Teen science prodigy receives PM Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

Mangaluru: Sindhoora Raja, 16, a science enthusiast and innovator from Ullal, currently pursuing her education in Bengaluru, was awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, India's highest civilian award for children, on Thursday. She received the award for Innovation from President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. She also had an opportunity to interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sindhoora is the daughter of Raja T and Shibani Raja. According to her mother, she earned numerous accolades for herself and the country. She was named a World Science Scholar for her scientific pursuits, during which she took courses and worked on projects under Nobel laureates and Breakthrough Prize winners. She also interacted with scientists at the World Science Festival held in New York in May 2024, claimed Shibani. She later collaborated with Johns Hopkins University and Wolfram Research on a project involving the pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. This fungus affects immunocompromised individuals, causing 200,000 deaths globally. Her research focused on how calcium interactions within the sugar capsule of yeast enable it to evade the immune system. Her study also examines structural preferences in these sugars and provides insights into antifungal therapeutic strategies. This research won her a grand award at the IRIS (Innovation for Research and Innovation in STEM) National Fair, earning her a spot to represent India at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, known as the Olympics of Science, in Columbus, Ohio, USA, in May 2025, conducted by the Society for Science, she said. Sindhoora also developed a brain-age prediction model that calculates the risk of developing dementia using structural and cerebrovascular features, a novel and previously unexplored aspect. This work won her first prize and a 2,000 Euro grant at the Future Port Awards in Prague, Czech Republic. She was also awarded the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Ignited Mind Award 2024 in recognition of her achievements and was acknowledged in the ATL Marathon. Additionally, she received a fellowship from the Motwani-Jadeja Foundation to travel to Mexico to represent India at the FAB24 conference, conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Centre for Bits and Atoms and the FAB Foundation, she said. Moreover, Sindhoora discovered an asteroid named OG15-2023 in collaboration with NASA, which was mapped by the Minor Planet Center. As part of CSIR-Jigyasa, she worked at CSIR-Fourth Paradigm Institute on a holistic approach to Parkinson's disease. She also won a bronze medal at the International Mathematical Championship conducted by the European Mathematical Society, Shibani said. The Union ministry of women and child development celebrated and commemorated ‘Veer Bal Diwas' and distributed ‘Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar'. The President conferred the award on 17 children from 14 states/ UTs for exceptional achievements in seven categories: Art & Culture, Bravery, Innovation, Science & Technology, Social Service, Sports, and Environment. Sindhoora is an alumna of New Horizon Public School, Indiranagar and subsequently joined National Public School, Indiranagar.
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