Sheela V. Belur
Computer Scientist
Computer Sciences Corporation
URLs: Sheela V. Belur
Interactive Math Utilities Page
Interactive Spacecraft Orbit Utilities Page
Nominated by: Sheela V. Belur
Sheela Belur holds a Ph.D. in Optimization Techniques and Applications. Her areas of interest include: mathematical modeling and algorithm development related to spacecraft mission, post-flight data analysis, optimization and estimation techniques. Other areas include pattern recognition and machine learning, interactive web development for scientific applications.
Excerpt from nomination: She has contributed significantly to the field of optimization and aerospace by way of original techniques and has published them. She has also developed some interesting and useful web applications as seen in her web development profile page.
What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
My very first job was with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Of the many things I learnt from there the most important one is the
team spirit - that great things can be achieved when you work in a team.
Who is your hero, mentor or person you most admire? Why?
My parents and my brother
Dr. Belur Dasarathy. But for my parents support and encouragement I
would not be where I am today. Talking of admiration, its my brother's
undying research interests that I admire most.
What are you most proud of (either professionally or personally)?
Personally, I am proud to be a follower of Sri. Ramanuja - The Hindu saint who propounded Vishishtadwaitha
Professionally, I am happy that some of my work are being really used in my field. As far my web development work goes, I keep getting email everyday telling me how useful some of them are.
What advice would you give to young women who want to enter your field?
I would advice that if you really look carefully, there is always scope
for improvement/enhancement in any topic or problem solution.
What is your favorite Web site?
There is no one web site that can be called my favorite. I like
innovative sites which let you do interactive things rather than just
provide information.
What do you see as the single most interesting element of your work?
The new star identification technique for spacecraft attitude
determination that I devised when I was working for ISRO
which salvaged the star sensor based attitude determination system
for the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite IRS1 A and which is still being
used operationally.
What was your darkest moment (professionally) and what did you learn
from it?
When I immigrated to the USA in 1991 the times were not good, what
with all time high rate in unemployment etc. I had a very responsible
and interesting job back in India and here I was looking for a job ...
There were times when I was about to give in and totally change to a
non-techinical career. What I learnt was that patience and the right approach
can solve most problems.
What do you do to relax?
Play with my daughter or develop and surf the web ...
