Month In Review | February 2017

In case you missed it, here’s the Month in Review | The Indian Dominion | February 2017.

SIMMER SINGH: Sikhs In The American Military

Simratpal “Simmer” Singh, a decorated Army Captain, is a devout Sikh who has finally prevailed against a three-decade ban preventing observant Sikhs from serving in the U.S. Army. 

SHORYA AWTAR: Inventor & Co-Founder Of FlexDex

Shorya Awtar, a Mechanical Engineering Professor, invented FlexDex, which is an all-mechanical platform that mounts to the surgeon’s arm. It uses a unique engineering approach to enable the tip of the instrument to mimic the direction of movement of the surgeon’s hand. It was funded by the National Science Foundation.

PRABHNOOR SINGH: Basketball Star in The Making

At 6’4″, Prabhnoor Singh has all the making of a future basketball star.  Singh started playing in India as a member of its national under-17 team. and has currently finished his senior year in Bayport High School, New York.

AJIT PAI: The New FCC Commissioner Under Trump

Ajit Varadaraj Pai is the Chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission, appointed by President Donald Trump early into his administration and confirmed on January 23, 2017.

ZINNIA KUMAR: Model With A Brain From Down Under

Zinnia Kumar is a fashion model and a valedictorian from Sydney, Australia.  Her published papers on the attractiveness of men’s facial hair and women’s hair color applying Darwin’s negative frequency-dependant selection for the first time on human traits got picked up by major media outlets.  This led to the coining of a new term “Peak Beard.” 

MANU PRAKASH: MacArthur Fellow

Manu Prakash is an Indian American scientist who is a Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University. He recently received the MacArthur Fellowship in September 2016.

ALEXI SINGH GREWAL: Blast From A Cycling Past

Alexi Singh Grewal, aged 56, was born to an Indian family in Aspen, Colorado on September 8, 1960. A former cyclist, he became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in road cycling in the 1984 Summer Olympics.

NIKKI HALEY: Trump’s Ambassador To The UN

Nikki Haley ( Born Nimrata Randhawa) was born in South Carolina on January 20, 1972, to Indian immigrants. She was nicknamed Nikki which means “the little one.” Her political career kicked off in 2004 when she was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives.