Dr Kumar Krishen: Going Places with Science
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He makes it a point to remove his shoes and bow reverentially before the statue of the Goddess Saraswati as he walks into the university hall, where hundreds of students wait patiently for him. Dr Kumar Krishen, a senior scientist from the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is here to deliver a lecture on his career in space exploration.
One finds in him a unique blend of qualities which make him an ardent proponent of Indian culture in the US and a scientist with a proven track record at the same time.
On a private trip to India last week, he shared his vast knowledge with the engineering students at Delhi Technological University (DTU) through a series of lectures.
"I told them about new technology and research required in future for space exploration. In fact, the technology we use every day, here on earth, is influenced greatly by the space innovations. To give an example, the water purification system and method of reprocessing water is used in the space because water is scarce there. The same technology is used on earth too," he explains.
Academic life
Krishen was drawn to science and technology while in school. He then graduated with mathematics and physics from J & K University, but soon after he "saw an advertisement of Calcutta University, which had announced its admissions, and within a few days I had left for the city for a BTech in radio physics and technology," he recalls.
Krishen completed his MTech from the University of Calcutta and got admission to the PhD programme there too, but he left his studied unfinished as his guide went abroad. He flew to USA afterwards where he studied for MS and later PhD at the Kansas State University.
The research career was followed by a seven-year-stint at Lockheed as a staff scientist, after which he finally landed at NASA in 1976. "I was surprised to have received a call from NASA at a time when a lot of employees were being laid off there. It took me a few months to join because my previous employer didn't want to part with me," he says.
