DRDO’s Dr Rajlakshmi Menon, four others honoured by Distinguished Alumnus Award of IISC

Dr Rajalakshmi Menon, a scientist, who contributed towards the indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control system, inducted into the Indian Air Force, is among the four outstanding scientists and engineers selected for the “Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award” of the IISC for 2020.

These annual awards recognise exceptional contributions made by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) alumni/ae to their profession, society and the Institute, it said in a release.

The nominations received are evaluated by a committee appointed by the Director of IISc, it said. Along with Dr K Rajalakshmi Menon, this years awardees include Prof B S Murty, Prof Sethuraman Panchanathan and Dr Keshab Panda. “The awardees are highly accomplished individuals who have made exceptional contributions to their fields and to society… We are honoured to confer this award upon them in recognition of their achievements,” IISc Director Prof Govindan Rangarajan said.

Rajalakshmi Menon is currently an Outstanding Scientist and Programme Director of the Intelligence, Surveillance, Targeting and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) programme of the DRDO. She graduated from IISc with MSc (Engg) and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering in 1994 and 2002 respectively.

Another alumnus chosen is Prof BS Murty, who is currently the Director of the Indian Institute of Technology in Hyderabad. He has been recognised for his exemplary contributions to the fields of high entropy alloys, non-equilibrium processing of materials by mechanical alloying, and bulk metallic glasses.

Also chosen are Prof Sethuraman Panchanathan, who is currently the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), US, for his pioneering contributions to research on human-centred computing solutions benefiting individuals with disabilities.

Dr Keshab Panda, who is currently the CEO & MD of L&T Technology Services Ltd, for his contributions to engineering R&D, in particular for steering the growth of engineering services businesses such as Satyam and L&T. IISc said its legacy has been the successful training of generation after generation of bright young scientists and engineers, who have gone on to make their mark across the world.

Since its inception in 1909, the Institute has produced more than 20,000 graduates in various disciplines, it said