Nine-Week Course Designed For Post-Graduate Students
The International Space University (ISU) 26th annual Space
Studies Program (SSP) will be held at the Instituto Nacional de
Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE) campus in São José dos
Campos, Brazil in 2013. It will be the third time the program is
held in the southern hemisphere
Each summer, ISU offers this intense nine-week course designed
for post-graduate university students and professionals of all
experience levels and disciplines. The site of the SSP changes
annually, making it a unique educational concept and building on
the fundamental ISU tenant of an international experience.
"We expect this to be a great SSP," said ISU President Michael
Simpson. "The facilities are superb, the level of technical
expertise is very high, and the vision of the space sector's
capacity to improve not only human knowledge but the human
condition as well is evident everywhere."
ISU provides an interdisciplinary education in the context of an
intercultural and international environment to support the
development of future leaders in the world space community. The SSP
offers its participants a unique and comprehensive education
covering all aspects of space programs and enterprises including
space physical sciences, space systems engineering, policy and law,
business and management, space and society, satellite applications,
and space life sciences and human spaceflight. The SSP core lecture
series serves as the foundation on which the more in-depth
activities undertaken in the seven departments are built. The team
projects provide the participants with an international and
intercultural team working experience wherein they must not only
refine the topic as a team, but also produce professional quality
reports and final presentations, all in the span of a few
weeks.
"We have already started to organize a local committee for the
SSP13 in Brazil," said Dr. Antonio Yukio Ueta, responsible for the
local committee of SSP13. "Basically, this committee will be
attended by specialists from INPE and partners who are ISU Alumni.
It will also include the participation of the experienced team from
INPE in organizing events of international level. It is important
to emphasize that we are quite motivated and committed to welcome
the ISU family and run a successful SSP in Sao Jose dos
Campos."
One of INPE's strategic goals is to become a National and
international reference in both space and earth environment
fostering knowledge and attending and anticipating demands on
Brazilian society life quality progress.
"We are delighted to hear the news of our selection! INPE and
the city of São José dos Campos will do their best to
fulfill ISU's expectations. Definitely, it will be an important
opportunity for the Brazilian Space Program to bring together our
community of Institutions related to space, allowing for more
interaction, global cooperation and to motivate our people to be
always attentive to the technology frontiers for our industry" said
Dr. Gilberto Câmara, Director General of INPE.