Indian-American high schooler wins top computer science award
Darpan News Desk IANS, 19 May, 2023 12:19 PM
New York, May 19 (IANS) An Indian-American and three others have been selected among a pool of graduating high school seniors as a recipient of the Cutler-Bell Prize in High School Computing that empowers students to pursue computing challenges beyond the traditional classroom environment.
Sirihaasa Nallamothu of University High School in Normal, Illinois, will receive a $10,000 cash prize for her project that was selected by a panel of judges based on ingenuity, complexity, relevancy and originality.
Her project engages modern technology and computer science to address the research gap to predict Vasovagal Syncope -- a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure leading to fainting -- in Patients with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).
Inspired from a TikTok that led her down a rabbit hole about POTS, Sirihaasa found to her surprise there were no research studies or consumer solutions to predict syncope on real-world data.
Sirihaasa is the first person to conduct an Institutional Review Board research study and collect human subject field data on POTS patients in the real world using non-invasive technologies, according to a news release.
She wrote a Python script to extract the 15-minute window signal data of heart rate, blood volumetric pressure, EDA, temperature, and accelerometer data, the release added.
The high schooler also founded a Girls Who Code club at her Middle school, developed and taught coding curriculum/activities, managed grants/funding, and networked and planned events.
After completing her research, Sirihaasa plans to work toward creating a consumer product and pairing her algorithm with a smart watch.
The Cutler-Bell Prize promotes the field of computer science and empowers students to pursue computing challenges beyond the traditional classroom environment.
In 2015, David Cutler and Gordon Bell established the award.
Cutler is a software engineer, designer, and developer of several operating systems at Digital Equipment Corporation. Bell, an electrical engineer, is Researcher Emeritus at Microsoft Research.
This year's Cutler-Bell Prize recipients will be formally recognised at the Computer Science Teachers Association's 2023 Virtual Conference, July 11-13.
Seen as a "natural fit" for the task force, Bendapudi, who is the president of the Pennsylvania State University, comes with a 30-year career as a leader in higher education and business, a Pennsylvania State University release said.
He secured an MSc in Mathematics at Andhra University in 1941, an M.A. in statistics from Calcutta University in 1943 and a PhD degree at King's College in Cambridge University in 1948. Cambridge University awarded him the prestigious Sc.D. degree in 1965, and he has received 31 Honorary Doctoral degrees from universities in 18 countries.
Subramaniam is an Air and Space Operations Manager, whose service in the last 15 years has predominantly been in the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), Missile Warning (MW), Space Domain Awareness (SDA), and Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) field.
Viraj Patel, a second-year doctoral student in the University's School of Communication, was recognised for his "exemplary skill and dedication". Patel has always been heavily involved in public speaking and communication, which became his way of defining himself, according to a University statement.
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