Two Indian Americans Neil Garg, and Nagambal Shah along with six others were selected as winners of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Awards 2023 in eight categories that recognize scientists, engineers, innovators and public servants for their contributions to science and society.
A distinguished professor and department chair of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, Garg is the recipient of the 2023 AAAS Mani L. Bhaumik Award, which recognizes scientists and engineers who demonstrate excellence in their contribution to public engagement with science, according to a statement by AAAS.
He was recognised for the “creative and inspiring tools” he has developed to meaningfully increase public engagement with science, according to the award selection committee.
Reacting to the news, Garg said, “I am especially grateful to AAAS and the visionary scientist and philanthropist Dr Bhaumik for recognizing the importance of public engagement in the sciences.”
Nagambal Shah, professor emerita at Spelman College, a historically Black women’s college, was selected as the recipient of the 2023 AAAS Lifetime Mentor Award. The award recognises Shah's career-long dedication to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in mathematics through both directly mentoring students and pioneering initiatives to make the field of mathematics and statistics more inclusive.
Mathematician Shah said, “I am so proud and humbled to receive this unique award — thank you, AAAS.”
Among the winners was Uma Shankar Singh, an Indian plant pathologist who received the 2023 AAAS David and Betty Hamburg Award for Science Diplomacy for work on seed exchange agreements in Southeast and South Asia.
On the selection, Singh, who is currently the Asia & Africa Advisor for Research and Partnerships at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said “This recognition of Seeds Without Borders by AAAS will go a long way in expanding agreements like this to cover more countries—particularly in Africa and the Pacific.”
In eight categories of awards, six of the awards include a prize of US$5,000, while the AAAS David and Betty Hamburg Award for Science Diplomacy awards the winning individual or team US$10,000 and the AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize awards the winning individual or team US$25,00, AAAS shared.
