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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline NOVEMBER 24, 2023 | The Indian Eye 34

closed on the “15th day of the eighth month of the Indian calendar in each The 32-year-old Republican,
year, which is known as Diwali,” a press release issued by Hochul’s office who is the youngest Indian-Ameri-
said. Hochul said that the legislation to designate Diwali as a New York City can state or federal elected official in
school holiday is “an opportunity for our children to learn about and cele- the US, announced his candidacy for
brate traditions from across the world.” the House of Representatives Seat
The move took place after the New York State legislature passed a Bill from the 2nd Congressional District
this June, to make Diwali a school holiday in the city with efforts from NYC of Ohio.
Mayor Eric Adams and Indian-origin Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar. Niraj Antani is an American
According to city officials, more than two lakh New York residents cele- politician who serves as a state sen-
brate Diwali. ator representing the 6th district in
the Ohio State Senate. He served
SREYA FRANCIS three terms as Representative for
the 42nd district of the Ohio House
Researcher named AI - Solution of Representatives.
Antani was first elected to Ohio
statehouse in 2014 from the 42nd
Implementer of The Year District, and at 23, he was the young-
est member of the House.
Born and raised in Miami Township, he graduated from Miamisburg
High School and has a bachelor’s degree from the Ohio State University.
In 2015, Niraj was added to Forbes Magazine’s list of the top “30 under
30” people in the U.S. for Law and Policy.

JAGMANDEEP DHILLON
Scientist honored with

top award

agmandeep Dhillon, assistant
professor, Mississippi State Uni-
Jversity, has been honored with
the Association of Agricultural Scien-
tists of Indian Origin (AASIO) Early
Career Agricultural Scientist Award.
The award has been bestowed upon
him in recognition of his contribu-
reya Francis, a Canada-based Malayali researcher has been shortlisted tions to agricultural research.
for the prestigious ‘AIconics Solution Implementer of the Year’ award Dhillon said the Early Career
Sinstituted by the International AI Summit. Francis, an AI scientist from Agricultural Scientist Award has
Waterloo, Ontario, is one of five nominees for this year’s prize that honours given him a sense of validation as a
work connected to the innovatively implemented aspects of AI technology. junior MSU faculty member. “I am
Sreya is the Head of Technical Innovation at Farm Mutual Re. Previous- very thankful and humbled to have
ly, Sreya has led multiple projects in the field of AI and Robotics, including received this award because it rep-
Privacy Preserving Machine Learning Research at MILA in Montreal, Can- resents hours of hard work I have
ada and Smart Home Automation Applied Research at Panasonic AI R&D put in alongside my students and
Lab, Tata Elxsi. collaborators. This is a great motiva-
Sreya has a Masters in AI from University of Montreal and has received tion to stay focused and consistently
multiple accolades including the prestigious Microsoft Research Diversity deliver scientific solutions to benefit producers,” Dhillon said.
Award twice in the years 2020 and 2021 “Climate change and market volatility pose significant challenges to the
The AICONICS Awards Shortlist 2023 – Solution Implementer Of The agricultural sector. Through our research efforts, we aim to proactively equip
Year is open to individuals who have developed in-house innovation and suc- producers in Mississippi and beyond with timely information, enabling them
cessfully implemented AI to drive meaningful change and business growth to adapt and thrive in the face of these complex circumstances,” Dhillon said.
for their brand. In addition to his research, Dhillon teaches graduate courses and has
NIRAJ ANTANI supervised seven graduate students, with four of them graduating during his
three years in MSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. He has pub-
Candidate announces Congres- lished 44 peer-reviewed research manuscripts, 20 of which were produced
during his time at MSU. Dhillon also serves as the treasurer for the Southern
Regional Branch of the American Society of Agronomy.
sional bid from Ohio ing as a farmhand. His interest in farm machinery inspired him to pursue
Dhillon’s childhood on his family’s farm in Punjab, India, included work-
I ndian-American state Senator Niraj Antani on Tuesday announced his higher education in agricultural engineering to help address the issues farm-

congressional bid from the US state of Ohio.
ers’ encounter.
“As the first Hindu and Indian American State Senator in Ohio histo-
ry, I’ve worked hard every day to ensure every Ohioan has an opportunity to To read more about Indian diaspora and Global Indians, log on to and follow
achieve their American Dream,” said Antani. our website www.theindianeye.com

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