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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline MARCH 29, 2024 | The Indian Eye 34

NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

Selected stories about Indian diaspora from our website www.theindianeye.com

ACHYUTA RAJARAM JESSE SINGH

Indian-American grabs Sikh Leader visits India for

top slot in Regeneron Science assurance of community safety

Talent Search essee Singh, an eminent Ameri-

can Sikh leader, visited India re-
Jcently and has said that the Indi-
an government assured him that it is
committed to the safety and security
of the community across the world.
Leading a Sikh delegation, Singh
met Union Home Minister Amit
Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh and External Affairs Minister
S Jaishankar.
Singh met senior Indian leaders
and the delegation talked about how
the Sikh diaspora can help India and
be part of this growth. “We received
a very positive and warm response.
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar
told us that the Indian Government
is committed to the safety and secu-
rity of the Sikh community wherever
they are in the world,” he said.
“During our meetings, we focused on development in Punjab and its
economic development. Punjab has suffered a lot during its militancy move-
ment,” he said.
Singh refused the allegations by a section of the Sikh community in the
chyuta Rajaram won the top award and took home a whopping $250,000 US and Canada that they are being mistreated in India. “That is certainly not
in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest and most
Aprestigious science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) compe- the case. No doubt like other communities, Sikhs also have their own issues.
Sikhs are enjoying the same rights as any other citizens of India,” he said.
tition. President George HW Bush called the competition the “Super Bowl of Singh said the Sikh American community is ready to help in the develop-
science.” ment of Punjab and Amritsar in particular. He announced 100 scholarships
Rajaram’s winning project, an automatic method to determine which
parts of a computer model makes decisions, aims to illuminate how these for the youths of Amritsar. Sikhs of America has decided to adopt two roads
algorithms are “thinking” and make them more effective, safe and equitable of Amritsar for cleanliness.
The mission of Sikhs of America Inc. is to raise awareness, share cultural
as a result. and historical Sikh values while recognizing the contributions made by Sikhs
Riya Tyagi, of Short Hills, New Jersey, won $25,000 for being in the top
40 finalists. Her project focused on using computer vision to investigate how as being part of the bigger American Society, and to connect with the com-
AI determines patients’ race and ethnicity, with the goal of enabling the de- munity more strongly promoting peace and brotherhood.
velopment of more ethical AI-powered healthcare software. NITHYA RAMAN
Representing 36 schools across 19 states, the finalists spent the week
meeting with competition judges and other scientists as well as touring con- Councilmember wins re-election
gressional offices and monuments and visiting the Smithsonian Natural His-
tory Museum and Johns Hopkins and Georgetown universities.
The competition, now in its 83rd year, has consistently identified young of Los Angeles City Council
innovators who become tomorrow’s STEM leaders.
The 2024 finalists demonstrated extensive scientific knowledge through os Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has won her bid for a
research and interviews while showcasing their commitment to addressing second term. She was up against Deputy City Attorney Ethan Weaver
societal issues, passion for discovery, noteworthy leadership and community Land software engineer Levon “Lev” Baronian for the L.A. Council Dis-
involvement. trict 4 seat.
Forty finalists, including Achyuta, were honored during an award cere- Raman thanked her supporters, her campaign volunteers and the dis-
mony emceed by American Broadcaster Soledad O’Brien. More than $1.8 trict’s residents, saying her conversations with voters during the campaign
million was awarded to the finalists, who were selected from among the larg- showed that the city is “full of hope and possibility.”
est entrant pool since the 1960s through a holistic evaluation process. Continued on next page... >>

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