Last September in 2013, I took part in the 12th Space Generation Congress (SGC) and 64th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), both of which took place in Beijing, China, representing Sri Lanka as a delegate. Space Generation Congress is annually organized by Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) , in parallel to the International Astronautical Congress just about a week prior to the latter typically in the same city. Although I’ve been working with SGAC for a while (as the National Point of Contact for Sri Lanka since November 2012 and as a member before), 12th SGC was my first international appearance in SGAC. This combined opportunity offered me the possibility to meet like-minded youth, leading industry and government professionals around the world in the realm of space. Thus in this post I’d share a bit about my experience at 12th SGC and at a bit later I’ll dedicate a post to the 64th IAC.
12th SGC was held in partnership with Beihang University at Beihang University premises in Beijing, China from 19 – 21 September, 2013 with the participation of over 110 young professionals and students as delegates from around the world. In general, all the delegates worked in 5 different working groups with a specific theme to come up with some recommendations to be presented at the end of the congress.
Industry – Space Industry in the Era of Globalisation
Agency – Space Communications in our Daily Life
Society – Near Earth Objects, Impact in Society
Exploration – Exploitation of Space Resources: Legal & Political Implications
Earth Observation – Earth Observation for Sustainable Development
Among these working groups, I was part of the Earth Observation (EO) working group most of the time during the congress, where we worked together to brainstorm and discuss challenges and possible solutions of earth observation for sustainable development in developing countries. Further we came up with a set of recommendations and conclusions which we presented to the congress during the final day of the SGC. These recommendations, along with those other working groups, would later be presented to the UN and international community affiliated to SGAC along with respective reports related to each working group.
For me, it was an interesting experience being a part of EO working group, as I continued to gather more knowledge and contribute by my capacity to the discussions. The working sessions were both professional and friendly as were a team of students and young professionals and I believe it offered all of us the possibility to connect with each other and get to know more people. Apart from the working group sessions, it is noteworthy that we also had plenary sessions delivered by key speakers from governments and industries, in addition to the short coffee breaks we had at regular intervals.
Another interesting feature of the congress was the SGC international night, which was an evening full of a lot of interactive events delivered by the delegates themselves, featuring their own native cultures and identities and it was an amalgamation that switched to and fro between an international gastronomic adventure and vivid performances. Adding some Sri Lankan flavors, I made sure there was some Sri Lankan taste among the food available.
On the last day of the congress, on the 21st, SGAC hosted the SGC 2013 Closing Gala Dinner with the presence of more than 200 guests at The Mansion Restaurant in Beijing. The Gala Dinner offered the opportunity for the delegates to network with the leading personalities in the space sector whilst enjoying authentic Chinese gastronomy. The major highlight of the Gala Dinner was the keynote address of the Charles Bolden, the administrator of NASA.
Finally I could only recommend SGC as a platform to connect and network with the young community in the space sector and an arena to learn more about what you’re interested in space. If you’re curious, this year in 2014, 13th SGC will take place in Toronto, Canada in September, preceding the 65th IAC. I believe it won’t be long before the applications are called and make sure you visit the SGAC website frequently and follow its facebook page to receive updates. There will also be announcements of opportunities to apply for scholarships to attend the congress, if you in need of financial support.
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