SGAC Welcomes New Web Editors

24 January, 2012

SGAC is happy to announce four new additions to the Web Team.  Elizabeth Roy (Australia), Rupendra Panday (Nepal), Scott Fisher (Australia) and Jaya Jung Mahat (Nepal) will be working together with Christopher Vasko (Austria) and Iram Meer (India) to coordinate the fluidity of the SGAC website, monitor updates of new articles and respond to requests from the SGAC team.

Here is a bit about our new webbies:

Elizabeth Roy

Elizabeth Roy is earning her Bachelor of Aerospace Avionics Engineering at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. She is currently in her fourth and final year, and eager to graduate and explore the world, travel whilst working, or potentially undertake further studies abroad. Her current project is in developing a Search and Rescue Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, designed to autonomously come to the aid of someone lost in the Australian outback, by determining their GPS coordinates and relaying them back to rescue teams; although it is not space related, Liz is very eager to branch into space! She would love to have the capacity to influence Australia into becoming more involved in the global space venture, possibly in promoting the creation of a space agency or society. This position with SGAC is the first step! Liz’s first SGAC experience was in Cape Town, South Africa in 2011. Not only was this her first international venture, it was also her first real-world experience of the space industry, and it was one of the best times of her life! It was great to be able to discuss current space issues with people from so many different countries who took her opinion seriously. She hopes that her position as a web editor will help make the Council function, and hopes to contribute in a small way that will instil in someone else the fascination, awe and wonder that she feels for space, its industry and the people in it.

Here’s what Elizabeth had to say about her new role with SGAC: "This position means a great deal to me because it will allow me to work with so many amazing people, from so many different countries, all with the same interest in space as me. I’m very excited to be involved in something that demonstrates such strong unity and cooperation all born from a common goal – to contribute to solutions of current issues plaguing the space industry".

Rupendra Kumar Panday

Rupendra Kumar Panday is a Nepalese IT professional with expertise in IP based infrastructure solutions. He works in a leading IT company in Kathmandu as a Network Engineer where he is responsible for deployment of managed/centralized IT services at the customer end. He Holds a B.E. (Computer) from Tribhuvan University, Nepal and loves travelling and trekking.

Rupendra’s impressions on joining the SGAC team: "This position comes with new opportunities and challenges and provides me a unique opportunity to make new friends with all over the world. Being able to land in this position means a lot to me and shows that a Nepalese graduates has what it takes to compete in the international arena. I am sure that this position will enable me to learn and share new things with people from different parts of the globe. I view this as a great learning opportunity".

Jaya Jung Mahat

A recent graduate from St. Xavier’s College – Kathmandu in Nepal with a Masters of Arts in Social Work (MSW), Jaya Jung Mahat has more than six years of working experience in global sustainability campaigning, social  justice advocacy and participatory community development practices. In past, he was awarded with different scholarships to attend summer courses and training on issues covering youth, environment, sustainability, climate change, rural development and green economy in China, India, Thailand and Switzerland. Though Jaya was curious about every possible benefit that could be achieved from the wise use of space science and astronomy since his school days, he only became fully aware of their real significance when he started advocating the issues of sustainability through the use of various tools of Earth Observation Systems (EOS). Currently serving as the coordinator of Climate Himalaya Initiative, a network of environmental change professionals in The Himalayan region, he has been closely working with over a dozen national, regional and global networks. A believer in  appreciative communication, Jaya has been trying to facilitate the knowledge exchange and transfer processes amongst all the interested stakeholders on the most pressing local, regional and global issues through various social media. Jaya is interested in practicing and promoting global sustainability culture. His other interests include policy research on socio-economic and political issues from the Global South, travelling, cycling, reading, blogging and e-networking.

Jaya’s impressions on joining the SGAC team: "I am excited to have this opportunity to work with the multicultural global team of SGAC. This will help me further strengthen my current knowledge and working skills in the fields of web editing, space science and its peaceful uses in humanitarian causes. During the age of i, it is important to reach out to the wider audiences throughout the globe through regular updates and precise information being uploaded on organisational websites and other tools of online communication. For more impact and awareness, this includes various social media. So, as a web editor, I will do my best to accomplish all given responsibilities, and make more global stakeholders aware of activities accomplished by the SGAC team through different social media".

Scott Fisher

Scott Fisher has recently completed his third year of earning a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical and Aerospace) at the University of Queensland, Australia. In his university breaks, Scott has interned at Insitu Pacific and Optus Satellite Operations. Since 2010 he has been involved with the Australian Youth Aerospace Association, a student-led body focussed on bringing knowledge and of the aerospace industry to High School and University students. Scott is determined to forge a career in the space industry, and hopes to one day being involved in the conceptual design of complex space systems. His first encounter with SGAC was the 2011 Space Generation Congress in Cape Town, and since then he has been hooked. Whilst new to the organisation, it is his hope that the position of Web Editor will enable him to immerse himself in the international community that is SGAC.

His reaction: "I am looking forward to the working with the SGAC team; this website is a conduit between SGAC and the world, and serving as part of the Web Team is sure to be a rewarding and enriching experience".