SAJAforum

FOLLOW UP: High-Flying American School of Aviation Grounded

We recently posted about the sudden shutting down of the flight school, American School of Aviation, based in Atwater, California, that left over 100 international enrolled students stranded and without a house. It turns out the students, many of whom are from India, had paid $40,000 upfront for the 10-month course.

Mainstream papers in the US haven’t covered this story, barring two articles in the Merced Sun-Star, one on June 20th when the school virtually went on sale and another one on 26th June before the students were evicted.

Lisa Tsering of India-West has covered the story in detail, including charges such as a lapsed insurance policy, the absence of a business license and eight violation charges levied against the school by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). An FBI investigation for fraud is currently underway.

The American School of Aviation, founded by Manpreet “Prince” Singh and his wife, Reny Kozman, ceased operations last week after months-long troubles that included a lawsuit for unpaid fuel bills, a state code violation for insufficient insurance, at least eight violations imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration and an unpaid utility bill leading to the eviction of the students from the former Air Force barracks where they’d been housed.

“I can’t do miracles,” Kozman told India-West by phone June 27. “We’re downsizing big-time. These kids have gotta grow up. I can’t solve everyone’s problems.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has started an inquiry into whether the school’s owners were committing fraud, a representative from the Merced County District Attorney’s office told India-West June 30.

“The owner of the school is here on a Green Card from India,” said Merced County Deputy District Attorney Walter Wall. “So it raises international issues.” A call to the FBI public relations officer in Sacramento was not returned by press time. <snip>

County officials grounded ASA’s flights in May because the school’s insurance policy had lapsed, and city officials accused the school of operating without a business license.

POLITICS: Bobby Jindal signs creationism bill, sans Vedic Creationists

Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana is getting plenty of press this past week, not so much for his vice presidential prospects but for actual legislation he's signing. The latest bill would allow for the teaching of creationism alongside evolution. From Reuters:

The law will allow schools if they choose to use "supplemental materials" when discussing evolution but does not specify what the materials would be.

It states that authorities "shall allow ... open and objective discussion of scientific theories being studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming and human cloning."

It also says that it "shall not be construed to promote any religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or nonreligion."

Jindal's office declined on Friday to comment. The bill was backed by the Louisiana Family Forum, a conservative Christian group, and the Discovery Institute, which promotes the theory of "intelligent design" -- a theory that maintains that the complexity of life points to a grand designer.

But Christian creationists aren't the only ones who think the curriculum needs to be opened up. One group that hasn't been cited lately is the Bhaktivedanta Institute, a "Vedic Creationism" group connected to ISKCON, which has filed amicus briefs in support of opening up the curriculum beyond Darwinian evolution. According to this opinion piece from 2006 by Meera Nanda in Frontline magazine, the forces behind Vedic Creationism are Richard Thompson and Michael Cremo, who wrote "Human Devolution: A Vedic Alternative to Darwin's Theory." From the Frontline column:

CRIME: Two students face charges for alleged computer crimes

Those smiling faces are of Omar Khan and Tanvir Singh, each 18 years old. From Fox News:

Two Orange County, Calif., high school seniors were supposed to have graduated Wednesday.

Instead, they're facing serious prison time for alleged crimes that some people might not think are all that serious.

County prosecutors allege Omar Khan, 18, of Coto de Caza, and Tanvir Singh, 18, of Ladera Ranch, broke into Tesoro High School in Las Flores to steal tests and change their own and others' grades on the school computer network.

While Singh allegedly only tried doing it once, Khan apparently did it several times.

Khan's been charged with 69 felony counts and could get more than 38 years in prison. Singh faces four counts and could wind up with three years.

"This is still an ongoing investigation," Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino told the Orange County Register. "We are looking at the possibility that more students were involved. But it's still unclear."
<snip>
Tesoro High School, with 2,800 students, is often ranked as one of the country's best. Both it and Coto de Caza, the gated community where Khan lives, are featured on the TV reality series "Real Housewives of Orange County."

Khan's lawyer's response:

"It's just a very sad situation all the way around," she added. "There's a lot more going on than meets the eye at this point, with a lot of kids."

Defense attorney Carol Lavacol told the Los Angeles Times that Khan was "a really nice kid; he's only 18 years old."

And Singh's lawyer:

"This is certainly not the first time we've heard of a kid cheating," attorney Merlin Stapleton said, arguing the charges were too harsh. "Sometimes they do these types of things simply to see if they can. The only thing that makes this case different is the technology  used."

See Uber Desi coverage. Post your comments, updates and more, below.

CRIME: See all SAJAforum postings in the CRIME category and see the U.S. Desi Crime Map.

EDUCATION: Some Indian students get a Disney connection

For some students in India, this year's summer vacation is going to be different from most. In a sign of globalization and how much purchasing power there is in India, 11 school groups are going to be going to Disney World. From the press release:

This summer students will fly halfway around the world to experience education - Disney-style. For the first time, school groups from India will take part in the numerous educational offerings of Disney Youth Education Series (Y.E.S.) at the Walt Disney World Resort.

The 11 school groups represent Amritsar, Phagwara, Jalandhar, New Dehli, and Surat, India.

Some of the programs the groups will enjoy include "Disney Production Arts and Sciences" which demonstrates the art of movie making from storyboarding to marketing a production; "Disney Animation Magic" where students learn the history of animation and the impact that Walt Disney had on the medium; "Dynamics of Technology" shows how technology has advanced society, and "Properties of Motion: Energy and Waves" will explain how visual effects are used in Disney attractions. "Ocean Discoveries," "Making Waves with a Marine Career," and "Disney Leadership Excellence," are also part of the groups’ itineraries.

Full press release, with press contact, below. Post your comments, too.

 

STUDY: How does parental pressure influence Indian-American career choice? Participants needed

Komal Dutt, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Education and Counseling Psychology at the State University of New York at Albany, is looking for participants for a study on the extent to which parental pressure affects the career choices of Indian-American undergraduates. If you're an undergraduate who was raised in this country, Komal needs your input - it would be completely confidential. Here's the premise of the study:

Asian Indians and their children are an important community in the United States, as they have outperformed all other groups in most areas of socioeconomic achievement.  However, research has indicated prevalence for pressure and conflict between immigrant parents and their children to choose from limited range of occupational choices, and thus an over-representation of Asian Indians in a limited number of occupational fields. The latter might be a problem, because when children forgo their own interests for the sake of choosing prestigious occupations, or struggle to do well in such prestigious occupations as medicine, a potential risk of mental health problems exists due to frustration and job dissatisfaction.

To understand this unique (that is, over representation in certain fields and giving in to career choices set by parents) process of career choice, research in mental health professions such as counseling psychology needs to understand if these students explore various career options prior to committing to a career choice or if they prematurely foreclose on a career path of their parents. My study is trying to see what factors encourage an individual to explore various career options prior to making a firm commitment. In other words, this study will throw light on how college aged Asian Indians navigate their career choice process.

If you're interested in participating, here's some more information:

Participation involves completing a short demographic form and three questionnaires. Time taken for participation should be 30-45 minutes.
If you are willing to participate, follow the following two steps to complete the survey

Step A  - click on the link below http://www.psychdata.com and,

Step B - You will see a box saying "go to survey" – please enter survey number: 124919.  You will then be able to complete the survey.

If you have any questions about the survey, contact Komal via e-mail (komaldutt03@yahoo.com) or via phone at 732-979-4682.

Earlier studies we've posted:

• Measuring discrimination against South Asians
• Indians are slow to assimilate in America
• Indian couples needed for online survey - gender roles and relationship satisfaction
• Indian Americans and drug use
• The problem of binge drinking among young South Asians

SPORTS: First NYC Public Schools Championship Cricket Match

A note from Sendhil Revuluri, a NYC teacher:

I thought this was an interesting tidbit. Also, a new novel called "Netherland" by Joseph O'Neill, which features cricket in New York as a major motif, was recently (and quite favorably) reviewed in the New Yorker. [See Amazon link; New Yorker review - "cricket" and "colonialism" are among the keywords on the page.]

Sendhil

From: "NYC Schools Update"
Date: May 30, 2008 3:36:23 PM EDT
Subject: NYC DOE Press Release - First Public Schools Championship Cricket Match on Sunday

FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIP CRICKET MATCH ON SUNDAY

230 High School Student-Athletes Participated in Inaugural Season of
Varsity Competition

The first season of cricket as a varsity sport in the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) will culminate in a championship match at 12 noon on Sunday, June 1, when John Adams High School competes against Newcomers High School at Erskine Field at Gateway Mall in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn.

The cricket league attracted 230 high school students, including five female students, on fourteen varsity teams. The teams competed in more than 150 matches during the season. Major newspapers and television news networks, in the U.S. and abroad, have reported on the new league.

“It’s exciting to have one of the world’s most popular sports beginning to thrive among the student-athletes of the New York City public schools,” said Donald Douglas, PSAL Executive Director. “It has been a great first season.”

SPELLING BEE: Sameer Mishra wins, with 'guerdon'

[Note: Six of the ten last National Spelling Bee winners, including Sameer, are of Indian descent]

Thirteen-year-old Sameer Mishra, a four-time veteran of the National Spelling Bee, finally won the competition, becoming the latest desi to win. He took home the $35,000 cash award and $5,000 in other prizes. From the Associated Press:

The 13-year-old from West Lafayette, Ind., who often had the audience laughing with his one-line commentaries was all business when he aced "guerdon" — a word that appropriately means "something that one has earned or gained" — to win the 81st version of the bee Friday night.

"I don't know about comedy lines, but my parents have been telling me since the beginning that I should always stay calm, cool and collected," said Sameer, who likes playing the violin and video games, and hopes one day to be a neurosurgeon.

Sameer, appearing in the bee for the fourth time and a top 20 finisher the last two years, clenched both fists and put his hands to his face after spelling the winning word. He won a tense duel over first-time participant Sidharth Chand, 12, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., who finally stumbled on "prosopopoeia," a word describing a type of figure of speech.

Sameer was a crowd favorite throughout the tournament. When told one of his words in the semifinals was a dessert, he deadpanned: "That sounds good right now." He rolled his eyes and muttered "wonderful" when told that one of his words had five different language roots. He once asked "Are you sure there are no alternate pronunciations?" and later uttered "That's a relief" after initially mishearing the word "numnah" (a type of sheepskin pad).

And what did he have to say while hoisting the heavy trophy? "I'm really, really weak."

Look at the list of top finishers. Out of 12 kids, five are South Asian (I can't tell from her name where Samia's family is from; assuming Pakistan):

• Sameer Mishra (the winner)
• Sidharth Chand (2nd place)
• Samia Nawaz (4th place tie)
• Kavya Shivashankar (4th place tie)
• Jahnavi Iyer (8th place tie)

Note, last week, Akshay Rajagopal won the National Geographic Geography Bee and $25,000 (link below).

The screengrab on the left is from the front-page of ESPN.com. Mishra is one of the first South Asians other than golfers Vijay Singh or Daniel Chopra (who won the first tournament of the 2008 season) to have his photo featured on that front page. ESPN and its corporate cousin, ABC, treat the bee like a big-time sports event, airing the early rounds on ESPN and then the finals live on prime-time on ABC. Read ESPN's coverage, including a quiz.

Post your comments below.

Related coverage:

• Sriram Hathwar, age 8, Goes Down on Day 1, but Others Advance
• ESPN profiles Samir Patel, "the Dan Marino of spelling"
• A South Asian Spelling Bee Launches and Akshay Rajagopal Wins the Geography Bee

In 2005, Tunku Varadarajan wrote a WSJ essay: "Why Do Indians Excel in Bees,"

Where are they now?

• Here's an article from 2004 on Nupur Lala, who won in 1999 and starred in the hit documentary "Spellbound." At some point, she declined an offer from MTV to be in a reality TV show, calling it "too invasive."
• And here's some info on Balu Natarajan. He's the first Indian to win the Spelling Bee - in 1985 - and is now a Chicago-area physician who serves on the medical team of the Chicago Marathon. Balu is also a friend, and it's to his credit that he never let on that he'd won; I only found out much later. Such a well-adjusted boy!
• The winner of the 1988 Bee, Rageshree Ramachandran, was profiled by Time magazine last year.  At the time she was a Ph.D and M.D. resident in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of California-San Francisco.

SPELLING BEE: Sriram Hathwar, age 8, goes down on Day 1, but others advance

Eight-year-old Sriram Hathwar, the youngest person to ever compete in the National Spelling Bee, correctly spelled 'elicitation' in Round 2 but didn't advance. From ABC News, "Youngest Speller in History Hits Bee Stage":

"Elicitation," said Sriram, making sure to pronounce the word correctly. "E-l-i-c-i-t-a-t-i-o-n."

The crowd cheered perhaps just a touch louder for the pint-size speller, and he slinked back to his seat on stage, disappearing behind the taller contestants sitting in front of him.

Despite his correct spelling of a word trickier than many of the others given during the preliminary round of the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee -- his peers were asked words such as "rigatoni" and "macaroon" -- Sriram was barred from moving on to the bee's quarterfinals because of his score on a written spelling test administered earlier this week.

The Spelling Bee ends Friday. Here are the desi kids who made it to the semifinals:

• Easun Arunachalam
• Arushi Jauhari
• Shiva Kangeyan
• Vaibhav Vavilala
• Sameer Mishra
• Kavya Shivashankar
• Akshat Shekhar
• Sidharth Chand
• Jahnavi Iyer

Go, team!

BUSINESS: NYU India Business Conference on May 30, 2008

Here's news of NYU's first India business conference. [I am trying to compile a list of other such annual conferences at major US universities. If I am missing any, please list 'em in the comments section. What I have: Wharton, Columbia, Dartmouth, Northwestern, University of Chicago.]
                                                                                             
From: Aquin Dennison - aquin[at]gutenbergpr.com

New York University to host First Annual India Business Forum

May 16, 2008, NEW YORK - The NYU School of Continuing & Professional Studies will host its first annual India Business Forum in Kimmel Center, Washington Square Park South on May 30 from 9:00am to 5:00pm. The forum titled ‘India’s growth story’ aims to further the dialogue by bringing together policymakers, industry leaders and entrepreneurs who are involved in India’s economic evolution.

Panel discussions will explore the impact of global financial turmoil, future of India’s stock markets, private equity opportunities, roadblocks to India’s growth and the growing presence of Indian companies operating in the U.S.

Ms. Neelam Deo, Consul General, Consulate General of India - New York will address the forum. Key note speakers include Para Saxena – CEO, New Silk Route Private Equity and senior policymakers Mr. Evan Feigenbaum, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs and Mr. Ian S. Ellis, Assistant Director for Policy - U.S. State Department. 

Other panelist will include industry experts from Aquila Associates LLC, Ernst & Young LLP, Gameshastra Inc., ICICI Securities Inc., Jet Airways, Kotak Mahindra Inc., MCX, New-Vernon, NIIT Technologies, Ranbaxy Laboratories, Tata Consultancy Services, TIAA-CREF and Trikona Capital.

For more information on the event, visit

http://tinyurl.com/3vyye6

Media contact:
Aquin Dennison                                                                                                                        
aquin[at]gutenbergpr.com

Post your comments below.

INTERNSHIPS: White House internship deadline is June 3

Shukoor Ahmed, about whose LobbyDelegates.com we wrote about in April 2008, sent us an alert about the fall White House Internship. From the full item below:

A White House Internship is an opportunity for current students and recent graduates to experience everyday life at the White House while working with high-level officials on a variety of tasks and projects.

Deadline is June 3 - other details below. Post your comments below.

EDUCATION: A conservative Christian take on British rule

A couple weeks ago a group known as CAPEEM sent out a press release related to its ongoing effort to change how California textbooks cover Hinduism (earlier SAJAforum coverage here):

California Parents for the Equalization of Educational Materials (CAPEEM) scored a major victory on Tuesday when Judge Frank C. Damrell, Jr. of the United States District Court of the Eastern District of California rejected the defendants' motion to dismiss CAPEEM's lawsuit to correct inaccuracies in sixth grade history textbooks. CAPEEM's complaint contends that the process to adopt the textbooks discriminated against Hindus and that the textbooks indulge in indoctrination of Abrahamic religions while using disparaging language against Hinduism.

On the other end, Hindu Press International took note of a conservative Christian organization, Educational Research Analsysts, run by Mel and Norma Gabler in Longview, Texas. The group reviews textbooks and part of its mission is to discredit evolution, encourage "respect for Judeo-Christian morals" and promote the benefits of free enterprise (more at their website).

The group also has recommendations for how high school textbooks should handle world history, saying they should "Prevent stereotypes of whites-as-oppressors and people-of-color-as-victims from slanting discussions of Western imperialism..."

To accomplish this, the group says textbooks should note that:

• British rule brought peace and a common language (English) to deeply divided India, ended or opposed suttee, infanticide, and child marriage there, improved Indian health, education, and transportation systems, and merely added another caste to the existing system.
• Some sub-Saharan African peoples practiced human sacrifice (e.g., Ashanti, Dahomey).  The Aztecs and some other New World Indians engaged in cannibalism as well as human sacrifice.
• In the Columbian exchange, infection was a two-way street. A very lethal strain of syphilis, probably from America, killed many Europeans in the early 1500s.
• Only the Christian West realized slavery was wrong and took the lead in abolishing it.
• Manchu China was as culturally arrogant as the West.  Chinese emperors viewed all foreign traders as barbarian bearers of tribute to whom they wished only to sell, not to buy, demanding payment in silver.
• The West demanded "extraterritoriality" because Chinese justice assumed guilt until proven innocent, used torture to extract confessions, and held whole groups responsible for acts of single members.

The group notes that its reviews are important "because Texas state-adopts textbooks and buys so many that publishers write them to Texas standards and sell them across the country."

AWARDS: Desi spotting among the NY Public Library Fellows

I spot three South Asian connections to the announcement today of the New York Public Library's prestigious fellows program. Deborah Baker [see SAJAforum item on her book]; Akeel Bilgrami; Hari Kunzru (details about them below). From the press release:

The New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers announces the selection of its tenth class of Fellows: fifteen exceptional creative writers, independent scholars, and academics, coming to the Library from as near as Brooklyn and as far away as Warsaw. The Fellows, whose appointments were announced today by Library President Dr. Paul LeClerc and Jean Strouse, the Sue Ann and John Weinberg Director of the Center, will use the research collections and online resources of The New York Public Library’s landmark Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42to welcome an extraordinary class to The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers,” said Dr.  LeClerc.  “The Center continues to be place for creativity and innovative ideas, offering Fellows a collegial environment in which to nurture ideas.”

Each Fellow receives a stipend, office space in the Center’s quarters on the second floor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, and the assistance of the Library’s deeply knowledgeable curatorial staff.
<snip>

Deborah Baker
The Convert
Deborah Baker is the author of the literary biography In Extremis: The Life of Laura Riding. In 2008 Penguin will publish her book A Blue Hand: The Beats in India, a non-fiction narrative exploring the idea of India in the American imagination. At the Cullman Center, Baker will be researching and writing about the life of Maryam Jameelah, née Margaret Marcus, who left America for Lahore, Pakistan in 1962 to become the protégée of Abul A’la Maudoodi, the intellectual founder of political Islam.

Akeel Bilgrami
Gandhi’s Integrity
Akeel Bilgrami, the Johnsonian Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University, directs the University’s Heyman Center for the Humanities and serves on Columbia’s Committee on Global Thought. He is the author of Belief and Meaning and Self-Knowledge and Resentment, and will publish two new books in 2009, Politics and the Moral Psychology of Identity and What is a Muslim? At the Cullman Center, he will work on a short book on Gandhi’s philosophy and a larger project on the nature of practical reason.

Hari Kunzru
The Book of Birbal
Hari Kunzru, the author of the novels The Impressionist, Transmission, and My Revolution, has had his work translated into twenty-one languages and won a number of prizes, including the Somerset Maugham Award, the Betty Trask Prize of the Society of Authors, and a British Book Award.  In 2003 Granta named him one of Britain’s twenty best young novelists. While at the Cullman Center, Kunzru will be working on a novel set at the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.

Full press release below. More on the fellowships here. Post your comments below.

J-EDUCATION: High School journalism in the U.S.

Below you will find four items about high school journalism in the U.S.

I am always a little jealous when I meet students who have journalism programs in their high schools. I didn't encounter a journalism program till I came to graduate school. The places I did my high school (Fiji) and college (India) didn't have in-house journalism programs when I was there.

1. Take a look at all the resources at ASNE's HighSchoolJournalism.org. Stuff there for all ages.
2. Dow Jones Newspaper Fund has an awards program to recognize great high school journalism teachers.
   

   The annual program selects and honors the nation's top journalism teacher,
   four Distinguished Advisers and several teachers cited as Special
   Recognition award winners. The Teacher of the Year acts as a spokesperson
   for scholastic journalism.

   Details below.
3. The Columbia Scholastic Press Association is having its annual convention, gathering 3,000ish high school journalists from around the country. I have been happy to see a good sprinkling of South Asians among them.
4. Joe Van Harken, a former student of mine, has spent the last eight months working on a new eight-part MTV documentary series called "The Paper." The show centers around an award-winning
   high school newspaper in South Florida. "One of our goals is to show that smart kids can be cool too... another, to spark interest in journalism among teens nationwide."
   The show starts airing April 14, at 10:30 pm after "The Hills". Sneak a peek below.
   
   
   • MTV
   • Music Videos
   • MTV Shows
   • Entertainment News

Post your comments below.

ENVIRONMENT: Design for Social Change - a Wisconsin-India connection

Posters about pollution in Delhi, designed by students in Wisconsin. Click on each to magnify.

You may have heard of virtual volunteering but have you heard of virtual volunteering for an overseas client? An Indian professor of graphic design at the University of Wisconsin-Stout recently initiated a collaborative design project with a nonprofit in Delhi. The purpose of the project was to facilitate an exchange where students created work to draw attention to India’s environmental concerns. The project was coordinated by Ambica Prakash of Stout and Vimlendu Jha of Swechha. Jha is also part of a CNN initiative called Be the Change. According to the official university news:

Prakash and Jha decided that UW-Stout's students would design awareness posters targeting India's youth for the resources section of Swechha's website which focuses on the seven resources of water, renewable energy, trees, energy, water, wildlife and global warming.

"The project has challenged students", Prakash said. "Students are designing for an international audience and for an unfamiliar culture. They must think along the lines of cultural aesthetics to produce a design that isn’t offensive and hits home."

The student posters that can be seen here resonate with Prakash's teaching philosophy. From her interview with the university press:

EDUCATION: Teaching in California, live from Mumbai

A group of students at the University of California-San Diego are learning how to design technology for low- and middle- income families. But their instructor never shows up in the classroom. At least in person!

Derek Lomas, a graduate student at the same university, who went to India last year to work for QUALCOMM Inc., teaches a class called "Design for Development" via web from Mumbai.

The students can experience Mumbai through Lomas' eyes - this time, literally, as he walks around the crowded city wearing his special sunglass that records video. (spyglasses!)

From the official university press release:

“Design for Development: Developing Technologies for Developing Economies” meets once a week in Atkinson Hall, the headquarters of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), where Lomas is a researcher and gives his three-hour lectures via a webcam. The structure has been challenging, he admits. “I'm really used to being able to motivate students in person,” Lomas said. “This has been a major learning experience.” In order to keep the students engaged, Lomas decided to create a social networking site for the course. The website is a wet paint wiki page where students can set up personal profiles that showcase their pictures, interests and other personal information. Since Lomas created the site, the students have been far more participatory, he said.

ACADEMIA: Venky Narayanamurti, Harvard Engineering dean, to step down

Venkatesh "Venky" Narayanamurti, one of a handful of deans running schools at major U.S. universities, is stepping down as  dean of Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and returning to the faculty. In his 10 year run, he helped  turn what was a division of Harvard into a full-fledged school, making the faculty 50 percent larger than when he started and increasing sponsored research by 60 percent. From the Harvard Crimson:

Narayanamurti, one of the longest serving deans at Harvard, oversaw the transition of the Division of Engineering and Applied Science into a school last fall, a move he and other University officials billed as a sign of Harvard's heightened commitment to the applied sciences.

Narayanamurti was selected by former University President Neil L. Rudenstine and former Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles to build up Harvard's presence in the applied sciences.

“I actually strongly believe that Harvard would not be a great university without a strong program in applied sciences,” Narayanamurti said in an interview last year.

See his bio page. Post your comments below.

Earlier SAJAforum posts about academia and/or Harvard:

• EDUCATION: Yash Gupta to head new Johns Hopkins Biz School
• LISTS: The Harvard 100 - Most Influential Harvard Alumni

SCHOLARSHIPS: SAJA Scholarships + RMHC Scholarship Program

SAJA is offering $8,500 in scholarships this year to help students pursue careers in journalism. If you're a high school senior about to enter college; an undergraduate; or a student starting or continuing your graduate studies, and you're pursuing a journalism career, here's your chance to get help with your educational expenses.

For details about the 2008 SAJA Scholarships, visit http://www.saja.org/events/scholarship.html

The application deadline is, Friday, February 15.  Direct questions to
SAJA board member Monika Mathur: monikamathur [at] gmail

o o o o o

Friday, Feb. 15, is also the deadline for a major scholarship available for high school seniors with financial need: The Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarships:

As a part of the RMHC commitment to education, local RMHC Chapters, with support of RMHC Global, offer scholarships to eligible graduating U.S. high school seniors who face limited access to educational and career opportunities in their communities.

Scholarship awards are given based on a student’s demonstrated academic achievement, financial need and community involvement. Depending on strategic goals and community needs, participating local RMHC Chapters could specify additional selection criteria.
<snip>
RMHC/ASIA: Applicant must have at least one parent of Asian/Pacific-Islander heritage.

Post your comments below - including links to other scholarships you know about.

OBIT: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of TM, dies

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation and the guru of several celebrities of our time died at his home in Netherlands today. From The New York Times, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Spiritual Leader dies:

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who introduced transcendental meditation to the West and gained fame in the 1960s as the spiritual guru to the Beatles, died Tuesday at his home and headquarters in Vlodrop, the Netherlands. He is believed to have been in his 90s. Steven Yellin, a spokesman for the organization, confirmed the Maharishi’s death but did not give a cause.

On Jan. 11, the Maharishi announced that his public work was finished and that he would use his remaining time to complete a long-running series of published commentaries on the Veda, the oldest sacred Hindu text.

He was at the center of many controversies including his title, which is traditionally used by Brahmans (he belonged to a lower caste), his alleged sexual improprieties towards actress Mia Farrow and the TM technique Yogic Flying, which disciples complained never went beyond the first stage.

He founded Transcendental Meditation in the 1950s.

Known as TM, a trademarked name, the technique consists of closing one’s eyes twice a day for 20 minutes while silently repeating a mantra to gain deep relaxation, eliminate stress, promote good health and attain clear thinking and inner fulfillment. Classes today cost $2,500 for a five-day session.

The TM movement was a founding influence on what has grown into a multibillion-dollar self-help industry, and many people practice similar forms of meditation that have no connection to the Maharishi’s movement.

Over the years since TM became popular, many scientists have found physical and mental benefits from mediation in general and transcendental meditation in particular, especially in reducing stress-related ailments.

Since the technique’s inception in 1955, the organization says, it has been used to train more than 40,000 teachers, taught more than five million people, opened thousands of teaching centers and founded hundreds of schools, colleges and universities.

In the United States, the organization values its assets at about $300 million, with its base in Fairfield, Iowa, where it operates a university, the Maharishi University of Management. In 2001, disciples of the movement incorporated their own town, Maharishi Vedic City, a few miles north of Fairfield.

His following was diverse and included Clint Eastwood, David Lynch and Deepak Chopra, Donovan, and Mike Love of the Beach Boys. But his most famous disciples were the Beatles. Check out this video, with interviews and archival footage.

The Maharishi had established a multi-billion dollar global empire in his years of teaching and mentoring people.

Some 5 million people devoted 20 minutes every morning and evening reciting a simple sound, or mantra, and delving into their consciousness.

EDUCATION: Indian School of Business in global 100 rankings

The Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, which is affiliated with the Wharton, Kellogg and the London School of Business, has become the first South Asian school of business to make it to the Financial Times Global MBA Rangings. ISB came in at #20, ahead of such stalwart names as Kellogg, Cornell, UCLA, etc (schools like those do very well on the U.S. lists run by BusinessWeek, WSJ, etc). The ISB is, at 6 years old, the youngest school ever to make the list.

From a story about this in Mint by Aliyah Shahid, quoting the school's Indian-American chairman, Rajat Gupta, former head of McKinsey:

“ISB graduated its first class in 2002 with a vision to establish an internationally top ranked, research oriented B-school in India,” said Rajat Gupta, chairman of ISB. “I am extremely proud that the students, faculty and staff have achieved this in such a short time. I am also delighted ISB has brought such academic and international recognition to India.”

Of the top 20 schools, nine were from the US, while 11 were from the rest of the world. The top 5 schools were the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (US), London Business School (UK), Columbia Business School (US), Stanford University GSB (US), and Harvard Business School (US). <snip>
The rankings also revealed that the average relative salary for ISB’s alumni is $169,355 (Rs 66.72 lakh) per year, higher than at each of the top 19 schools. Purchasing power parity (PPP) rates published by the World Bank were used to convert salary data to dollar PPP equivalent figures. These currency conversions are applied in order to smooth out differences in purchasing power between different countries.

Here's a sidebar about the top 20 and their impact on earnings - featuring a student from India, Roshan Gaonkar, who is at the Columbia Business School.

Long-time SAJA member Reuben Abraham, who now teaches at ISB, is available to talk to journalists who have questions about the school: nebuer[at]gmail.com. Tell him SAJA sent you.

Post your comments below. I am surprised none of the Indian Institutes of Management made this list. I presume IITs would figure in a similar global ranking of technology schools. Does such a list exist? What about in other subject areas?

Speaking of the FT, be sure to read its "India & Globalisation" special report.

AWARDS: Indian-Americans in India's Republic Day honors

The President of India's Republic Day honors list, known as the Padma Awards (similar to the Queen's Birthday honors) has been announced on the eve of the country's Republic Day. See the full list here.

Several Indian American connections:

Padma Bhushan:

• Prof. Kaushik Basu, Cornell University
• Prof. Padma Desai, Columbia University (her husband and fellow Columbia professor Jagdish Bhagwati, was on this list in 2000).
• Vikram Pandit, CEO, Citibank
• Prof Srinivasa S R Vardhan, New York University
• Sunita Williams, NASA astronaut

Padma Sri:

• Sant Singh Virmani, renowned rice scientist
• Nirupam Bajpai, Columbia University
• Manoj Night Shyamalan, Film Director

Journalists with awards are:

• Barkha Dutt of NDTV, who spent part of her childhood in NYC and came back for her M.S. at Columbia Journalism School.
• Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN
• Vinod Dua, NDTV

Also see another set of Indian government awards, announced earlier in January, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman.

Additions, corrections, comments - please post below.

CORRECTION: I goofed, folks. An earlier version of misidentified one of the winners. Prof. T.K. Oommen is a professor of Sociology at JNU. He is not Prof. K.T. Oommen, head of the Manorama School of Journalism in Kottayam, Kerala. who worked for the AP in Los Angeles decades ago, and then has built multiple journalism schools around the world. Among his former students is SAJA member Raju Narisetti of Mint, formerly with the Wall Street Journal. The journalism professor certainly deserves this award. My apologies to both Oommens!

DESI SPOTTING: Kid embarrasses school official in snowstorm controversy

A kid in Virginia named Devraj Kori is getting loads of press over his Facebook (and YouTube) posting of an angry voicemail left on his phone by his school superintendent's wife.

Last Thursday, the student, Devraj "Dave" S. Kori, 17, called the listed home phone number for Dean Tistadt, chief operating officer of Fairfax County, Va., schools, and asked why he hadn't closed schools after an estimated 3 inches of snow fell.

Kori left his name and number, and Tistadt's wife returned the call. She apparently wasn't pleased, judging by her taped message, which Kori posted on a Facebook page.

"How dare you call us at home! If you have a problem with going to school, you do not call somebody's house and complain about it," Candy Tistadt snapped in her message. She also used the phrase "snotty-nosed little brats," and said, "Get over it, kid, and go to school!"

The incident has prompted a major discussion on privacy rights, and civility. Below is MSNBC's segment - click on it to hear the angry message (or click here to see the YouTube version, with over 129,000 views so far).

See other coverage of the fracas:

• The Washington Post: "In Cyberspace, Everyone Can Hear You Scream"
• The Associated Press: "No-Snow-Day Question gets Frosty Answer"
• The Charlottesville Daily Progress: "A Little More Civility, Please"
• Richmond TimesDispatch: "Your Tirade now has Global Consequences"
• Salon: "Virginia School's Web Scandalette: 'Get Over It, Kid!'"

DESI SPOTTING: Irfan Essa and Georgia Tech's "Journalism 3G" conference

Irfan Essa straddles two worlds - technology and media. He's an engineering professor at Georgia Tech who teaches courses that help connect computing and journalism, two worlds that are increasingly colliding and collaborating (learn more about him at IrfanEssa.com, from where I grabbed his card, below). If you know other folks doing this kind of work, e-mail saja[at]columbia.edu.

I see that he's organizing a major conference some of you might be interested in.

Journalism 3G: The Future of Technology in the Field
A Symposium on Computation + Journalism
Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, USA on February 22-23, 2008
http://www.computational-journalism.com

Between the advent of the printing press and the rise of the Internet, more than 500 years passed without another technological advancement that significantly empowered the voice of the people and changed the nature of journalism. Now, with the rise of blogs, digital video and citizen journalists, computing technologies continue to usher in monumental change - affecting the field of journalism right down to its core. Who's ready for this? How is the field adapting? And what are the implications for journalistic integrity? We plan to find out.

There's a terrific set of panels and speakers, including Krishna Bharat, creator of Google News and principal scientist at Google. See the full lineup below.

 

CRIME: Duke president's message about student's death

Duke University president Richard Brodhead has issued a statement about the killing of Abhijit Mahato, the Duke student who was killed on Jan. 18. It begins:

I write to share my great sadness over the sudden and senseless death of Abhijit Mahato, a graduate student in the Pratt School of Engineering, who was murdered in his off-campus apartment this weekend. Having spoken with Professor Tod Laursen, in whose lab Abhijit was making important contributions, I have a sense of his great promise and endearing character. I extend my sympathy to Abhijit's friends and colleagues and to all members of the Indian and Hindu community for this appalling loss. A celebration of his life will be held in Duke Chapel later this week.

Since news of Abhijit's death was first reported by the Durham Police, many people at Duke have been working to provide support. I am grateful to Professor Laursen and his Pratt colleagues and to our International House for reaching out to students, especially our many international students, at this painful time. The professional staff of CAPS is providing counselling to those who need assistance. I met today with representatives of the Indian Ambassador from Washington to express our grief and concern for Abhijit's friends and family in India.

The full message is below. Post your comments below (any leads on the crime itself?)