progressing multiple mission projects such as Light Combat Aircraft.

 Dr. Kalam became the 11th President of India on 25 July 2002 and served for five years. He led the country in arriving at Technology Vision 2020, giving a road map for transforming India from its present developing status to a developed nation.

Dr. Kalam is a distinguished professor at the Indian Institute of Technology and has also authored a number of books including Wings of Fire, India 2020—A Vision for the New Millennium, and Ignited Minds—Unleashing the Power Within India. These books have been translated into many Indian and foreign languages.

Being one of the most distinguished scientists of India, Dr. Kalam has the unique honor of having received honorary doctorates from 36 universities and institutions in India and abroad. The Royal Society of the United Kingdom has awarded to him the King Charles II Medal for Science and Technology.

Video