Six scholars, including two women, win Infosys Prize 2024
Bengaluru: Two women scientists are among the six winners of the Infosys Prize 2024 for Economics, Engineering and Computer Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences, announced on Thursday by the Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) in Bengaluru.
The award was instituted by ISF in 2009.
The two women, who have been selected for the award this year, are Neena Gupta for Mathematical Sciences and Vedika Khemani for Physical Sciences.
Gupta, Professor in the Theoretical Statistics and Mathematics Unit at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, was awarded for her work on the Zariski Cancellation Problem, a fundamental problem in algebraic geometry first posed in 1949 by Oscar Zariski, one of the founders of modern algebraic geometry.
According to a statement released by ISF, she proved the striking result that Asanuma’s three-dimensional affine variety yields a negative answer to Zariski’s original Cancellation Problem in positive characteristic, in 2014.
Khemani, Associate Professor in the Physics Department at Stanford University, has been recognised for her wide-ranging and groundbreaking contributions to theoretical and experimental non-equilibrium quantum matter, most notably the discovery of time-crystals.
Arun Chandrasekhar, Professor, Department of Economics, Stanford University, won the Economics Prize for his contribution to the study of social and economic networks, using innovative data sets and drawing on theoretical methods from machine learning and computer science.
Engineering and Computer Science Prize is to be awarded to Shyam Gollakota, Professor, School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington for his research in societally relevant areas such as smartphone-based affordable healthcare tools for low- and middle-income countries, battery-free computing and communication, and augmentation of human auditory sensing with artificial intelligence.
The Infosys Prize 2024 in Humanities and Social Sciences goes to Mahmood Kooria, Lecturer, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, for his seminal contributions to the study of maritime Islam in a global perspective, with particular focus on Kerala in the pre-modern and early modern eras.
The Life Sciences Prize goes to Siddhesh Kamat, Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, for his discoveries concerning bioactive lipids, their receptors, and their metabolic and signaling pathways.
Speaking at the event organised to announce the award, Kris Gopalakrishnan, President, Infosys Science Foundation said the Infosys Prize has played a pivotal role in recognising brilliant minds whose contributions are shaping the future of research and science.
“This year, we refocused on early career researchers under the age of 40, recognising their immense potential and the promise of paradigm-changing work,” he added.
The prize for each category comprises a gold medal, a citation, and a prize purse of $100,000 (or its equivalent in INR). Narayana Murthy was also present at the event that was hosted at ISF’s office in Bengaluru.
According to the press note issued by ISF, previous laureates of the Infosys Prize, one of the biggest prizes announced in India, have gone on to receive several prestigious international awards, including the Nobel Prize (Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo), the Fields medal (Manjul Bhargava and Akshay Venkatesh), the Dan David Prize (Sanjay Subrahmanyam), the MacArthur ‘genius’ Grant (Sunil Amrith), the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (Ashoke Sen), and the Marconi Prize (Hari Balakrishnan).
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
4th T20I: Brilliant Samson, magnificent Tilak score tons, India post mammoth 283/1 against SA
Johannesburg, Nov 15: Sanju Samson's precision met its match in Tilak Varma's muscular elegance as India toyed with South African bowling attack to post an imposing 283 for 1 in the fourth and final T20 International here on Friday.
This is by far India's highest T20I total overseas and highest by any country on South African soil.
Among the plethora of records that tumbled, the most special one will be two Indian batters scoring centuries in same T20I innings. Samson and Varma also posted the highest partnership for India in T20 Internationals --- 210 off just 93 balls for the second wicket.
Samson (109 not out off 56 balls), who smashed a superb century in the first game, once again pummelled the Proteas in company of Varma (120 not out off 47 balls) who has really come into his own with new found confidence and vigour at number three.
Samson now has three T20I tons in the last five knocks which also included two ducks while Varma has scored back-to-back T20I tons.
Samson completed his ton in 51 balls while Varma's (41 balls) took 10 balls less.
Abhishek Sharma (36 off 18 balls) should also get his share of credit for upping the ante in the Powerplay with four huge sixes.
On a good batting track with true bounce on offer, Indian batters hit a record 23 sixes as it was possible to hit through the line by just clearing one's front leg. Samson's nine maximums was one less than Varma's 10.
It only helped India that the opposition's best fast bowler Gerald Coetzee seemed to be carrying a niggle. The two medium pacers Andile Simelane (0/47 in 3 overs) and Lutho Sipamla (1/58 in 4 overs) seemed like lambs for slaughter. The Indians hit 10 sixes from Simelane and Sipamla.
By the time Coetzee was brought by skipper Aiden Markram for his second spell, the damage was done. Such was the nervousness of South African bowlers that they bowled 17 wides in trying to check the momentum.
They didn't vary the pace and pitched it on length as Samson and Varma were severe, either hitting them inside out over extra cover or at times straight down the ground.
Even Keshav Maharaj and Tristan Stubbs were not left unpunished as there was everything on the platter -- cuts, pulls, slog sweeps, reverse sweeps. There wasn't a single corner of the ground that didn't feel the power of strokes from the two Indians.
In fact one of Samson's shots hit a lady spectator's cheek. The TV cameras caught her sobbing in considerable pain.
Samson was more muscle as he would slightly shuffle towards leg-stump and loft the length balls while the silken Varma would make a mockery of spinners with uppish sweep shots, stand and deliver down the ground hits.
They slowed down a touch nearing their milestones but by then they had done enough to deflate the Proteas.
