New Delhi, Delhi, India
IIT Kharagpur, in its continuing endeavour to encourage and promote technical innovation, has invited nominations for the second annual Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award. The Award will be given to the most deserving Indian technologist who has achieved a breakthrough by harnessing the power of technology to benefit society and the nation.
Entries will be accepted from March 1,2008 till April 30th, 2008. The nomination form is available and can be accessed through the official award website: http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/topfiles/nina.php and the tribute web site http://www.ninasaxena.com. Nominations may be submitted either by post to The Director, IIT Kharagpur, West Bengal, PIN-721302, INDIA, or by e-mail to: director@iitkgp.ernet.in.
Announcing the invitation for the nominations, IIT Kharagpur Deputy Director Professor Madhusudan Chakraborty said: "The award has been set up to keep alive the spirit of technical excellence as personified by Dr. Nina Saxena as well as her dedication to social causes. A truly brilliant person, her stellar intellectual achievements and technological excellence will always be remembered. The award is an encouragement to the brightest technical minds in India by showcasing the remarkable contribution by a citizen to harness the power of technology for the greater good of the nation."
The IIT Kharagpur Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award was instituted in 2007. The premier award was presented to Director, Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Dr S P S Khanuja and his team for his pioneering work in anti-malaria treatment through indigenous plant genotype development.
The nominations will be adjudged on the basis of the following parameters in the categories listed below:
a) Innovation above and beyond well-known results
b) Novel application of a well- known result
c) Benefit to society
d) Benefit to India
e) Application of technology to underdeveloped areas and causes
A distinguished committee has been formed by IIT Kharagpur to adjudge the nominations for this award. The award committee will be chaired by Director of IIT Kharagpur and will comprise deans and selected faculty members of IIT Kharagpur and well known alumnus, based in India and the US.
The Nina Saxena Award for Excellence in Technology is funded through an endowment of the Nina Saxena Memorial Fund that has been collected through the IIT Foundation. The intent of the Fund is to perpetuate excellence despite all odds. The charter of the Fund is to provide facilities, mechanisms and opportunities to enable individuals to rise above expectations and better serve society.
About the Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award
A first of its kind, the Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award was instituted by IIT Kharagpur in 2006 to commemorate the memory of Nina Saxena, an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur. It celebrates the spirit and memory of Dr. Nina Saxena, B.Tech (Hons.), ECE 1992, who passed away tragically in 2005. For more details visit http://www.ninasaxena.com.
The Award is funded through an endowment of the Nina Saxena Memorial Fund. The Fund is being collected through IIT Foundation (a non-profit organisation and a US 501(c) organisation).
About IIT Kharagpur
The oldest of the seven IITs, the Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur has always led the way in research and diversification of education. The Institute houses the maximum number of departments, schools and centres and some of these are unique to only IIT Kharagpur. This premier education and research institute is spread over a sprawling 2100 acres and is one of the greenest campuses in the nation. The Institute also has two other smaller campuses at Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. IIT Kharagpur strives to provide an environment of research and innovation and stresses on practical application of science and technology. The Institute also believes in maintaining a strong family bond with its alumni spread all over the globe.
The award fondly co-memorates the spirit of Dr. Nina Saxena, an illustrious alumna of the Institute. A Technologist par excellence, she had a successful career spanning India and the USA. Having obtained Ph.D in computer Science from University of Texas at Austin and having excelled at it, she was awarded for her path-breaking work in Computer Architecture design for the latest generations of chips at INTEL. She was also considered an authority in her area and was quoted widely and invited to be in the program committee of multiple world-wide conferences in the domain. In addition to her hectic and brilliant career, she worked tirelessly towards alleviating poverty in India. She initiated contacts with govt. departments and agencies to assist her in an effort to use sustainable energy (Solar energy) for projects meant for rural and tribal development. In parallel, she also was trying to raise money through venture capital firms to achieve her goal. Tragically Dr. Saxena, passed away in 2005, but her institute is taking steps to fulfill her dream.For further details visit http://www.iitkgp.ac.in.
Source: IIT Kharagpur (Business Wire India)
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