NEW DELHI: Reliance Industries inducted its senior executive Panda MS Prasad on its board as Executive Director.
The board of directors of the company have approved the appointment of Prasad as executive director on the board with immediate effect, the company said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
With the appointments, the RIL board will expand to 14 with seven members being independent directors, it added.
Prasad, a leading energy industry professional, has been with RIL for over 28 years and heads the upstream and refining businesses. He was also the project head of the Jamnagar refinery and petrochemical complex.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Historic gold for Gutta Jwala-Diju
Jwala Gutta was a bundle of nerves on Sunday morning, as she did not want to be second time unlucky. She and her partner, V Diju, had come close to bagging a Grand Prix gold title in April but faltered at the final hurdle. That loss taught them the virtue of patience.
Their willingness to wait for the right opportunity before going for the kill helped create history in Chinese Taipei. The world No 7 pair beat Indonesia's Hendra Gunawan and Vita Marrisa 23-21, 21-18 in the final to become the first Indian doubles combination to win a tournament of this stature. Saina Nehwal had won the women's singles title of the same tournament last year.
Jwala-Diju began with a bang, racing to a 15-7 lead, but the Indonesians clawed back and made the Indians save a game point before losing the opening game. Marrisa and Gunawan took the early lead in the second but then ran out of steam after some long rallies.
"Unlike the India Open, we were very patient today and that made the difference," Jwala said. "Having lost out once, I was determined not to let a chance go again. I was nervous in the morning, but once we started playing I was very focussed."
Their willingness to wait for the right opportunity before going for the kill helped create history in Chinese Taipei. The world No 7 pair beat Indonesia's Hendra Gunawan and Vita Marrisa 23-21, 21-18 in the final to become the first Indian doubles combination to win a tournament of this stature. Saina Nehwal had won the women's singles title of the same tournament last year.
Jwala-Diju began with a bang, racing to a 15-7 lead, but the Indonesians clawed back and made the Indians save a game point before losing the opening game. Marrisa and Gunawan took the early lead in the second but then ran out of steam after some long rallies.
"Unlike the India Open, we were very patient today and that made the difference," Jwala said. "Having lost out once, I was determined not to let a chance go again. I was nervous in the morning, but once we started playing I was very focussed."
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Gutta Jwala keeps India in the hunt
New Delhi, Aug 28 Indian shuttler Jwala Gutta paired up with V Diju and Ashwini Popanna to enter quarterfinals of mixed and women's doubles events respectively in the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament today.
Third seed Jwala-Diju beat local pair Hong-Ling Chen and Pie Chen Hsien 25-23 21-15 to set up a quarterfinal clash with Korean qualifiers Baek Cheol Shin and Hyun Young Yoo tomorrow.
Jwala notched up a double delight as she partnered Ashwini to defeat eighth seed Malaysian pair of Nairul Suhada Abdul Latif and Amelia Alicia Anscelly 21-15 21-15.
Third seed Jwala-Diju beat local pair Hong-Ling Chen and Pie Chen Hsien 25-23 21-15 to set up a quarterfinal clash with Korean qualifiers Baek Cheol Shin and Hyun Young Yoo tomorrow.
Jwala notched up a double delight as she partnered Ashwini to defeat eighth seed Malaysian pair of Nairul Suhada Abdul Latif and Amelia Alicia Anscelly 21-15 21-15.
Jwala Gutta hopes that she and her mixed doubles partner V.Diju will be among the top five in the world badminton rankings by the year end.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
4G Identity Solutions Wins Large-Scale Unique ID Project
4G Identity Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (4G ID) (Sreenivas Tripuraneni, Chairman & CEO) has been awarded the contract for the world’s largest iris recognition identity management application and data de-duplication processing. The state government of Andhra Pradesh, India awarded the 90 million person ID management contract to 4G ID after a stringent technical evaluation process through global competitive bidding. The value of the base contract is in excess of US$6 million.
The contract calls for the consolidation and de-duplication of existing database of 82 million citizen demographic details with iris codes of 56 million citizens. These people were enrolled in separate regional databases over the last four years. Due to the limitations of the original enrollment application, the databases could not be consolidated, nor could they be checked for fraud resulting from duplicate enrollments. 4G ID will be responsible for performing over 6.26 quadrillion (6,262,668,889,152,840) iris matches in search of duplicate enrollments. In addition, 4G will be employing demographic matching software to search for duplicate enrollments in records where no irises were enrolled. To accomplish this task in sixty days, 4G ID will deploy a farm of blade servers, L-1 Identity Solutions’ SIRIS matching engine with the next generation algorithms by Dr. John Daugman and 4G ID’s Multi-biometric Identity Platform.
In addition to consolidating the existing databases and identifying existing fraud, 4G ID is tasked with creating a web-based online enrollment application to support a unique Citizen ID Program capable of serving every citizen of Andhra Pradesh (90 million citizens). This application will support enrollment, fraud screening, and management reporting. It will also be capable of integration with applications from the Housing Department and the Rural Development Department, among others. This deployment will be the largest unique ID management system in the world. One of the key advantages envisaged as an outcome of the project is that it will result in eliminating identity related fraud and create an efficient and effective delivery mechanism for governments to ensure that the entitlements reach the targeted beneficiaries.
Dr. Sreeni Tripuraneni, CEO, said, “This Unique Citizen ID database can be used as the basis for identifying and authenticating a person for delivering various government services through a single system, rather than all government departments duplicating efforts in creating infrastructure, systems and procedures. This project will set a benchmark not only for other state governments in India but also for many of the developed and developing nations where billions of dollars are spent on various government schemes and services.”
4G ID’s solution was chosen after a stringent evaluation of nine short listed companies that were issued a Request for Proposal. The evaluation included a Proof of Conceptde-duplication test for one of the districts and included metrics for time taken and accuracy of the duplicates found. 4G ID was the clear winner in this test which included field verification of results.
“We are truly excited to be creating the world’s largest ID database by deploying real time enrollment and fraud screening application using contemporary technologies” said Dr. Lakshmi Tripuraneni, CTO
The contract calls for the consolidation and de-duplication of existing database of 82 million citizen demographic details with iris codes of 56 million citizens. These people were enrolled in separate regional databases over the last four years. Due to the limitations of the original enrollment application, the databases could not be consolidated, nor could they be checked for fraud resulting from duplicate enrollments. 4G ID will be responsible for performing over 6.26 quadrillion (6,262,668,889,152,840) iris matches in search of duplicate enrollments. In addition, 4G will be employing demographic matching software to search for duplicate enrollments in records where no irises were enrolled. To accomplish this task in sixty days, 4G ID will deploy a farm of blade servers, L-1 Identity Solutions’ SIRIS matching engine with the next generation algorithms by Dr. John Daugman and 4G ID’s Multi-biometric Identity Platform.
In addition to consolidating the existing databases and identifying existing fraud, 4G ID is tasked with creating a web-based online enrollment application to support a unique Citizen ID Program capable of serving every citizen of Andhra Pradesh (90 million citizens). This application will support enrollment, fraud screening, and management reporting. It will also be capable of integration with applications from the Housing Department and the Rural Development Department, among others. This deployment will be the largest unique ID management system in the world. One of the key advantages envisaged as an outcome of the project is that it will result in eliminating identity related fraud and create an efficient and effective delivery mechanism for governments to ensure that the entitlements reach the targeted beneficiaries.
Dr. Sreeni Tripuraneni, CEO, said, “This Unique Citizen ID database can be used as the basis for identifying and authenticating a person for delivering various government services through a single system, rather than all government departments duplicating efforts in creating infrastructure, systems and procedures. This project will set a benchmark not only for other state governments in India but also for many of the developed and developing nations where billions of dollars are spent on various government schemes and services.”
4G ID’s solution was chosen after a stringent evaluation of nine short listed companies that were issued a Request for Proposal. The evaluation included a Proof of Conceptde-duplication test for one of the districts and included metrics for time taken and accuracy of the duplicates found. 4G ID was the clear winner in this test which included field verification of results.
“We are truly excited to be creating the world’s largest ID database by deploying real time enrollment and fraud screening application using contemporary technologies” said Dr. Lakshmi Tripuraneni, CTO
Friday, August 14, 2009
Rajiv Tarigopula Winner of the St. Louis Citywide Competition of the Second Annual 'National Vocabulary Championship' 2008.
Rajiv Tarigopula (Son of physicians Choudary Tarigopula and Sumitra Vasireddy) outperforms 87 other vocabulary scholars, winning $5,000 toward a higher education savings plan and qualifying to compete in the National Vocabulary Championship Finals in Los Angeles is the only Indian American boy.
Rajiv Tarigopula, a 15-year-oldsophomore at Parkway West High School in Ballwin outperformed 87 otherlocal high school vocabulary scholars tonight, winning the NVC St. Louis Citywide Championship. As the local champion, Tarigopula earned $5,000 toward a "529" higher education savings plan and qualifies compete in the "National Vocabulary Championship" Finals in Los Angeles.
The National Vocabulary Championship is a national academic competition conceived by GSN (Game Show Network) and its educational partner, The Princeton Review. The competition goes beyond traditional 'spelling bees' to test word definitions and overall word comprehension while providing college-bound students with the tools necessary to effectively communicate their ideas to the world. The NVC is hosting eight citywide qualifying events prior to the NVC Finals in LA, in which Tarigopula will go head-to-head with 49 other top scoring students from the 90,000 whom participated throughout the country. The winner of the NVC Finals will receive $40,000 toward a "529" higher education savings plan and the title of 2008 National Vocabulary Champion.
Rajiv Tarigopula has earlier tied for 48th place in 2003, 16th place in 2004, 4th in 2005 and 4th place in 2006 in the Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Rajiv Tarigopula, a 15-year-oldsophomore at Parkway West High School in Ballwin outperformed 87 otherlocal high school vocabulary scholars tonight, winning the NVC St. Louis Citywide Championship. As the local champion, Tarigopula earned $5,000 toward a "529" higher education savings plan and qualifies compete in the "National Vocabulary Championship" Finals in Los Angeles.
The National Vocabulary Championship is a national academic competition conceived by GSN (Game Show Network) and its educational partner, The Princeton Review. The competition goes beyond traditional 'spelling bees' to test word definitions and overall word comprehension while providing college-bound students with the tools necessary to effectively communicate their ideas to the world. The NVC is hosting eight citywide qualifying events prior to the NVC Finals in LA, in which Tarigopula will go head-to-head with 49 other top scoring students from the 90,000 whom participated throughout the country. The winner of the NVC Finals will receive $40,000 toward a "529" higher education savings plan and the title of 2008 National Vocabulary Champion.
Rajiv Tarigopula has earlier tied for 48th place in 2003, 16th place in 2004, 4th in 2005 and 4th place in 2006 in the Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Gutta Jwala enter World Badminton quarterfinal
Hyderabad: Mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju became the first Indians to enter the quarterfinals of World Badminton Championship.
Jwala and Diju, who got a bye in the first round followed by a walkover in the second, opened their campaign in rollicking style, outclassing 12th seed polish duo of Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Kostiuczyk 21-11 22-20 in a 31-minute clash.
The World number eight pair didn't allow their Polish rivals to recover from their initial onslaught and pocketed the first game without any hassle.
"I think this two extra days helped us. We had played against them four years ago in the Sudirman cup. I was unwell and we lost that match but today we were confident. They were under pressure with the crowd cheering for us," Jwala said.
The world number eight Indian pair will face defending champions and second seed Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia in the quarterfinal on Friday.
Jwala and Diju, who got a bye in the first round followed by a walkover in the second, opened their campaign in rollicking style, outclassing 12th seed polish duo of Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Kostiuczyk 21-11 22-20 in a 31-minute clash.
The World number eight pair didn't allow their Polish rivals to recover from their initial onslaught and pocketed the first game without any hassle.
"I think this two extra days helped us. We had played against them four years ago in the Sudirman cup. I was unwell and we lost that match but today we were confident. They were under pressure with the crowd cheering for us," Jwala said.
The world number eight Indian pair will face defending champions and second seed Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia in the quarterfinal on Friday.
IAF Gallantry Award winners 2009: Kammas
Indian air force Gallantry Award winners 2009
Ati Vishist Seva Medal: Air Cmde. Gudipudi Rajendra Prasad
Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty): Wg Cdr. Venigalla Srinivas Chowdary
Vishist Seva Medal: Wg Cdr. Cherukuri Venkata Ranga Rama Sudhir
Award for 2008: Vishist Seva Medal: Wg Cdr. Jonnalagadda Rajendra
Siva Gangavarapu among National contest finalists
11-year-old 7th grader Siva Gangavarapu Naperville was one of 10 finalists in the National Geographic Bee 2009. Siva Gangavarapu of Naperville competed in the contest, which was hosted by Alex Trebek of "Jeopardy!" fame.
Up to 100 students in each of 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and U.S. Department of Defense dependents’ schools qualified for state bees. The first level began last November with contests in more than 13,000 U.S. schools, in which millions of students participated. This year’s Geography Bee state sponsors were Google and private landowner Plum Creek.
Yeshwanth Kandimalla (Georgia) was the 3rd place winner of National Geographic Bee 2006.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
VISHWAMITHRA VELLANKI: WINNER OF BRONZE MEDAL AT WORLD JUNIOR CHEF CHALLENGE-2008.
Vishwamitra Vellanki of the Culinary Academy of India makes our country proud by winning bronze medal at the HANS BUESCHKENS JUNIOR CHEFS CHALLENGE TROPHY 2008.
Twenty young chefs representing their respective countries, vying to be adjudged as the best young cook in the world. With only six-hours in which to complete the entire test - from the composition of the menu, to the service of the meals – this competition is designed to challenge each junior to prove to the jury the evidence of his/her culinary and organisational skills.
For the first time ever, India participated in The Hans Bueschkens Junior Chef Challenge. The Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA) has given an opportunity to Culinary Academy of India which has won a lot of national level competitions to nominate one of its students to represent India. Viswamitra Vellanki (Final Year Student) was chosen by virtue of a preliminary competition on the same lines as Finals.
Sushma Vallabhaneni: Team member, Indian team wins bronze at 2009 World RoboGames
AcYut, a humanoid robot created by students of India's Birla Institute of Technology (BITS), Pilani, won the Bronze Medal at the World RoboGames 2009, held in San Francisco, California, from June 12-14. The Indian team included Samay Kohli, Sushma Vallabhaneni, Mohammad Ariz, and Akash Gupta, and was guided by Professor Dr. R.K. Mittal.
The 6th annual RoboGames was held this month with 403 robots from 18 different parts of the globe competing in the categories of combat, sumo, robo-one/androids, open, hockey, art bots and junior league.
This year's medals went to the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Brazil, India, Canada, Indonesia, South Korea and Russia. Host country United States topped the medal tally with 85 medals in all, followed by Mexico (9), and United Kingdom (8). Other participants were Australia, Austria, Colombia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Peru and Taiwan.Although the host country carried off most of the medals, visiting countries stood out at some events, like Mexico at 1 lb autonomous combat, 500 g autonomous sumo, 100 g autonomous sumo and autonomous line follower, Brazil at 3kg sumo (both autonomous and radio-controlled), and the United Kingdom in the "best of show" and "walker challenge" modalities."Taking part gave us the opportunity to test our knowledge against students from other nations, and proved that we are at the same level or better than other students from famous schools", said Mexico's National Polytechnic Institute student Erick RodrÃguez who, along with his fellow team member Rogelio Baeza, took gold in the autonomous line follower event.RoboGames, previously ROBOlympics, holds the Guinness Record for “world’s largest robot competition”. It was founded in 2004 by David Calkins to help robot builders exchange ideas and learn from each other.
AMA award for Mukkamala Apparao
Outstanding contribution to field of medicine and Medical Education has won the NRI Academy of Sciences president Mukkamala Apparao “Dr. Nathan Davis International Award” presented by American Medical Association foundation. Research.
American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation in an announcement on Tuesday said that Dr. Appa Rao was being awarded for promoting international medical education and research.
“The medical school has dramatically impacted health care in India by providing a stream of physicians into the country as well as cutting-edge medical research and free care to the community,” said AMA Foundation President Jean Howard.
A practicing radiologist at Flint, in Michigan, Dr. Appa Rao served as president of Michigan Medical Association in 2008.
American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation in an announcement on Tuesday said that Dr. Appa Rao was being awarded for promoting international medical education and research.
“The medical school has dramatically impacted health care in India by providing a stream of physicians into the country as well as cutting-edge medical research and free care to the community,” said AMA Foundation President Jean Howard.
A practicing radiologist at Flint, in Michigan, Dr. Appa Rao served as president of Michigan Medical Association in 2008.
Ravi Adusumalli at the Forbes Midas List 2009
The Forbes Midas List for 2009 has been released and seven Indians were among the 100 start-up investors included on the list. Ram Shriram topped the seven Indian entrepreneurs being on the 3rd place in the top 100 list.
The Forbes Midas List shows the top 100 venture capitalists Internationally. It considers venture-backed technology and life sciences companies that has gone public or has been acquired in the past five years. Also, the amount of capital it invested in reaching its current status and the level of involvement of the investors and advisers in the company.
Ravi Adusumalli: Rank 75th
Ravi Adusumalli is a General Partner at SAIF and is head for its India investments. He was an associate partner at Mobius Venture Partners and has worked with Credit Suisse First Boston, and Wasatch Funds.
The Forbes Midas List shows the top 100 venture capitalists Internationally. It considers venture-backed technology and life sciences companies that has gone public or has been acquired in the past five years. Also, the amount of capital it invested in reaching its current status and the level of involvement of the investors and advisers in the company.
Ravi Adusumalli: Rank 75th
Ravi Adusumalli is a General Partner at SAIF and is head for its India investments. He was an associate partner at Mobius Venture Partners and has worked with Credit Suisse First Boston, and Wasatch Funds.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Mr Siva Rama Vankineni: Winner of the 'Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year Award' in 2007
International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) World Congress 2007 in Dubai, UAE, Mr Manfred Boes, FIATA President and Mr Andreas Mueller, Chairman of the Steering Group of the Award announced Mr Siva Rama C. Vankineni from Canada as the Winner of the title "Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year 2007"
Mr Siva Rama C. Vankineni migrated to Canada in 2004 and now works with Logistic Plus Canada Ltd. He is responsible for establishing the freight forwarding operations especially in project logistics for the energy industry. In the forefront of his selection as a regional winner he said "if at all I win the overall (international) Award, it would be the biggest achievement in my life so far and I would truly cherish the training planned for the final winner".
Mr Siva Rama C. Vankineni migrated to Canada in 2004 and now works with Logistic Plus Canada Ltd. He is responsible for establishing the freight forwarding operations especially in project logistics for the energy industry. In the forefront of his selection as a regional winner he said "if at all I win the overall (international) Award, it would be the biggest achievement in my life so far and I would truly cherish the training planned for the final winner".
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Mutyala Anand Satyanand: Governor General of New Zealand
Sir Mutyala Anand Satyanand, QSO (born 22 July 1944) is the Governor-General of New Zealand. He previously worked as a lawyer, judge and ombudsman.
Early life and family GNZM:
Satyanand was born and raised in Auckland to an Indo-Fijian and Anglo-Indian family. His grandparents arrived in Fiji from India in 1911, and were married on Nukulau Island. His father, Mutyala Satyanand, a medical doctor, was born in Sigatoka in 1913 and arrived in New Zealand in 1927 to attend high school. His mother Tara Tillak was a nurse from Suva. She married his father after moving to New Zealand.
Satyanand attended Sacred Heart College in Auckland and then moved to Dunedin to take a medical intermediate course at the University of Otago. He was not successful in gaining entry to the medical school and later said "...in reality I did not do well enough ... (but)... Looking back over that year, I remembered that one of the things I had really enjoyed was the debating and forum meetings involving students." So instead he took up law, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Auckland in 1970. He worked as a lawyer for the next 12 years, initially for Greig, Bourke and Kettelwell. Later he worked as a barrister for the Crown Law Office. He served on the Council of the Auckland District Law Society from 1979 until his appointment as a judge of the District Court of New Zealand in 1982.
During the 1975 general election Satyanand and his wife helped David Lange in his first, unsuccessful attempt at election. Later, when Satyanand was a law student, he helped Clive Edwards (later Tongan deputy prime minister) when he stood in Auckland Central for National.
In 1995 he was appointed an ombudsman and he served two five-year terms. Between 2005 and his appointment as Governor-General he chaired the Confidential Forum for Former In-Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals.
Satyanand married Susan Sharpe in Auckland in 1970. She was born in Sydney in 1947 and moved to New Zealand with her family in 1955. He and his wife have three adult children.
Governor-General of New Zealand
Satyanand was appointed by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, on the advice of Prime Minister Helen Clark. He replaced Dame Silvia Cartwright as Governor-General of New Zealand on 23 August 2006. His appointment was welcomed by every Parliamentary party leader. He is the first Governor-General of Indian descent and the first Roman Catholic Governor-General.
Satyanand is the first Governor-General not to hold a knighthood before entering office (Colonel Thomas Gore Browne, Governor of New Zealand 1855-1861, was knighted in office). He was knighted two years later, in 2009. On assuming the role of Governor-General he received the style The Honourable for life.
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Grand Prior of the Order of St John, received Satyanand as Governor-General designate on 7 July 2006 and invested him as a Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.
In May 2007 changes were made to the Queen's Service Order. Under the previous Royal Warrant, the Governor-General was ex-officio Principal Companion of the Order but was not a member of the Order. The Royal Warrant now provides for the appointment of the Governor-General as a Companion of the Order in his or her own right.
The first bill to which he granted Royal Assent was the Coroners Bill.
Starting on New Year's Day 2009, Satyanand issued a "New Year's Message" intended to "to bring to attention a number of issues New Zealanders might consider as they looked to the future".
Following the changes to the honours system announced by Prime Minister John Key on 8 March 2009, the Queen approved Satyanand's redesignation from a PCNZM (Principal Companion) to a GNZM (Knight Grand Companion) on 27 March 2009.
Early life and family GNZM:
Satyanand was born and raised in Auckland to an Indo-Fijian and Anglo-Indian family. His grandparents arrived in Fiji from India in 1911, and were married on Nukulau Island. His father, Mutyala Satyanand, a medical doctor, was born in Sigatoka in 1913 and arrived in New Zealand in 1927 to attend high school. His mother Tara Tillak was a nurse from Suva. She married his father after moving to New Zealand.
Satyanand attended Sacred Heart College in Auckland and then moved to Dunedin to take a medical intermediate course at the University of Otago. He was not successful in gaining entry to the medical school and later said "...in reality I did not do well enough ... (but)... Looking back over that year, I remembered that one of the things I had really enjoyed was the debating and forum meetings involving students." So instead he took up law, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Auckland in 1970. He worked as a lawyer for the next 12 years, initially for Greig, Bourke and Kettelwell. Later he worked as a barrister for the Crown Law Office. He served on the Council of the Auckland District Law Society from 1979 until his appointment as a judge of the District Court of New Zealand in 1982.
During the 1975 general election Satyanand and his wife helped David Lange in his first, unsuccessful attempt at election. Later, when Satyanand was a law student, he helped Clive Edwards (later Tongan deputy prime minister) when he stood in Auckland Central for National.
In 1995 he was appointed an ombudsman and he served two five-year terms. Between 2005 and his appointment as Governor-General he chaired the Confidential Forum for Former In-Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals.
Satyanand married Susan Sharpe in Auckland in 1970. She was born in Sydney in 1947 and moved to New Zealand with her family in 1955. He and his wife have three adult children.
Governor-General of New Zealand
Satyanand was appointed by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, on the advice of Prime Minister Helen Clark. He replaced Dame Silvia Cartwright as Governor-General of New Zealand on 23 August 2006. His appointment was welcomed by every Parliamentary party leader. He is the first Governor-General of Indian descent and the first Roman Catholic Governor-General.
Satyanand is the first Governor-General not to hold a knighthood before entering office (Colonel Thomas Gore Browne, Governor of New Zealand 1855-1861, was knighted in office). He was knighted two years later, in 2009. On assuming the role of Governor-General he received the style The Honourable for life.
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Grand Prior of the Order of St John, received Satyanand as Governor-General designate on 7 July 2006 and invested him as a Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.
In May 2007 changes were made to the Queen's Service Order. Under the previous Royal Warrant, the Governor-General was ex-officio Principal Companion of the Order but was not a member of the Order. The Royal Warrant now provides for the appointment of the Governor-General as a Companion of the Order in his or her own right.
The first bill to which he granted Royal Assent was the Coroners Bill.
Starting on New Year's Day 2009, Satyanand issued a "New Year's Message" intended to "to bring to attention a number of issues New Zealanders might consider as they looked to the future".
Following the changes to the honours system announced by Prime Minister John Key on 8 March 2009, the Queen approved Satyanand's redesignation from a PCNZM (Principal Companion) to a GNZM (Knight Grand Companion) on 27 March 2009.
SADINENI YAMINI ENTERS LIMCA BOOK OF RECORDS-2009
National Institute of Amateur Radio (NIAR) member Sadineni Yamini has entered the Limca Book of Records-2009 as the first Indian woman to participate in an international expedition.
According to an NIAR statement, Ms Sadineni Yamini (22) excelled in using voice as well as digital modes of amateur radio communication technology that enables sending e-mail without internet from a remote location. She was also among the youngest and the only woman of the 12-member team consisting of hams from the US, Europe and Asia.
The expedition, sponsored by NIAR and Austrian Amateur Radio Society, was conducted in an uninhabited Cocos Island of Costa Rica, Central America between February 9-13, 2008. Several national and international organisations had recognised and acknowledged specific achievements made by Ms Yamini, the statement said, adding, ''This exceptional achievement now finds place in national record 2009 of the prestigious Limca Book of Records as per the communication received from the Editor, Limca Book of Records.'' ''Ms Yamini took special interest in the field of amateur radio and joined as student member at NIAR and continued to pursue the activity with outmost dedication.
She continues to motivate youth to become partners in technology development by exhibiting her skills and undertaking challenging expeditions under extremely difficult circumstances in the field of amateur radio, the statement added.
According to an NIAR statement, Ms Sadineni Yamini (22) excelled in using voice as well as digital modes of amateur radio communication technology that enables sending e-mail without internet from a remote location. She was also among the youngest and the only woman of the 12-member team consisting of hams from the US, Europe and Asia.
The expedition, sponsored by NIAR and Austrian Amateur Radio Society, was conducted in an uninhabited Cocos Island of Costa Rica, Central America between February 9-13, 2008. Several national and international organisations had recognised and acknowledged specific achievements made by Ms Yamini, the statement said, adding, ''This exceptional achievement now finds place in national record 2009 of the prestigious Limca Book of Records as per the communication received from the Editor, Limca Book of Records.'' ''Ms Yamini took special interest in the field of amateur radio and joined as student member at NIAR and continued to pursue the activity with outmost dedication.
She continues to motivate youth to become partners in technology development by exhibiting her skills and undertaking challenging expeditions under extremely difficult circumstances in the field of amateur radio, the statement added.
Jagarlamudi Radhakrishna: Best Director, Filmfare Awardee
56th Idea Filmfare Awards 2008 for the South was held at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) July 31st 2009 in a grand manner.
Best Film: Gamyam (Producer: Jagarlamudi Saibabu, Hero: Sarvanand Myneni)
Best Director: Jagarlamudi Radha Krishna (Gamyam)
Best Supporting Actor: Allari (Edara) Naresh.
Best Film: Gamyam (Producer: Jagarlamudi Saibabu, Hero: Sarvanand Myneni)
Best Director: Jagarlamudi Radha Krishna (Gamyam)
Best Supporting Actor: Allari (Edara) Naresh.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Kavitha Yalavarthi: Winner of first-ever WorldWide Web Games (W3Games)
After an intense 12-hour competition, Kavitha Yalavarthi of Odessa, TX emerged the champion of FUN Technologies’ first-ever WorldWide Web Games (2006) and winner of the million-dollar ($10,00,000) grand prize. Yalavarthi outlasted 70 of the world’s top casual gamers, who made the trip to Hollywood for a chance to be named the “World’s Best Casual Gamer.”
The competition consisted of six rounds of strategic game play in three of the most popular casual games, Bejeweled 2, Solitaire and Zuma. Gaining top rankings early on,Yalavarthi established herself as the competitor to beat.
Yalavarthi, an aspiring law student and honors graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, got her start playing casual games by challenging her mother to friendly competitions online. She plans to use her winnings to purchase her first home with her new fiance, who accompanied her to the competition.
Each participant in the W3Games qualified by playing online tournaments at FUN Technologies’ casual games sites, WorldWinner and SkillJam, or at any of FUN’s partner sites including GSN.com, MSN Games and Real Networks. The 71 contestants, ranging in age from 20 to 63, represented six countries and 22 U.S. states.
The competition consisted of six rounds of strategic game play in three of the most popular casual games, Bejeweled 2, Solitaire and Zuma. Gaining top rankings early on,Yalavarthi established herself as the competitor to beat.
Yalavarthi, an aspiring law student and honors graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, got her start playing casual games by challenging her mother to friendly competitions online. She plans to use her winnings to purchase her first home with her new fiance, who accompanied her to the competition.
Each participant in the W3Games qualified by playing online tournaments at FUN Technologies’ casual games sites, WorldWinner and SkillJam, or at any of FUN’s partner sites including GSN.com, MSN Games and Real Networks. The 71 contestants, ranging in age from 20 to 63, represented six countries and 22 U.S. states.
ICEE Elects New Chair Dr Gullapalli Nageswara Rao
Sydney: Dr Gullapalli Nageswara Rao, Chairman of Hyderabad-based L V Prasad Eye Institute, has been elected as the Chair of the Board of Australia-based International Centre for Eye Care Education (ICEE) for 2009-10.
ICEE is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization working towards elimination of needless blindness in the world, through its many programs in Asia, Pacific Islands, Australia, Africa and Latin America.
Dr Rao was until recently the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness, the global umbrella organization for all NGOs involved in prevention of blindness globally, leading the global VISION 2020: The Right to Sight initiative along with the World Health Organization.
ICEE is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization working towards elimination of needless blindness in the world, through its many programs in Asia, Pacific Islands, Australia, Africa and Latin America.
Dr Rao was until recently the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness, the global umbrella organization for all NGOs involved in prevention of blindness globally, leading the global VISION 2020: The Right to Sight initiative along with the World Health Organization.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
US: Teen helps treat over two lakh dental patients in India
In the last five years, Pratyusha Yalamanchi, 18, has helped provide treatment to more than 290,000 dental patients in Andhra Pradesh.
This, her other compassionate activities and top academic achievement earned her a place among the five finalists in the Youth Volunteer of the Year award in the Michigan Governor's Service Award Programme.
Pratyusha, her award programme profile noted, 'has a passion for making a difference locally and globally.' She is also 'an exceptional student and leader; receiving a perfect score on her Scholastic Aptitude Test, maintaining a 4.0 grade point average, and serving as her senior class' co-president.'
Pratyusha did not win the award. "Another very deserving teen was selected," she said.
"When I was 12, I visited my grandparents' village in Andhra Pradesh and was shocked to find villagers brushing their teeth with charcoal, salt, and neem sticks since basic amenities like toothbrushes and toothpaste were unavailable," she said. "I soon learned that according to the World Health Organisation, an estimated 90 per cent of the Indian population is affected by dental diseases and one oral-cancer-related death occurs every seven minutes".
"While the average Telugu-American teen grumbles about trips to the orthodontist," she continued, "the average Indian teen has four decayed or missing teeth and has never seen a dentist in his lifetime."
Hence, she partnered with Dr Rajendra, chairman, AP superspecialty Dental Hospitals.
"Over the past three years, Dental HygIndia and AP Superspecialty Dental Hospitals have run a mobile dental clinic that has traveled across AP, treating over 290,000 people and holding dental hygiene awareness camps in 150 schools," she said.
Last year, she obtained a Michigan Solicitation License to apply for grants and raise funds in the United States.
"I created pamphlets on dental hygiene for the awareness campaign in Indian schools and donor packages so individuals may contribute online and sponsor the treatment of a single child or a family with contributions ranging from $10 to $75," she said.
She also teaches SAT prep courses and the money she earns goes to Dental HygIndia
Pratyusha has worked as research intern at the Pediatric Retna Lab in Beaumont Hospital and as a student researcher at the Oakland University's physics department.
She was a semi-finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search and Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology. She is also a National Merit Scholar finalist, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge semifinalist and a semifinalist in the Presidential Scholars programme.
She was accepted to many universities, and has decided on Harvard.
2009 Australian Laureate Fellowships awardee: Dr.Jagadish Chennupati
The 2009 Australian Laureate Fellowships awarded today to The Australian National University’s Professor Chennupati Jagadish and Professor Brian Schmidt recognise and reward two world-leading scholars, ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb said.
The fellowships were announced at Parliament House by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Senator Kim Carr. The awards are worth around $2.7 million each, and aim to give researchers at the peak of their careers the chance to mentor teams of emerging academic talent.
Professor Jagadish is a Federation Fellow and head of the Semiconductor Optoelectronics and Nanotechnology Research Group at ANU. He is a pioneer in the field of nanotechnology, serves on the editorial board of more than 10 international journals, has published more than 550 research papers and holds five US patents.
“Professor Jagadish’s work has put Australia at the forefront of nanotechnology and optoelectronics research,” said Professor Chubb. “In addition, he is an inspirational figure to the many students who have studied with him and a leading figure on the world stage in his field."
“While much has been achieved in a short time with nanotechnology, this is still an emerging research field and one, because of Professor Jagadish and his colleagues, where Australia has a chance to become a world leader. I congratulate him on his Australian Laureate Fellowship and think he is an excellent choice for such a prestigious honour.” Chubb.
The fellowships were announced at Parliament House by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Senator Kim Carr. The awards are worth around $2.7 million each, and aim to give researchers at the peak of their careers the chance to mentor teams of emerging academic talent.
Professor Jagadish is a Federation Fellow and head of the Semiconductor Optoelectronics and Nanotechnology Research Group at ANU. He is a pioneer in the field of nanotechnology, serves on the editorial board of more than 10 international journals, has published more than 550 research papers and holds five US patents.
“Professor Jagadish’s work has put Australia at the forefront of nanotechnology and optoelectronics research,” said Professor Chubb. “In addition, he is an inspirational figure to the many students who have studied with him and a leading figure on the world stage in his field."
“While much has been achieved in a short time with nanotechnology, this is still an emerging research field and one, because of Professor Jagadish and his colleagues, where Australia has a chance to become a world leader. I congratulate him on his Australian Laureate Fellowship and think he is an excellent choice for such a prestigious honour.” Chubb.
Kalpalatha K. Guntupalli, President of American College of Chest Physicians.
Kalpalatha K. Guntupalli, MD.
American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin Past President 1998-1999
President of American College of Chest Physicians 2009-2010
Master of the American College of Physicians
ACGME Palmer "Courage to Teach" Award
Dr. Kalpalatha K. Guntupalli on selected as the President of American College of Chest Physicians (Membership about 20,000) for 2009-2010 as well honored with the MACP (Master of the American College of Physicians) by the American College of Physicians in Washington, DC this May.
She will also be receiving the Palmer "Courage to Teach" award by the ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) on Feb 11th. This is given to the top 10 Training Program Directors in the country. (there are over 8000 residency/fellowship programs in all specialties)
American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin Past President 1998-1999
President of American College of Chest Physicians 2009-2010
Master of the American College of Physicians
ACGME Palmer "Courage to Teach" Award
Dr. Kalpalatha K. Guntupalli on selected as the President of American College of Chest Physicians (Membership about 20,000) for 2009-2010 as well honored with the MACP (Master of the American College of Physicians) by the American College of Physicians in Washington, DC this May.
She will also be receiving the Palmer "Courage to Teach" award by the ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) on Feb 11th. This is given to the top 10 Training Program Directors in the country. (there are over 8000 residency/fellowship programs in all specialties)
Intel Science Talent Search 2009 Semifinalists, finalist (KAMMAS)
The Semifinalists of the Intel Science Talent Search 2009 were chosen from among 1,608 entrantsrepresenting 495 high schools in 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and five overseas schools.
Each of the 300 students named a Semifinalist in the Intel STS 2009 will receive a $1,000 award for theiroutstanding research. Additionally, to recognize excellence in teaching and school support of individual student research, every school will receive an award of $1,000 for each Semifinalist named in the Intel STS 2009. This award is used to further excellence in science, math, and engineering education at the recipient school.
Semifinalists:
Guttikonda, Sudha Ragavalli (17)VA
Tripuraneni, Nilesh (17)CA
Mikkilineni, Shravani (17) MI
Finalist:
Nilesh Tripuraneni - Ninth Place, $20,000 Scholarship.
Nilesh Tripuraneni, 18, of Fresno, California, formulated a set of hydrodynamic equations investigating quark-gluon plasma. This work may shed light on the origin of the universe and aid in the development of a quantum theory of gravity.
Each of the 300 students named a Semifinalist in the Intel STS 2009 will receive a $1,000 award for theiroutstanding research. Additionally, to recognize excellence in teaching and school support of individual student research, every school will receive an award of $1,000 for each Semifinalist named in the Intel STS 2009. This award is used to further excellence in science, math, and engineering education at the recipient school.
Semifinalists:
Guttikonda, Sudha Ragavalli (17)VA
Tripuraneni, Nilesh (17)CA
Mikkilineni, Shravani (17) MI
Finalist:
Nilesh Tripuraneni - Ninth Place, $20,000 Scholarship.
Nilesh Tripuraneni, 18, of Fresno, California, formulated a set of hydrodynamic equations investigating quark-gluon plasma. This work may shed light on the origin of the universe and aid in the development of a quantum theory of gravity.
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