INDIAN-AMERICAN WINS THE USA BRAIN BEE CHAMPIONSHIP

 

At least seven Indian-American innovators were recognized recently by the National Institute of Health (NIH)and its Office of Strategic Coordination's The Common Fund, as 2017 New Innovator Award recipients.

 

The seven Indian Americans among the top 10 winners are:

• Akhil Kondepudi of St. Louis, Missouri
• Hemanth Asirvatham of Minneapolis, Minnesota
• SehejBindra of Piscataway, New Jersey
• Sneha Shinde of Rootstown, Ohio
• Aayush Setty of Atlanta, Georgia
• LasyaKambhampati of Kansas City, Kansas
• Veda Chanda of Hershey, Pennsylvania

The USA Brain Bee is an Official Regional Brain Bee of the International Brain Bee which is led by a Board of Directors from the Society for Neuroscience, the American Psychological Association, the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, The International Brain Research Organization, and the Federation of European Neurosciences Societies.

 

Currently there are about 200 Brain Bee Chapters in about 50 countries in 6 continents. Each Chapter conducts a competition involving many high schools, those winners represent their cities at their respective National Championships and each National Champion is then invited to compete in the World Championship held every year in a different city.

 

INDIAN-AMERICAN TO BE APPOINTED INTO PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

 

Dr. Vijaya Lakshmi Appareddy, a psychiatrist from Chatanooga, Tennessee, is President Donald Trump's choice to serve on the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, the White House announced March 30.

 

Dr. Appareddy has served in previous administrations as well. She is a psychiatrist with a medical degree from Osmania Medical College, NTR University of Health Sciences, Hyderabad, where she graduated with high honors and several awards, including four gold medals.  She came to the U.S. in 1983.

 

She is an author, and was a clinical assistant professor of Psychiatry at Brown University Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island, and also the medical director of the residential unit of Columbia Valley Hospital, Chattanooga, TN.

 

INDIAN-AMERICAN DENTAL STUDENT UPENN ELECTED PRESIDENT OIF DENTAL STUDENT NATIONAL BODY

 

Roopali Kulkarni, an Indian-American dentistry student from University of Pennsylvania, was elected president of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) earlier this year. The ASDA is the largest national organization that protects and advances the rights, interests and welfare of dental students and predentals.

 

The ASDA is the largest national organization that protects and advances the rights, interests and welfare of dental students and predentals. Representing 92 percent of all dental students, ASDA introduces members to lifelong involvement in organized dentistry and provides services, information, education, representation and advocacy, the press release said.

 

Kulkarni has served in other capacities at ASDA in the past, including serving as District 3 trustee to the national ASDA Board. Prior to being elected to a national position, she served as District 3 cabinet councilor and as the Penn Dental Medicine chapter's wellness co-chair.

 

Kulkarni is completing a dual degree, working towards her Master of Public Health in conjunction with her dental degree. She is a member of both the American Association of Public Health Dentistry and the American Academy of Oral Medicine.

 

SIX INDIAN AMERICANS TO RECEIVE GATES CAMBRIDGE SCHOLARSHIP

 

Six Indian Americans are among 35 students selected for the prestigious Gates Cambridge scholarship. They are: Neil Davey, Ayan Mandal, Pranay Nadella, Vaithish Velazhahan, KaamyaVaragur and Monica Kullar will each receive a scholarship from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which was set up with $210 million, and will be able to study at the University of Cambridge in the UK.

 

Neil Davey, who is studying Applied Mathematics/Economics and Global Health & Health Policy at Harvard University, said "while at Cambridge, I am particularly excited to interact with faculty who research access to care, as well as be in a community of scholars who will challenge my beliefs and allow me to rethink my perspectives on healthcare."

 

Ayan Mandal, who is studying Neurobiology and Physics at Georgetown University, said "at Cambridge, I will be applying my growing expertise in network neuroscience analysis to uncover brain networks corresponding to states of cognition in patients with brain tumors."

 

Pranay Nadella, who is studying Biology and Statistics at Harvard University, said "at Cambridge, I will study the MPhil in Public Health and continue to focus on improving public health programs for vulnerable mothers and children."

 

Vaithish Velazhahan, who is studying Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology at Kansas State University, said "I am very excited to contribute to advances in electron cryo-microscopy, and I am grateful for this opportunity to work alongside and learn from world-class scientists in the LMB."

 

Kaamya Varagur, who studied Neuroscience and Vocal Performance at Princeton University, said "at Cambridge my research will specifically examine the reciprocal effects of infant-directed singing on mother and child, looking at how such music modulates physiological arousal/stress."

 

Monica Kullar, who has a B.Sc. in Psychology from the University of California in San Diego and is currently a research assistant in the Psychology and Psychiatry as well as the Behavioral Sciences departments at Stanford University, said "at the University of Cambridge, I aim to conduct research on the effectiveness of down-regulating negative emotions in stressful real-world contexts, and elucidate further on neurobiological models of emotion regulation across both healthy and vulnerable populations."

 

OVER A DOZEN INDIAN AMERICANS WIN SLOAN RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

 

Sixteen Indian-Americans and South Asians, including at least two from Canadian universities were awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's prestigious 2018 Sloan Research Fellowships. They are among the 126 early-career scholars representing "the most promising scientific researchers working today" the institution announced Feb. 16.

 

"Their achievements and potential place them among the next generation of scientific leaders in the U.S. and Canada," the Foundation said announcing the fellowships. Winners receive $65,000, which may be spent over a two-year term on any expense supportive of their research. The Indian-Americans and South Asians who won the award featured in every category, the most, four, in the Computer Science category, and 3 in Physics. The winners are as follows:

 

Chemistry

Rajamani Gounder, Purdue University

Venkat Viswanathan, Carnegie Mellon University

 

Computational & Evolutionary Molecular Biology

Nidhi Sahni, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

 

Computer Science

Finale Doshi-Velez, Harvard University

Shubhangi Saraf, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Suchi Saria, Johns Hopkins University

Karthik Sridharan, Cornell University

 

Economics

Arun Chandrasekhar, Stanford University

Supreet Kaur, University of California, Berkeley

 

Mathematics

Jennifer Balakrishnan, Boston University

Arul Shankar, University of Toronto

 

Neuroscience

Bilal Haider, Georgia Institute of Technology

 

Ocean Sciences

Vinayak Agarwal, Georgia Institute of Technology

 

Physics

Anushya Chandran, Boston University

Arka Majumdar, University of Washington

Amar Vutha, University of Toronto

 

INDIAN-ORIGIN BANKER NAMED BEST GOVERNOR OF ASIA PACIFIC

 

An Indian-origin banker in Singapore has been named as the best central bank governor in Asia-Pacific for 2018. Ravi Menon, managing director of Singapore's central bank Monetary Authority of Singapoe (MAS), was recognized by the leading UK-based magazine 'The Banker' for his contribution in the makeover of Singapore's financial system.

The annual recognition is by magazine, a publication under The Financuil Times Group, is based on a selection process involving a survey of bankers and economists.

"The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the country's central bank, stands out for its cutting-edge regulatory approach to fintech while maintaining macroeconomic stability," the magazine said in an article.

"These are the key reasons for selecting Ravi Menon, managing director of MAS, as the Central Bank Governor of the Year for Asia-Pacific," The Straits Times reported, quoting the magazine article.

 

The article noted that the MAS was among the first regulators to set up a dedicated fintech group that focuses on understanding technology's risks and benefits.

 

"You can only encourage technology to the extent that you can also contain and manage its risks. A smart financial centre must be a safe financial centre as well," Menon was quoted as saying in the article.

 

INDO-AUSTRALIAN ACTRESS GERALDINE VASWANATHAN IN THE COMEDY SHOW "BLOCKERS"

 

Indo-Australian actress Geraldine Viswanathan will be seen opposite WWE superstar John Cena in "Blockers," a new R-rated comedy about teen sexuality, parental anxieties and consent. The film opened April 6. "Blockers" had its premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas in March.

 

The Los Angeles Times wrote: "Viswanathan shines as Kayla, the all-American star athlete whose confidence leads a trio of teenagers (including Kathryn Newton and Gideon Adlon) into every overprotective parent's worst nightmare: a sex pact to lose their virginity on prom night."

 

The LA Times wrote that Viswanathan and Cena together create an outrageous comedy with "a relatable parent-child dynamic. Cena is the perennial dad-coach training his daughter to be strong and confident in sports terms, the only language he knows, and Viswanathan is a self-possessed young woman developing a curiosity for life experiences beyond the goal posts."

 

Their onscreen chemistry is a result of "the warm mutual admiration the two share from the nearly three-month Atlanta shoot last year: Viswanathan's ebullience softens Cena's more serious-leaning stoicism," the LA Times said. Kay cannon, a writer on "30 Rock" and the "Pitch Perfect" franchise cast the two in their roles.

 

"While raunchy comedies have historically treated women as one-dimensional objects, 'Blockers' is about destigmatizing sex and enabling young women to assert ownership of their own bodies and choices," wrote the LA Times.

 

"[Kayla] just wants to let loose and have a night to remember, and I think she gets a little ahead of herself," said Viswanathan. "There are so many movies that are in this vein but they're from the male perspective."

 

Viswanathan, 22, grew up in Newcastle, Australia, where she competed in equestrian events. She has just finished the TBS comedy series "Miracle Workers." After a post-"Blockers" stint in Los Angeles, Viswanathan told LA Times she is giving New York a try. "I have two suitcases right now," she said. "That's my life, so I'll see where I end up."