Community News (V15-I43)

Syed Abrar appointed to second term as trustee of medical association

Warrick County’s Syed Abrar Ali, M.D., an internal medicine and gastroenterology physician, will begin serving another term on the Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA) Board of Trustees.

Ali represents the organization’s First District that includes Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.

Dr. Ali’s new term will end in 2016; he previously served a three-year term and a one-year partial term, starting as a trustee in 2009. The Boonville physician took the oath of office again Sunday, Sept. 22, during the ISMA’s 164th Annual Convention in downtown Indianapolis.

The ISMA is divided into 13 Indiana districts and physician representatives from each district make up the Board of Trustees.

The organization currently has approximately 7,900 members from all around the state.

Interfaith leaders call shutdown immoral

A coalition of more than 31 interfaith leaders has called the government shutdown as immoral and called for immediate resumption of bi-partisan talks to break the deadlock. In a letter to Congress the leaders stated: “It ill serves our nation and people to stand in the way of funding federal operations or raising the debt ceiling in an effort to block implementation of health care legislation that Congress duly enacted,” the letter states. “Shuttering the federal government or defaulting on the nation’s financial commitments is likely to reverse our fragile economic recovery, punish the middle class, and deeply harm our most vulnerable neighbors.”

Dr. Sayyid Syeed, the National Director for the Office for Interfaith & Community Alliances for the Islamic Society of North America, who signed the letter,  said in a press conference  that the continued brinkmanship hurts the democracy movement in Muslim countries, since opponents can use the United States as an example of the problems of democracy.
Pakistani-American writer’s screenplay shortlisted in contest

Pakistani-American writer Mumtaz Hussain’s script The Kind Executioner was shortlisted in the drama category amongst the official finalists of the Hollywood Screenplay Contest. Now, Hussain is ready to transform this script, which portrays the relationship between late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his executioner, into a movie.

Hussain says his project is a piece of fiction derived from the last years of Bhutto’s life. “I am delighted to learn that my script has been appreciated because I am working hard to make this film my singular achievement,” Hussain told APP. The writer hails from Jhang but has lived in New York for the past couple of years.

The production will portray the relationship between the popular prime minister and his executioner Tara Masih, who believed Bhutto (executed in 1979) was a saviour of Pakistan. The script, which was evaluated by a team of writers and experts, is said to be intense in terms of both its dialogue and drama.

Abdullah Eroglu to be honored with Outstanding Research Award

Prof. Abdullah Eroglu

Purdue University’s Office of Research, Engagement, and Sponsored Programs (RESP) will honor Abdullah Eroglu, associate professor of electrical engineering, with the 2013 Outstanding Research Award on Friday, November 8, with a special lecture and reception.

Eroglu was a senior design engineer at MKS Instruments, where he was involved with the design of RF power amplifiers and systems. His teaching and research interests include RF circuit design, microwave engineering, development of nonreciprocal devices, electromagnetic fields, wave propagation, radiation, and scattering in anisotropic and gyrotropic media. He has published more than 70 peer reviewed journal and conference papers and has authored two books. Dr. Eroglu is a reviewer of several journals and on the editorial board of the Journal of Communications and Network. He is the recipient of the 2013 IPFW Featured Faculty Award, 2011 Sigma Xi Researcher of the Year Award, 2010 ETCS Excellence in Research Award, and 2004 Outstanding Graduate Student award from the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at Syracuse University, USA.

Prof. Ahmad Khalil Receives Innovation Career Development Award

Prof. Ahmad Khalil

BOSTON,MA– Ahmad Khalil, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University, has received the Innovation Career Development Award from the university. It was in recognition of his work in synthetic biology.

Khalil told Boston University’s web portal that  his research seeks to understand “the complex molecular networks” powering cellular behaviors. One example: “how microbes respond and adapt to new environments and stress. We are actively translating this research to provide new insight into antibiotic resistance and into new technologies for rapidly diagnosing and treating infectious diseases.”

The Innovation Career Development Professorship, he says, will help pay for efforts to “translate some of our early technologies aimed at curbing the spread of multi-drug-resistant bacteria,” as well as for developing genetic therapies.

Khalil received a PhD from MIT. He joined the BU faculty last year, after three years working at the University as a postdoctoral fellow. Earlier this year, he was given ENG’s Award for Teaching Excellence as well as an Institut Merieux Research Grant Award.

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