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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline AUGUST 16, 2024 | The Indian Eye 30

NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

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

HAMSA BALAKRISHNAN AMISH SHAH

MIT School of Engineering Democrat wins Arizona’s Primary

names associate dean for 1st Congressional District

mish Shah, a former state legislator, emerged victorious in a crowded
Democratic primary for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. As a med-
Aical doctor, Shah secured the Democratic nomination, setting the stage
amsa Balakrishnan has been appointed as the associate dean of the for a November showdown with seven-term incumbent Republican David Sch-
MIT School of Engineering, effective August 1, 2024. She is a profes- weikert. His main opponent, Andrei Cherny, conceded the race as Shah led by
Hsor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro) 1,629 votes with a 23.9% to 21.4% lead.
and has made significant contributions to the field, particularly in the area of
air transportation systems. “While it’s hard to come so close and fall short, win or lose, there
Her research interests are in the design, analysis, and implementation
of control and optimization algorithms for large-scale cyber-physical infra- are dreams worth chasing and things worth fighting for – and
structures, with an emphasis on air transportation systems. These include air- democracy, freedom, and America’s future couldn’t be higher on
port congestion control algorithms, air traffic routing and airspace resource
allocation methods, machine learning for weather forecasts and flight delay that list,” mentioned Andrei Cherny on X.
prediction, and methods to mitigate environmental impacts.
As associate dean, Balakrishnan will focus on efforts to attract, retain, Shah thanked and stated in a post on X, “I want to express my heartfelt
and support top talent across all academic levels in the School of Engineering. gratitude for your support. We have always run a campaign that is grassroots,
She will help lead and shape various faculty-focused programs and will help positive, and substantive. We engage voters directly to build a community,
manage many of the school’s student-facing programs and initiatives. Bal- and we look forward to making a tangible difference in the lives of the people
akrishnan will also support both faculty and students across the school with we serve.”
regards to fellowships, awards, and honors. Amish Shah, MD, MPH was born and raised in Chicago, Il. His mother
“Professor Balakrishnan’s passion and dedication have already made a and father were engineering students who immigrated from India in the 1960s.
lasting impact on the School of Engineering. I am delighted to welcome her Since 2019, he has been a member of the Arizona House of Representa-
to the School of Engineering faculty leadership team,” says Anantha Chan- tives, serving Central Phoenix, Sunnyslope and South Scottsdale. He has been
drakasan, dean of the School of Engineering. the recipient of several awards for the quality of his service, including the
As principal investigator of the Dynamics, Infrastructure Networks, and Arizona Capitol Times’ Best Political Rising Star for two consecutive years,
Mobility (DINaMo) group, Balakrishnan and her team research the modeling, the Arizona Medical Association’s Distinguished Community Service Award,
analysis, control, and optimization of modern infrastructure systems. They and the Humane Society’s Legislator of the Year. He is the recipient of the
have collaborated with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, NASA, and 2022 Legislator of the Year / Women’s’ Health Champion Award from the
major airports to address challenges such as advanced air mobility, air traffic American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
congestion, and airport operations. Continued on next page... >>

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