We are happy to announce that TCN’s SEED Fellow Sufi Parween has won the 13th Laadli Media Award for her exceptional contribution to gender-sensitive reporting.
Assam’s Nazneen Yasmin and Dr. Baharul Islam Barbhuyan are among the scientists who contributed to making the ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 land on the South Pole of the Moon.
Nazneen Yasmin, who is from a middle-class family of central Assam’s Nagaon district joined the ISRO after cracking the toughest selection test two years ago. The young scientist has been involved in radar tracking in the launch department of ISRO for more than a year.
But the journey was not easy for Nazeen Yasmin. While she was on maternity leave for her firstborn about six months ago, she was recalled for crucial operations at least twice and she took her child along.
Despite facing the challenges of married life and the post-pregnancy phase Nazeen was very passionate about the Chandrayyan-3. Many a time, Nazeen worked from home by keeping her baby in her lap.
Naznin Yasmin, daughter of Abul Kalam Azad and Manzila Begum of Maherpar near Juria in the remote Nagaon district received her appointment letter as a scientist at the ISRO headquarters in Swar Sriharikotha, Andhra Pradesh around two years back.
Naznin Yasmin received her primary education at Nuruddin Furkania JB School, Juria in Nagaon district in central Assam. She performed brilliant results in the matriculation or Class X final exam from Kadamani Town High School in 2007. She passed the Class XII exam from Alphabita Science Junior College in 2009 with letter marks in several subjects in the science stream. She later obtained her B.Tech in Electronics from NITS Mirza College, Guwahati in 2013 and her M.Tech in First Division from Tezpur University.
Along with working in various private scientific institutions, Nazneen passed the National Eligibility Examination under the University Grants Commission in 2018 and also qualified for the Junior Research Fellowship of the Government of India.
Nazneen Yasmin, who had dreamed of becoming a scientist since childhood, said she was inspired by the success of India’s first female astronaut Kalpana Chawla. She urges the younger generation not to think of themselves as weak and prepare themselves to get a place in the leading institutions of the country through hard work.
Also, Nazneen was inspired by the life and work of former President Dr. APJ Abbul Kalam, who came from a family with modest means, a family source said.
On the other hand, Dr. Baharul Islam Barbhuiyan of south Assam’s Hailakandi has proved that all dreams come true if a person chases them and works hard.
Baharul, 45 is a resident of Syedband II Khand village situated about 5 km from Hailakandi town. He is the pride of the Hailakandi district.
Baharul Islam’s name came into the spotlight after India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft made history by landing on the south pole of the moon on Wednesday evening. He is a prominent scientist at ISRO. He is one of the scientists who played an important role in the success of Chandrayaan-3
Speaking to Awaz-the Voice Assam from ISRO headquarters in Bangalore, Baharul Islam said he was proud to be involved in a historic work that set a record in the space world. He said students have always been interested in space and after the successful landing of Vikram on the South Pole of the Moon. “Success of Charayaan-3 will result in an increase of interest and curiosity about space science among the younger generation,” he said.
He earned his B.Sc from SS College, a Masters in Mathematics from Aligarh Muslim University, PhD from Gujarat University before joining the ISRO.
Baharul’s parents were teachers and they created an environment of science at their home from the very early stage of their son. His father, Moinul Haque Barbhuiyan, has passed away. Mother Rehana is old yet she is excited about her son’s achievement.
“There are no words to express my joy at the moment. I never thought such a day of success would come. People have been calling us since Wednesday,” said Baharul’s brother Enamul Haque.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice/ Home> Story by ATV / posted by Aasha Khosa / August 26th, 2023
Just an 11-year-old girl astonishes the world with her extraordinary development skills. She recently created an AI Application that uses advanced models to determine eye diseases or serious conditions such as Melanoma, Cataracts, etc. Read below about this creative Kerala-origin girl.
An 11-year-old Dubai-based girl called Leena Rafeeq has designed a modernistic application integrated with Artificial Intelligence (AI). This young girl from Kerala proclaimed that this smart app can locate common eye disorders and symptoms. Moreover, this can be determined through a unique scanning method built into the app and only the iPhone supports this advanced model so far.
iPhone users will be able to check their eye-related problems and conditions with 70 per cent accuracy. The intelligent app that has been going viral for a couple of days has been named ‘Ogler EyeScan’ by Ms Leena Rafeeq. She was just 10 when she built it and now after so much research at the age of 11, she exuberantly launched it.
Self-taught Techie
On a social media platform called LinkedIn, she vividly presented the model. She further expounded the workings of her self-made in an online video that she posted online after which several viewers are impressed with her knowledge and skill set.
She asserted that this AI-based application has the capability to evaluate various parameters. The specifications include light and colour intensity, distance and look-up points in order to track down the eyes.
It scans the human eyes within the available range of the frame and this is possible through the “advanced computer vision and machine learning” used in this model’s design.
Features of ‘Ogler EyeScan App’
Leena Rafeeq explains her exceptional achievement and said that the Ogler EyeScan App can also identify any light burst issues. Additionally, this app will first check the eye positioning inside the scanner frame and after that through advanced technological scanning procedures, it can identify some of the common eye problems.
Built with Machine Learning Algorithms and Computer Vision Systems, eye conditions like Arcus, Melanoma, Pterygium and Cataracts can be checked however 70% accurate results have been recognized till now.
How AI App is developed?
Ms Rafeeq told that this smart technology app was developed natively with high-level programming developer ‘SwiftUI’ without the involvement of any third-party libraries or packages. She also reveals that she dedicated herself for almost six months to conducting research and development to come up with this initiative.
Along with this, she continued her learning about different eye conditions, computer vision, algorithms, machine learning models and other advanced levels of Apple iOS development which involves sensors data, AR, CreateML, CoreML and many such tools.
It is notable that the Ogler EyeScan is supported solely in iPhone 10 or Apple phones with iOS above 16. The app is under review on the App Store and this young girl hopes that her model gets listed soon.
Appraisal of her Project
This young Kerala girl leaves many flabbergasted by the invention of such a little girl. People congratulated her as she attains this level at this age. A user commented that this is a pretty good example of how AI can be effectively used in the health sector.
Another goes on to say that this is such an amazing creation and wished her good luck with her future endeavours. They all wished her positive reviews on her app. Ms Rafeeq responded that the model accuracy is “almost 70 per cent”.
However, she is handling some difficulties with the presence of glare and burst from lights caused by the distance required for capturing scans through the phone device. She has implemented metrics and detection for light-related issues so that the users will be able to re-scan. Her current focus is on training more elegant models. As soon as Ogler is accepted by the Appstore, she will be releasing an update in the software.
source: http://www.jagranjosh.com / Jagran Josh / Home> Current Affairs> Science – Technology Current Affairs / (headline edited) April 2023
Jasovar Village (Mirzapur District), UTTAR PRADESH :
Sania Mirza of Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district earned this position by passing the National Defense Academy 2022 examination (NDA) exam.
On December 27, Sania Mirza will join NDA Khadakwasla in Pune.(ANI)
Sania Mirza, daughter of a TV mechanic from Mirzapur, has been selected to become a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force and would be the country’s first Muslim girl and the state’s first IAF pilot.
Sania Mirza is a resident of Jasovar village under the Mirzapur Dehat Kotwali police station area. She secured this position by passing the NDA exam. She has brought laurels not only to the district but also to the state and the country.
Sania, who studied in a Hindi medium school, said that Hindi medium students too can achieve success if they are determined. On December 27, she will join NDA Khadakwasla in Pune.
The parents as well as the villagers are feeling proud at her.
Sania’s father Shahid Ali said, “Sania Mirza considers the country’s first fighter pilot Avni Chaturvedi as her role model. From the beginning, she wanted to be like her. Sania is the second girl in the country who has been selected as a fighter pilot.”
She studied from primary to Class 10 at Pandit Chintamani Dubey Inter College in the village itself. After that, she went to Guru Nanak Girls Inter College in the city. She was the district topper in the 12th UP Board. She started her preparations at Centurion Defense Academy.
She gives the credit for success to her parents as well as to the Centurion Defense Academy.
She said that only two seats were reserved for women in fighter pilot in National Defense Academy 2022 exam . “I could not grab a seat in the first attempt but I have found a place in my second attempt.”
Sania’s mother Tabassum Mirza said, “Our daughter has made us and the entire village proud. She fulfils the dream of becoming the first fighter pilot. She inspired every girl in the village to follow their dreams.”
In the National Defense Academy 2022 examination, there were a total of 400 seats including male and female. In which there were 19 seats for women, and two seats were reserved for fighter pilots. In these two seats, Sania managed to get a place on the strength of her talent.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> India News / by ANI / posted by Lingamgunta Nirmitha Rao / December 23rd, 2022
Zahra Hashmi, a Class XII-Arts student of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Girls’ School was declared the ‘Best Debater’ of the debate contest on ‘Online Education is better than Offline’ held at the AMU Girls’ School.
She has also received a cash prize of Rs 5, 000, informed Amina Malik (School Principal).
source: http://www.amu.ac.in /Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) / Home> AMU News / by Public Relations Office, AMU / September 17th, 2022
A total of 53 girls bagged gold medals out of a total of 74 students.
Gulbarga:
Gulbarga University held its annual convocation on Wednesday where the girl students of the university outperformed the boys by bagging a maximum number of gold medals.
Poornima, a student of MA Kannada won 12 gold medals. She credited her family members and teachers for her excellent performance.
Arshiya Kauser, a student of MBA in finance and human resource management bagged 8 gold medals. In Spite of not belonging to an educated family, Arshiya excelled in her studies due to her sheer dedication and hard work. Arshiya’s father runs a garage and has gone to Saudi Arabia for 8 years.
A total of 53 girls bagged gold medals out of a total of 74 students.
The Vice-Chancellor of Gulbarga University Prof Dayanandaga Saran welcomed guests and participants in the convocation.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / by Mohammed Hussain Ahmed / April 29th, 2022
Uzma has chosen Lehigh University and will be joining in August 2022. She has also been awarded a one-time relocation allowance by the university.
Jamia Millia Islamia student Uzma has been offered 100 per cent tuition fee waiver
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) alumna Uzma Khan, who completed her MSc electronics course from the Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Jamia in 2021 has received offers to do a fully-funded PhD from six prestigious American universities. She applied for 100 per cent scholarship in nine US Universities and received offers from six, said the varsity. Her area of research will be ‘underwater wireless communication and signal processing.’
Uzma has been offered 100 per cent tuition fee waiver along with a monthly stipend for an on-campus job of research and teaching assistant in six US universities — Lehigh University, University of Cincinnati, University of Maryland at Baltimore County, SUNY (State University of New York) Buffalo, SUNY Albany and University of New Hampshire.
Uzma has chosen Lehigh University and will be joining in August 2022. She has also been awarded a one-time relocation allowance by the university. “I am joining Lehigh University because my educational qualifications and research interest is in complete coherence with my potential supervisor there,” said she.
The wireless and signal processing lab she is going to join is doing cutting edge research on current and future technologies and will be best suited for her research area which is underwater wireless communication and signal processing, she explained.
After scoring good scores in IELTS and GRE she became eligible to apply to US universities. After sending e-mails to professors with whom her research interest coincides, she subsequently cleared technical interviews with a committee composed of members of the lab/department she wanted to get admitted to.
Uzma has also secured topped in her class during master’s studies at Jamia and for that she will get awarded with a gold medal in upcoming convocation.
She has also received a provisional offer for INSPIRE fellowship by DST, Ministry of Science and Technology.
Earlier, she got placed as system engineer in TCS and Infosys but she chose not to join as her interest lies in research.
source: http://www.news18.com / News18 / Home> News> Education-Career / by Education & Career Desk, News18.com / June 09th, 2022
Coming from a Muslim family in a state where wrestling is not popular, Tahera knew that the path would be full of obstacles, but her perseverance and determination have kept her going.
Indian wrestler Tahera Khatun (Source: Amanpreet Singh/Twitter)
Odisha grappler Tahera Khatun was told to embrace the burqa and shun the wrestling singlet but she made the tough choice of upholding her “dharma” as well as pursuing her passion simultaneously.
Coming from a Muslim family in a state where wrestling is not popular, Tahera knew that the path was going to be full of obstacles, but her perseverance and determination have kept her going.
Undefeated in her state thus far, the 28-year-old Tahera has struggled to make a mark at the national level. She neither has strong sparring partners at her club in Cuttack to become a better wrestler nor has rich dietary support to become strong. But she does not regret the lack of success at the big stage since stepping onto the mat is a source of happiness for her.
“I am wedded to wrestling,” Tahera told PTI with a spark in her eyes. “If I get married, I will be told to leave wrestling since it is difficult for Muslim girls to continue in such a contact sport after marriage, and I am not willing to do it. Three of my batch-mates got married and now they can’t play because of family pressure, I don’t want something like that happening to me. I already faced difficulties since taking up this sport. The relatives and neighbours were never appreciative of me playing this game. They just wanted me to stay inside the house but my mother, Sohra Bibi, supported me,” explained Tahera, who lost her father, S K Ahmed, when she was only 10.
Whatever little support Tahera gets, it is from her brothers (one is auto driver and the other a painter) and coach Rajkishore Sahu. “Wrestling gives me happiness. So what if I don’t do well at the Nationals, at least I am getting to compete. Merely getting on to the mat fills me with happiness,” she said.
Tahera recently competed at the National championship in Gonda in Uttar Pradesh but made a first-round exit in the 65kg category. She used to play table tennis to overcome depression caused by her father’s death before wrestling coach Rihana convinced her to make a switch. Rihana trained her for a month and took her to ‘Khurda Pehla’ for a district championship, where she emerged champion and the love of sport struck her.
“People tell me ‘wrestling has not given you anything’. There are no facilities, no job. But my mother told me that I must pursue it if I like it,” said Tahera. While Tahera wants to pursue her passion she did not wish to disappoint her community and find a way to keep the people happy.
“When I enter Cuttack, I wear ‘burqa’. I need to save both, my sporting career as well as my religion. When I come out to play I wear whatever is required but I don’t disrespect my elders. ‘Dharam bhi chahiye, karam bhi’. In 2018, I lost my mother. Till she was alive, I had to think about her. I did not want her to listen to taunts but now I don’t care, I live my life my way now. I will definitely wear burqa once I am done with my career. Now things are changing. Lot of people wished me all the best before I left for Nationals.”
However, the other struggle continues for her. The little support she gets from her coach and brothers is not enough. She knows her career is as good as over, but she wants to initiate her nieces into the sport and for that to happen, she needs financial stability.
“I wish I had got a job. At least a home guard job. I manage my expenses by giving Yoga home tuition and help people who require physiotherapy. I learnt it by myself by attending training camps and talking to wrestlers. For how long my brothers would support me, I need a job. All I earn is 4-5 thousand a month.”
Tahera cannot afford to take protein or dry fruits. All she can afford is rice and vegetable as of now. Because of the lack of rich diet, she now has low level of calcium and hemoglobin. Her body is giving the signal that she can’t continue in the sport but she is all about grit. She competed at the Nationals with high blood pressure and against the advice of the doctor. Her coach Rajkishore Sahu also shared the plight of her ward.
“No one has offered Tahera even a glass of water, leave aside providing support and facilities. The wrestlers in the state of Odisha are a deprived lot,” said Sahu, who retired from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) six years ago.
source: http://www.thebridge.in / The Bridge / Home> Wrestling / by PTI / November 22nd, 2021
Mehreen Mushtaq Shamim, a teacher from Bengaluru’s Delhi Public School has bagged an award in Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the Intel AI Global Impact Festival.
She was selected as one of the four winners of ‘AI impact shapers: Teachers with innovative AI teaching learning practices’. Mehreen has been teaching AI in DPS East for nine years now. The CBSE curriculum had introduced AI as a subject for classes 9-12 in 2019.
Mehreen is credited with empowering 1,218 students with practical knowledge of AI and training over 250 teachers in AI-related multi-disciplinary pedagogies.
“I introduced students to Bootcamps that give them advanced lessons in AI. I could mentor students and inspire them into creating projects, three of which are now pending patents. Our students are interested in technology and can think out of the box very well. If guided in the right direction, they can do wonders,” TOI quoted Mehreen as saying.
Mehreen, who has a masters in computer applications, said the more she learnt about AI, the more passionate she got about the subject. “Knowing the power of AI, I now want to encourage children of other streams — not just science — to take up the subject and upskill themselves,” she added.
The first Intel AI Global Impact Festival was launched on October 15, 2021. It saw the participation of 20 countries from around the globe and the display of more than 200 AI-led social impact innovations. The other winners from the AI Impact Shapers category were from Singapore, South Korea and Poland.
source: http://www.thecongnate.com / The Cognate / Home> Inspiring / by Rushda Fatima Khan / October 30th, 2021
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