INDIAN AMERICAN DR. SUBRA SURESH SWORN IN AS NSF DIRECTOR

Indian-American academician and IIT Madras alumnus, Dr. Subra Suresh was sworn in as the director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) the top US science body that leads scientific research in the country.

Before joining as NSF Director, Dr. Suresh was dean of MIT's School of Engineering.

John Holdren, President Barack Obama's science adviser and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, administered the oath of office to Suresh in the Secretary of War Ceremonial Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House in Washington, DC.

As NSF director, Suresh will lead a $7.4 billion independent federal agency that supports all fields of science and engineering research, as well as a wide span of educational programs that reach more than 2,000 institutions across the U.S. and involve approximately 200,000 educators, researchers and students. NSF funding accounts for more than half of all non-medical science and engineering basic research at American academic institutions.

"We are very grateful to have Subra taking this new task," Obama said in his remarks at the White House Science Fair after Suresh was sworn in yesterday as the 13th NSF director by John Holdren, Obama's science advisor.

"He has been at MIT and has been leading one of the top engineering programs in the country, and for him now to be able to apply that to the National Science Foundation is just going to be outstanding," he said.

"So we're very grateful for your service," he said acknowledging the contribution of Suresh in the field of science and technology.

Suresh was confirmed by the US Senate on September 30, for a six-year term.

A mechanical engineer, who later became interested in materials science and biology, Suresh has done pioneering work studying the biomechanics of blood cells under the influence of diseases such as malaria.

WOMAN OF DISTINCTION: GUYANESE PIO GEM MADHOO

Gem Madhoo's name is synonymous with theatre in Guyana, and she is notably significant in the development of the country's theatrical arts. She has played an integral role in the survival of United Women for Special Children, an organization that assists children with disabilities. She also served voluntarily as secretary, for 12 years, to the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club. Gem is actively involved in so many projects covering various aspects of dramatic arts and theatre. In 2002, she won the prestigious "Woman of Distinction' Award by the YWCA.

She was born in Guyana of PIO parents and resides in the capital city of Georgetown with her husband Kit Nascimento, former Guyana Minister of Information. Gem attended workshops in the US and in some Caribbean countries, be coming the secretary for a group called T I E. (Theatre Information Exchange). This was a body formed by Caribbean dramatists headed by Ken Crosby. "It was a great collaboration because we got to know what various artistes through out the Caribbean were doing", she reminisced.

After graduating from Corentyne High school, Gem came to Georgetown where she joined the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Drama Group as an extra- curricular activity while employed with the Guyana National Co- operative Bank. Her real interest in the theatre was being part of the back stage crew working on props and costume design. It was never her intention to be on stage, but the head of the group, Francis Quamina Farrier cast her in a play at the first opportunity he got, and so she was.

As part of the GPSU drama group, Gem was given the opportunity to tour countrywide. In 1978, she debuted at the Theatre Guild, when Farrier took a play to that stage, and became a member of the Theatre Guild, which laid the foundation for her involvement in theatre. "Francis had written his production for Independence in 76 'Journey to Freedom' which was preformed at the Theatre Guild, and I was placed to perform. That was my introduction to the Theatre and then I got involved in it becoming a member. I didn't make it as an actress, but got more involved as an organizer and back stage person. So that's where I got my training as stage manager and the other roles I play," she said.

"I started doing my own productions and from that year to now I have done about 50 productions," she said. "I have brought in foreign artistes and done various productions from drama to musical. I was even brave enough to take a show to Canada which was well- received, but it was hectic taking a group, but I'm happy I did it because we all learnt a lot." Describing herself as adventurous, Gem said at 23 she took off alone on a world tour to 28 countries. "I actually hitch hiked to some countries and didn't know anyone. I had an amount of money and I decided to go on a tour to various countries and I told myself I didn't care if I was broke permanently after this - that I would just do it. It was something I wanted to do since I was 14. I went to Trinidad then to Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, and Canada then to Holland and hitch hiked from England to Scotland; but then I got homesick.

INDIAN AMERICAN PROFESSOR NERGIS MAVALVALA WINS McARTHUR 'GENIUS' AWARD

MIT Professor of Physics Nergis Mavalvala, whose research focuses on detecting gravitational waves created in the violent collisions of stars and in the earliest moments of the universe, and two other Institute alumni have won 2010 MacArthur Fellowships, also known as "genius" grants.

The fellowships, awarded each year, carry a $500,000 purse that recipients may use as they see fit. Mavalvala is one of 23 recipients this year.

Since her graduate-school days at MIT, Mavalvala has been working on building more sensitive instruments to detect gravitational waves, whose existence Albert Einstein first predicted in 1916. Such waves, which carry information on the motions of objects in the universe, are so faint that they have never been detected. Scientists believe that by measuring gravitational waves, they will be able to observe phenomena never before seen.

"Everything we know about the universe, both nearby and distant, comes from measuring light," said Mavalvala. "Gravitational waves are another messenger. Being able to look into the universe with that completely new tool, we should learn new and enormously interesting things."

For example, gravitational waves should help scientists get a much better look at the space that surrounds black holes. Because black holes absorb light, traditional telescopes reveal little about the regions surrounding them. It should also be possible to detect gravitational waves that began in the first few fractions of a second after the Big Bang, offering a glimpse into the formation of the universe.