The Council of Science and Technology, Uttar Pradesh honoured Dr. Riaz Ahmad, Lecturer at Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), with ‘Young Scientist Award’ yesterday. The award has been given to Dr. Ahmad in recognition of his contributions in the area of Biochemical and Molecular Genetics. Besides cash prize of Rs. 25,000/, award carries a certificate, memento and a shawl.
The award was presented to Dr. Riaz Ahmad by Mr. Abdul Mannan, the State Minister for Science and Technology at the Vigyan Samaroh at Sir C.V. Raman Auditorium in Lucknow.
Dr. Ahmad is also a recipient of prestigious Dr. D. S. Kothari Post Doctoral Fellowship from UGC, Young Scientist Project of DST and Scientist of the Year Award-2009 given by the National Environmental Science Academy.
He has a number of research papers to his name published in various scientific journals of national and international repute.
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Indian Muslim / by TCN News / March 30th, 2010
A team from SKUAST-Kashmir with country’s first gene-edited sheep.
In a landmark achievement in the field of animal biotechnology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Kashmir, has successfully produced India’s first gene-edited sheep. University officials are calling it a “historic milestone” in genetic research and livestock development.
“This is a major breakthrough at the national level. It is the first of its kind in India, and everyone at the university is thrilled,” said Dr Riyaz Ahmad Shah, Professor of Animal Biotechnology, who led the expert team behind the project.
Dr Shah revealed that a female gene-edited lamb was born four months ago. The team specifically targeted the myostatin gene, which regulates muscle growth, making changes at the embryonic level. “The gene editing was carried out using CRISPR-Cas9 technology,” Shah explained. This revolutionary tool has broad applications in medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology. Importantly, he noted, “The edited sheep contains no foreign DNA,” distinguishing it from transgenic organisms and easing its path under India’s evolving biotech regulatory framework.
“All international biosafety protocols were strictly followed throughout the process,” he added.
The university views this achievement as a major step in placing India on the global map of advanced genome editing technologies. It also positions SKUAST-Kashmir at the forefront of reproductive biotechnology research.
Experts say the lamb’s muscle growth is expected to be enhanced due to the gene editing, although a few years of observation will be required to fully understand the differences between the edited lamb and a normal one.
Notably, Dr Shah and his team were also behind the creation of “Noori,” India’s first cloned Pashmina goat, in 2012. Noori lived for 11 years before passing away in 2023.
Vice Chancellor of SKUAST-Kashmir, Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, recently briefed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha about the development. “This is not just the birth of a lamb, but the birth of a new era in livestock genetics in India,” Prof Ganai remarked.
University officials said the Lieutenant Governor praised the team’s efforts and their contribution to advancing scientific research in the region.
Looking ahead, the university plans to produce more gene-edited sheep. “We’re exploring possibilities in other areas like twin births and disease resistance,” said Shah. “For now, we are closely monitoring the lamb for safety and other parameters. Everything is normal so far.”
The team is also in the process of selecting a name for the pioneering lamb. “We’ll announce it soon,” Shah said.
source: http://www.tribuneindia.com / The Tribune / Home> Jammu & Kashmir / by Adil Akhzer / May 27th, 2025
Prof Saira Mehnaz with other participants during the AI-Based Medical Education Research at International Conference
Aligarh:
Prof Saira Mehnaz, Department of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), presented an innovative research paper at the International Conference on Advancements in Data, Information, and Systems (ICADIS) 2025, hosted by Noida International University.
Dr. Mehnaz’s paper, titled “AI-Augmented Assessment of a Medical Foundation Course: A Mixed-Method Study,” attracted widespread attention for its pioneering application of AI in medical education. The study evaluated a week-long foundation course for 150 first-year MBBS students at JNMC, aimed at strengthening communication, teamwork, ethics, and academic preparedness among new medical learners.
Using a mixed-method approach, the research combined quantitative student feedback with qualitative reflections, analysed through Rolfe’s reflective model and NVivo software. The integration of AI tools enabled adaptive feedback, more precise evaluation of learning outcomes, and data-driven improvements in curriculum design.
The presentation stimulated engaging discussions among international delegates about the growing role of AI in competency-based and reflective medical education.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News> Report / by Radiance News Bureau / October 27th, 2025
Adiba receiving the Prestigious APS Distinguished Student Award
Aligarh:
Adiba, a PhD student in Physics at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has been honoured with the Distinguished Student Award by the American Physical Society (APS) at the APS March Meeting 2025 in Anaheim, California.
Instituted in 2015, the award recognises exceptional early-career researchers from outside the U.S. and supports their participation in APS’s flagship meetings.
Adiba, working under the supervision of Prof Tufail Ahmad, is conducting cutting-edge research on Resistive Random Access Memory (ReRAM) devices for neuromorphic computing – an emerging frontier in physics and artificial intelligence. Her work earned her the prestigious award for outstanding contributions to the field.
Beyond research, she leads as President of the International Centre for Muslim Women in Sciences (ICMWS), championing science education among young women.
Expressing her gratitude to AMU for its role in her success, Adiba said, “Receiving this recognition from APS makes me feel incredibly proud and motivates me to strive even harder.”
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News> Research> Science & Technology / by Radiance News Bureau / April 08th, 2025
Tamkeen Fatima, a past student of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has been selected as Scientist ‘B’ by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Ministry of Defence, Government of India
Aligarh Muslim University:
Tamkeen Fatima, a past student of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has been selected as Scientist ‘B’ by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
Tamkeen Fatima is a recent M.Tech. graduate from the Department of Computer Engineering. Her selection came through a highly competitive process comprising academic performance, GATE score and interview.
Tamkeen completed her M.Tech. (Computer Science & Engineering) in 2025 with an outstanding CPI of 9.944, securing the top rank in her class.
She also completed her B.Tech. from AMU in 2023 and qualified UG-NET (JRF) 2024 in Computer Science with an All-India Rank 2 (99.9933 percentile) in her very first attempt.
“A Consistent Performer”
Tamkeen is a Second Year student pursuing M. Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering at the Department of Computer Engineering, Z.H. College of Engineering and Technology, Aligarh Muslim University.
She completed her B Tech from AMU in 2023 with 9.703 CPI. She has been a consistent recipient of Merit Scholarships from class X onwards, including UP STSE, University Merit Financial Award (AMU), and GATE scholarship.
During her B Tech, Fatima participated in research internship programmes at ISRO, McMaster University, Toronto, Canada (Mitacs GRI), and The Fields Institute, Toronto, Canada (Fields Undergraduate Summer Research Programme). She has also published a research paper in ACM Conference Proceedings.
Recognising her academic excellence and research potential, she was selected as Assistant Professor (Contractual) through the Local Selection Committee and joined the Department of Computer Engineering, AMU in August 2025.
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Career / by Ummid.com news network / November 01st, 2025
Dr. Waliur Rahman, an alumnus of the Department of Geology, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has been named for the prestigious Rashtriya Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar 2025, announced by the Government of India on October 26, 2025.
Currently serving as Scientist-E at the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, Vasco-da-Gama, Goa, Dr. Rahman has been recognised for his outstanding contributions in the field of isotope geochemistry and Antarctic climate research.
A distinguished earth scientist, Dr. Rahman’s research spans a wide range of topics, including Antarctic climate variability through ice core records, trace element and isotope studies in oceans, paleo-oceanography using radiogenic and stable isotopes, and Himalayan weathering and erosion processes. His pioneering work in developing non-traditional isotope measurements has contributed significantly to understanding global climatic and oceanic processes.
Dr. Rahman earned his B.Sc. (Geology Hons.) and M.Sc. (Applied Geology) degrees from Aligarh Muslim University in 2002 and 2004 respectively, and later obtained his Ph.D. in Geochemistry from the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad.
His illustrious career includes research fellowships and international recognition such as the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowships (Germany), the Certificate of Merit in Polar Science and Technology (2019), the Young Researcher Award (2021) from the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and the National Geoscience Award (2023) from the Ministry of Mines, Government of India.
Dr. Rahman has authored over 50 peer-reviewed research papers in leading international journals including Nature Communications, Geophysical Research Letters, Marine Chemistry, and Science of the Total Environment. His contributions have enhanced India’s global standing in the fields of Antarctic and oceanic research.
Congratulating Dr. Rahman on his achievement, AMU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Naima Khatoon said that the university takes pride in its alumni who continue to bring laurels to their alma mater through excellence in research and national service, and Dr Rahman’s achievement will work as an impetus for young students who wish to make a career in the field of earth sciences.
source: http://www.amu.ac.in / Aligarh Muslim University / Home> AMU News / by Public Relations Office / October 07th, 2025
Sajid Jamal, Founder and Chief Business Architect of BranchX, is redefining India’s retail landscape through advanced artificial intelligence and data-driven solutions. His company aims to empower small and medium retailers by bridging the digital divide that separates local stores from organized retail and e-commerce giants.
BranchX, established in Mumbai, provides AI-powered tools that assist shop owners in managing inventory, predicting customer demand, and enabling seamless digital payments. The platform also supports hyperlocal delivery networks, offering small businesses a competitive edge in fast-changing markets.
Under Jamal’s leadership, BranchX plans to onboard over one million retailers across 500 cities by 2027. The company’s growth roadmap includes a public listing in 2027, signaling strong investor confidence and a clear vision for nationwide expansion. Jamal’s background in finance and technology, with professional experience in the UAE and India, has shaped BranchX into a model of sustainable retail innovation.
Jamal’s vision is rooted in inclusive growth. By offering AI and digital solutions once limited to large corporations, he seeks to democratize retail technology and strengthen the backbone of India’s economy—the kirana stores. His approach combines financial inclusion with smart technology, opening new opportunities for millions of small traders.
BranchX’s rapid rise highlights a broader transformation underway in India’s retail sector, driven by homegrown innovation and a renewed focus on empowering local entrepreneurs.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Entrepreneurship> Features / by Radiance News Bureau / October 07th, 2025
Abid Ali Khan, the Shooting Star of Telangana, was accorded a warm welcome on his arrival, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Shamshabad, on Thursday.
Sports Minister V. Srinivas Goud and offcials of Sports Authority of Telangana were waiting at airport to welcome the shooting star.
After a brief ceremony, a smiling Abid Ali Khan, accompanied by his grand parents Dr. Shahed Ali Khan, Director of Cure Well Hospital and father Dr. Sabir Ali Khan, himself a national rifle shooter, Amer Ali Khan, News Editor of The Siasat Urdu Daily and Wahab Qadri received Abid Ali Khan.
A group of students from NASR School from where Abid Ali Khan has completed his matriculation received him with complete honour.
Abid Ali Khan has bagged Gold Medal in 50 meter rifle prone, men junior, and Bronze Medal in individual contest at the14th Asian Shooting Championship held in Doha, Qatar from November 3-13.
source: http://www.archive.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home / by Mohammed Hussain / November 14th, 2019
It was a cold day in February 2016. A woman from a small town of Uttar Pradesh received her Ph.D. at the 63rd Annual Convocation of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh. She was the first from her clan to have taken admission to AMU in 2003. Her parents never attended college; her four brothers took up family businesses at a younger age. The woman in the discussion is me. I am Mahino Fatima, a Muslim girl from a backward caste who became a scientist against all odds.
pix: heritagetimes.in / Dr. Mahino Fatima
Friends, relatives, and peers celebrated my becoming a scientist as a consequence of my hard work and perseverance. In my heart of hearts, I knew this day has not come only because of me; I was grateful for the privilege of education that I was born with.
Most importantly, I should not forget Fatima Sheikh. If not for her, I would never have become a scientist. Lakhs of women who are successful because of education would have remained illiterate but for Fatima Sheikh’s pioneering work.
How can I, a woman, forget that my foremothers were not allowed to learn how to write? How can I, a backward caste woman, forget that my forefathers were not allowed to receive an education? Today, when we look at our curriculum, we find that women scientists, economists, philosophers, and intellectuals are negligible in comparison to men. Famous philosopher, Jaques Derrida, once remarked that no woman was a philosopher. His observation was true, but he did not delve into the reason. How can a woman become a philosopher when men for centuries controlled the development of her intellectual capacities in the name of culture?
In our society, men would not let women learn the art of writing for the fear that if literate these women would communicate to ‘lovers’ through letters. Bibi Ashraf, a late 19th-century educationist, recalled how she was not allowed to learn reading and writing like male members of her family. She secretly learned to write. The secret came out when during the revolt of 1857; she had to write a letter to her father and uncle. Instead of receiving accolades, she was abhorred by men in her family. Her uncle was furious and made her take an oath that she would never write a letter to a man. Similar was the story of Rassundari Devi, who secretly learned writing by stealing books from her son. How do we expect women scientists in such a society? Still, a large section of our society would not let women study more than what is needed in the ‘marriage market’.
In this society, Fatima Sheikh, along with Savitribai Phule, started a school for girls in 1848. Yes, 1848. 26 years before Sheikh Abdullah, who later founded a women’s college at Aligarh, and 32 years before Begum Rukaiya Sakhawat, doyen of women education, were born, Fatima had started a girls’ school and taught herself. Today, that small classroom of 9 girls has prepared lakhs of educated women.
Today women are asking for gender parity in opportunities and pay scales. Thanks to Fatima, women today are educated to understand their worth and assert their rights.
Fatima was a pioneer; she was followed by Begum Rukaiya, Begum Wahid, Muhammadi Begum. A revolution starts with an idea. Fatima’s was the idea that put women of India in general and Muslim women in particular, on the march to empowerment through education.
Today, I thank Fatima for making me a scientist. Nobody knows how many bright women before 1848 had been deprived of education and were not allowed to dream of becoming a scientist. But, we surely know that after 1848, women have slowly entered different fields through education and are today competing with men to have their rightful place in the books, laboratories, and society.
(Author is a neurobiologist with her major research on depression and Alzheimer’s)
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Mahino Fatima / Saquib Salim / January 09th, 2022
Bandipora District / Hazratbal (Srinagar), JAMMU & KASHMIR :
Has 20 patents in his name, winner of 5 medals
Innovation is the process of turning ideas into manufacturer and marketable form and this maxim has been proven by M-Tech degree holder Jahangir Arshid of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
He has over 20 patents in his name, out of which five of them have won him gold medals. Jahangir, 27, is currently pursuing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AIML) at the University of Texas in the United States, and runs an institution called “Kashmir Innovates”, popularly known as KASHOVATIC, in Hazratbal, Srinagar.
Presently, he is working on a unique patent like “Spoon” that would check the concentration of salt in any dish that our womenfolk prepare in their kitchens.
The idea to determine the reading of salt in units was evolved after students often complained of not getting the taste of salt in their meals. Jahangir has six students of 9th to 12th standards assisting him at his Bandipora workshop, besides continuing with their learning.
Giving a reason for taking up the “Spoon” project, Jahangir said that, “In the dishes that our sisters and mothers prepare, the salt content either remains low or more. This encouraged students to create an electric device which will check the concentration of salt on the basics of 10th-level science, which teaches us the basis of conductivity and resistance.” Jahangir further said, “Spoon will show the reading of units of salt when it is put in the utensil containing the meal to be prepared and accordingly the quantity of salt can be added.” Describing it as a prototype, Jahangir said companies that accept it can take it and redesign it as per their requirement before marketing it.
“Presently, it works in battery mode and we are trying to make it battery less so that there is no need to charge it time and again,” Jahangir said, adding that it would take the boys at least two more months to reach perfection.
“We will make it on “Speck Effect”, which reacts to temperature and generates voltage and, when one dips the spoon in any hot dish, it will automatically show the content of salt,” Jahangir, adding, “We will change to super capacitor charge for it to run and work on its own.”
Jahangir said that “Spoon” will not only solve kitchen problems, but also help hypertensive people decide how much salt they should take.
He said that Adnan Farooq, Tabish Mushtaq, Tabasum Manzoor, Amaan, Seerat Jan and Zainab-un-nisa are presently on the job to take “Project Spoon” to its logical conclusion.
Jahangir’s first unique innovation was a “Baby Peace and Foretelling Device”, a diaper-shaped item meant for children and paralytic patients, giving advance signals about a baby or a paralytic patient about to go for a “Peep”. He said a nurse or attendant would get a message in advance when a patient wants to go for a “peep” and accordingly she can move the latter to the washroom.
Different companies from Japan, including Unicharm and Unitear, have shown interest after seeing our patents. “We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with them and are in constant touch rather than being in queue for medical research. Recently, we received an email stating that ‘we found your technology unique throughout the globe,’” said Jahangir.
“With the encouragement from Japanese companies, we have started a chain of innovations and presently we are working on more than 20 patents,” he added.
“Five of these patents are of international level and have won me four gold and one silver medal. We have also won the Medal of Honor from the Association of European Innovators, which are being run by the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Portugal,” Jahangir said
Gold medals have been won for the baby peace and foretelling device, self-cleaning utensils, brain interface for specially-abled persons and hardware automation system for examinations. The patent for stabilisation and transformation frequency control won a silver medal.
“After achieving success, we started a patent institution where we teach our students how to make these patents and how to apply basic science to remove the problems of common people,” Jahangir said.
“The motive of KASHOVATIC is to develop an innovative culture and scientific temperament in the Kashmir Valley which would help students of 9th and 10th standards to differentiate and find out what is piquant in society and attracts them in a big way. Developing a scientific temperament and attitude will encourage them to innovate, take responsibility and help society deal with its many problems,” he added.
More than 150 students have given us innovations through “KASHOVATICS”. “Recently, we got approval from the Association for Information Communication Technology (AICT),” he said, adding that “our institute is running successfully and our efforts are bearing fruit, as there is a lot of exposure in Srinagar.”
He said that under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2022, the promotion of innovative products needs enhancement of structure and development so that innovators can bring about a revolution in society. Jahangir further said that engineers who have completed their studies have great potential and could be great innovators in society.
“Not only engineers, but every student could be an innovator, but the need of the hour is to look at problems in a way that we can give solutions and that kind of thinking can make us innovators. Only innovation could take us forward in this world,” he concludes.
source: http://www.brighterkashmir.com / Brighter Kashmir / Home / by Qaisar Ahmad / March 10th, 2022
