Three Indian Americans win top US science and technology medals

New York: President Barack Obama honored three “extraordinary” India American scientists and nine other recipients of the National Medals for Science, Technology and Innovation at the White House. This is the highest honor bestowed by the US government on scientists, engineers and inventors. All three India-born scientists studied extensively in India and came to the US much to get post-graduate degrees. “It’s safe to say that this is a group that makes us really embarrassed about our old science projects,” Obama joked during a ceremony in the White House on Friday. [caption id=“attachment_115317” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“US President Barack Obama (R) awards the National Medal of Technology to Dr Jayant Baliga of Raleigh, North Carolina. Getty”]  [/caption] “You know, the volcano with the stuff comin’ out — with the baking soda inside. Apparently that was not cutting edge achievement, even though our parents told us it was really terrific.” Once the laughter subsided, the president thanked the recipients; “Even though these folks have not sought out the kind of celebrity that lands you on the cover of “People” magazine, the truth is that today’s honorees have made a bigger difference in our lives than most of us will ever realize. When we fill up our cars, talk on our cell phones, or take a lifesaving drug, we don’t always think about the ideas and the effort that made it all possible.” He said their work had bought the world “one step closer to curing diseases like cancer and Parkinson’s… Planes are safer, satellites are cheaper, and our energy grid is more efficient, thanks to the breakthroughs they have made." In his speech, Obama cited two interesting statistics but not particularly new trends: three-quarters of the recipients are foreign-born. “From China, Germany, India, Canada and England, they searched for the best universities and the most advanced labs — and they found them here, because America is the best place in the world to do the work that they do,” said Obama. The president also said only about one in ten undergraduate students are enrolled in STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and math. [caption id=“attachment_115321” align=“alignright” width=“270” caption=“Barack Obama presents the National Medal of Science to Dr. Srinivasa SR Varadhan. Getty”]  [/caption] Srinivasa SR Varadhan received the Science medal from President Obama for his work in probability theory, especially his work on large deviations from expected random behavior. The citation said that the mathematical insights Varadhan developed have been applied in diverse fields, including quantum field theory, population dynamics, finance, econometrics and traffic engineering. Varadhan is a professor of Mathematics and the Frank J Gould Professor of Science at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University. He is one of three Courant mathematicians to win the Abel Prize, which many consider to be the Nobel Prize for Maths. Varadhan received his his BSc honors degree and MA from Presidency College, Madras and his PhD from the Indian Statistical Institute under CR Rao, who arranged for famous soviet mathematician Andrey Kolmogorov to be present at Varadhan’s thesis defense. Varadhan first came to Courant as a post-doctoral fellow in 1963 and has spent his entire professional life there, serving two terms as its director. Purdue University’s Rakesh Agarwal and North Carolina State Univeristy’s B Jayant Baliga were the recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Both studied extensively in India and graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology. Agarwal, a distinguished professor of chemical engineering at Purdue University, holds 116 US patents, nearly 500 non-US patents and has authored 93 technical papers. A citation for the award recognizes him for “an extraordinary record of innovations. These innovations have had significant positive impacts on electronic device manufacturing, liquefied gas production and the supply of industrial gases for diverse industries.” [caption id=“attachment_115323” align=“alignleft” width=“300” caption=“Obama (R) awards the National Medal of Technology to Dr Rakesh Agrawal of West Lafayette. Getty”]  [/caption] “I am very appreciative to President Obama for this recognition,” Agrawal said. Agarwal earned a doctorate in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980, a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware and a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in 1975. Professor Baliga, who is considered a “hero” for revolutionizing power electronics was on the White House honours list for inventing the Insulated Gate Bipolar Trannsistor (IGBT) at General Electric. The IGBT is a device that saves energy and controls power flow in commercial and industrial power systems. It is used in everything electronic, including Japan’s Bullet train, air conditioners, electric cars, lighting systems and many industrial and household appliances. Balinga’s work has led to enormous reduction of gasoline and electrical energy use, resulting in cost savings and cuts in world-wide carbon dioxide emissions. According to the industry, thanks to Balinga’s work the improved efficiency of IGBT-enabled applications saved US consumers $2.7 trillion, and saved $15.8 trillion for worldwide consumers over the past 20 years. The professor from North Carolina State University has written 16 books and over 500 scientific articles. He has 100 US Patents.