Benjamin Herman, PhD

Professor Benjamin Herman, PhD (deceased, 2018) was an Advisor to TI/IFAORS for many years, and presented popular Taksha seminars on Fundamentals of Atmospheric Radiation. After completing his PhD at the University of Arizona in 1963, his early research focused largely on the field of radiative transfer and the development of a radiative transfer code that included all orders of scattering, polarization, Mie as well as molecules, and absorption and emission.

Prof. Herman later played a role in developing software for the SAM-SAGE series of satellites to convert solar occultation measurements into vertical profiles of atmospheric aerosols, ozone, and water vapor, as well as the ozone monitoring satellites (TOMS) which used the spherical atmosphere geometry to help understand the corrections necessary in polar regions to accommodate the regions’ very low solar elevation angles.

More recently, Prof. Herman participated in the GPS/MET project, demonstrating how GPS measurements as made by a space-borne receiver could use special inversion techniques to recover vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature, density, and pressure, and with certain assumptions or additional data, water vapor profiles could also be recovered.

Prof. Herman retired in 2005 from the Faculty of the University’s Department of Atmospheric Science, but remained active in research and teaching.

Welcome to Taksha Institute!

Originally founded in 1976 by Adarsh Deepak, PhD, as the Institute for Atmospheric Optic and Remote Sensing (IFAORS), TakshaShila Institute (doing business as "Taksha Institute," "Taksha," or "TI") remains a dynamic, not-for-profit [501(c)3] tax-exempt, independent minority institution of advanced research and learning, with the addition of non-technical subject matter, since its inception. As a non-degree giving, non-diploma awarding institution, TI is engaged in cutting-edge research projects and learning opportunities in the form of workshops, seminars, and other events, for all ages (from kindergarten to life-long learning), for personal or professional growth and enhancement.

Incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia (US), Taksha has its headquarters in Hampton, VA, with a West Coast/Silicon Valley, CA office. From its inception, TI has been supported entirely by R&D meetings management contracts with the federal government, industry, and UN organizations; the collection of registration fees for events; and donations from industry and private parties.

As a 501(c)3 not-for-profit educational institution, your charitable contribution to Taksha Institute is tax deductible, and any registration fees, sales, or other income go to the support of our education and research programs and projects. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to Taksha to help support our unique programs, and click here or on the "Contribute to Taksha" button on the navigation bar above!

Registration is Easy! Admission is open, test-free, and regardless of education, gender, age, race, or religion. To sign up for our events, simply click on the appropriate button to the left or on the "Events" tab on the banner above, then locate and click on the event of your choice. There, you will find pertinent information for that event, including dates, venue, fees, and agenda, along with a registration link or other registration instructions.

Want to Know More?

Click on a tab or button on this page for more information, or contact us at contact@taksha.org.