Egyptian born Farouk El Baz has been research professor and director of the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University since 1986. While working with the Apollo Space Program (1967-72), he applied satellite imagery to moon surfaces and chaired the Astronaut Training Group. He later studied the arid areas of the world and used his analysis of space photography to select areas for investigation on the ground in Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, China, and India. Much of his career has been spent applying space technology to geography, geology, archaeology, and the environment. He used his remote sensing technology to develop underground water resources in Egypt and to document the extent of destruction following the first Gulf war. He was recently appointed a member of the Committee on Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century.