[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 89 (Monday, June 15, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1407-E1408]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING DR. GEORGE SEIELSTAD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. EARL POMEROY

                            of north dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 15, 2009

  Mr. POMEROY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the long and 
distinguished career of Dr. George Seielstad who is retiring from the 
John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North 
Dakota (UND) where he was a leading figure in UND's aerospace and earth 
systems science curriculum. It has been my privilege to have known Dr. 
Seielstad since he first started at UND. Since that time I have seen 
first hand the workings of his remarkable mind, his commitment to 
advancing scientific thought, and his innovative leadership in 
developing real world applications for spatial technologies.
  Dr. Seielstad's tenure at UND will be recognized by his many 
achievements as well as the many distinguished titles he has held. Upon 
his arrival in 1993, Dr. Seielstad served as Assistant Dean for 
Academic Affairs and Professor of Space Studies and was later named the 
Associate Dean of the Center for Aerospace Science and Director of the 
Earth System Science Institute. In 1997, he was named the first ever 
Oliver Benediktson Professor of Astrophysics. In recent years, Dr. 
Seielstad was appointed Senior Advisor to the President of UND and 
served in the position of Director for the Northern Great Plains Center 
for People and the Environment where he directs the Upper Midwest 
Aerospace Consortium (UMAC).
  His cardinal accomplishment at UND came in founding and managing 
UMAC, which he established in 1994. UMAC is a preeminent research 
partnership between five universities in Montana, South Dakota, Idaho, 
and North Dakota working in collaboration in order to serve societal 
needs through the development of practical applications in Earth System 
Science information. UMAC has helped collect vital data on complex 
global environment and climate issues and has led to the development of 
real world products using satellite imaging, like Agriculture Cameral, 
which helps educate and bring about solutions for ranchers and farmers 
on a wide variety of agri-business issues. Multi-university consortiums 
are very rare because universities compete as much as they collaborate. 
The growth, success, and longevity of UMAC in large part is due to the 
vision, leadership, and commitment of Dr. Seielstad.
  Even before his arrival at UND, Dr. Seielstad was a notable radio 
astronomer spending time at the University of Alaska, Caltech's Owens 
Valley Radio Observatory in Bishop, California, and the National Radio 
Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, West Virginia. He graduated summa 
cum laude with a degree in Physics from Dartmouth College and received 
his PhD in Physics from the California Institute of Technology. More 
recently, he served as Chairman of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration's Deep

[[Page E1408]]

Space Network Working Group and was appointed by the Secretary of the 
Interior to serve on the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data 
Active Archive Advisory. He has had over 70 published articles and is 
the author of two books and the editor of two more.
  On a personal level, I have been privileged to enjoy George and his 
wonderful wife, Delores, as friends. For someone of his distinguished 
scientific and academic achievements, I have also found George and 
Delores to be warm hearted, caring, down to earth individuals who 
shared an extraordinary commitment to make things better. At an earlier 
point in his career, George almost won a seat in Congress. When that 
avenue to effect change was not available, he redoubled his efforts in 
his own work leaving a legacy of accomplishment that is truly 
incredible.
  His impact will be felt by generations to come, by the students he 
taught, the people that he worked with, and all those who have had the 
time to get to know him. I wish George and Delores, all their family, 
the very best and offer my hope for continued success and happiness in 
the coming years.

                          ____________________