Five Indian American teenagers are among the top 10 awardees of the 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition, one of the most popular science contests in the world. Indrani Das, a 17-year-old Indian girl from New Jersey, won the ‘Junior Nobel’ award, which this science talent search competition is also known as, and bagged a whopping grant of $250,000 in addition. Indrani Das was felicitated along with other 39 finalists by the committee comprising some of the best in the field of science and technology.

Indrani Das (left), Prathik Naidu (middle), Archana Verma (right)

New Jersey-based Indian American Indrani Das was awarded $250,000 for her intensive study of a new approach to treating the death of neurons in the brain, which results from brain injuries and which causes neurodegenerative diseases like cerebral attack, and Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s diseases. The winner of the Junior Nobel Prize 2017, Indrani Das demonstrated how the cerebral neurons can be saved, using a laboratory model.

The death of neurons in the brain is called Astrogliosis in medical science. Astrogliosis is a cerebral condition caused by an abnormal increase in the growth of the brain cells called astrocytes as a result of some infection or injury or trauma to the brain. Glutamate, a toxic substance, secretes more and more due to the reduced functionality of astrocytes. Excess glutamate destroys neurons in the brain, thereby causing neurodegenerative diseases.

The second prize of the 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition went to an 18-year-old American teenager. Arjun Srinivasan Ramani from Indiana, an 18-year-old Indian American boy, bagged the third prize of $150,000. Arjun worked on a project about network analysis among social media users. He developed an algorithm to analyze different patterns of user behavior on Facebook and identify potential physical issues like neurological disorders among the users. He emphasized that early diagnosis of diseases leads to early treatments.

17-year-old Archana Verma from New York is another Indian American finalist of the 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition. She received a grant of $90,000 for her project on chemistry behind energy efficiency. A student of Jericho Senior High School in New York, Archana Verma studied on where the energy that window panes absorb from sunlight goes. She is looking to convert window panes into a solar energy source.

Among the five Indian American awardees of the Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition in 2017, Prathik Naidu from Virginia developed a software application to identify new cancer therapeutics as alternatives to chemotherapy. The Massachusetts General Hospital has started using the software to analyze new aspects of cancer genome in the human body in a pilot program. Prathik Naidu is a senior student of Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria.

17-year-old Vrinda Madan from the Indian community of Orlando walked away with a $50,000 award for her project on effective treatment of malaria. One of the young Indians in the US state of Florida, Vrinda found that the existing drugs of malaria are gradually losing their effectiveness to the increasing resistance of plasmodium parasite, which is transmitted to the human body through bites by infected mosquitoes. She has been trying to create compounds which can be used in drugs to fight the malaria-causing parasite.

The awardees of the Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition, formerly known as Intel Science Talent Search, are selected among school students from across the United States for their scientific competence and their individual ability to make the most of it.

There are nine more Indian Americans among the 40 finalists of the Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition in 2017. 14 young Indian Americans among the 40 finalists make an outstanding figure especially when the Indian American community accounts for only 1% of the total US population.

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The 2017 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) in Bangalore concluded over positive notes on the role of youth in transforming India. An annual global convention for leading overseas Indians, it culminated in felicitation of 30 NRIs with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards, India’s highest civilian honor for the Indian Diaspora, by Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India.

The 30 recipients of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards from among the 1800 NRIs in attendance from 72 countries include six Indian Americans: Dr. Sampat S. Shivangi, Dr. Bharat Haridas Barai, Nisha Desai Biswal, Dr. Mahesh Mehta, Ramesh Shah, and Hari Babu Bindal.

Among the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardees in 2017, Dr. Sampat S. Shivangi is a renowned Indian American leader. A street in Mississippi is named after him in recognition of his contributions to the progress and welfare of the community. He was the first Indian American to be appointed for the top health post, the Chairman of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, in 2014. Dr. Sampat Shivangi was the advisor to the US Secretary of Health and Human Services in the presidential regime of George W. Bush. He is the founder and president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian-origin in Mississippi. The CEO of US Info Systems of Mississippi, he is one of the trustworthy confidantes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

One of the recipients of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards, India-born and Chicago-based Dr. Bharat Barai is the director of oncology department at Methodist Hospitals in Indiana. He got a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest serving member of a State Medical Licensing Board in the US. He is a community activist and philanthropist too. He treats uninsured, disadvantaged patients and works to reduce medical expenses for them. Known for his unconditional community services, personal integrity and professional excellence, Dr. Bharat Barai is also in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coterie of close associates.

Another Indian American awardee of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, Dr. Mahesh Mehta is the founder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America. He also founded the Hindu Heritage Foundation of America, Friends of India Society International, India Quality Group and several other organizations. He has many widely published articles on socio-cultural, socio-economic and socio-political aspects to his fame. ‘Hindu Philosophy in Action’ is the latest from Dr. Mahesh Mehta’s repertoire of books and journals. Dr. Mehta is a cofounder and director of Hindu University of America in Orlando, Florida.

Nisha Desai Biswal is an Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs among the six Indian American recipients of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2017. She helms the United States’ foreign policies and external affairs in India, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh and other countries in central Asia. Under her distinguished leadership, the US Department of State ensures and enhances human security and national security in south and central Asian nations. Based in Washington DC, Nisha Desai Biswal leads the US’ bilateral consultations with Central and South Asia to deepen ties with those Asian nations.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is a unique platform for Indian Diaspora to engage with Indian government, explore investment opportunities in India, seek chances of contribution to the economy of India, and discuss the issues of concern with Indians abroad. The power of Indian youth was the theme of the 2017 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru City.

The 2017 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas came to an end with Nisha Desai Biswal’s acceptance speech on behalf of all the awardees.

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If you are not traveling to India this holiday season, you must know where to spend New Year’s Eve 2016 in USA. Needless to say, America is known for wild celebrations on the eve of New Year. After all, December 31 is the most awaited time to look back into what has gone past and make new resolutions for the New Year. Though most of the US cities are party capitals offering live music, street dance, dazzling fireworks and a lot more, we at Travel Beats handpick some of the best places to celebrate the eve of New Year 2017 and watch fireworks in USA for you.

San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the best places in USA for firework celebration on the eve of New Year 2017. Spectacular fireworks between the Ferry Building and the San Francisco Bay Bridge fill the night sky with lots of gleams and glitters. The New Year’s Eve in San Francisco culminates in partying which keeps the city sleepless till wee hours.

Miami

Miami offers myriad places to spend New Year’s Eve 2016 and watch firework display. Apart from rooftop restaurants and galleries, Nikki Beach and Miami City Beach are the best spots to see the night sky light up on the eve of New Year 2017 in Miami. You can also join a cruise party to celebrate the New Year’s Eve in Miami. Needless to say, Miami is known for its vibrant nightlife.

New York

No need to wonder where to spend New Year’s Eve and watch firework display in America if you are in New York. The iconic Times Square in New York City is one of the best places for firework celebration on the eve of New Year 2017 in the US. The Times Square throbs as a partying zone with thousands of revelers ringing in the New Year. Several rooftop bars, lounges and restaurants, including Monarch Rooftop Lounge, in and around the Times Square offer mind-blowing views of fireworks at the Hudson River and on top of the Empire State Building.

Los Angeles

Credit: Shutterstock

Los Angeles, the City of Hollywood, is undeniably where to spend New Year’s Eve in USA by clubbing, dancing, singing, lounging and dining in downtown. Grand Park is one of the few places to be for free events on the eve of New Year in Los Angeles. The Cleopatra’s Ball at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood is one of the most popular events to attend in the evening of December 31, 2016. The New Year’s Ball at the Edison in downtown Los Angeles is full of amazing performances.

Orlando

Orlando is also on the list of best places in USA for firework celebration on New Year’s Eve 2016. Being one of the entertainment capitals in America, Orlando knows how to ring in the New Year. The Magic Kingdom of Walt Disney in Orlando is one of the few most popular places for revelry on the eve of New Year 2017. Walt Disney World is the venue for one of the biggest New Year eve celebration parties in USA. The Church Street Entertainment District in Downtown Orlando is another thriving venue for outdoor entertainment and celebration.

Chicago

Chicago has been voted as one of the best places in USA for firework display on New Year’s Eve for years. The shores of Lake Michigan glitter with dazzling fireworks and throbs with cries of joy on New Year’s Eve in Chicago. The venues of music and dance at Chicago House rock with electrifying numbers played by international DJs, live Jazz shows and live blues plays from early evening till midnight of December 31. You can catch glimpses of fireworks at Navy Pier while enjoying cruise dining with your dear ones on Lake Michigan.

Atlanta

Atlanta has been ringing the bell of New Year with the Peach Drop on the New Year eve since 1989. What started as a trend of New Year eve celebration in Atlanta has become a tradition. Thousands throng at Underground Atlanta to catch views of the 800-pound peach fall from a 138-foot tower of lights. You can spend the New Year’s Eve 2016 by laughing out loud at Atlanta Comedy Theater in Norcross. Celebrity comedians will bring the house down to fill you with enthusiasm for a new year.

New Orleans

A blend of food, music, fun and firework makes New Orleans one of the best places to spend New Year’s Eve in USA. Revelers rock the December 31 evening from Bourbon Street to Jackson Square with live music and street dance. No wonder where to spend New Year’s Eve 2016 in USA if not in New Orleans where sparkling fireworks light up the sky over the Mississippi River for the New Year celebration.

Portland 

Among the best places for firework celebration on the eve of New Year 2017 in USA, Portland is dotted with a great number of nightlife venues for fun and entertainment. The city hosts some epic balls on New Year’s Eve.  The Portland Champagne Ball is one of the most popular celebration parties in the evening of December 31 in Portland. Portland offers whatever you are looking for a high time on New Year’s eve in the Pearl District.

Travel Beats is a portal for Indian Americans by IndianEagle, a leading travel partner of Indians in USA. Travel Beats publishes the latest news and stories from USA and India with regard to Indian Diaspora, air travel, young Indians, philanthropy and tourism.

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Atlanta-based Patti Tripathi is up with the Saris to Suits Calendar 2017 edition, which features 13 powerful women activists, humanitarians, entrepreneurs and professionals from different communities. A tribute to women power and an initiative for women empowerment, the Saris to Suits Calendar seeks to raise funds to drive campaigns against domestic violence and gender inequality. Proceeds from sales of the calendar go to support a number of women-aiding activities by several non-profit organizations in USA.

Former CNN news anchor and TriPath Media founder, Patti Tripathi unveils who and what the role models are in the 2017 edition of her calendar which does not objectify women unlike fashion calendars of skimpily clad models. We are honored to profile the inspiring women leaders, who have graced the calendar and supported the move by featuring in the latest edition, at Travel Beats, an Indian American Community portal by IndianEagle. (Know more about Patti Tripathi) 

Hardeep Melamed

Hardeep Melamed, a Punjabi American entrepreneur, is one of the faces in the 2017 edition of Saris to Suits Calendar. The CEO of PurseN, she has been in the fashion industry for the past 20 years. Her career in the fashion retail niche started at an early age. After a stint in managing fashion retail stores in Houston, Atlanta and Los Angeles, Hardeep opened her own store, Mint Beverly Hills, in Houston and Atlanta. A mother of two children, she has launched her own clothing line, Forte.

Kiran Chetry

A Nepali American, Kiran Chetry is an award-winning journalist and the Editor in Chief of the first bimonthly magazine, “The Nepalese American Magazine,” which highlights the Nepali American community’s contributions to the socio-economic progress of USA. A mother of two, Kiran Chetry has been into anchoring, reporting and television broadcasting since 1995 during her professional journey from Maryland to Pennsylvania to California. She prides herself on featuring in the Saris to Suits Calendar 2017.

Dr. Renu Khator

One of the influential Indian American women, Dr. Renu Khator is the President and Chancellor of the University of Houston (UH). Recently she has been inducted into Texas Women’s Hall of Fame for her remarkable contribution to the academic progress of Texas. As Chancellor of Houston University, she is at the helm of a system that caters to over 70,000 students. Born in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Renu Khator pursued her masters and PhD in political science at Purdue University. She is an eminent scholar in the global environmental policy and a published author too.

Raaheela Ahmed

Raaheela Ahmed in the league of women for Patti Tripathi’s Saris to Suits Calendar 2017 edition is a financial advisory associate and an elected member on Prince George’s County Board of Education in Washington DC Metro Area. She won the Sally Byrd Citizenship Award for her outstanding leadership role at the University of Maryland. Raaheela Ahmed is a double graduate with a B.S. in finance and a B.A. in economics.

Dr. Sangeeta N. Bhatia

Another powerful face of innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship in the 2017 edition of Saris to Suits Calendar, Dr. Sangeeta N. Bhatia is an Indian American biotech entrepreneur, MIT professor, cancer researcher and biological engineer. Born in Boston, she started her career as a faculty at the University of California, San Diego in 1999 and then became an associate professor. Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia along with her students has launched 10 biotech companies to improve human health through medical innovations. She is a proud winner of the Lemelson-MIT Prize, the ‘Oscar for Inventors.’

Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai is the most familiar face among the women that Saris to Suits Calendar features in its latest edition. The youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner and a staunch activist for girls’ education, she needs no introduction. Her human rights advocacy for education has become a global movement. The United Nations named July 12 “Malala Day” in support of her advocacy for all girl children’s access to adequate education.

Roopa Unnikrishnan

One of the role models of women empowerment for Patti Tripathi’s Saris to Suits Calendar 2017, Roopa Unnikrishnan is a published author, innovation consultant and a Rhodes Scholar from Chennai, India. An ardent advocate of athletics in India, she received the Arjuna Award (India’s highest sporting prize) in 1999. Roopa Unnikrishnan pursued MBA at the School of Business, Oxford University and married Sreenath Sreenivasan, the Chief Digital Officer of New York City.

Rayna Chandra

Rayna Chandra is the youngest of all women supporting Patti Tripathi’s initiative for women empowerment. A World Champion Ballroom dancer, she turned 18 in September this year. She does lots of charity and dances to benefit several initiatives like PACE for girls and Saris to Suits. Based in Florida, she traces her roots to Hyderabad and Bengal. She aspires to study law aiming to help victims of domestic violence. Her surgeon father and dentist mother are well known for their philanthropic activities in Florida.

Dr. Nazeera Dawood

Dr. Nazeera Dawood is a courageous activist for women and a health & wellness ambassador for Fulton in the Greater Atlanta Area. She has been working for community health improvement from India to Atlanta. She serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff at the Fulton County Office of the Chairman Board of Commissioners and works as the health promotion program manager for the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness. In 2014, Fulton Country honored her and recognized her leadership by declaring October 1 as ‘Dr. Nazeera Dawood Appreciation Day.’

Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan

The bravest of all role models featuring in the 2017 edition of Saris to Suits Calendar, Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan is a fighter and activist. Born in Hyderabad and raised in Canada, she was diagnosed with a rare, progressive muscle-deteriorating condition at 30. However, it couldn’t hold her back from becoming a humanitarian and working for the underprivileged children on behalf of UNICEF. Cara E. Yar Khan went on to work in Angola, China, Botswana, Madagascar, Haiti and Mozambique. Though she needs the support of two leg braces and canes to walk, she plans to cross the Grand Canyon on horseback in April-May 2017 to fight discrimination against the physically challenged.

Dr. Vanila Singh

An Indian American of Rajasthani origin, Dr. Vanila Singh is a powerful proponent of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) for women and girls. She is also an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Stanford University. Based in California, Dr. Vanila Singh advocates the national health policy and motivates immigrants to take part in public service as well as political affairs. Among the inspiring leaders in the Saris to Suits Calendar 2017 edition, she is trained in Kathak and Bharatnatyam.

Reshmee M. Bharratt and Puneet Kaur Sandhu

Reshmee M. Bharratt and Puneet Kaur Sandhu are also associated with Patti Tripathi’s Saris to Suits Calendar. Reshmee is an accountant at PwC in Orlando and a member of the Saris to Suits board. Puneet Kaur, a UK-born Punjabi American in Florida, is one of the volunteers for Saris to Suits. An aspiring documentary filmmaker, she is looking to pursue masters in journalist at City University of New York.

Join the Saris to Suits, a non-profit initiative and contribute to empowerment of economically disadvantaged women in developing countries including India. All contributions to this noble charity are exempt from federal tax under 501(C) 3 Revenue Code in USA. For more information, log on to SarisToSuits.org or write to Info@SarisToSuits.org. You can also post your queries in the comment section below.

Note: All the photographs are copyright protected and belong to SarisToSuits.org. Downloading the photographs is strictly prohibited. Any violation of the copyright will result in a legal action.

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It is rightly said, “Every dark cloud has a silver lining.” An Indian-origin war veteran came to the rescue of many when an American citizen was on a killing spree at Pulse LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Donald Trump, who has become extremely critical of the Muslims in America after the Orlando nightclub shooting by an American Muslim on June 12, should know that the rescuer is a Muslim too, with his roots deep in India.

Imran Yousuf, a former US marine war veteran and a bouncer at Pulse nightclub, saved over 70 lives whereas Omar Mateen gunned down 50 people and injured more than 53. Imran Yousuf, the American hero of the hour, has stolen the show from Donald Trump whose has upped his voice with lots of vigor in demand of ban on Muslim entry to the United States.

24-year-old Imran Yousuf, a New York resident, joined Orlando’s gay nightclub Pulse as a bouncer after one month of his return in April from the military service at war-fronts in Afghanistan. The death toll would have been more alarming if Yousuf were not there to instantly recognize the shots from Omar Mateen’s high-caliber weapon.

Yousuf whose family had immigrated to Guyana from India four generations ago knew that the club had a back door for safety in emergency cases. He shouted ‘open the door’ to some partygoers who were standing near the back door but they were so frozen in fear of the gunfire that nobody moved. He took a leap to unlatch the door without a delay and pushed as many as 70 people out. “I wish I could have saved more,” he said ruefully.

Imran Yousuf, who worked as an electrical equipment technician in the US Marine Corps for six years, joined the US military at a very young age. He proudly treasures a few military awards including the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Korean Defense Service Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.

He belongs to both ethnicities, Hindu and Muslim, since his grandfather is a Muslim and his grandmother and mother are Hindus. He is a graduate from Niskayuna High School in New York.

The US team of investigators might be in two minds whether Orlando nightclub shooting’s gunman Omar Mateen was a political extremist or repressed homosexual, but there is no doubt that Indian-origin Imran Yousuf is a real life hero.

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