Adarsh Deepak, PhD, Founder and President of the Science and Technology Corporation (STC), passed away at his home in Poquoson, VA in the early morning of December 5, 2022 at the age of 86. Adarsh was a renaissance man of many talents and passions, from researching the atmosphere on Earth and the origins of celestial bodies to studying the history and philosophies of ancient India and the World. He was an artist, scientist, mentor, entrepreneur, founder of several non-profit organizations, author and publisher, and practitioner and promoter of yoga therapy and India’s Dharmic traditions. Adarsh’s indomitable spirit was adored and admired by his loving family and his wonderful community of friends, relatives, and colleagues. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; his sons, Shaunak and Ravi; his brother, Chand Deepak; his sister, Jyoti Gandhi, and their families.
In 1979, Dr. Deepak founded the Science and Technology Corporation, in Hampton, VA. As President and CEO of STC, he led research contracts from NASA, NOAA, and the DoD on problems related to “natural atmospheric” and “man-made artificial” aerosols, and many other technical fields. For the past 43 years, he was fortunate to support and be supported by a phenomenal family of managers, researchers, scientists, fabricators, and technologists. He organized and chaired over 30 national and international conferences, and edited their proceedings for the benefit of the world-wide technical community. He led STC in pioneering research for Chemical Biological Defense, Smokes & Obscurants, and many other areas for the three branches of the Armed Services. Since its founding, STC has been supporting NASA, including a series of important space-borne experiments, starting with the Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement Experiment (SAM) flown on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Program (ASTP) flight in July 1975; subsequent experiments being SAM II, SAGE I, SAGE II, SAGE III, LITE, CALIPSO, CSU/JPL’s Cloud Sat, as well as the development of a nano-satellite with students from University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus (UMBC) as a joint venture sponsored by STC and successfully launched in Nov 2013. He valued scientific and academic dissemination, and he was the author, editor, and publisher of numerous scientific and technical titles, including for the past 10 years was the founding publisher for community-supported, peer-reviewed Journal of Small Satellites (www.JoSSonline.org) sponsored by STC.
Born in India, he completed his B.S. Honors in Physics and M.S. in Solid State Physics from University of Delhi, India. Dr. Deepak taught undergraduate Physics at two Delhi colleges. In 1963, he came to the University of Florida (UF), Gainesville, FL to do his Ph.D., where he also taught the History and Philosophy of Science. In 1976, he founded the non-profit education research organization the Institute for Atmospheric Optical Remote Sensing (IFAORS), which researched and published many world-class technical papers in the field of Remote Sensing. Later it was renamed Takshashila Institute (www.Taksha.org), to provide symposia, workshops, research, and publications on topics of current interest, including science, technology, integrative wellness, yoga therapy, space health, space art, and small satellites. Additionally, he sponsored several free educational programs, such as mentorships and scholarships for students in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) studies and leadership skills. In 2002, he co-founded the Dharma Academy of North America (www.DANAM-web.org) which has provided an inclusive forum for academic discourse annually on Dharmic traditions. He was integral in many local multicultural and religious activities for the Asian Indian community of Hampton Roads, including the Hindu Temple and Sangeet Sargam musical society. Dr. Deepak was also involved in many local civic and professional organizations, which included serving as the past President of the Board of Directors of the Peninsula Fine Arts Center, and the Board of Directors of the Virginia Air and Space Museum.
In lieu of flowers, a donation to charity is preferred.
A memorial service is planned to celebrate his life in the new year, 2023.
Peace, Peace, Peace
