Former President of India to Speak at Tulane About Scientific Innovation

Abdul Kalam, the former president of India and an aeronautical engineer known for his passion for education and scientific advancement, will deliver an address to Tulane students on Monday, Oct. 26 at 1:30 p.m. in the Lavin-Bernick Center"s Kendall Cram Room. This event is free and open to the public.

Kalam was the eleventh President of India, serving from 2002 to 2007. He was elected during the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party under prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. During his term as president, he was popularly known as the People"s President. Now, he is a professor at Anna University in Chennai, and has been active in making state-of-the-art medical equipment to improve the lives of people in India.

Earlier in his career, Kalam worked as an aeronautical engineer with Defense Research and Development Organization and the Indian Space Research Organization, where he helped develop ballistic missile and space rocket technology. He later took that technology, such as the lightweight carbon-compound material designed for missiles -- to make calipers for polio victims. In 2009, Kalam received the Hoover Medal, America"s top engineering prize, for his outstanding contribution to public service.

While at Tulane, Kalam will meet with students and faculty at the School of Science and Engineering and will tour the electron microscopy facility on the uptown campus. Kalam"s visit is being sponsored by the India Association of Tulane University.