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Includes Feature Films, Kistler Prize Acceptance Speeches, Interviews, Lectures, and Scholar Visions of the Long-term Future
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About the Foundation
OVERVIEW | BOARD OF TRUSTEES | BOARD OF ADVISORS | EMERITI
Board of Trustees
Walter Kistler was born in Biel, Switzerland, in 1918, the third of
three children born to Hermann Kistler, a lawyer, and Marguerite Jeanneret,
a nurse. He studied sciences at the University of Geneva and earned
a master’s degree in physics from the Federal Institute of Technology
in Zurich.
In 1944, at age 26, Mr. Kistler went to work for the Swiss
Locomotive and Machine Works, Winterthur, and subsequently spent several
years as the head of its Instrumentation Lab. During this time, he
pioneered a new measurement technology using Piezo-electric quartz
crystals as the transduction element in accelerometers, load cells,
and pressure gauges. This new technology made possible his own invention
of a charge amplifier that could handle the very high impedance signals
obtained from such sensors. In 1980 he received the prestigious Albert
F. Sperry Award from the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society
(ISA) for these achievements.
In 1951 Mr. Kistler moved to the United States, where he joined Bell
Aircraft, Buffalo, NY. At Bell, he invented and developed a pulse constraint
servo-accelerometer that was later used in the guidance of the Agena
space rocket. For this work, he received the 1968 Aerospace Pioneer
Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
recognizing “his pioneering effort in the development
of high-performance aerospace instrumentation.”
Wishing to further
pursue his work in quartz instrumentation, Mr. Kistler inaugurated
in 1957 Kistler Instrument Corporation, which became a world leader
in the development of quartz sensors. One of the major innovations
under his supervision was the invention and development of the Piezotron,
a semiconductor module that made a high-impedance quartz sensor to
a low-impedance instrument. Several accelerometers of this type were
used in the Apollo manned spaceflight project. Through these inventions,
Kistler Instrument Corporation acquired a worldwide reputation.
Following
the sale of Kistler Instrument Corporation in 1970, Mr. Kistler moved
to Seattle, WA, and, with his partner, Charles Morse, founded Kistler-Morse
Corporation. In a development effort spanning several years, Kistler-Morse
created the new technology of bolt-on weighing, based on Kistler’s
invention of the Microcell, an extremely sensitive semiconductor strain
sensor. Mr. Kistler subsequently designed and developed a number of
additional instruments: load stands, load blocks, and load discs for
monitoring the contents of vessels through direct weighing. In 1982,
he was named an ISA Fellow for his contributions in the field of sensor
development. He also became a member of the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI) committee that established standards for pressure
sensor testing.
Over the years, Mr. Kistler has played a key role in
the startup of several high-technology companies either as a Director
or as Chairman. These companies include Kistler Products, SRS, ICI,
Interpoint, Paroscientific, and SPACEHAB,
Inc. In 1993 he co-founded
Kistler Aerospace Corporation (Kirkland, WA) to pursue his lifelong
dream of designing and building a totally reusable space vehicle. The
company is developing the world’s first reusable launch vehicles
to reduce the cost of access to space by 80 to 90 percent. The reusable
system will be capable of launching Earth satellites into low Earth
orbit, medium Earth orbit, geosynchronous orbit, and even on escape
trajectories to the Moon and the planets.
In 1996, Mr. Kistler established
the Foundation For the Future, a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated
to the increase and diffusion of knowledge concerning the long-term
future of humanity.
Walter Kistler is a life member of the Swiss Physical Society and a
member of AIAA and ISA, which presented him the Life Achievement Award
in 2000. He is listed in American Men of Science, Who’s Who in Aviation, Who’s
Who in Finance and Industry, and Who’s Who in the World.
He is the owner of more than 50 US and foreign patents and the author
of a number of papers published in scientific and trade journals.
His book Reflections
on Life was published in 2003.
Sesh Velamoor
Trustee & Executive Director
Sesh Velamoor, a native of Hyderabad, India, is the Director of Programs
at the Foundation For the Future. In this
capacity he organizes and moderates think tanks to discuss issues pertaining
to the long-term future of humanity, including global education. He
also routinely speaks and writes on various aspects of the long-term
future in local, national, and international journals and forums.
Mr. Velamoor previously held the position of President at Kistler-Morse
Corporation in Bothell, WA, a manufacturer of instrumentation.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, and
has master's degrees in industrial engineering and business administration.
Mr. Velamoor has more than 30 years' experience in management at top
levels of industrial corporations. During his career in business, he has published technical articles
in manufacturing journals and was active in speaking on a variety of
business topics, including excellence, material requirements planning,
total quality, empowerment, Japanese management, and cultural diversity
in the workplace. He has also taught university-level courses in marketing
research, operations research, and organizational development.
He has been listed in Who's Who in the Northwest and Who's Who in
the United States. He is active in community affairs and has served
as President of the India Association of Western Washington and Chairman
of the High-Tech Board of Bellevue Community College. He currently
serves as a Foundation Associate of the Pacific Science Center, Trustee
of the Kistler-Ritso Foundation, and member of the board of the Seattle
Snow Leopard Trust.
Donna Hines
Trustee & Director of Administration
As Director of Administration at the Foundation For the Future, Ms. Hines oversees general administrative policy, accounting, personnel management, and office services. She supervises logistical details related to scheduling and hosting events, meeting planning, and travel and accommodations for Foundation officers as well as for participants who attend Foundation workshops, seminars, and symposia.
Ms. Hines was invited to be part of the Foundation For the Future at its inception in 1996. She was named Deputy Director in 1997 and Trustee in 2001. Prior to joining the Foundation, she held a variety of administrative posts over some 20 years, most recently at Kistler Aerospace Corporation, Kirkland, WA, a company dedicated to developing the first fully reusable aerospace vehicles. Previous positions included Assistant Director of the Academy of Performing Arts in Honolulu, HI; Travel Coordinator for a Seattle tour wholesaler that packaged tours to Easter Island, the Galapagos Islands, and the Paleolithic caves of France and Spain; and administrative posts in The Kelsh Company, which promoted Alaska as a tourist destination, and Mosquito Fleet Enterprises, a whale-watching company. She also worked in general administration for SPACEHAB, Inc., a leading provider of commercial space services.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico (UNM) in university studies, with emphases in psychology and sociology, and a teaching certificate for secondary education. During her college years, she was accepted into a UNM exchange program with the University of Massachusetts (UMass), where she won the approval of both UMass and UNM to take part in the writing and implementing of a unique off-campus program to investigate the academic and personal growth of students in independent study.
Milt Woods
Trustee
Mr. Woods has been active in the aerospace industry since 1960. He
has held senior engineering, marketing, and management positions for
Borg Warner Controls and Sundstrand Data Control. He is co-founder
of Integrated Circuits Inc. (Interpoint) and was a Director and Executive
Vice President of that company. Mr. Woods was a member of the Board
of Directors of Kistler-Morse Corporation from 1975 to 1995, and is
currently a consultant to small businesses.
Mr. Woods is also managing partner of Cornet Bay Marina Properties, a Northwest
development company.
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