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For more information about making a gift to AGU, please callSpotlight: Sunanda and Santimay Basu
Writing to AGU president Tim Killeen in October 2007, Sunanda Basu said, “Santi and I met in October 1957…In celebration of our 50-year partnership, we want to endow an International Early Career Award within the Space Physics and Aeronomy section.” Early in their careers, the Basus experienced challenges that scientists in developing nations still face today. That's why they created this award. The Basus wanted the award to recognize a young scientist in a developing nation for making outstanding contributions to research in Sun-Earth systems science — their science. Equally important, they wanted the awardee to benefit from interacting with peers from many countries at AGU’s Fall Meeting. For this, the Basus gave an endowment gift of $50,000 to AGU the following January, making them the most generous donors in 2008.
Sunanda became a member at 22 when she coauthored a paper in Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR) as a master's student at Boston University during a 2-year stay in the United States. Santimay joined AGU 6 years later. When they returned to India in the mid-1960s, he created a space physics group at the Institute of Radio Physics, Calcutta University. It was not easy. Meanwhile, Sunanda received her doctorate based on four papers published in JGR and became the first woman to get her Ph.D. in radio physics from the University of Calcutta. Faced with gender-work issues in India, Sunanda successfully applied for a National Research Council postdoctoral position at the Air Force Geophysics Laboratory near Boston, with Santimay and their only son joining her. For nearly 40 years the Basus have enjoyed very rewarding research careers in the United States while collaborating with peers around the world and helping AGU to fulfill its mission.