Two Indian-origin scientists Ashok Gadgil and Subra
Suresh were conferred the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, which is
the highest honour for technological achievement in United States, by President
Joe Biden.
The announcement from the National Science and
Technology Medals Foundation noted Suresh’s commitment to research and
collaboration across international borders, which has demonstrated how science
can forge understanding and cooperation among people and nations.
“It’s very satisfying”, said Suresh, who said he takes
special pride in the recognition because of what the medal signifies, according
to a Brown University statement.
The National Medal of Technology is bestowed on
individuals deserving of special recognition for their outstanding
contributions, said the White House in a statement.
Details Of Dr Subra Suresh
Dr Subra Suresh, the former head of the National
Science Foundation, is a professor at large at Brown University’s School of
Engineering. He was the first Asian-born professor to lead any of the five
schools at MIT.
Suresh was awarded the medal for pioneering research
across engineering, physical sciences and life sciences, and mainly for
advancing the study of material science and its application to other
disciplines.
Born in Mumbai in 1956, Suresh graduated from high
school at 15, completed a BTech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology
in Madras, India.
By age 25, he had earned his undergraduate degree,
master’s degree and PhD, which he earned in mechanical engineering from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in just two years.
Suresh became a faculty member at Brown University in
1983 as the youngest member of the engineering faculty.
After 10 years at Brown, Suresh went on to become the
first Asian-born American to lead the National Science Foundation (NSF),
serving as its 13th director after he was nominated by then-president, Barack
Obama.
He returned to Brown’s School of Engineering in
September 2023, and earlier this month, the school announced a biennial
symposium in his honour focused on the frontiers of technology and society.
“The more I got into engineering, the more I liked it,”
remarked Suresh.
“The more I got into science, the more I liked it. The
more I went across fields, I liked it even more. The greatest thing about this
is that it’s not a job to me. It’s something I really enjoy. I feel very
passionate about this and the joy of finding something new,” he said.
Under his leadership, NSF launched the Global Research
Council, a virtual organisation of heads of science and engineering funding
agencies from more than 50 countries, aimed at fostering global collaboration
and data sharing.
He also oversaw the establishment of the Centre-Life
Balance programme, an initiative to increase the number of doctoral-level women
in the science and engineering fields from 26 per cent to 40 per cent between
2011 and 2021.
Know More About Ashok Gadgil
Ashok Gadgil, who received the National Medal for
Technology and Innovation, was among the 12 laureates to receive this medal.
Mumbai-born Gadgil graduated in Physics from the
University of Mumbai and finished his postgraduate studies at the Indian
Institute of Technology Kanpur. Furthermore, he earned an MSc and PhD in
physics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Gadgil, who presently works as a professor at Berkeley’s
University of California and a senior scientist of the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory, was recognized for “providing life-sustaining resources to
communities around the world.
“His innovative, inexpensive technologies help meet
profound needs, from drinking water to fuel-efficient cookstoves. His work is
inspired by a belief in the dignity of all people and in our power to solve the
great challenges of our time,” stated Berkeley Engineering.
Gadgil is considered to be a ‘humanitarian inventor’
and is also a retired faculty scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory.
He has worked as a distinguished professor of civil
and environmental engineering at the University of California and was also the
former director of Environmental Energy Technologies Division at Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory.
As per Gadgil’s bio on the Berkeley website, his research
focuses on computational fluid dynamics of indoor air and pollutant flows,
simulation of entry and transport of indoor radon, building energy efficiency
and methods to treat drinking water to make it potable.
NE Watch Desk
