Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveSandy Khanda: Bridging gaps, building futures with Green Pencil Foundation

Sandy Khanda: Bridging gaps, building futures with Green Pencil Foundation

Written by: Amrita Priya

(March 6, 2024) After passing out of engineering college in 2018, Sandy Khanda could have either followed the conventional path of securing a job or pursue a startup venture, a common choice among many young enthusiasts, but he chose to start an NGO. Headquartered in Delhi NCR, his NGO, Green Pencil Foundation has quickly gained momentum, extending its reach in eleven states of India with a strong volunteer base of over 2,000 young volunteers. Together, Sandy and his team have touched the lives of over 20,000 individuals through initiatives that emphasise women’s empowerment, menstrual hygiene management, education for underprivileged children, and action for climate change.

Recognizing the global nature of many societal challenges, Sandy has also expanded Green Pencil’s operations to Indonesia and Iran. “In Indonesia, our outreach extends to various areas in Jakarta and the Papua province, which has the lowest literacy rates in the country,” he tells Global Indian. “With a presence in over 50 schools and underprivileged communities, we are committed to making a difference in remote locations, employing an inclusive approach that transcends borders and religions. Our initiatives also extend to certain regions in Iran” the social entrepreneur adds.

Sandy Khanda

Life’s transformative turns

Sandy was born and raised in a small village in Haryana, and witnessed firsthand the disparities and challenges faced by rural communities. When he moved to Delhi for education, his transition to urban life only heightened his awareness of societal issues such as gender inequality, poor climatic conditions, air pollution, struggles of marginalised populations and plight of kids growing up in slums of Delhi NCR.

Fuelled by a desire to instigate change, Sandy began his journey through grassroots activism, utilizing platforms like writing, teaching slum children, and organising protests to address pressing social issues, while pursuing engineering.

However, his commitment to societal betterment became even stronger following a life-altering experience – a near-fatal accident that left him in a six-month coma. Emerging from this ordeal with renewed purpose and gratitude, Sandy resolved to dedicate his life to serving others. Thus, the Green Pencil Foundation was born, with a mission to empower communities, break down barriers, and drive positive change across India and beyond.

Green for environmental advocacy, Pencil for education

The name of the foundation, Green Pencil, reflects its dual focus on environmental advocacy and education. ‘Green’ stands for addressing the pressing climate change crisis. The foundation advocates improved public policies for reducing carbon footprints, with an emphasis on a human-centric approach.

‘Pencil’ centres around education, particularly the foundation’s efforts to uplift underprivileged children and women. Through educational workshops covering topics such as menstrual hygiene management, mental health, and academic classes, the Green Pencil Foundation empowers individuals for a brighter future. “The primary sources of funding for our initiatives come from individual supporters and corporate social responsibility, enabling us to sustain and grow our efforts in making a meaningful difference,” Sandy says.

ALSO READ | Vivek Gurav’s global impact with Pune Ploggers

Developing a global perspective

Apart from being engaged in his NGO, Sandy has remotely served as the national coordinator and community outreach manager at Atlas, a Brussels based political movement uniting people worldwide to create a freer, better and more equitable planet.

Sandy’s responsibilities encompassed coordinating community engagement to promote Atlas’ endeavours across India. “I was actively engaged in designing and executing comprehensive campaigns to advance Atlas’ principles within the Indian context. This entailed strategic planning, seamless coordination, and effective communication to amplify the organisation’s movements.” His involvement with Atlas provided him with a global perspective on societal issues, a perspective that has influenced the expansion of Green Foundation initiatives beyond India.

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A post shared by Green Pencil Foundation (@greenpencilfoundation)

Green Pencil’s meaningful projects

The youth-led NGO’s impact spans across major metropolitan cities of India including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Manipur, Chandigarh, Panchkula, Amritsar, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Bangalore.

The foundation is spearheading several meaningful projects. Through the ‘Periods of Pride’ initiative, it has conducted a thorough survey in government schools across India, uncovering critical challenges in menstrual hygiene management. The findings reveal prevalent issues including menstrual taboos, inadequate educational awareness, and limited knowledge about menstrual hygiene products, garnering wide attention.

Another project like ‘Slum to School’ aims to educate and enable soft skills development in slum kids to make them independent. “This project is running in more than 25 Indian cities in 11 Indian states to benefit over 3,000 slum kids,” shares Sandy.

The Foundation is working in coordination with Greenpeace India, the Indian branch of the global environmental group Greenpeace, a non-profit NGO, with a presence in 55 countries in a project called ‘Power the Pedal’. “This groundbreaking project focuses on providing bicycle training to hundreds of women, aiming to promote sustainable mobility and empower themselves in the process,” tells Sandy.

Green Pencil Foundation and Greenpeace India’s ‘Power to Pedal’ project provides bicycle training to women

Green Pencil’s Initiative, ‘One Home One Tree’ is aimed to influence people and encourage plantation drives to fight air pollution in metro cities.

The project, ‘Festivals vibes with needy tribes’ encourages people to celebrate festivals with needy people around them so that they feel special. “It gives the message of equality in the society,” the social entrepreneur remarks.

The project, ‘Pollution Se Azaadi’ advocates for a shift towards public transport and active mobility as effective means to reduce carbon footprints.

ALSO READ | Empowering change: Activist Sanya Sharma’s pursuit of a better world

Working to expand reach beyond India

Having tasted reasonable success in his efforts to make a difference in India, Sandy Khanda now aspires to extend his impact beyond borders by expanding Green Pencil Foundation’s programmes to various regions of South Asia. “We are working towards expanding Green Pencil Foundation’s footprint in South Asian and African regions with an aim to impact more lives,” he signs off.

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Published on 06, Mar 2024

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Aman Anubhav: The Bihar teen who has impressed NASA and top global space research organisations

(November 5, 2022 ) Aman Anubhav lives in Sikahar, a village in the interiors of Gaya, the sacred city of Bihar. Nestled into the forest, the weather is cool all year round with the temperature difference between the main town and Sikahar varyies up to five degrees. “In the night it gets very dark here. So, I grew up watching lots of stars and constellations. My father became astronomy teacher, helping me understand the wonders of the natural science” says the teenager. The founder of DeuxStem, which teaches space science to the layman, Aman received his first smartphone only when the pandemic hit and classes were moved online. With it, his knowledge grew multifold over the next couple of years, so much so that Aman is already passing on what he has learned to the less privileged. During the pandemic, the family faced such dire financial constraints that Aman even had to quit studying at a private school and enroll temporarily in the local village school. Still, he persevered. Currently studying in Class 12 at Delhi Public School, Bodh Gaya, Aman educates people about physics, astronomy and aerospace through his website, social media and YouTube channel, has received appreciation

lass="size-full wp-image-23868 aligncenter" src="https://www.globalindian.com/youth//wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Aman_image.jpg" alt="Indian Youth | Aman Anubhav | Global Indian" width="1213" height="926" />

Currently studying in Class 12 at Delhi Public School, Bodh Gaya, Aman educates people about physics, astronomy and aerospace through his website, social media and YouTube channel, has received appreciation from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and also from many other globally renowned organisations from the sphere of space science.

Apart from creating educational content, DeuxStem is working in partnership with International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) that provides high-quality astronomical data to citizen scientists around the world, to make original astronomical discoveries and participate in hands-on astronomy.

Aman and his team have been identifying asteroids (small rocky objects that orbit the Sun) in collaboration with IASC. Two of the twelve identified asteroids are already under deep review of NASA. Deeply inclined towards the STEM subjects, Aman has also digitally developed 105 aerospace equipment designs, some of which have stood out in competitions and been acknowledged by specialists in the domain.

All about space

The sixteen-year-old student of standard 12, DPS, Bodh Gaya strives to deliver top class pedagogy in advanced STEM knowledge to the masses. “My purpose in starting DeuxStem was to put all my aerospace equipment designs, and research papers on modern physics, quantum physics, special relativity, general relativity in one place so that people can read them, and get educated.”

Within months of his initiative, he was thrilled to get an appreciation from NASA, European Space Agency, Ariane Group – an aerospace company based in France, JAXA Space Center, Japan, and astronaut Tim Peake,” he tells Global Indian.

https://youtu.be/IAPEjUQjghc

We also got a very good appreciation post from Canadian Space Agency. They even started following our organisation on social media and website. German Aerospace Centre (DLR) also acknowledged our efforts. This motivated us to create some more digital designs of aerospace equipment - Aman Anubhav

Developing aerospace equipment designs

“These days people want to go to places other than earth, and it is possible only with the help of aerospace equipment,” he smiles. Aman dreams big and doesn’t shy away from the work either and taught himself the basics of aerospace design.

As a reward, the Bihar boy has bought himself a new tablet, after having achieved so much with just a smartphone. “I was introduced to a smart phone for the first time during the Covid-19 outbreak, when my school classes shifted online. Before that, we were strictly not allowed to use them,” he says. Like any teenager, he spent his time playing games, watching videos and streaming films.

Aman explored aerospace through a game he had on his phone. “That’s how my passion for designing aerospace equipment developed,” he says. Although there is software available to create these designs, doing so requires a good amount of scientific knowledge. This he acquired through books and research papers from Springer, the German multinational publishing company, watching YouTube videos and going through relevant material available at MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW), a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. “It has some really good courses in aerospace dynamics - that helped,” he says. Aman also watched movies like Interstellar, Ad Astra and Martian.

[caption id="attachment_23873" align="aligncenter" width="839"] Aman Anubhav[/caption]

One of the designs that he is really proud of is a piece of equipment he has named Vyomgami. Derived from the Sanskrit word Vyom Shastra, the name means the scripture of aerospace. “Weather balloons are used to launch rockets to the upper atmosphere and then ejected there, helping the rocket take off without having to fight atmospheric resistance. That’s how it gets into orbit with very little fuel consumption.” Vyomgami is meant to facilitate this process.

The design of Vyomgami stood out in a competition organised by Spaceonova, an organisation that educates people about space and aerospace. He has also come up with solutions that he has named Rakshak and Pavana that can help achieve sustainable energy and clean climate.

Don’t expect the voyage to be a cruise - we should focus on research and innovation rather than scores to help secure the true act for which humans are here - 'Development' - Aman Anubhav

Aman attended one of Asia’s largest Techfest, IIT Bombay Techfest last year. Amidst the many talented young minds, he got acquainted with Roshan Naidu a VIT student who is now the co-founder of DeuxStem, taking care of the operations part of it. He has also participated in CERN - European Council for Nuclear Research conference. "I got the opportunity to interact with Dr Steven Goldfarb from University of Melbourne working at ATLAS experiments for the launch of LHC (large hadron collider), Higgs Boson, Gravity & Graviton and particles & nuclear physics," he tells.

Finding asteroids

Talking about his partnership with IASC, Aman says, “It’s a not-for-profit organisation that enjoys sponsorship from well-known research bodies like NASA, International Astronomical Union, Catalina Sky Survey etc. to equip citizen scientists with knowledge of astronomy.

IASC get pictures of the night sky directly from NASA-controlled Pan-STARRS Observatory in Hawaii. “These pictures are like data of identifying asteroids, which is a technical and tedious process.”

[caption id="attachment_23875" align="aligncenter" width="950"] The process of finding asteroid in progress[/caption]

There are certain criteria to classify an asteroid. Since it involves processing an extremely large amount of data (several Petabytes per night are captured by NASA telescope), they send it to IASC, giving citizen scientists an opportunity to make original astronomical discoveries and participate in hands-on astronomy. In collaboration with IASC, Aman and his team have educated 85 people from places like USA, Pakistan, Morocco, Iran and other countries on astronomy, hand-holding them in identifying asteroids. The discovered asteroids are then put under deep review of scientists at NASA.

“It’s such a technical and tedious process that in close to three years, we have been able to identify just about 12 preliminary stage asteroids,” says Aman.

Out of those 12, two have qualified for the probational phase of study by NASA scientists. “The process of the preliminary stage asteroids getting categorized for probational review takes another six-to-10 months. Once NASA confirms after their investigation, we will get to name the asteroids we identified,” he says.

[caption id="attachment_23842" align="alignnone" width="1284"] Aman's village[/caption]

Making an impact

Aman is associated with Child Rights and You (CRY), and has raised funds to support the cause. He was also selected to the prestigious LaunchX 2022 a programme hosted by MIT to promote entrepreneurship and technology. "Just about 10 percent of students who apply for the programme get selected globally for this programme," says he.

Although the programme was scheduled offline at the University of Michigan, due to covid protocols it was conducted online. With a team of students from different countries, Aman developed a startup - SEDU which was a solution to teach teenagers about the importance of sexual knowledge and removing taboos attached to it. To facilitate knowledge in a fun way he and his team developed a physical board game and a web game. Through marketing and sale they got successful in generating $285 during the five weeks course and $500 thereafter for the business model, completing the programme with flying colours.

Life and role models

Aman comes from a humble background. His father, a farmer, is still trying to recover from the losses of the pandemic, after his business shut down. It was so hard on the family that Aman had to discontinue his studies at DPS and enroll himself in the village public school for a time. “When I was in class 9, it became difficult to continue studying at the local school so I was re-admitted to DPS,” says Aman. He aims for a PhD in Astrophysics, so that he can be a researcher from “the very start.”

The Bihar teen is deeply inspired by Google CEO Sundar Pichai and relates to him a lot. “His father had to spend a year’s salary to buy him the air ticket to send him to Stanford University in the US” remarks he adding, “I too cannot afford higher education.” Like his role model he aims to bag a scholarship from a good institution to take forward his dreams.

[caption id="attachment_23843" align="aligncenter" width="1268"] Aman's village[/caption]

In his free time, the youngster likes going to the farm with his father and even enjoys helping his mother in the kitchen. “It’s not very conventional for boys to work in the kitchen where I live but my mother appreciates it,” says the teen who could barely converse in English until 2019. “It was after getting my phone that I immersed myself in listening to TED talks and podcasts, and from there I have picked up the ability and confidence to speak English,” he says.

The teenager is a good example of how to put technology to good use for enhancing one’s knowledge and personality, and that if there is a will, a lot can be achieved even when the resources are limited.

Follow Aman Anubhav on LinkedIn
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Reading Time: 5 mins

From Competitions to Contributions: Mithra Rajaram champions climate action

(February 15, 2024) A resident of Mudichur in southern Chennai, which is known for its frequent floods, Mithra Rajaram has had close encounters with nature's fury. Growing up amidst such challenges deeply influenced the mind of this 15-year-old. When the pandemic struck, she saw it as a chance to 'pause, reflect, and act for nature.' Mithra is the winner of the British Council Climate Action Video Making Competition. Her winning entry was showcased at prestigious events like UNCOP26 and COY16 and is also a British Council resource for teaching. Additionally, the teenager emerged a winner at Enterprise Adventure, an international event focusing on youth entrepreneurship, organised by the UK-based charity ‘Teach a Man to Fish’. These two wins led Mithra to venture into social entrepreneurship. Her organisation, 'N2 - Nurture The Nature,' reflects her commitment to making a positive impact on the environment. For her volunteering and climate action efforts Mithra has received the WE Volunteer grant, by WE Schools, a non- profit charity organisation in the UK. [caption id="attachment_35806" align="aligncenter" width="395"] Mithra Rajaram[/caption] The British Council climate action video In 2021 Mithra learned about a video competition being organised by the British Council, and decided to participate. “I didn’t

s/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-14-120419.jpg" alt="Indian climate activists | Mithra Rajaram | Global Indian " width="395" height="697" /> Mithra Rajaram[/caption]

The British Council climate action video

In 2021 Mithra learned about a video competition being organised by the British Council, and decided to participate. “I didn’t have high- end electronic equipment or any knowledge about a tech platform that would help in creating an impressive video. But still, I tried my best to deliver my message for climate action,” Mithra tells Global Indian. To her great delight, the video that she co-created with two fellow nature enthusiasts was selected as one of the top ten videos in the global competition.

“In their official statement, the British Council stated, ‘Selected from more than 200 entries across the world, these ten videos demonstrate both the width and depth of the climate issues surrounding schools, and feasible solutions for teachers and students to tackle climate change impact’,” Mithra shares.

https://youtu.be/BvdJjO4jeAA?si=2vJm0DaHeOHxxSi1

That win served as a catalyst, helping her recognise the power of educational videos to convey a message to society. The youngster went on to make several such videos to drive in her point. "In the next 10-20 years, we are going to witness significant development and technological transformation. However, alongside these advancements, the planet is facing increasing temperatures and alarming signs of environmental degradation, such as sudden floods and declines in biodiversity," she remarks. "It is important that we take action now to build a sustainable future. As a responsible Indian youth, I believe it's my duty to contribute towards shaping a safer future," she tells.

Winning at ‘Teach a Man to Fish’ event

Continuing with her winning streak, Mithra became the winner at the international event, Enterprise Adventure, conducted by the UK-based charity organisation 'Teach a Man to Fish.' Talking about Enterprise Adventure, Mithra says, “It’s a platform for youngsters to learn about businesses, curate their own, plan and launch them.” She participated in the category of developing a social enterprise, where young people aged 13 to 19 from countries like Nigeria, Zambia, Pakistan, and the UAE had also competed. Mithra was 14-years-old when she bagged the first prize.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urw31gBxmVk

In the world of social entrepreneurship

With victories in two global competitions Mithra established her organisation, ‘N2- Nurture The Nature’. "N2 was founded in 2022, attracting many passionate young students eager to make a difference in nature through their skills," she explains. "We have organised awareness programmes, training sessions, and mentoring workshops for students." In an extension of N2, Mithra initiated 'Catalyst Academy' during the same period, with the goal of educating people about the transformative potential of 21st-century skills in addressing real-world issues. "It's an emerging social enterprise aimed at engaging and inspiring more children," she adds.

She has also started 'The MYE Foundation' with the purpose to promote public speaking and youth entrepreneurship. The young activist has earned recognition as the the best delegate in several national and international Model United Nations simulations for voicing out global issues, and drafting effective resolutions.

[caption id="attachment_35807" align="aligncenter" width="916"] Mithra Rajaram with the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Thiru R.N.Ravi at the Raj Bhavan, as a part of ‘Meet and Greet with Student Achievers' event[/caption]

Motivating students who are older than her

Mithra is not just engaged in awareness programmes but is also an innovator who innovated the concept of percolation pits for restoring groundwater, integrated with a system of greywater management with herbal solutions. For this innovative concept she was honoured at SRM College of Engineering, Kattankulathur and St. Joseph College of Engineering, Chennai.

Mithra has also addressed the MBA students at Thiagarajar School of Management, Madurai upon being invited by a professor. “It was an amazing experience to share my experiences with students older than me. They genuinely liked my presentation, and the true measure of its success was when many of them approached me afterward, saying, "Your achievements at such a young age inspire us to aim higher."

[caption id="attachment_35809" align="aligncenter" width="843"] Mithra Rajaram after interaction with MBA students at Thiagarajar School Of Management (TSM) Madurai[/caption]

Recently Mithra also gave a talk at a government school as part of the ‘Chennaiyin Climate Champions’ programme. Recognising the impact of her endeavours, even her school, Shree Niketan Patasala, facilitated online connections for the 10th-grade student with youngsters from Egypt, Ukraine, and Brazil. "I trained them, and together we explored various topics, exchanging ideas rooted in our respective countries' environments," she shares.

Making a difference through writing

Mithra uses all mediums to drive in her message. She has published 15 articles in Times of India centred around environment and bringing change. The young writer’s story revolving around climate got featured in ‘Futurity’ a magazine of IATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language). “I was invited to write my thoughts on climate action as one of the youngest authors by IATEFL,” she says. Mithra is also the author of ‘The Eco- Read’, a book for young minds to explore ways for getting involved in climate actions and become changemakers.

Striding ahead

"I want to pursue engineering to discover and unlock the potential of building a climate-resilient India," remarks the young enthusiast, who draws inspiration from various sources. "I can't pinpoint one individual. My inspiration comes from everywhere, whether it's a movie I watch or the passion of Virat Kohli and the calmness of MS Dhoni in cricket. Even at home, my optimistic mother is a source of inspiration," she remarks.

[caption id="attachment_35808" align="aligncenter" width="788"] Mithra Rajaram at her school's annual day function receiving the General Proficiency award from chief guest, IPS Aravindhan[/caption]

Balancing studies, exams, and events becomes challenging at times, but for Mithra, her love for learning and nature keeps her going. "Prioritising tasks based on daily requirements helps me maintain balance," she says. With six years of Bharatanatyam training under her belt, Mithra enjoys dancing, listening to music, and engaging in arts and crafts. "With proper planning and wise time management, 24 hours is more than enough," she signs off.

Follow Mithra Rajaram on LinkedIn

Reading Time: 5 mins

Tech-forward healing: Marissa Sumanthipala’s vision for tomorrow’s healthcare

(December 7, 2023) During her childhood, she had a deep passion for ice skating and aspired to join the US national skating team. However, when Marissa Sumathipala was just 13 years old, her life took an unexpected turn. A severe fall during a practice session resulted in a harsh impact to her head, causing a significant concussion. This incident abruptly halted Marissa's dreams of representing the US in the Olympics and led to her removal from the state team. For years, she grappled with foggy recollections, occasional nausea, and persistent fatigue. While many saw this as the end of a promising athletic career for the young teenager, the unfortunate incident ignited a new sense of purpose within Marissa. It inspired her to delve into the intricacies of the human brain, eventually leading her down the path of becoming a young neuroscientist. “I began to realise that there was so much that we didn’t know about the brain,” Merissa said during an interview with The Harvard Gazette, adding, "And that gap in what we understood about the brain had such devastating impacts on patients like myself, but also all the people that I saw in the waiting rooms and support groups

, adding, "And that gap in what we understood about the brain had such devastating impacts on patients like myself, but also all the people that I saw in the waiting rooms and support groups that I went to during this experience.”

[caption id="attachment_21017" align="aligncenter" width="557"] Neuroscientist Marissa Sumanthipala[/caption]

The neuroscientist joined Johns Hopkins School of Medicine at 14 to perform basic research, and is currently pursuing both a master’s and a Ph.D. in clinical neurosciences at Harvard Medical School. Intending to establish her lab someday, the teenager created Theraplexus, a computational platform that uses network science analytics and artificial intelligence to map molecular interactions and provide better drugs for chronic diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and heart disease. In 2018, the now 20-year-old received the US Presidential Scholars for her contribution to the world of medicine.

Mind matters

A bright child, Merissa's parents - Indian immigrants who settled in Virginia - always encouraged her to take part in various academic and extracurricular activities. Although she wished to have a successful skating career, she was always fascinated by biological sciences. Interestingly, Merissa did a paper on whether pesticides caused multigenerational effects in human beings when she was just 12 years old. “I have long nurtured a vision of being a medical scientist, leveraging core engineering principles to solve contemporary biological and medical problems," the Global Indian informed during a press interaction.

Two-time winner of the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair Grand Prize, Merissa did not lose hope after her skating accident. While she was sad that she will no longer be in the ring, the fact that there are only a few treatments for brain injuries kept her up at night often. Frustrated by the lack of brain treatment options, the young neuroscientist decided to work on neurological disease pathways. She joined the Janelia Research Institute while she was still in high school, and since then has worked in about five different labs.

[caption id="attachment_21018" align="aligncenter" width="623"] Marissa at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine[/caption]

At 17, Merissa was named one of the 40 finalists for the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) Award for her project, Reinventing Cardiovascular Disease Therapy: A Novel Dual Therapeutic with FOXO Transcription Factor and AMP Kinase. In her project, the young scientist used a fruit fly model with proteins FOXO and AMPK to investigate the underlying, molecular causes leading to cardiovascular disease, and received the prize money of $25,000. "To be a part of this group is an unparalleled honour, one that has not quite sunk in just yet. I am exceptionally grateful to the Society for Science and the Public for their steadfast mission to promote STEM for almost a century, and to Regeneron for their vision of investing in the next generation of scientists and change makers," the neuroscientist said after winning the competition, which is also known as Junior Nobel Prize.

Road ahead

Currently working at the McCarroll Lab in Harvard Medical School, Marissa is helping to develop a new method for sequencing synapses in the human brain. These synapses are crucial for memory and learning and result in maladies like Huntington’s disease. Her research could someday shed light on the importance of synapses in brain development in humans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSWDH9hFIzs

Marissa's platform Theraplexus has already identified 200+ disease-specific drug targets for debilitating diseases like Alzheimer's, breast cancer, schizophrenia, and diabetes. In first-of-its-kind research, the organisation found more effective therapies within patients’ lifetimes and potentially cut drug development costs drastically. The youngster is now looking at partnering with Harvard Medical School’s Sharma Lab, to develop and transform Theraplexus into a biotechnology startup. "I spent a long time grappling with my identity. Growing up I was just a skater and then, when I got concussed, I had to rebuild my identity. Then I was a scientist. Now, I identify as being both a skater and a scientist," Marissa told The Harvard Gazette.

Follow Marissa Sumanthipala on Twitter

Reading Time: 6 mins

Aryan Sharma and Ayush Pathak: The AI whizkids being funded by Sam Altman

(December 14, 2023) Around eight months ago, two teenagers, Aryan Sharma and Ayush Pathak were both contemplating college plans. Aryan had even received a scholarship from a foundation in the US and anyway, both the teenagers were adept coders and earning a fair bit of money. Enough money, actually to fly to San Francisco and attend conferences, where they were soon crossing paths with some of the Bay Area's tech and VC titans. In comparison, college seemed a lacklustre option. They actually wondered if the experience might hold them back. Why not take a deep dive into entrepreneurship instead? That's how they got to building Induced AI, which, very simply put, presents a solution for businesses to streamline their backend workflow processes using bots. Less than a year in, they have raised $2.3 million in seed funding, and count OpenAI's Sam Altman as an investor, along with Daniel Gross and Nat Friedman. [caption id="attachment_34641" align="aligncenter" width="601"] Aryan Sharma and Ayush Pathak, the co-founders of Induced AI[/caption] The journey of a lifetime How did the Global Indians come so far, so quickly? For starters, both Sharma and Pathak were learning coding by the time they were 13 years old. They didn't

ong>The journey of a lifetime

How did the Global Indians come so far, so quickly? For starters, both Sharma and Pathak were learning coding by the time they were 13 years old. They didn't grow up in the Bay Area or in Bangalore, although they were both based in India. "I would listen to podcasts and read about the AI and tech startup ecosystem. I started writing code very early and was doing remote work when I was still in school," Sharma says. When he could afford it, he made another, very bold move - he bought a flight ticket to San Francisco. "I was going to a lot of events and meeting people and investors, who would eventually become part of the company."

The Bay Area, he found, was very welcoming, even to someone as young as him - it might even have worked in his favour. "Everyone is open to taking meetings," Sharma smiles. He discovered that ambition and hard work do pay, and age doesn't always have to be a factor. Sharma and Pathak also decided that college was off the cards, at least for the moment, even if they could have taken their pick of institutions. Sharma, who seems more given to media appearances and interviews, says his parents were both doctors, who were concerned with his decision but decided to support him.

When they weren't in Silicon Valley, they were writing cold-emails and sending DMs on Twitter. "I have embarrassing emails I sent out at 14," he laughs, during an interview with Varun Mayya and Tanmay Bhat in Overpowered. "I woud say 'I'm a big fan, I watch all your videos, do you have any advice for me'?" He recalls one response, which read, "Don't send emails to people, that's my advice. Go read up and start building things." He had als interacted with Sam Altman during this three year networking period and expressed an interest in working with him, "even as his secretary." OpenAI, he says, "had been releasing papers way before ChatGPT but Sam was too busy then with OpenAI and Helium."

Even in 2022, though, Sharma didn't really know how things would pan out. He was interested in a range of subjects, from AI to Space and Biotech. It was Altman who gave him advice then, saying, "This is all useful but the most high-leverage thing is AI and you will come back to this at some point." It did in fact turn out that way. In early 2023, Sharma and Pathak teamed up to form InducedAI. Now, they are also part of AI Grant, the AI startup accelerator created by Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross. Induced AI made it into Batch 1, along with companies like Perplexity, Animato and Replicate.

How does it work?

Induced AI helps businesses automate repetitive tasks typically handled by admin back offices. Users input workflows in English (known as a text workflow), which the AI then converts into pseudo-code for automation. The platform uses bots, each equipped with its own email and phone number for handling tasks like verification processes, including OTPs and other forms of authorization. These bots run on the cloud, ensuring full access without affecting the user's computer. "Say, a company has a 15-member team spending a lot of time on tasks like form filling or data entry, which could typically be outsourced to a backoffice," Sharma explained.

All this works on Chromium-based browsers (like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, etc.). And none of the work being done is actually visible to the user - for instance, if the bot is running a search operation, the user will not see a search bar with keywords being typed in. Induced AI has modified the browser's rendering engine, which usually turns website code into what you see on your screen, to work better for background tasks. They've tweaked how the browser responds to changes on websites and improved the way it communicates internally and with other systems.

"We control the browser layers remotely, which leads to more reliability compared to running as an extension," Sharma explains. "By controlling the browser, we also control everything that Chrome has access to." This enhanced control allows for more consistent and dependable automation processes.

For example, consider a task like searching for shoes on Google. Induced AI breaks this task into "chunks," then performs 'inference' to determine the necessary steps at each stage. The user just needs to provide the overall task description. Once the steps are outlined, the system autonomously executes the process, from opening the browser to carrying out the search. To the end user, it's akin to giving a command to Alexa to "play my favorite playlist," where Alexa autonomously locates and plays the playlist.

[caption id="attachment_34642" align="aligncenter" width="602"] Aryan Sharma[/caption]

RPA tech

However, Induced AI is tailored for back-office tasks, enhancing business workflows' cost-effectiveness and efficiency. It uses a 'headless' browser operation, meaning the browser works in the background without displaying web pages on a screen. It navigates and interacts with websites, but invisibly. "It's not meant to book a flight ticket or write an email," Sharma says. "It's designed for specific processes and tasks, like generating leads at 9 am every day, or collating insurance claims.

This is done through RPA (Robotic Process Automation), which usses 'bots' to automate repetitive and rule-based tasks within business processes. They emulate human actions and interactions within digital systems, applications and data and can carry out certain tasks as a human user would, following a set of predefined rules and logic. An added advantage is that it is non invasive and easily deployable along with being scalable and flexible.

The path ahead

Aryan now spends much more time in the Bay Area and Induced AI has signed up a handful of small to mid-sized customers, he told Tech Crunch.

"Induced is the definition of RPA 3.0," said investor SignalFire in a statement. "Not only are they taking a huge leap forward in providing true human-like interaction and efficiency, they democratize access by allowing users to describe their workflows in natural language and execute parallel agents any back-office workflow.

Follow Aryan Sharma and Ayush Pathak on LinkedIn.

Olympic Dreams: Tennis champ Shrivalli wants to bring home the gold

(December 22, 2022) Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty, who was crowned the national hardcourt tennis champion (women’s singles) 2021, was 11 when she first held a tennis racket in her hand. Calling herself an “accidental” tennis player, Shrivalli was introduced to the game at the Lal Bahadur stadium in Hyderabad. “I was just 11 years old and frankly, I only noticed the clothes of the kids who were playing at the stadium,” laughs the 20-year-old tennis star during an interview with Global Indian. “I told my father that I wanted to play because I also wanted to wear those clothes,” she adds. [caption id="attachment_25691" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty, tennis player[/caption] However, Shrivalli has come a long way since then. The right-handed tennis star, recently recorded twin victories as she entered the singles quarterfinals and doubles semi-finals of the Balaji Amines Solapur Open Women’s ITF $25K Tennis Tournament held in Solapur. The player is currently doing her degree at St. Francis College for Women, Hyderabad, has also won numerous titles, including ITF Women’s (doubles) $15000 – 2022 held in Gurugram. She was also a semi-finalist at the ITF Women’s (singles) $15000 – 2022, Ahmedabad. Making of a champion Born to two sports

ee at St. Francis College for Women, Hyderabad, has also won numerous titles, including ITF Women’s (doubles) $15000 – 2022 held in Gurugram. She was also a semi-finalist at the ITF Women’s (singles) $15000 – 2022, Ahmedabad.

Making of a champion

Born to two sports players – her father being a cricketer and mother a national-level basketball player – Shrivalli was always encouraged to play sports. “I was a very active child, mostly because my parents were into outdoor activities. My father, especially, is a sports freak. He encouraged me to pick up an extra-curricular activity in school,” shares the tennis star, who is also a trained Carnatic singer.

While she took part in various sports, including swimming and roller skating, tennis was her ‘one true love’. And once she started training, it did not take the coaches at the LB stadium much time to realise that Shrivalli was a gifted player.

“For the first year, I went to the stadium to just have fun. I was the most talkative kid in the stadium, who loved picking up balls more than hitting them,” she laughs, adding, “But one day when my father had come to pick me up, one of the coaches asked him if I would like to take up the sport professionally. After coming home, my father posed the same question. In fact, I remember he warned me that it would be a tough journey. I was about 12 years old and didn’t really understand what was so tough about playing tennis. So, I just said yes,” the tennis player recalls.

Even as she worked hard to win every tournament, she did not forget to enjoy her childhood. Although she was a good student, she was also a trouble-maker in class. “I was a notorious student. A few friends and I would bunk classes together. We would never leave the school premises, but we just would not attend the classes some times. Since I was very talkative, the teachers would sometimes even kick me out of the class. But I was a good student, my grades were really good. And I’d win gold in almost every tournament, so my teachers and principal were happy with me,” smiles the tennis champ.

When the going gets tough

During her initial years, the tennis player won several medals, including the national title 2014-15, and under-18 petit camp open doubles in Mauritius in 2016. However, like every player she had to face some tough losses as well. While she recognised her potential as a player, Shrivalli learnt a lot from the matches she couldn’t win.

[caption id="attachment_25692" align="aligncenter" width="649"] Shrivalli with her parents[/caption]

“I knew right from the beginning that I was able to do something extraordinary, something not everyone could do. As a junior, I wasn’t much of a performing kid. So, I would constantly put pressure on myself to perform well. And when I didn’t, the losses hit me very hard. Also, the other tennis players my age were performing really well, and I would inadvertently compare myself with them. In almost every tournament, even before the draw was out, I would freak out,” shares the young player.

For two years, Shrivalli constantly struggled with self-doubt which affected her game. Explaining how important it is to be mentally strong to win the games, the tennis player adds, “I did go to a psychologist subsequently and that helped me a lot. I started concentrating on my game more than the outcomes. So, as I moved towards my under-18s, my game improved a lot.” Her parents, Shrivalli says, were very supportive through her journey, and never once put pressure on her.

Olympic dreams

One of her biggest victories was defeating Rutuja Bhosale at the ITF $25K Pune R1 – 2021. That instilled a great deal of confidence in her. “I think all players feel nervous before a match. I do too. But I am confident now that I can play against, and defeat, any player,” remarks Shrivalli, who is very inspired by Novak Djokovic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXWeyVQPQls

Shrivalli dreams of representing India at the Olympics and works at her aspirations without compromise. Her day begins at 4.15 am and training continues for between five and six hours a day. And along the way, she hopes to win as many cups as she can for her country. “I will be participating in several upcoming national and international tournament. But a dream come true will be representing India at the Olympics and winning gold for the country,” says the tennis star, who loves cooking or baking in her free time.

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