Jagadish Chennupati Among Indian American Innovators Named NAI Fellows

WASHINGTON — The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) elected Jagadish Chennupati of The Australian National University to its 2015 NAI Fellows on 15 December 2015.  The award recognizes innovators that have made positive contributions to the world and U.S. economy and includes: 27 Nobel laureates, 27 inductees to the National Inventors Hall of Fame and 32 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation and U.S. National Medal of Science.

The NAI described the election as “a high professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.”

The newly elected fellows will join 156 other scientific luminaries to be recognized at a formal induction on 15 April 2016 at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.

The NAI Fellows will be inducted on 15 Apr. 2016, as part of the Fifth Annual Conference of the National Academy of Inventors at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). 

About Dr.Jagadish Chennupati:

Born in Vallurupalem - Krishna District (Andhra Pradesh) Dr.Jagadish received the B.Sc. degree from Nagarjuna University, Guntur, India in 1977, the M.Sc(Tech) degree from Andhra University, Waltair, India in 1980 and the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Delhi, India in 1982 and 1986, respectively. He was a Lecturer in Physics and Electronics at S.V. College, University of Delhi, during 1985-88 and worked at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, during 1988-90 as a post-doctoral research fellow. He moved to Australia in 1990 and established a major research program in the field of optoelectronics and nanotechnology. He is currently a Distinguished Professor and Head of Semiconductor Optoelectronics and Nanotechnology Group in the Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, the Australian National University. He is also serving as Director of Australian National Facbrication Facility, ACT node and Convenor of the Australian Nanotechnology Network.  He holds honorary positions at  University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu; University of Tokyo, Anna University and Nanjing University.   He is serving as Vice-President and Secretary Physical Sciences of the Australian Academy of Science.  His research interests include compound semiconductor optoelectronics and nanotechnology.

Jagadish is a winner of 2000 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc (USA) (IEEE) Third Millennium Medal and a Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE Nanotechnology Council (NTC), IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society (LEOS) and IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS). He has published more than 820 research papers (550 journal papers), holds 5 US patents, co-authored a book, co-edited 6 books, guest edited 15 special issues of journals and edited 12 conference proceedings. Jagadish has served as President of the IEEE Nanotechnology Council  (2008 and 2009), Vice-President (Publications) of NTC (2004-2005), President-Elect of NTC (2007), Past-President (2010-2011) and Vice-President (Membership and Regional Activities- Asia-Pacific) of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society (2006 and 2007) and Vice-President (Finance and Administration) of IEEE Photonics Society (2012-14). He served as an elected member of EDS AdCom (1999-2004), and as Chair of Optoelectronic Devices Technical Committee of EDS (1998-2003) and Vice-President (Publications) of the IEEE Nanotechnology Council (2004-2005) and served as a member of the nanotechnology technical committee of EDS (2003-2005)and Chair of the NTC Nano-Optoelectronics, Nano-Optics and nano-photonics technical committee (2003-2006) and Chair of the NTC Awards Committee (2006-2008). He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (USA), the American Physical Society, the Materials Research Society, the Optical Society of America, the Australian Institute of Physics, the Institute of Physics (UK), the Institute of Nanotechnology (UK), SPIE-the International Society for Optical Engineering, Electrochemical Society, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, American Association for Advancement of Science, American Vacuum Society, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the Australian Academy of Science, Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Academecian of the Asia Pacific Academy of Materials, Fellow of the Elecromagnetics Academy and Honorary Member of Materials Research Society of India and a Fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors. Jagadish served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (2001-2005), as an Associate Editor of the IEEE/OSA Journal of Lightwave Technology(2003-2008) and an Editor of IEEE Electron Device Letters (2008-2014). He is currently serving as an Editor of Progress in Quantum Electronics (2008-2015),  an Editor of the Journal Semiconductor Technology and Science (2009-) and an Associate Editor of Applied Physics Reviews, an Associate Editor of Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics and Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology. He is a member of editorial boards of 19 journals. He chaired many conferences (Program Chair of IEEE NANO2003, San Francisco, Co-Chair ICONN 2006, Brisbane,  ICONN 2016, Canberra, Co-Chair, IEEE NMDC 2006, 2008, General Chair, IEEE Photonics Society Annual Meeting, 2010, Co-Chair of Materials Research Society Fall 2012 Meeting) and served on many international professional society committees. He advises high tech industries in Australia and overseas in the field of photonics and nanotechnology and collaborated with researchers from 25 different countries. He received Peter Baume Award (ANU's prestigious and highest award) for excellence in research and research leadership. He has also been awarded Australian Federation  Fellowship (2004-2009) and Australian Laureate Fellowship (2009-2014) by the Australian Research Council and Distinguished Professor position (since 2009) by the Australian National University. He received 2010 The Quantum Device Award from the International Symposium on Compound Semiconductors. He has been awarded IEEE Photonics Society 2010 Distinguished Service Award, 2011 IEEE Nanotechnology Council Distinguished Service Award, 2010 Top Supervisor Award for excellence in research student supervision by the Australian National University, Peter Baume award from the ANU, 2012 Electronics and Photonics Division award of the Electrichemical Society, Walter Boas Medal from the Australian Institute of Physics in 2013, 2015 IEEE Pioneer in Nanotechnology Award, 2015 IEEE Photonics Society Engineering Achievement Award and 2016 Silver Jubilee International Award from Materials Research Society of India.

Xavier Naidoo to represent Germany in Stockholm

Song chosen in a live show by televoting on February 18th

Hamburg, Germany One of Germany's most successful artists has been internally chosen represent his country in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest: Xavier Naidoo. Some of the most renowned songwriters and producers have been asked to prepare songs for him, the six best out of which will be presented in a national final on February 18th. The entry which Xavier Naidoo will sing on stage in Stockholm will be picked by the German TV viewers.

With 20 years of stage experience, all of his albums going gold or platinum, and several TV awards, Xavier Naidoo is undoubtedly on of the biggest stars of the German music scene. In 2016, he will add another items to his long list of achievements: He will represent Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest.

"Unser Song für Xavier" on February 18th

The song Xavier Naidoo will sing on stage in Stockholm has not been chosen yet - this important task remains for the German TV viewers. On February 18th, he will present six songs in a live show on the public TV channel Das Erste.

Three music experts, including Germany's latest Eurovision Song Contest winner Lena, will give their opinions on the songs during the show, but in the end, televoting will solely decide on the winning entry.

The best German composers and producers have been asked to submit their songs, with no restrictions on the language of the lyrics - they can be in German but also in English, for example. The six songs for the national final will be picked by a jury consisting of music experts on December 15th, with the involvement of Xavier Naidoo. 

After December 16th, the songs will be presented to students of film and art academies in order to prepare staging concepts for the performances. These ideas, too, will be used in the live show.

About Xavier Naidoo

Xavier Naidoo has shaped German pop music for two decades. His albums sold millions in Germany, they topped the charts for weeks, and they all reached gold or platinum status. Their success extends to Austria and Switzerland. His song Dieser Weg was the official sound track for the German national team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and thus was one of the most played songs of that year.

But Xavier Naidoo is not only a very successful musician - he also won several TV prizes. Currently he is touring Germany with his band Die Söhne Mannheims, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the group. 

"Xavier Naidoo is an exceptional artist, who has been well-known in the German music business for more than 20 years. This is why we decided to directly select him. The fact that Xavier has agreed to represent Germany in Stockholm is, at the same time, an obligation for us to create the best possible conditions for his performance. For that reason we have changed the selection procedure this year: We ask Germany's best producers and composers to write for Xavier. And by cooperating with students of film and art academia, we want to encourage young and creative people to develop staging and performance concepts for the Eurovision Song Contest. The success of Lena, Loreen and Måns Zelmerlöw have shown that not only the personality of the singers and the power of the songs play a key role in the voting but also the staging of the acts. I am happy about Xavier's commitment and courage to take part in this and about his trust in us. I am looking forward to exciting months ahead of us", explains Thomas Schreiber, entertainment coordinator of the German public broadcaster ARD.

Sri Vaishnavi Kolluri wins the 2015 NSW (Australia) Premier's Spelling Bee

The State Finals of the 2015 NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee were held last Saturday at the ABC Centre in Ultimo.

More than 130,000 young people from across NSW battled for the chance to put their spelling skills to the test since July; in the end, that number had become just 86, as finalists stepped up to the microphone in a non-stop spell-a-thon.

Words such as 'paprika' and 'dormouse' proved too tricky for the diminutive dictionary devourers, and soon there were only two left standing - Jessica Ashe from North Sydney Public School and Sri Vaishnavi Kolluri from Carlton South Public School. Sri Vaishnavi Kolluri who took the title with a loud and clear spelling of 'clairvoyant'.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to co-chair 2016 World Economic Forum meet

New Delhi: Indian-origin chief of Microsoft Satya Nadella will co-chair the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meet in January, an event that is likely to be attended by over 100 business leaders including billionaire brothers Mukesh and Anil.

More than 2,500 leaders from across the world, including from business, government and international organisations would be coming together for the WEF meeting to be held in Davos, from January 20-23 next year.

The theme of the meet would be 'Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution,' WEF said in a release today.

Apart from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, other co-chairs for the 2016 WEF meet would be General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Hitachi Chairman and CEO Hiroaki Nakanishi, Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam, International Trade Union Confederation's (ITUC) Secretary General Sharan Burrow and Al Bawsala Founder and Chair Amira Yahyaoui.

From India, over 100 business leaders and others are expected to participate in the meet. Those include Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Director Nita Ambani, Reliance Retail Ventures Director Isha Ambani, Reliance Jio Infocomm Director Akash Ambani, Reliance - Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group's Chairman Anil Ambani, State Bank of India (SBI) Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya and Godrej Group Chairman Adi B Godrej.

Others are Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal, CEO Cramer Ball, Ashok Leyland Executive Chairman Dheeraj G Hinduja, JSW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal, ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, Kotak Mahindra Bank Executive Vice-Chairman Uday Kotak, Mahindra & Mahindra Chairman Anand Mahindra, Wipro Chairman Azim Premji, Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka, Suzlon Energy Chairman Tulsi Tanti and Kedaara Capital Advisors LLP Managing Partner Manish Kejriwal.

Girl Scouts Honor Sruthi Tummala’s Service

Sruthi Tummala knows exactly when she fell in love with science and math — at her first Girl Scouts camp in eighth grade.

The Ursuline senior Sruthi Tummala was honored as a Young Woman of Distinction at the recent Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Women of Distinction Luncheon at The Hilton Anatole.

“It’s about moving forward and helping the next generation,” said Tummala. “Ursuline and the Girl Scouts are so Serviam-based. Ursuline has made me more self-confident and showed me leadership doesn’t have to be on a big scale. You can always make a difference.”

Tummala has been a Juliette Girl Scout member since 2012. With the help of Girl Scouts mentor Gerri Gordon, she earned her Gold Award after developing math and science curriculum for fourth graders at St. Monica. She also received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for her commitment to community service.

Tummala said she was inspired listening to luncheon keynote speaker Reshma Saujani, the CEO of Girls Who Code, a nonprofit committed to teaching girls computer skills and bridging the gender gap in the IT industry.

“She said it’s hard when you can’t see people like you in your field, but she’s exactly like me,” Tummala said. “That’s so nice.”

Tummala hasn’t decided where she’s going to college, but she wants to major in economics or entrepreneurship and pursue medical school. The president and founder of Ursuline’s National Science Honor Society and Entrepreneurship Club has also been an avid horseback rider since fifth grade. Her favorite class is psychology.

“I think the combination (of economics or entrepreneurship and medical school) will work well together when I start my own clinic,” Tummala said.

Indian American researcher Dr. Pavan Atluri-led team develops replacement tissues, organs

A team of bioengineers at Rice University and surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania, led in part by an Indian American scientist Pavan Atluri, have collaborated to create a new implant that could indicate medical technology may be on the cusp of developing replacement tissues and organs for transplantation.

The implant, which contains an intricate network of blood vessels, was created in a 3D printer using just sugar and silicone.

The researchers have recently released their findings in a study called “In vivo anastomosis and perfusion of a 3D printed construct containing micro-channel networks,” published in the journal Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods.

“They don’t yet look like the blood vessels found in organs, but they have some of the key features relevant for a transplant surgeon,” said Jordan Miller, professor of bioengineering at Rice and head of the bioengineering team. “We created a construct that has one inlet and one outlet, which are about 1 millimeter in diameter, and these main vessels branch into multiple smaller vessels, which are about 600 to 800 microns.

The team or surgeons from the University of Pennsylvania was led by Indian American Pavan Atluri, an assistant professor of surgery there.

Atluri’s group used Doppler imaging technology to team observe and measure blood flow through the construct and found that it withstood physiologic pressures and remained open and unobstructed for up to three hours.

“This study provides a first step toward developing a transplant model for tissue engineering where the surgeon can directly connect arteries to an engineered tissue,” Miller said. “In the future we aim to utilize a biodegradable material that also contains live cells next to these perfusable vessels for direct transplantation and monitoring long term.”

Apurva Kanneganti scores perfect on SAT and ACT creates record

GERMANTOWN, TN - Apurva Kanneganti, A Shelby County Schools student has accomplished two nearly-impossible feats, achieving perfect scores on both the ACT and SAT.

Germantown High School Senior Apurva Kanneganti scored a 36 on the ACT and a 2400 on the SAT. the scores which are rarely achieved. Born in Hyderabad, Apurva moved to US when she was just two-years. Her mother, Tirumala Devi Kanneganti is a professor at St. Jude’s Research Hospital in Memphis while her father, Kanneganti Sanjeev Rao is an IT professional.

Her mother hails from Kothagudem in Khammam, while father hails from Guntur.

"And in the future I want to be a physician, so helping out people is one of my major things,” Kanneganti said.

The college board which oversees testing said just 0.02 percent of students earn a perfect score on their SAT test, while ACT officials said about 0.06 percent make a perfect score on the ACT.

"Well, definitely they are not a piece of cake; I did study for them,” she said.

Kanneganti will be graduating from Germantown High School at the top of her class this year, and she’s only 16 years old.

Apurva is a member of the International Baccalaureate Program and president of five clubs at GHS. She credits her parents, both of whom work at St. Jude, with her success.

“They never told me you have to get a 36, you have to get all As. They just said ‘do your best.’”

She hopes to attend Harvard, but still considers herself a normal teenager.

Apurva also does a lot in the Indian community in Memphis, performing classical dance and organizing cultural activities.

"I just try to balance everything out so I'm not lame,” she said with a laugh. “I do have a lot of fun, but I just make sure that my academics are kind of where they should be as well.”

Colleges around the world are trying to recruit the teen. At last check, she has been offered more than $400,000 in scholarships.

Check this link for video: http://www.wsmv.com/clip/11976425/germantown-teen-scores-perfect-on-sat-and-act

AMD appoints Raja Koduri head of Radeon Graphics Group

AMD has announced that it is bundling its disparate graphics efforts into a single division, dubbed the Radeon Technologies Group, under freshly-promoted senior vice president and chief architect Raja Koduri.

Acquired by CPU specialist AMD back in 2006 for $5.4 billion, GPU maker ATI was rapidly absorbed by its new parent and found its technologies spread throughout the company. Rebranded simply as AMD, ATI's technologies can be found in embedded, consumer, enthusiast, and even server and high-performance computing products. This, however, has given the fiscally-challenged AMD a fresh issue: how to regain the focus the company once enjoyed as a separate entity.

AMD's solution: to bring the graphics division back under a single leader, Raja Koduri. The newly-formed Radeon Technologies Group will handle every aspect of graphics and GPGPU computing at the firm, with the 47 year old executive at the helm. It's far from Koduri's first rodeo: he has previously overseen the development of the High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) technology found in AMD's latest graphics products, and has been leading the company's LiquidVR initiative. Prior to rejoining AMD, Koduri worked as director of graphics architecture at Apple, and before that he was at ATI pre-acquisition and AMD post-acquisition.

'AMD is one of the few companies with the engineering talent and IP to make emerging immersive computing opportunities a reality,' crowed Koduri of the company that has just given him a hefty promotion. 'Now, with the Radeon Technologies Group, we have a dedicated team focused on growing our business as we create a unique environment for the best and brightest minds in graphics to be a part of the team re-defining the industry.'

'We are entering an age of immersive computing where we will be surrounded by billions of brilliant pixels that enhance our daily lives in ways we have yet to fully comprehend,' added Lisa Su, president and chief executive of AMD. 'AMD is well positioned to lead this transition with graphics IP that powers the best gaming and visual computing experiences today. With the creation of the Radeon Technologies Group we are putting in place a more agile, vertically-integrated graphics organization focused on solidifying our position as the graphics industry leader, recapturing profitable share across traditional graphics markets, and staking leadership positions in new markets such as virtual and augmented reality.'

The organising of the graphics division into a distinct entity is, however, likely to refresh rumours of a split that would see AMD spin off the Radeon Technologies Group - possibly even regaining its former name of ATI - in order to stem its growing losses. AMD has not, however, publicly commented on the likelihood of such a move.

Satya Nadella on Forbes' List of ‘Most Powerful People’

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, has made it to Forbes’ seventh annual list of “The World’s Most Powerful People.” The executive — the only Indian American on the list — ranked 61, moving up three spots from last year.

About Nadella, Forbes said: “Now in his second year as CEO, Satya Nadella is making strong progress re-establishing the $93.58 billion-in-revenues company as an innovator in tech. The company's new operating system, Windows 10, successfully launched in July; flashy new gadgets like the HoloLens augmented reality goggles made headlines, and new consumer hardware like the Surface Book earned rave reviews.”

Vineet Kosaraju has been selected as a 2015 Davidson Fellow

The Davidson Institute of Talent Development has announced the 2015 Davidson Fellows. Among the honorees is 16-year-old Vineet Kosaraju of Saratoga, Calif. Vineet won a $10,000 Davidson Fellows Scholarship for his project, Towards Rational RNA Therapeutics: 3D RNA Engineering in a Massive Open Laboratory. He is one of only 20 students from across the country to receive this honor.

Vineet’s project focused on RNA, which is found everywhere in life from humans to bacteria. This molecule is relevant to current research not only because it is so prevalent in life, but also because it can be used to fight disease such as vision degeneration, create RNA vaccines, destroy viral genes, and combat cancer. However, it is being underutilized because trial and error is currently the method of choice to find new RNA therapeutics. Vineet created an interface that allows for the design of accurate 3D RNA molecules. “My project focuses on fixing the limitations of 2D RNA structuring by creating an interface to design 3D RNAs and discovering its folding rules so that scientists can design RNAs without using expensive trial and error processes,” Vineet said. “By analyzing RNA designs synthesized in vitro, I was able to create three rules that govern the stability of the tertiary structure, the first of their kind.”

Vineet is a rising senior at The Harker School in San Jose, Calif. Apart from learning from the advanced coursework at his high school, he enjoys his Stanford lab work, and volunteering and teaching at MathAndCoding, a non-profit he co-founded. Vineet hopes to attend a college that has, among numerous academic and extracurricular offerings, a strong computer science curriculum with an undergraduate research program.

Vineet serves on his local congresswoman’s student advisory board, and participates in his school’s Honor Council and Research Club. In 2014, he was a Siemens Competition regional finalist and has participated in the USA Computing Olympiad Gold Division for the past couple of years. When he is not busy with school and research, Vineet enjoys hanging out with friends and family, playing the piano, and enjoying a round of golf with his brother.

Sreya Vemuri wins prestigious $25,000 prize for work in math, science

Judges were impressed by Sreya Vemuri's research into how light travels through optic fibers.

Sreya Vemuri never expected that her research into how light travels through optic fibers would yield a result, let alone a $25,000 prize.

The 17-year-old Carmel High School student said she was stunned to learn she was named one of the 2015 Davidson Fellows by the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a national organization devoted to nurturing intelligent youths and providing opportunities for them to develop their talents.

Vemuri is one of only 20 students across the country to receive this honor.

“I really just submitted it on a whim,” the senior said. “When I first started the research, I didn’t even expect to get results. I was really, really surprised when they informed me that I won.”

Vemuri, who has had a lifelong interest in math and science, said she is curious about the world, and that inquisitive spirit fueled her project. Vemuri’s work has applications in many areas of optics, such as making lasers, and has important applications in designing computers.

One of the judges who reviewed her work said it was on par with that of a college senior or graduate student, said Tacie Moessner, Davidson Fellows Scholarship program manager.

“One judge said that Sreya’s project is one of the best fundamental projects he’s ever reviewed — he’s been a judge for many years,” Moessner said. “Her application speaks truth about the quantum world, and that is of interest to any civilization, human or otherwise.

“That means it has huge implications for the future.”

Vemuri’s project stood out because of its subject matter, Moessner said. It was extremely complex and was a mathematical feat, she said.

“She was able to focus her research on this one particular problem and not get sidetracked or distracted by other things,” Moessner said. “She was able to have this narrow focus and delve deeply into it.”

Vemuri, who is the second Carmel student to place in the competition since 2011, said she’s undecided about where she’ll attend college and will use the $25,000 prize to help pay her tuition.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve done math competitions, and I’ve been fascinated by how you can solve such complex problems using mathematics,” she said. “I’ve discovered that it’s exciting to solve an unknown problem that no one knows the answer to.

“For a moment, you’re the only person in the world who knows this science and this knowledge.”

Dhivya Suryadevara in the list of Fortune's "40 Under 40"

Fortune announced its newest class of "40 Under 40" of the most influential young people in business (there's not a single repeat from last year). 

Five of the 40 personalities picked in Fortune’s '40 Under 40' 2015 list of the most influential young people in business, are of Indian origin. Although none of them is part of the bustling Indian startup ecosystem or business arena, two of them have made their mark in the American market as entrepreneurs.

These include - Dhivya Suryadevara (GM Asset Management). Dhivya Suryadevara, who is the highest ranked among the Indian origin pack at number 4, is vice-president of finance and treasurer, GM besides being CEO of GM Asset Management. The Harvard grad was CIO of General Motors (GM) Asset Management since 2013 and became its CEO in early 2014 where she manages $80 billion in assets across the automaker’s retirement plans. The 36-year-old, who hails from Chennai, joined the automaker, once the world's largest, in 2004 from UBS. 

Dr.Sreekant Cherukuri creates hearing aids to fit low-price niche

Ear, nose and throat doctor Sreekant Cherukuri found that some of his patients couldn’t fork over thousands of dollars for the hearing aids he had available, so he made a new one.

Six years later, his direct-to-consumer company MDHearingAid has 22 employees, a manufacturing facility in Detroit and three options for hearing aids that cost less than $600.

The size of his business pales compared with large hearing aid makers such as Sonova, Siemens and Starkey Hearing Technologies. But Cherukuri said he thinks his product brings sorely needed price transparency and choice to the market. Now, he says he’s working to make his products better and cheaper.

MDHearingAid’s employees work out of a Chicago operations office and the manufacturing facility, and the company plans to continue hiring, Cherukuri said.

“Based on my research and interaction with patients, (I realized) if we made a one-size-fits-most, pretty good hearing aid that’s user-adjustable, we could actually do it, and do it at a cost-effective price point,” he said.

Custom-fit hearing aids typically cost $1,000 to $6,000 for a pair, and most insurance companies don’t cover them, according to Consumer Reports.

MDHearingAid now offers three options — at $199.99, $349.99 and $549.99 per ear. Users can adjust the aids based on their needs or environment, Cherukuri said.

“We’ve positioned ourselves not as the hearing aid of choice,” he said. “The best solution is a custom fit, but that’s going to cost you some money. The second-best option is an affordable hearing aid.”

MD Hearing Aid- The Doctor's Choice for Affordable Hearing Aids

Dr. Cherukuri was an attending physician in otolaryngology and found most patients couldn't afford hearing aids.

MDHearingAid’s devices are direct-to-consumer, meaning consumers don’t need to see a professional to purchase them. Buyers must click a box indicating MDHearingAid has advised them that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the State of Illinois have determined their “best interest would be served” if they received a medical evaluation before purchasing a hearing instrument.

Customers are not required to take a hearing test to purchase aids through the company. They can, however, take a test and send it to the company's licensed hearing aid dispensers, audiologists and ear, nose and throat doctor, who can make recommendations, Cherukuri said.

More expensive hearing aids are often bundled in special features and professional services such as fitting and adjustments, said Todd Ricketts, a board member of the American Academy of Audiology and a Vanderbilt University Medical Center professor of hearing and speech sciences.

“A professional is not just evaluating hearing loss; they’ll evaluate the shape, geometry and size of ear,” he said. “They’ll also evaluate listening needs: Where are you having problems? What types of situations?”

The reaction from the hearing community to the direct-to-consumer hearing aid market is a notable parallel to the optometric community’s view on Chicago-based Opternative, which this year began offering online refractive exams to consumers.

Andrew Bopp, executive director for the Hearing Industries Association, said professional examinations can determine whether there’s a medical reason for hearing loss, whether it’s as simple as impacted earwax or a more serious condition.

“You should always see somebody,” Bopp said.

Five industry groups related to the hearing aid industry, including the American Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, expressed caution in 2012 about a growing trend of direct-to-consumer hearing aids. Other examples include aids from America Hears, HearSource and Hi HealthInnovations.

“While we appreciate the desire of persons, companies, and organizations to reach more individuals in need of hearing aids, our organizations believe that patients must have access to a comprehensive hearing evaluation performed by a hearing health professional, be appropriately fitted by an individual licensed/registered in the state to dispense hearing aids, and have access to auditory rehabilitation and counseling to ensure appropriate fit and use of the hearing aid device,” the groups said in a statement.

Another group, the Hearing Loss Association of America, took a different stance on direct-to-consumer services.

“Our stance is to give innovative programs such as this one a chance,” Brenda Battat, the group's executive director at the time, said in a 2012 statement regarding an online hearing test offered by UnitedHealthcare’s hi HealthInnovations.

Though the group said it always encouraged consumers to work with professionals when purchasing hearing aids, “… because of the multitude of approaches available to consumers to address their specific health care needs today and because not all individuals will need the same level of care HLAA is recommending caution with trying to shut down innovative models that might be a viable alternative for some people."

Cherukuri said he also recommends customers receive a hearing test before purchasing aids. But he said his company gives consumers the option of a quality product for less than the industry-average price.

“I can say a large percentage of our customers (if not vast majority) have had a hearing test, experienced the sticker shock and come to us for their needs,” he wrote in an email to Blue Sky.

The rise of the Indian-American comedian: Hari Kondabolu

“Rice, laughs and curry sauce.” That was the description one student at Skidmore College, a small liberal arts college in upstate New York, used to describe Indian-American comedian Hari Kondabolu’s routine.

But to pigeonhole Hari Kondabolu as a comedian who jokes about his ethnicity misses the valuable contribution that he and other Indian-American comedians represent in today’s political landscape. 

During his comedic performances at the Goodnights Comedy Club Thursday through Saturday evening, Kondabolu used his comedic arsenal to tackle a host of sociopolitical topics, using jokes to talk about race relations, women’s rights and immigration, among other topics. 

It’s nothing new that comedians use their medium to tackle sociopolitical topics, especially in an era that has produced Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Larry Wilmore and John Oliver.

But Kondabolu is just one of the members of the group he refers to as the “Indian Illuminati” of comedians, which also includes actor and comedian Kalpen Modi, known by his stage name Kal Penn; “Daily Show” correspondents Aasif Mandvi and Hasan Minhaj; Aziz Ansari, who played a significant role on “Parks and Recreation” and had a successful comedy solo career; and stand-up comedian Russell Peters, who is actually Indo-Canadian, but probably can be credited with raising the profile of comedians with Indian and South Asian heritage in comedy. 

All of these comedians have embraced political and social justice in their material, and often times it is that which drives the rest of their comedy. 

The most tangible example of the embrace of political engagement certainly comes from Kal Penn, who worked in President Barack Obama’s administration as an associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement from 2009-2011, with a special emphasis of outreach to members of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities. Penn also went on to become a National Campaign Co-Chair for Obama’s reelection effort in 2012.

The dramatic rise of the Indian-American comedian has been naturally attributed to the rise of Indians and Indian-Americans now living in the United States, but I believe their rise as a group can be tied to a more powerful reason than that: the willingness of many of these comedians to align themselves with those least advantaged in society. Through their humor, they have found a place to defend Muslims, women, the LGBT community and immigrants of all colors and ethnicities, among others. 

Kondabolu, for one, has spoken at some length about his “obsession with race.”

“I don’t think I’m obsessed with race,” Kondabolu told NPR in a 2014 interview. “It’s part of my lived experience and my day-to-day and the history of this country. Certainly when I look at things, I see things in terms of a racial angle [and] I spot things maybe faster than other people maybe because I pay close attention to it.”

The title of Kondabolu’s album,“Waiting for 2042,” also pokes fun at the fears of Americans of the impending 2042, the year in which the U.S. Census Bureau predicts that Americans who identify themselves as Hispanic, black, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander will cumulatively outnumber non-Hispanic whites.

In today’s political atmosphere where the leading Republican candidate for presidency has fed off the racism and fears of white Americans and has only grown more popular after calling Mexican immigrants “rapists” and “killers” while one of the other front runners has said he believes that a Muslim shouldn’t be president of the United States, it is perhaps comedians who may be the best foot soldiers in the war against intolerance.

Panda Shivalinga Prasad elected to Alberta State (Canada) Assembly

The first provincial byelection since NDP Rachel Notley’s victory in Alberta goes to the conservative Wildrose party.

The third time was the charm for Shivalinga Prasad Panda as he won the Calgary-Foothills (Alberta - Canada) byelection on Thursday, delivering a major breakthrough for the Wildrose Party — and the first major blow to Premier Rachel Notley’s NDP.

Shivalinga Prasad was born at Sangam Jagarlamudi village in Guntur district. He studied Intermediate at AG & SG College in Vuyyur and obtained engineering degree from Siddharhta Engineering College at Vijayawada.

Panda, who ran and lost for Wildrose in the 2012 and 2015 provincial elections, took an early lead over the NDP’s Bob Hawkesworth and held it as the votes rolled in throughout the night, eventually winning by 1,607 votes over his nearest opponent.

With all 66 polls reporting, Panda had captured 38 per cent of the vote, with Hawkesworth trailing at 26 per cent. Progressive Conservative Blair Houston was close behind in third place with 22 per cent of the votes cast.

Panda, a 50-year-old senior manager at Suncor who edged out two other candidates for the Wildrose nomination, positioned his party in the campaign as defenders of Alberta jobs.

Tech Guru: Raja Koduri

The Telugu makers of the epic Indian fantasy film Baahubali knew that they would need the most modern technologies and tonnes of processing power. To that effect they found another Telugu man who could bring their dreams of massive computers to life. Raja Koduri, corporate vice-president of Visual Computing at AMD, made Baahubali possible from behind the screens and who is making the Virtual Reality experience of the film possible on VR headsets like Oculus Rift. Koduri has a Master of Technology degree from IIT Kharagpur and started his career at S3 Inc. As AMD’s chief technology officer of Graphics Product Group  and as a director of the Advanced Technology Development, Koduri is credited with making the company a worldwide leader in graphics products. He left AMD in 2009 to join Apple to lead their Graphics Architecture team as a Director and helped the company develop very efficient graphics chips Now back at AMD, he is spearheading the company in becoming a major player in the Virtual Reality revolution.

Chaithra Katamneni wins Junior Texas Open Golf Tournament

SAN ANTONIO — Chaithra Katamneni of Coppell, Texas, wins after shooting a final-round 2-over-par 74 for a tournament total of 9-over-par 225 on the AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio.

Katamneni carded three birdies on the day, including one on the 303 yard par 4 No. 17 to seal the victory.

“Later on in the round is when I really started to calm down,” Katamneni said. “Once I did that, I was able to make some pars and a couple birdies.”

She will be competing in two other AJGA events this summer before starting her college career at the University of Nevada in the fall. The win is her first in four years of AJGA competition and she feels her confidence has returned.

“It feels so great to get this win. This course is really hard and I feel great just getting around the course,” Katamneni said. “I had been struggling for a little while and now I know that I can compete and hang in there with the pressure situations.”

Guna Sekhar Muppuri successful NRI Entrepreneur

A Physician, by profession graduated from the class of 1986-1991 at S.V. University Medical College, Tirupati-India. Later he migrated to Jamaica in early 1992 and since then, he worked in various capacities as a medical officer in the health care system of Jamaica between private and public sector entities. A compassionate and caring physician with over 20 years of medical experience in Jamaica and 8 years of experience as an entrepreneur in the field of pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Guna Sekhar Muppuri is a visionary principal founder and CEO of Indies Pharma Ja Ltd and under his able stewardship the organization has become a force to reckon with in the generic pharmaceuticals branding and distribution in Jamaica.

Dr. Guna Muppuri is a well established & successful entrepreneur in diversified industries ranging from pharmaceuticals, health care/medical education to heavy metals manufacturing industry. Dr. 

Muppuri is also the Co-Founder & Promoter of GMP Greenfield India Pvt Ltd, ECOAMIGOS GMP Caribbean, Bioprist Pharmaceuticals NA LLC, Bioprist Labs Americas Ltd. Dr. Muppuri will be taking over the responsibility of president of the upcoming International Health Sciences University in order to design & establish the road for a world class Medical & Health Sciences University in the Caribbean. 

Dr. Guna Muppuri was given the FIRST Good Physician of the Year Award by the Medical Association of Jamaica in 2008, he was the National Winner of the 2009 NCB Innovation Award

Dr.Venkata Kolli win American Psychiatry Association MindGames quiz

Three Indian origin doctors, two of them having roots in the region, have brought laurels for the country by winning the American Psychiatry Association Mind Games Quiz competition held at Toronto recently. This is the first time in the history of this quiz since its inception in 2007 that three Indian origin doctors formed the team and emerged victorious over doctors from New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia Campus) and New York Presbyterian Hospital (Cornell Campus) in USA.

The winning participants in the "Jeopardy"-like quiz competition were Venkata Kolli, M.D., Varun Monga, M.D., and Rohit Madan, M.D. They won with an exciting, come-from-behind victory after wagering 3,000 points on the final MindGames question and giving the correct answer to "Name the brain region activated when an individual is in a resting state." (Answer: Default Mode Network).

Dr Venkata Kolli is from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. He received his medical degree from the NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. He also trained in the United Kingdom.

A road named after Veerasamy Naidu in Singapore

Veerasamy Road - Little India/ Singapore

Veerasamy Road was renamed twice in its history; it was originally called Inche Lane, and was renamed Jalan Tambah in 1910. In 1927, the road was renamed again as Veerasamy Road, in honour of Dr N. Veerasamy Naidu (1865-1926), one of Singapore’s first Indian doctors and a leader in the local Indian community.

After his education at Raffles School, Dr Veerasamy became a medical practitioner for 40 years. He was later appointed as a Municipal Commissioner and Justice of Peace. Dr Veerasamy was buried at his family burial ground at Bedok after his death in 1926.

It was only in 1912 that the first Hindu public Holiday was granted to the Indian community by the government. This was for Deepavali,57 but it was notlegislated as an annual affair. The first LegislatedHindu Public Holiday came in 1914 when the Hindu community was given a say to choose between Deepavali or Thaipusam. In a meeting of the Hindu Association, presided by Dr Veerasamy.