2 Indian-Americans selected for Virginia scientist award

WASHINGTON: Two Indian-American researchers have been selected for Virginia's top science award for their contribution and deep commitment towards the betterment of human health globally.

Arun J Sanyal

and

Parthik Naidu

are among six people selected by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam for the 2018 Outstanding STEM Awards.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

While Sanyal has developed training programmes in liver disease diagnosis and treatment, Naidu, 18, has developed a machine learning software to study 3D interactions of the cancer.

Celebrating the academic excellence and entrepreneurial spirit of these Virginians helps showcase how STEM innovations tie in to our everyday lives, said Governor Northam.

It also highlights the profound contribution that STEM makes to Virginia families and our economy. I thank these extraordinary awardees and everyone who works hard to make Virginia a leader in these important fields, Northam said.

Sanyal is a pioneer in identifying the mechanisms, clinical outcomes and management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NASH) and metabolic syndrome, a disease of increasing prevalence and global consequences.

To address this, he has developed training programmes in liver disease diagnosis and treatment, and works to incorporate them in primary care settings.

He was selected for the Virginia Outstanding Scientist award for his deep commitment to the betterment of human health globally via science, education and public policy.

Naidu was selected as a STEM Phenom for his sharing of knowledge with others to inspire those around him to become change makers in addition to his application of STEM principles, a statement said.

He developed a machine learning software to study 3D interactions of the cancer when he was 17 years old.

The computational tool called DNALoopR is faster, less expensive and more accurately analyses the biological patterns of cancer DNA than laboratory tools that currently exist.

DNALoopR gives unprecedented insight into the inner workings of cancer, thus helping doctors create personalised treatments for millions of patients.

Naidu is currently a freshman at

Stanford University

studying computer science.