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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline DECEMBER 22, 2023 | The Indian Eye 34

She currently serves on the following Boards and Committees: Board SUVRATH MAHADEVAN
of Health, Criminal Justice Advisory Committee, Durham History Muse-
um, Durham Partnership for Children, EMS Peer Review Committee, Open Researcher leads team
Space and Trails Commission, Project Access Steering Committee, and
Workforce Development Board.
Previously, Allam had worked as a political director for Senator Bernie to discover a planet outside
Sanders’s presidential campaign in 2016 and was elected as third vice chair of
the North Carolina Democratic Party, becoming the first Muslim American solar system
to serve on the party’s executive council. She also served as chair of Durham
Mayor’s Council for Women, serving as liaison between women and the city
government officials in an effort to improve the quality of life of women in
Durham.
SAMIR SHAH

Media veteran selected

as new BBC chairman

A
group of researchers at Pennsylvania State University (PSU) led by In-
dian-origin researcher Suvrath Mahadevan discovered a planet outside
the Earth’s solar system that is too massive for its sun.
The planet, now known as LHS 3154b, is equivalent to 13 Earth mass-
es in size, and its discovery has called into question previous knowledge
about the formation of planets and their solar systems, according to re-
amir Shah, an India-born media executive with over 40 years of experi- searchers.
ence in TV production and journalism, has been named as the UK gov- They discovered the massive known planet in a close orbit around the
Sernment’s preferred candidate to take over as the new BBC chairman. ultracool dwarf star, marking the first time a planet of such mass has been
Shah will now be quizzed by cross-party MPs of the House of Commons discovered orbiting a low-mass star.
Media Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for pre-appointment “This discovery really drives home the point of just how little we know
scrutiny before formally taking charge of the public service broadcaster. about the universe. We wouldn’t expect a planet this heavy around such a
low-mass star to exist,” said Mahadevan.
The identification of LHS3154 raises significant questions about the for-
“With a career spanning more than 40 years in TV produc- mation process of planets, particularly around low mass stars, contributing
tion and journalism, Shah has a wealth of experience to valuable insights to the field of exoplanet exploration. The discovery was
made by the Habitable Zone Planet Finder ( an instrument mounted on the
bring to the position of BBC Chair,” UK Culture Secretary Hobby Eberly Telescope at the University of Texas McDonald observatory.
Lucy Frazer said on Wednesday, confirming the selection The presence of such a large planet challenges the traditional understanding
of planet formation around low-mass stars.
as per the appointment process. Despite being only 50 light years away from Earth, the host star, LHS,
3154B, is significantly less luminous, hovering just above the threshold for
supporting hydrogen fusion. The suspected composition and size of LHS
“He has a clear ambition to see the BBC succeed in a rapidly changing
media landscape, and I have no doubt he will provide the support and scru- 3154B, resembles Neptune, the smallest gas giant in our solar system, with a
diameter around 4 times that of Earth.
tiny that the BBC needs to meet the challenges and opportunities of the Briefly explaining the formation of stars and planets, Mahadevan said,
future,” she said. the former is formed from large clouds of gas and dust, and the latter can
“The BBC is, without doubt, one of the greatest contributions we have
made to global culture and one of our strongest calling cards on soft power,” eventually form from the gas and dust that remains as disks of material orbit-
ing the star after its formation.
Shah said.
“If I am able to put what skills, experience, and understanding of public
service broadcasting I have built up during my career to help this brilliant or- To read more about Indian diaspora and Global Indians,
ganisation meet the complex and diverse challenges it faces over the coming log on to and follow our website www.TheIndianEYE.com
years, it would be an honour,” he added.

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