1) Sanjeev Galande selected for G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research for 2014.
- Sanjeev Galande was selected for G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research for 2014.
- The name was announced by the K.K. Birla Foundation and he is the 24th recipient of the award.
- Prof. Galande is a professor of Biology and Team Leader at the Centre of Excellence in Epigenetics, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune.
- Earlier in 2010, he also received the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize.
- In 2014, G.D. Birla Award was given to noted physicists and string theorist Rajesh Gopakumar for the year 2013.
About G.D. Birla Award:
- This was instituted in 1991 by the K.K. Birla Foundation with the objective of according recognition to high caliber scientific research undertaken by Indian Scientists, below the age of 50 living and working in India.
- It carries a cash prize of 1.5 lakh rupees and a citation.
- G.D. Birla Award is given every year and is available in any branch of science including medical science, basic as well as applied.
- The emphasis is particularly on the work done by the scientist during the last five years.
2) Darshan Jain, an Indian-American teacher named for US Presidential Award.
- Darshan Jain, an Indian-American teacher from Illinois, US was named for prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching by President Barack Obama.
- Along with Jain, President named 108 Mathematics and Science teachers as recipients of the Award.
- All of them were chosen for shaping America’s success through their passion for Math and Science.
- Jain has taught mathematics at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois for eight years. Right now, he is serving the school as the director of mathematics.
Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching:
- The award is given annually to outstanding K-12 Science and Mathematics teachers from across the country and carries a cash prize of 10000 US dollars from the National Science Foundation.
3) Fazle Hasan Abed, founder of Bangladesh-based poverty alleviation NGO wins World Food Prize 2015.
- He is founder and chairman of Bangladesh-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) BRAC (originally known as Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) which is world’s largest NGO.
- Since its formation, BRAC is being credited for helping more than 150 million people out of poverty.
- BRAC had grown into one of the world’s largest NGO with prime focus on alleviating poverty.
- For contributions to social improvement, Fazle Hasan Abed been bestowed with prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award (2010) and UNDP’s Mahbub Ul Haq Award (also known as Human Development Award) in 2004.
About World Food Prize:
Established in 1986 by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug (father of the Green Revolution).
It is an annual award that recognizes scientists and others who have improved the quality and availability of food.
It carries monetary award of 2,50,000 dollars.
4) Indian-American professor R. Paul Singh named for 2015 World Agriculture Prize laureate.
- The award was announced at the annual Global Confederation for Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences (GCHERA) conference held at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon.
- Singh is known for niche research areas of agricultural sector such as freezing preservation, energy conservation, post-harvest technology and mass transfer in food processing.
His research and studies on:
- (a) Airflow in complex systems: Helped to design innovative systems for the rapid cooling of strawberries.
- (b) Food freezing: Helped to development of computer software generally used to improve the energy efficiency of industrial freezers.
- His research group also had created food- processing equipment under a NASA contract for a manned mission to Mars.
- He also had contributed in establishing and evaluating food-engineering programs at various institutions throughout the world including in India, Brazil, Portugal, Peru and Thailand.
5) Four Indian-Americans honoured with 2015 Great Immigrants: The Pride of America award.
- Four Indian Americans were honoured with the 2015 Great Immigrants: The Pride of America award by Carnegie Corporation of New York.
- These Indian-Americans are among 38 individuals that were honoured for having enlightened the society, culture, and economy.
- The award is given by New York-based Carnegie Corporation on the occasion of Independence Day of United States i.e. 4th July.
Indian-American Winners:
- Preet Bharara, United States Attorney, Southern District of New York.
- Rakesh Khurana, Professor, Dean, Harvard College.
- Madhulika Sikka, Vice President, Executive Editor, Mic.
- Abraham Verghese, Physician and Writer.
About Carnegie Corporation of New York:
- Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.
- Carnegie Corporation of New York salutes the legacy of Andrew Carnegie and other immigrants on every 4th July by presenting the award since 2006.
- The award honours women and men who have become Americans by Choice and have made, and continue to make the nation strong and vibrant.
6) Jodhpur Film Society honoured with Pritiman Sarkar Award 2014-15.
- The Film Society of Jodhpur was conferred with the Pritiman Sarkar Award 2014-15 for the consequent fourth time for being the best film society in Northern Region in raising awareness and film appreciation.
- The award was presented by the Federation of Film Societies of India (North Region).
- The award was given in recognition of screening of a series of films by the society in 2014-15 in Jodhpur to mark 100 glorious years of Indian cinema under the Incredible Journey of Indian Cinema.
- The society screened 24 films of different times, culture and languages for Incredible Journey of Indian Cinema.
- These screenings included the films as old as Raja Harishchandra. The first Pritiman Sarkar Award in 1997-98 was also given to the Film Society of Jodhpur.
7) Pune’s Fergusson College Won Heritage Status of UGC.
- Pune’s prestigious Fergusson College, founded in 1885, has been accorded the special heritage status by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
- Now the college is among the 19 institutions in the country to get the heritage status.