Auto Driver's Son Mohammad Gause Tops AP Engineering Exam
Hyderabad - TwoCircles.net: Auto driver's son Mohammed GauseJani has topped Engineering,
Agriculture and Medicine Common Entrance Test 2010 (EAMCET) in its engineering stream.
EAMCET is conducted by JNT University Hyderabad on behalf of Andhra Pradesh State
Council of Higher Education (APSCHE).
Jani with 159 out of 160 marks has shared the top rank in the engineering stream
with two other candidates -- BoyapatiPallavi and A. Janardhan Reddy. Others in the
top 10 are SatyavoluSaiNitish (158), KoneruKiranBabu, YanagalaLakshmipathi (157),
B. Sai Krishna, BuddiRamcharan (156), Sridhar Kandimalla, MVS. SaiRaghavendra and
Y. Akshay (155).
Jani's father MohdAmeer earns a couple of hundred rupees driving an auto and his
mother works in neighbourhood houses. He is from Visakhapatnam.
"I am blessed by the almighty. At one point of time, I did not have the money to
study and now people are earnestly willing to help me. I thank them for their kind
support and I also thank Narayana Sir for giving me free education to complete my
Intermed-iate,Jani has been quoted as saying in the media. Jani said he studied
10 hours a day for the exams.
Among the top 10 scorers in the medical stream is Syed Mustafa Hashmi (153 out of
160 marks). Others are: M. Rahul, RavinuthalaLalitha, NarapaneniKiranmayee (156),
Sri Lakshmi Atthota (155), V. Saikiran, MuddalaDurga Prasad, ChallaMadhuri, DushyantRamakrishnan
(154), JakkalaSrilakshmiDurga, PillaRakesh, K. Amulya Reddy and Syed Mustafa Hashmi
(153).
EAMCET examination is the gateway for entry into various professional courses offered
in Government/Private Colleges in Andhra Pradesh.
All the Students of Super30, Bihar's Free Coaching Centre Cracked IIT-JEE This Year
All the 30 students of Super 30, Bihar's free coaching centre for poor students
in Patna, cracked IIT-JEE this year.
"All the 30 students have cleared IIT-JEE," Anand Kumar, the institute's director-cum-founder
said at a press conference on Wednesday.
It is a matter of great pleasure as we have achieved it again, he said, adding that
since the inception of the coaching centre in 2002, a total of 212 students have
cleared IIT-JEE examination, which is considered as one of the toughest examinations
in the world. "We are now going to expand this to 60 students, so that more people
can benefit," he added.
Kumar said the students hail from very poor families and commit themselves to a
year of 16-hour study each day after passing a competitive test to get into the
coaching centre.
The celebration after the results are also unique at the institute - a meal shared
by all 30 students of Super 30. One of the students at the institute RichirSinha
said," I wish my rank was higher."
"Now we will try to arrange loans for the education of the poor students who qualified
for IITs," he said.
Kumar, who himself missed a chance to study at Cambridge due to lack of money, gives
full scholarships including room and travel to the students.
When contacted Shubham Kumar Gautam from Nalanda, whose father is a poor farmer
with income less than Rs 2500 per month, said he would not have been able to qualify
for IIT had Super 30 not helped him.
The institute figured in Best of Asia list of Time magazine a fortnight ago.
Contributions of Muslim Scientists to India
by Ibrahim B. Syed, Ph. D.
President
Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc.
7102 W. Shefford Lane
Louisville, KY 40242-6462, USA
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://WWW.IRFI.ORG
The Washington Post on June 2, ran an article, which citing Pentagon sources, claimed
that India had decided to move its indigenously-developed Prithvi medium-range ballistic
missile to Jalandhar near its border with Pakistan. The missile could easily strike
targets well into the Pakistani heartland if it has actually been deployed at Jalandhar.
As a retaliatory measure, Pakistan would feel compelled to install its own M-11
missiles at appropriate locations. Before long the two adversaries, could willy-nilly
become involved in a financially costly and strategically destabilizing venture.
Many will be surprised to know that the Indian Missiles were developed by a Muslim
Indian Scientist. The following is a very brief account of some of the Muslim Scientists
chosen randomly and their contribution to science and medicine in India. The author
regrets that many well deserving Muslim Scientists have not been included in this
article, however it is unintentional or lack of information on them. The Embassy
of India in Washington, D.C. could not render any help to the author in this regard.
Dr. A.P.J. AbulKalam - India's Missile Man
Dr.Arvul Pakir Jainulabedin Abul Kalam, popularly known as Dr. A.P.J. AbulKalam,
caught national and international attention as "India's Missile Man" with the successful
launching of 'Agni' from Chandipur(Orissa) on May 22, 1989.
Born in 1931 at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, Dr.AbulKalam is a DMIT (Diploma from
the Madras Institute of Technology) in Aero Engineering. He was awarded a Doctor
of Science (D.Sc.) degree (HonorisCausa). He was Director-in-charge of ASL-V mission
at Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) before becoming the Director of the
Defense Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) which is located in Hyderabad,
in Andhra Pradesh. He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences.
Dr.AbulKalam is the brain behind "Agni"; the indigenously developed 17 meter long
and 75 ton multiple stage missile with a payload of 1000 kg (kilogram). Its range
is anywhere between 1600 km (kilometers) to 2500 km. He was assisted by a 400-strong
team of scientists. Due to his team's efforts, India overcame the stipulations made
by the seven Western Countries' Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) to deny
missile technology to the third world countries.
According to the eminent space scientist, "our indigenous missile technology is
comparable to the best in the East or the West with its re-entry technology guidance
and control technology with on-board computers."
Dr. APJ AbulKalam, who hails from Tamil Nadu, worked on projects such as 'Prithvi',
etc. at the DRDL in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. For his contributions to India's
Missile Program and the successful detonation of Nuclear Weapons in May 1998, he
was appointed as Advisor to the Defense Minister and subsequently awarded "Bharat
Ratna" the highest civilian award by the Government of India.
Dr.Israr Ahmed - Physicist
Dr.Israr Ahmed, Director, Center for Promotion of Science, Aligarh Muslim University
(AMU), Aligarh, is a distinguished scientist. He is considered an authority on Theoretical
Nuclear Physics and Quantum Scattering Theory. Besides, he edits the AMU's Urdu
monthly 'TahzibulAkhlaq' and Hindi monthly 'Nishant' since 1986.
Born on December 19, 1940, Dr.IsrarAhmed, is the son of Mr.Mukhtar Ahmed. After
his graduation from Gorakhpur University in 1959, he pursued his post-graduation
studies and earned a Ph.D. in Physics from AMU. He joined the AMU as a Lecturer
in 1961. Since 1984 he is serving the Physics department as its Chairman.
His 48 research papers have so far been published in the international journals.
A number of research scholars have been awarded M.Phil and Ph.D. under his supervision.
Dr.Israr Ahmed is an associate member of the International Center for Theoretical
Physics located in Trieste (Italy) headed by the late Nobel Laureate, Dr.Abdus Salam.
He is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and as well as the Indian Physics
Association.
He organized a conference on 'Religious Seminarae and Science Education' on March
26-28, 1987 and DAE (Department of Atomic Energy) Symposium on Nuclear Physics December
26-31, 1989 at the AMU, Aligarh. He also conducted several introductory science
courses for the teachers of Muslim religious seminaries. Besides, he is also a science
fiction writer in Hindi, Urdu, and English.
M. Ahmed - Founder of 'Cardinal Geometry'
Mr. M. Ahmed, IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer, is the author of a Calendar
for all years from 45 B.C. to 1999 A.D. and an abridged version of it for 250 years.
He can tell in few seconds the day one was born, if he puts before him his date
of birth. He has evolved new concepts in Mathematics, popularly known as 'Cardinal
Geometry.'
It is a new type of Geometry, which deals with the Mathematical Curves, surfaces
and coordinates. He has also written a treatise on the subject.
He was born to Mr. Abdul MuthalibRawther on November 2, 1941 at Adder (Kerala).
Mr. Ahmed was the first rank holder in the University of Kerala in both B.Sc. (1961)
and M.Sc. (1963) examinations in Mathematics.
After a year as a lecturer in Mathematics in different colleges, he joined the Indian
Administrative Service (IAS) in 1965. He was the Collector of Madras, Member-Secretary,
Madras Metropolitan Development Authority, Secretary to the Government, Chairman
and Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Warehousing Corporation and is now Vice
Chairman, Madras Metropolitan Development Authority. Recently he has been elevated
to the grade of Special Commissioner.
In spite of his busy schedule as an administrator, Mr. Ahmed spends some time in
academic work and has made a significant contribution to the Mathematics by evolving
new principles.
The Cardinal Geometry is an innovative concept in Geometry, developed by Mr. Ahmed,
enabling the creation and study of many symmetric mathematical curves and surfaces.
The classical geometry knows only a few symmetric curves and surfaces like the circle,
ellipse, parabola, hyperbola, cardioid, limacon, lemniscafe, curves of Cassini etc.,
and some of their surfaces of revolution. Besides these curves, many lemniscafes,
blimps, crescents etc. have been generated by him.
According to Mr. Ahmed, the Cardinal Geometry theory could possibly be extended
to the study of magnetism, motion of particles and bodies. It would have both theoretical
and practical use in Engineering and Architecture.
Dr. S.Z. Qasim - Antarctica Hero
Dr. Syed ZahoorQasim, Member Planning Commission, Government of India, was till
recently the Vice Chancellor of JamiaMilliaIslamia(University) in Delhi. He has
had his early education in Allahabad and then at the Aligarh Muslim University,
Aligarh from where he took his M.Sc. degree in Zoology. He stood first in the order
of Merit for which he was awarded University Gold Medal. For a few years, he was
a lecturer in the Department of Zoology at Aligarh before proceeding to the United
Kingdom for higher studies in 1953.
He returned to India in December of 1956 and joined the Department of Zoology of
AMU as a Lecturer. He became Reader in 1957 and started a new laboratory of Fish
and Fisheries in the Department. In 1962, he joined the Central Institute of Fisheries
Education, Bombay (Mumbai) as a Professor of Fisheries Biology and in 1964, moved
to Cochin as Assistant Director in the Directorate of International Indian Ocean
Expedition (IIOE) under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Here he extensively worked on biological oceanography especially on the primary
productivity of Kerala Backwaters and on the atolls of Lakshwadeep.
From 1970 to 1973, Dr.Qasim was the Director of the Central Marine Fisheries Research
Institute at Cochin. He also held the additional charge of the Central Institute
of Fisheries Technology, Cochin for about one year. Here he promoted new lines of
work in Fisheries Biology and initiated the development of mussel culture and pearl
culture techniques for the first time in India. This work earned him the prestigious
award of "Padma Shri."
In January 1974, he took over as the Director of the National Institute of Oceanography
(NIO), Goa. In February 1976 he was responsible for the commissioning of the first
Oceanographic Research Vessel Ganeshani for NIO. He initiated many new programs
on the productivity of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.
In May 1981, Dr.Qasim was appointed Secretary to the Government of India in the
Department of Environment(DOE) and within a year (April 1982) he took over as Secretary
of the newly established Department of Ocean Development. He has been responsible
for the acquisition of a second Oceanographic Research Vessel "SagarSampada" for
the Indian Oceanographic research.
Dr.Qasim led India's First Expedition to the Antarctica and successfully organized
and guided the other seven expeditions to the frozen continent from 1981 to 1988.
His work on Fisheries Biology, primary productivity, mari-culture particularly mussel
and pearl culture, estuarine ecology, environmental pollution and Antarctic research
will always be quoted profusely. He has published more than 200 original research
papers in national and international journals. For his original work and distinguished
services, he won many honors and awards.
He led many delegations of India in several international conferences and meetings.
Dr.Qasim is a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, Indian academy
of Sciences, Bangalore, National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad, among many others.
Under his guidance nearly 40 students obtained their Ph.D. degrees from various
universities in India.
He is Editor for several journals and member of the Editorial Boards of many national
and international scientific journals. he is an Honorary Professor of several Universities
including Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Annamalai University,
Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (Chennai) in Tamil
Nadu, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh and the JamiaMilliaIslamia(University)
in Delhi.
Dr.Qasim is blessed with three daughters and lives in New Delhi.
Dr. C. M. Habibullah - Eminent Gastroenterologist
Dr. C. M. Habibullah is known as one of the most eminent Gastroenterologists of
the country. He is presently Dean of the Decccan Medical College and Director of
Owesi Medical and Research Center located in Hyderabad. Formerly Professor and Head
of the Department of Gastroenterology at the Osmania Medical College and Hospital,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
He is also Chairman, Academic Committee, All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS),
New Delhi and president, National Association of Liver Study Group.
Son of Mr. Ahmed Hussain, he was born on 12th October, 1936 at Chittor(Andhra Pradesh).
He took his early education from Chennai. Afterwards, he did his MBBS from Guntur
Medical College in 1958 and was awarded Gold Medals in Pathology and Surgery. He
was awarded M.D.(General Medicine) in 1963 and D.M.(Gastroenterology) in 1972.
Afterwards, he worked in a number of Hospitals and Medical Colleges in different
parts of the country. He is associated with a number of institutions. He is a fellow
of National Academy of Medical Sciences, American College of Gastroenterology, and
International College of Angiology and also elected member of the Academy of Medical
Sciences(Gastroenterology) of the former USSR and nominated member of National Board
of Examination and AIIMS.
More than 80 major research papers by him have appeared in scientific journals.
More than 106 papers have been presented by him at national and international conferences.
His current interest is in liver cell transplantation therapy in cases of acute
liver failure and vaccine action program in viral hepatitis cases.
Several scholars have obtained M.D., D.M., and Ph.D. degrees under his guidance
and many research projects have been completed. Besides, new drug trials have also
been done.
He has two children lives in Hyderabad.
Dr. S. N. A. Rizvi - Authority in Nephrology
Dr. S.N.A. Rizvi is considered one of the few authorities on Nephrology in India.
He is a Professor of Medicine, Head of Nephrology and Endocrinology Division, Maulana
Azad medical College and associated Hospitals in New Delhi
Son of Hakim S. Sultan Ahmed Rizvi, he was born in a family of renowned for Hikmat,
on 1 August 1939 at Amroha(District Moradabad, U.P.). After doing his graduation
and postgraduation in Biochemistry, from AMU, he took admission in Medical College.
Thereafter completed M.B.B.S. and M.D. degrees in 1969 with gold medal in clinical
thesis from Delhi University.
Dr.Rizvi, who has specialized in four fields-Endocrinology including diabetes, Nephrology,
Rheumatology and Internal Medicine, is supervising the Dialysis services at Maulana
Azad Medical College and LNJP and G.P. Pant Hospitals since 1972. Since then about
24,000 patients have been given free dialysis service. It is the only Hospital in
the country which provides free dialysis. it costs about $600.00 The new dialysis
unit is fully equipped with ten machines in non-infection units and two in Australia
antigen units. The latter is the only unit available in the country. Dr.Rizvi reduced
patient Mortality from 69 percent to 36 percent; Acute renal failure from 69 % to
36 %; and Chronic renal failure from 100 % to 60 % . He reduced Poisoning from 60
% to 4 %.
Dr. S.N.A. Rizvi, who has recently taken over as the head of the newly established
Tetanus Department, has been honored with several fellowships and awards- Fellowship
of AIID(All India Institute of Infectious Diseases), Bombay(Mumbai) in 1980 for
his distinguished work on diabetes; Fellow of the Indian Academy of Medical Sciences,
Delhi in 1983; Fellow of the Indian Society of Nephrology in Chandigarh in 1984;
Fellow of the Indian Congress in Nutrition(International Nutrition) in 1985. Fellow
of the Indian Congress of Allergy and Immunology) in Delhi in 1986; Indian Congress
of Physicians Fellowship in 1990 besides a number of national and international
awards. He was recently been awarded by the Nobel Laureate Mother Theressa in recognition
of his significant contribution to Nephrology. He was invited as a Guest Speaker
to speak on several topics by national and international organizations.
He has also been a life member of numerous scientific societies. His 220 papers
have so far been published besides contribution of chapters in various books of
medical sciences. he has also been the Associate Editor of the Journal of Indian
Medical Association(IMA) of Medical Specialties, and member of the Editorial Board
of the Journal of Indian Medical Association and also member of the editorial board
of the Journal of Indian Society of Nephrology.
He has got special interest in the poor. He spends Sundays at free medical camps
in Delhi organized by the medical or voluntary organizations. He has three children
and lives in New Delhi.
Ornithology - Study of birds
India has the credit of having eminent ornithologists who are Muslims. Mughal Emperor
Jahangir was an expert ornithologist. Jahangir described with care and accuracy
various characteristics of animals and birds, their geographical distribution and
behavior. The internationally renowned Indian ornithologist, Salim Ali, says, "His
memoirs are a veritable gazetteer of natural history of the India of his day."
For the first time in the history of ornithology, he noted how sarus cranes mate,
brood over their eggs, in turn, and how chicks are hatched and taken care of. He
also observed one human quality in this bird: the parents love not only their eggs
and chicks but also each other.
In 1958 there was sensation in the world of ornithology when a Russian researcher,
A. Ivanov, discovered a portrait of the dodo, a large, non-flying pigeon-like bird
which had become extinct about three centuries ago, in a collection of paintings
at the Institute of Orientalists of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. There was nothing
to identify the painter, but the style was without doubt of Ustad Mansur, the court
painter of Jahangir. Now there is other evidence to show that it was the portrait
of a Mauritius dodo which a merchant had presented to the Emperor around 1624. So,
in the world of ornithology, Jahangir and the dodo made a dramatic reappearance
nearly three centuries after they had died.
Salim Ali - Internationally recognized Ornithologist
SalimMoizuddin Abdul Ali, better known as Salim Ali, the bird watcher extraordinary
was born on November 12, 1896.
He is a recipient of the J. Paul Getty Wild Life Conservation Prize for his contributions
to ornithology, the study of birds. He has won several national honors and awards
as well. Surprisingly, Salim Ali has no university degree. He is a world renowned
expert on weaver birds. Salim discovered Finn's Baya which was believed to have
been extinct for 100 years until he discovered it in the Kumaon hills.
In 1941 he published 'The Book of Indian Birds' that contained lively descriptions
and colored pictures of every species. It made spotting a bird easy for the layman.
In 1948 he began an ambitious project in collaboration with S. Dillon Ripley, an
ornithologist of international repute, to bring out in ten volumesHandbook of the
Birds of India and Pakistan. This work contains all that is known of birds of the
subcontinent, their appearance, where thy are generally found, their breeding habits,
migration and what remains to be studied about them.
Salim Ali has travelled all over India on his bird-watching surveys. It is claimed
that there is hardly a place in the country where his heavy rubber shoes have not
left their mark.
Professor Mushahid Husain - This is written by Muzammil Husain
Professor Mushahid Husain, Department of Physics, JamiaMilliaIslamia, New Delhi,
is an eminent scientist. Born in 1952 at Moradabad, UP, Professor Mushahid Husain
did his postgraduate degree in Physics from Agra University, Agra (UP) in 1975 and
joined Lucknow University for his research work. He worked on “Effect of chemical
combination of X-ray absorption edges” and was awarded Ph.D. degree in 1982. Same
year, he joined Bhopal University as Asstt. Professor, and established a research
group there, which later produced couple of Ph.D. students on “Application of Chemical
Shift of X-ray Absorption Edge” wherein a new method of characterization of material
by chemical shift of X-ray absorption edge was developed.
In Aug. 1986, he joined JamiaMilliaIslamia New Delhi as a faculty member and set
up a Material Science Laboratory in the Department of Physics. Under his able supervision,
in a very short duration the same laboratory was identified as one of the centers
to undertake research training program in the field of Semiconductor Science and
Technology by Regional Network of Science & Technology (International Centre for
Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy) and Centre for Science & Technology of Non
Aligned and Other Developing Countries, New Delhi. Under this program, a number
of scientists from NAM countries (Srilanka, Nepal, Bangladesh etc.) have successfully
completed their research training at this laboratory.
He is one of the pioneer workers in the area of research on Amorphous Semiconductors
and has been instrumental in creating a group of young scientists to work in the
field. In amorphous semiconductor, his group is studying the structural, electrical,
dielectric, thermal and optical properties of amorphous semiconductors, which have
extensive use in the solid state devices. Recently he has taken up research work
in conducting polymers and nano materials specifically the carbon nanotubes. He
is synthesizing the carbon nanotube by using Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma
Chemical Vapour Deposition (ECR-CVD), which is a unique method.
Prof. Husain has completed four research projects on amorphous semiconductors funded
by University Grants Commission and Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi.
He has also conducted two major research projects entitled ECR plasma etching of
III-IV group compound materials. In this project his group has developed ECR plasma
etching systems. Different gases with different pressure conditions were used for
studying the etching of Gallium Arsenide wafers.
He has also studied and developed diffusive cavities for solid-state lasers in one
of the esteemed DRDO Project. Recently he has taken up a research project on “Studies
of mechanism of new dye laser material and their organic hosts”, funded by DRDO.
Here silica gel rod is being prepared by using different dyes, which can be eventually
fabricated to laser rods. In addition, a major superconductivity project funded
by UGC is continuing since 1989.
Due to his contribution in the semiconductors, the scientific community unanimously
elected him the Vice Chairman of Semiconductor Society of India for two consecutive
terms (1999 to 2003). He is also holding various positions in different academic
societies. In addition, he also held the office of the Vice-President of Indian
Physical Society during the session 1990-92. At present he is the secretary of one
of the prestigious society i.e. Society for Semiconductor Devices.
He is also the winner of Young Scientist Award/Project of Department of Science
& Technology, Govt. of India. He is also the winner of Young Scientist Best Paper
Award-1991 from Muslim Association for Advancement of Science (MAAS), Aligarh. He
has been awarded the Associate Membership of Third World Academy of Sciences, Abdus
Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste,, Italy to undertake
the research work on the structural aspect of amorphous semiconductor.
Furthermore, he has also delivered a number of invited talks in various International
and national forums. In addition, a number of popular talks on All India Radio and
National TV Channel (Doordarshan) have also been presented by him. Prof. Husain
has also organized a number of National and International Conferences on various
aspects of Physics of Materials. He has been Secretary/Joint Secretary of the steering
committee of International Workshop on Physics of Semiconductor Devices (IWPSD)
since 1997. He was “Organizing Secretary” of “6th International Workshop on Physics
of Materials”, held at JamiaMilliaIslamia in 1987. He has research collaborations
both at National and International levels.
He had been regularly visiting the International Centre for Theoretical Physics,
Trieste, Italy to participate in various academic activities at the centre. Prof.
Husain has also worked in High Temperature Superconductivity Laboratory at ICTP,
Italy. His visits to University of Cambridge, University of Princeton, New Jersey,
UNAM, Mexico, SIRIM, Malaysia, National University, Singapore, resulted in scientific
collaborations. In 2005, he visited National TsingHua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
for collaborative work on Nanotecnology/ Nanomaterials specially carbon nanotubes.
Prof. Husain has about 100 research papers in reputed International Journals to
his credit. He has also edited a book on “Advances in Physics of Materials.” Recently,
he has published a review article on “Carbon Nanotubes and its Applications”
Besides his scientific activities, he enjoys the Membership of the Board of Studies
of different universities in India. He was the “Elected Member” of the “Academic
Council”, JamiaMilliaIslamia, from 2000 – 2003. He is the Member of “Board of Governors”
of National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra University.
Due to his vast teaching and research experience he has the honour of being Referee
of various National /International journals. Among these, Physica B, X-ray Spectrometry
and Central European Journal of Physics are worth mentioning. He has three children
and lives in New Delhi.
Original news
Ahmedabad: SharadMirani, a 14-year-old from Ahmedabad has won themaiden bronze medal
in the global scientific competition, International Earth Science Olympiads (IESO)
in Taiwan. Sharad was part of the four-member team representing India at IESO, an
annual competition for secondary school students.
The IESO 2009, which was organized from September 14 to September 22 on the theme
of environment, tested the ability of students in disciplines like geology, meteorology,
environmental science and terrestrial astronomy. After winning the award, Sharad
said, "It was a great experience for me competing with participants from across
the globe. We went through different theoretical and practical tests on the knowledge
of rocks, field investigation among other activities."
Sharad also won a special award for his best presentation at the event. He had been
selected for the global science competition after he excelled at the national standard
examination in junior science and finished among the top 300 students at the second
stage of the competition. Sharad then appeared at the Indian National Science Olympiads
in January 2009 and was selected as one of the top 32 students of the country. After
rigorous training and evaluation, Sharad finally made it to the four-member Indian
team to participate in the IESO 2009.
"This turned out to be a dream journey. I had prepared hard to improve my theoretical
knowledge and practical experience in the earth science. It became possible only
with the blessings of Lord Swaminarayan and the support and encouragement by the
teachers at the Prakash school and Prof.ParasSolanki of MG Science College," Sarad
told DNA.
Around 18 countries including Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Nepal,
Nigeria, Philippines, Singapore, Sir Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, U.S. and three
observing teams from Argentina, France, and Ukraine participated in the competition.
According to his father ChandrakantMirani, Sharad aspires to be an astrophysicist.
A class X student of Prakash Higher Secondary School, Sharad also carried a Basalt
rock from Gujarat to Taiwan which will soon be a part of the monument to be constructed,
remembering the global competition.
Senior scientist at Gujarat Science City, NarottamSahoo who also guided Sharad with
a comprehensive approach of IESO said, "Sharad is the first student in the state
to achieve such prestigious honor and recognition at the International Science Olympiads.
His award will inspire and encourage those who are preparing for the next IESO 2010
to be held in Indonesia."
Also an achiever in sports, Sharad has so far won 30 medals at the state level and
two at national level in roller skating.
Indian student to begin Gates scholarship at Cambridge University
New Delhi: An Indian student is all set to begin her PhD course in Earth Sciences
looking at climate change in the Indus Valley at the University of Cambridge, after
being awarded a prestigious Gates Cambridge scholarship in recognition of both her
academic achievements and social leadership.
Yama Dixit is one of 90 new scholars starting at the University later this month.
The scholarship programme was established in 2000 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
to enable outstanding graduate students from outside the United Kingdom to study
at the University.
They are awarded on the basis of a person's intellectual ability, leadership capacity
and desire to use their knowledge to contribute to society.
Yama did not start studying the environment until her second year of undergraduate
studies at Delhi University (DU) after she revisited the site of her earliest childhood
memories of taking part in the religious ablutions in the river Ganges at Haridwar.
When she revisited it she found, to her horror, that the ecosystem had been absolutely
devastated. "In the place of green hills and shady trees were squalid houses and
shops," she says. What began as a desire to return things to their "natural state"
developed into an ambition when she visited Vaishno Devi, another sacred site in
the mountains.
Here too, she witnessed destruction in the form of deforestation. She decided to
switch to studying environmental sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
At JNU she got a lot of encouragement from one of her lecturers, Professor V. Rajamani,
who supervised her Masters project. She credits him as being a key reason for her
winning a coveted Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Earth Sciences. This in turn
led to her getting to the second round of interviews for the prestigious Shyam Prasad
Mukherjee scholarship.
Another more personal influence on her academic career has been her parents. Her
father put his career on hold while her mother completed a PhD in Sanskrit, despite
strong social pressure for her to discontinue her studies.
At university, Yama, aged 24, became involved in several extra-curricular projects.
At Hansraj College, Delhi University, she lived in Kamla Nagar where she and some
friends started up some classes for street children who were forced to work against
their wishes.
"We saw underprivileged kids on the road, making a living, while we were hanging
out," she says. "We went to their parents and told them the importance of education
and we collected funds from the college students and saved our pocket money so we
could buy books and stationery for them."
Yama says she loves to teach, particularly people who do not get the opportunity
to learn. At JNU, for instance, she has been teaching people working in her departmental
canteen. "These people cannot even calculate their wages and thus they were always
hoodwinked by their employers," she says.
In April, she and some friends formed a Society called "Think for All" to encourage
people to do voluntary work to help marginalised members of society. Within JNU
she has also been active in promoting public health and environmental issues.
As councillor of the School of Environmental Sciences, she arranged cleaning drives,
no smoking campaigns and organised a week-long celebration for Earth Day involving
local schoolchildren in painting and collage-making competitions on environment-related
issues.
All of this, a broader outlook made her a perfect candidate for a Gates Cambridge
scholarship, but she only found out about the programme by surfing the Internet.
Yama, who since her early childhood has studied Kathak dancing, was attracted to
the scholarship because of the University of Cambridge's reputation and also because
she saw it as a great opportunity to interact with students in various fields from
all over the world.
Her PhD will focus on reconstructing a model for climate change in the Indus Valley.
Using drill cores from a dried up lake in NW India, she will seek to reconstruct
the local palaeoclimate history and rainfall patterns of the region occupied by
the Harappan civilisation of 2500-1600 BC.
The sediment which is unearthed will be checked for elemental and isotopic composition
and dated by radiocarbon. Any changes in the oxygen isotopes of shell material will
be analysed to show monsoon intensity and the ratio of lake evaporation to rain.
Yama says her study will provide the first record of palaeoclimate data in NW India
for the Holocene period.
She says: "Our society is increasingly interested in the consequences of future
climate and environmental change, as well as the role humans have played in these
changes. Human civilisations throughout history have affected the environment and
perhaps influenced climate through deforestation, agriculture, urbanisation and
industrialisation. My research on how ancient civilisations affected their environment
and in turn how environmental and climate change may have influenced cultural revolution
will help us to draft management plans to avoid the same catastrophic climax for
our own civilisation as that which befell the Harappan civilisation."
Markaz Student of Calicut wins Dubai Quran International Award Indian Wins Dh250,000
Quran Prize
September 12, 2009
Ibrahim Hafez Syed Ahmed from India (studied from Markazussaqafathissunniyya (sunni
cultural centre) Karanthur, Calicut, Kerala, India - visit: http://www.markazonline.com/eng/markaz.php)
clinched the top place and the Dh250,000 prize money in the 13th Dubai International
Holy Quran Award (DIHQA), pushing Sudan’s Ismail Hagai and Nigerian Abdul Malik
AbuBakar Ibrahim to second and third spots. Hagai won Dh200,000 for his efforts
in the memorised recitals and Ibrahim bagged Dh150,000.
The closing ceremony took place at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. During the ceremony,
Islamic Personality of the Year Dr MuradWilfried Hofmann and the top 10 of the 77
contestants (selected from an original list 85) Quran Awards competition were honoured.
Certificates and cash prizes were given away to the other participants as well.
Contestants, who scored above 80 per cent, were rewarded with Dh30,000 each, while
those with scores ranging from 70 to 80 per cent, received Dh25,000 each. Participants,
who scored, less than 70 per cent got Dh20,000 each. Addressing the gathering, Ibrahim
Bu Melha, chairman of the DIHQA.
Organising Committee, said, “DIHQA has promoted the memorising activities in and
outside the country. It has created a shining image of the country and its blessed
leaders.” Dr Hofmann said he had a precious opportunity in the last few years to
give lectures in all Gulf countries. “In each case, I found that thanks to Islam
the quality of life had not been submerged by the quantity of goods available in
a globalising world,” Hoffman pointed out. “In this respect, desert life, still
somehow available to you, is of utmost importance.
The desert is bound to fascinate Muslims for its beauty based of simple, uncluttered
forms, its silence, vastness, and austerity. He who seeks Allah, will find him in
the desert. He who loves the desert, loves Allah.” Hofmann stated that in the
West a ‘battle’ no longer rages between religions. “Rather the most significant
ideological split separates those who believe in a transcendent reality from those
who, as atheists, agnostics and materialists no longer do. In this confrontation
Islam is on the forefront, almost alone now.”
Head of the jury panel Dr Tariq Abdul Hakim Al AlBayumi, Egypt, said the competition
saw 85 contestants who were received this year. One participant returned while seven
others have been disqualified during preliminary testing for poor performance.
Courtesy to :Abusheima
Indian Scholar Wins the IDB Prize in Islamic Economics - 2009
An Indian scholar Prof.Zubair Hassan, presently teaching in the International Islamic
University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was awarded the IDB prize for 1430H in Islamic
economics in recognition of his great contribution in this field. The prize which
carries a value of ID 30,000 (more than US$ 40,000), a citation and a badge with
the Bank’s insignia, was presented to him on the occasion of the 34th annual meeting
of the IDB Board of Governors held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on 2-3 June 2009.
Speaking on this occasion, Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, the President of the IDB Group,
said the Bank created this prize in 1988 in order to encourage and reward all creative
contributions in the field of Islamic finance and banking. He pointed out that so
far 29 scholars, researchers and economists from various countries have won this
prize, which is awarded each year alternately in Islamic economics and Islamic banking.
After much discussion and deliberation, the Selection Committee recommended Prof.
Hassan of the International Islamic University Malaysia, out of several eminent
nominees, for the IDB Prize in Islamic economics for 1430H. In its recommendation
the Selection Committee cited Prof. Hassan’s great contribution to Islamic economics
research and his numerous publications in this field. It also cited his contribution
in developing PhD programmes and academic curriculums in the theory and application
of Islamic economics and finance.