Two women scientists get prestigious Nayudamma Award

Two women scientists, Geeta Vardan and Tessy Thomas have won the prestigious “Y Nayudamma Memorial Award” for 2014.

Tessy is a Director at the ‘Advanced Systems Lab of Defense Research & Development Organization’ Hyderabad and also Project Director for Mission Agni V. On the other hand, Geeta is the Director at the ‘Advanced Data Processing Research Institute’ at ISRO.

The researchers will be awarded by ex-chief of ‘National Commission for Protection of Child Rights’ and Ramon Magsaysay winner Shanta Sinha at the ceremony organized in Tenali in Andhra Pradesh on March 1, 2015.

Varadan and Thomas will also be delivering lectures in memory of Y Nayudamma Memorial on the subjects- Remote Sensing Technology for National Needs and Make in India, Defense needs & Initiatives, respectively.

The Founder and Management Trustee of Nayudamma Memorial Trust, Mr. P Vishnu Murthy said in a press release that this is the first time in the history of this trust that two prominent female scientists are being awarded such high honor.

This trust had also honored Ms. V Shanta from “Adyar Cancer Research Institute”, earlier.

The Y Nayudamma Memorial Award was conceptualized in the year 1986, in fond memory of the Global scientist & Ex-Director General of CSIR, Y Nayudamma.

Some of the prominent technocrats & scientists who have been honored with this award in the past are Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, Rajendra Pawar, Sam Pitroda, Nori Dattatreyudu, Lalji Singh, T. Ramasami, V. Shanta, A. Sivathanu Pillai, and V.K. Saraswat.