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Newsmakers of the Week SEPTEMBER 05, 2025 | The Indian Eye 36

NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

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

Chikitha Taniparthi Wins LTU Appoints Dr. Devesh Misra

Historic Gold in Archery as Dean of College of Engineering

WINNIPEG [CANADA]
SOUTHFIELD, MI
ndian archer Chikitha Taniparthi awrence Technological Univer-
created history by clinching the
sity (LTU) has named Dr. De-
IUnder-21 women’s compound Lvesh Misra as the new dean of
crown at the World Archery Youth its College of Engineering, marking a
Championships 2025 in Winnipeg, se- major appointment for the institution.
curing India’s first-ever gold medal in An IIT-BHU alumnus and Cam-
this category at the prestigious event. bridge PhD, Misra is internationally
The 20-year-old displayed re-
markable composure and skill recognized for his contributions to
materials science, advanced manufac-
throughout the knockout rounds. In turing, and nanotechnology. He previ-
the quarter-finals, she defeated com- ously served at the University of Texas
patriot and 2023 senior Asian champi- at El Paso and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he was Found-
on Parneet Kaur 146-143 in a nail-biting contest. She then breezed past Spain’s ing Director of the Center for Structural and Functional Materials Research.
Paula Diaz Morillas 142-133 in the semi-final before triumphing in the final Misra has authored over 1,000 peer-reviewed papers, holds mul-
against South Korea’s Park Yerin 142-136 to clinch gold. tiple U.S. patents, and has been consistently ranked among the
India’s promising run continued in the U18 compound categories. Prithika
Pradeep overcame Surya Hamsini Madala 130-128 in an all-Indian semi-final world’s top 2% scientists by Stanford University. He is also a fel-
low of ASM International and the Institute of Materials, London.
but fell just short against American O’Donohue Savannah 143-140, settling for Karl Daubman, interim provost of LTU, praised Misra’s appointment, say-
silver. In the men’s U18 event, Yogesh Joshi lost his semi-final to New Zealand’s ing his “visionary leadership and global perspective will propel LTU’s College of
Hector McNeilly 136-132 and missed out on bronze after a 143-139 defeat to Engineering into its next era of excellence, innovation, and impact.”
Chinese Taipei’s Yen Tzu Hsiang.
The U18 mixed compound team of Prithika and Mohit Dagar also secured
silver after narrowly losing 150-149 to the American pair Savannah and Caleb NYU Tandon Honors Rakesh
Quiocho. The Indians led early but could not hold off the American fightback.
With these results, India finished third in the medal tally with six medals— Behera with Dean’s Award
three gold, two silver, and one bronze—behind the US and South Korea.
Clemson names Ramesh NEW YORK, NY

Jeganathan as Chair of FNPS ew York University’s Tandon
School of Engineering has
Nhonored Indian-American
academic Rakesh Behera with the
CLEMSON, SC
Dean’s Award for Excellence in On-
line Education.
lemson University has ap- Behera, an associate professor in
pointed Ramesh Jeganathan
Cas chair of its Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineer-
ing, was recognized for his innovative
Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sci- teaching methods, accessibility to stu-
ences (FNPS), bringing over 25 years dents, and incorporation of real-world
of academic and leadership experi- examples in online education. Stu-
ence to one of the university’s most dents praised his active-learning approach and dedication to mentorship.
interdisciplinary departments. A graduate of NIT Rourkela, Behera holds advanced degrees from Loui-
Jeganathan, previously at Auburn
University, has served in roles includ- siana State University and the University of Florida, where he earned his PhD
in Materials Science and Engineering in 2009. His professional career includes
ing Bruno Endowed Professor of Nu- research and teaching roles at Georgia Tech, University of Florida, and now
trition, graduate program director, NYU.
and Southeastern Conference provost fellow. He emphasized collaboration, Behera has been part of NYU Tandon since 2016, steadily rising through
transparency, and mentorship as the cornerstones of his leadership philosophy. academic ranks. The award highlights his commitment to advancing digital
“My priorities include supporting faculty development, strengthening re-
search, enhancing student success, expanding graduate programs, and building learning at a time when online education has become integral to higher educa-
tion worldwide.
industry and alumni partnerships,” Jeganathan said. “It is a privilege to lead
FNPS at this exciting time.”
Matthew “Matt” Holt, dean of Clemson’s College of Agriculture, said To read more about Indian diaspora and Global Indians, log on to and follow
Jeganathan’s background in academic leadership and research funding makes our website www.TheIndianEYE.com
him well-suited to guide FNPS into “a future of innovation and excellence.”

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