Second group of US professors issues letter backing Modi's Silicon Valley trip
A fortnight after a group of US scholars cautioned tech firms to the wary about Digital India, another set of professors has written a message in support of the Indian prime minister.
Scroll Staff · Sep 15, 2015 · 07:45 pm
Photo Credit: Eviristo Sa/ AFP
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Two weeks after a group of leading American academics who study India sent a
letter to Silicon Valley industrialists urging them to be cautious about doing business with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visits the area later this month, another set of teachers at US universities have issued a message welcoming his initiatives.
The first letter, whose signatories include Columbia University's Akeel Bilgrami, Stanford University's Thomas Blom Hansen and the University of Chicago's Wendy Doniger, said that Modi's government "on several occasions already, demonstrated its disregard for human rights and civil liberties, as well as the autonomy of educational and cultural institutions".
It added that Digital India e-governance programme being championed by Modi was undermined by "its lack of safeguards about privacy of information, and thus its potential for abuse".
However, the signatories of the second letter, which has a very strong representation from faculty in engineering disciplines, believe that they are "best prepared to comment on Digital India as well as the Aadhar" biometrics-based identity card programme, said Aseem Shukla, M.D., an associate professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, who is among those who has endorsed the message.
Here is the full text of their letter.
"We, the undersigned, as faculty representing diverse disciplines in the American academy, join fellow Americans in welcoming India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to California’s Silicon Valley on his inaugural visit there September 26-27, 2015. We note that Prime Minister Modi’s visit comes at a transformational moment in a relationship between the two largest democracies in the world representing 1.5 billion people – one-fifth of humanity.
We understand that Prime Minister Modi will interact with leaders of flagship technology companies ranging from Google to Adobe, and Facebook to Tesla, and that he will address over 18,000 Americans, members of the U.S. Congress, civic leaders, and others at a community reception. We believe that these engagements will promote economic, political, social, and strategic interests of the United States and India.
We welcome, also, Prime Minister Modi’s support for the Digital India initiative that heralds a new age of participatory democracy and enhances transparency in governance in India, leveling the playing field for vast numbers of India’s citizens. We recognize the indigenous talents of Indian scientists to develop the infrastructure to effectuate Digital India and other initiatives predicated on technological advancements, even as we express our hope that Prime Minister Modi will seek partnership with American academic and business leaders with the expertise and experience to ensure that Digital India realizes its potential without imperiling India’s privacy laws and individual liberties.
We are encouraged by reports that 170 million new bank accounts have opened, accompanied by government-backed catastrophic insurance, bringing hope to the most needy in India. Tying these accounts into theAadhar identity document program could give many citizens their first clear symbol of empowerment. We acknowledge also that under Prime Minister Modi, India’s civilizational contributions of yoga, spirituality, religious pluralism, art, and music are enjoying renewed patronage and public acceptance globally.
As educators, we recognize that India is home to the largest youth population in the world, and success in improving basic facilities at over 400,000 government schools this past year, inspires confidence in Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to education. We believe that partnerships in Silicon Valley and knowledge exchange with the American academy have the potential to offer solutions in educational entrepreneurship necessary to reach and inspire those 356 million young Indians and prepare them for the 21st century. And as with the prime minister, we too are inspired by the late Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s vision for “
India 2020,” and are committed to join Indians in realizing that goal.
We welcome Prime Minister Modi to the United States and look forward to a mutually rewarding and productive dialogue between the United States and India."
Sincerely,
Narayanan Menon Komerath, Ph.D., Professor, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Ved P. Nanda, Ph.D., John Evans University Professor, Thompson Marsh Professor of Law, Department of Law, University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, Denver, CO
Bal Ram Singh, Ph.D., Professor, Botulinum Research Center, Institute of Advanced Sciences; Formerly with University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA
Aseem Shukla, M.D., Associate Professor, Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Ramesh N. Rao, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Communications, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA
Subhash Kak, Ph.D., Regents Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
TRN Rao, Ph.D., Emeritus, Loflin Chair, Department of Computer Science, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA
Anantanand Rambachan, Ph.D, Professor, Department of Religion, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
Dinesh O. Shah, Ph.D, Professor Emeritus, First Charles A. Stokes Professor, Departments of Chemical Engineering and Anesthesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Saswati Sarkar, Ph. D., Professor, Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Krishna C. Saraswat, Ph.D., Rickey/Nielsen Chair Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Samar Mitra, Ph.D, Professor, Department of Sociology, Emory, Atlanta, GA
Seymour Goodman, Ph.D., Professor, Co-Director, Center for International Strategy, Technology and Policy, Sam Nunn School of International Studies, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Vijay Kumar Dhir, Ph.D., Professor, Dean of the Department of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles , Los Angeles, CA
Gerald D. Holder, Ph.D., Professor, Dean of Engineering, Chair of the Deans' Council, ASEE, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Madhusudan Hiralal Jhaveri, Ph.D., Emeritus, Department of Civil Engineering , University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA
Shrinivas Joshi, Ph.D., Emeritus, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Don M. Flournoy, Ph.D., Professor, Space Journal Editor, Scripps College of Communication, Ohio University, Athens, OH
Shreekumar S. Vinekar, M.D., Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry, OU College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK
Tridib K. Roy, Ph.D., Emeritus, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA
Rajaram Veliyath, Ph.D., Professor, Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
Alok Kumar, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Physics, State University of New York, Oswego, NY
D. Steven White, DBA, Professor, Department of Marketing & International Business, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, MA
Kamala Kant Vijai, Ph.D, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA
Shrinivas Tilak, Ph.D., Research Scholar, Department of Religion, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
Jeffery Long, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Religion & Asian Studies, Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA
Narahari B. Achar, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Physics, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN
David Michael Henneberry, Ph.D., Professor, Department of International Studies, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
R Ganesh Rajagopalan, Ph.D, Professor, Department of Aerospace, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
JVR Prasad, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Madan Lal Goel, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL
Chandra Shekhar Mayanil, Ph.D., Eleanor Clarke Endowed Professor, Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Northwestern University Lurie Children's Hospital , Chicago, IL
Dharma P. Agrawal, D.Sc., Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Jagan P. Agrawal, Ph.D., Emeritus, Department of Electrical Engineering, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA
Sunil Kumar, Ph.D., Professor, Thomas G. Pine Faculty Fellow, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Charu Thammavaram, MS, Professor, Department of Biology , Houston Community College, Missouri City, TX
Satish Kumar Sharma, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Robert Gustav Loewy, Ph.D., Professor, Member, National Academy of Engineering, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Sukalyan Sengupta, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Center for Indic Studies, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA
Yashwant Pathak, Ph.D., Professor, College of Pharmacy , University of South Florida, Tampa , FL
Lalita Sen, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Urban Planning & Environmental Policy, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX
Daniel P. Schrage, Ph.D., Professor, Director, Vertical Lift Rotorcraft Center of Excellence, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Vipin Chaturvedi, Ph.D., Professor, College of Medicine, Univeristy of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Sridhar S. Condoor, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO
Arun Lakhotia, Ph.D., Lockheed Martin BORSF Professor of Computer Science, School of Computing and Informatics, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Lafayette, LA
Royal James Hartigan, Ph.D., Professor, Fullbright Scholar, Department of Music, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA Fullbright Scholar (2014-2015)
Dharendra Yog Goswami, Ph.D, Distinguished University Professor, Clean Energy Research Center, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
K. Ravindra, Ph.D., Professor, Associate Dean, Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO
Anant G. Honkan, Ph.D, Professor, Department of Math/CS/Enginnering, Georgia Perimeter College, Clarkston, GA
Avinandan Mukherjee, Ph.D., Professor, Dean, College of Business, Clayton State University, Atlanta, GA
Suryanarayana Challapalli, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Kurt C. Gramoll, Ph.D., Professor, Hughes Professorship, Department of Aerospace and Mech Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
Robert Grant Crawford, Ph.D., Professor, Col (Retd), USA; Former Chair, ME, West Point US Military Academy, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT
Pramod K. Varshney, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Ashok Shantilal Sangani, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Tribhuvan N. Puri, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Finance, University of Masssachusetts, Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA
Bhavani V. Sankar, Ph.D., Professor, Formerly Ebaugh Professor, Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Angappa Gunasekaran, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Decision and Information Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA
Rajeev Arora, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Vaishali Sanchorawala, MD, Professor, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
Vijaybahaskar R. Kandula, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Shobha K. Bhatia, Ph.D., Meredith Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering , Syracuse University , Syracuse, NY
Sanjay Mishra, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN
Diana I. Lurie, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT
Shambhu K. Shastry, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering Technology, Excelsior College, Albany, NY
Madhu Thangavelu, MBS, Professor, Department of Astronautical Engineering, School of Architecture, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Srinivasa T. Reddy, Ph.D., Professor, College of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Arun Jai Prakash, Ph.D., Professor, Former Knight Ridder Research Professor, Department of Finance, COB, Florida International University, Miami, FL
Prasadarao Nemani, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Surendra Mansinghka, Ph.D., Emeritus, Department of Finance, San Franciso State University, San Francisco, CA
Bandaru V. Ramarao, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Bioprocess Engineering, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY
Jagdish Nanchand Sheth, Ph.D, Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing, Department of Marketing, Emory University, Atlanta , GA
Nabendu Pal, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Lafayette, LA
Bina Gupta, Ph.D., Emeritus, Department of Philosophy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Amish Dangodara, MD, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California Irvine, Orange, CA
Alpesh Amin, M.D., M.B.A., Thomas and Mary Endowed Professor of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA
Sharmi Mehta, PhD, Emeritus, Department of Economics, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
Pramod P. Reddy, M.D., Professor, Department of Clinical Surgery and Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Shyam Shukla, Ph.D., Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas
Rajendra Sinha, M.S. , Professor, Department of Business, Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, IA
Alka Shukla, M.S., Professor, Natural Sciences, Houston Community College, Houston, Texas
Mark Zachary Taylor, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Ganti S. Murthy, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Biological and Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Kalpdrum Passi, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Sumit Kumar Jha, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Charles N. Millican, Department of Computer Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Prakash Vedula, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
P. Ravi Sarma, M.D., F.A.C.P., Associate Professor, College of Medicine, Department of Hematology Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Umesh Gidwani, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiology, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
Yogesh Rathi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard University, Boston , MA
Sivappa Rasapalli, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA
Aman Behal, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Shuowei Cai, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA
Navarun Gupta, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Chair, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT
Mukul G. Asher, Ph. D., Professor, Lee Kuam Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Neha Sheetal Shah, M.D., Clinical Instructor, Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Satya Parayitam, Ph.D, Associate Professor, Department of Management and Marketing, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA
Saurabh Jha, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Avinash Thombre, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Speech Communication, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Little Rock, AR
Brian German, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Karen Feigh, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Siva Kumar Panguluri, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Venkataramana Sidhaye, MD, Assistant Professor, College of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Arvind Chandrakantan, M.D., M.B.A., Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Prerak Dinesh Shah, MD, Instructor, Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Andover, MA
Carl Clemens, MS, Software Development, Department of Computer Science, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Vasanthan Raghavan, Ph.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY
Vinay Dayal, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Hemant S. Thatte, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Horabail Venkatagiri, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Kirpal Singh Bisht, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Alok R. Saboo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Raj Kumar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Botulinum Research Centre, Institute of Advanced Sciences, Dartmouth, MA
Sushil Shyam Nifadkar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Satish Nargundkar, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Ritu Lohtia, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Nachiket Bhawe, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Girish Vinayak Chowdhary, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Arun Srinivasan , MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Urology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Christopher Joseph Long, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Dana Weiss, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cherla B. Sastry, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, Department of Forestry, University Of Toronto, Toronto , Ontario, Canada
Bharath Chakravarthy, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
Ashok Rao, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, Department of Advanced Power & Energy Program, Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
Rahul Jain, Ph.D., Associate Professor, K.C. Wahlberg Early Career Chair, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Puneet Gupta , Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering , University of California, Los Angeles , Los Angeles , CA
Suraj Bhat, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Jules Stein Eye Institute/Ophthalmology, University of California, Los Angeles Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
Geetanjali Tiwari, Ph.D., Coordinator, Department of South Asian Studies, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Rajesh Patel, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
VivekShankar Natarajan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Management and Marketing, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX
Neeraj Sood, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Shubha Kumar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
BVK Sastry, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Yoga Samskruth, Yoga-Samskrutham University, Sarasota, FL
Narendra Utukuri, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, DeVry University, Houston, TX
Soma Sahai-Srivastava, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Anand Devaiah, M.D., Associate Professor, Departments of Otolaryngology, Neurosurgery, and Ophthalmology, Boston University, Boston, MA
Shaily Mahendra, Ph.D. , Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Ashok Srinivasan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Edgar W. Leonard, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Area Coordinator, Marketing Faculty, Roberto Goizeuta School of Business, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
George S. Easton, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Information Systems and Operations Management, Emory University, Goizueta Business School, Atlanta, GA
Girish Dhall, M.D., Associate Professor, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Kumar Shah, D.D.S., M.S., F.A.C.P., Associate Professor, Dentistry and Prosthodontics, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Marco Ceccagnoli, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Viral Jain, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedic, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Jay Glaser, M.D., Instructor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Massachussetts, Worcester, MA
Shital N. Parikh, M.D., Associate Professor, Orthopedic Surgery, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Anil Chandramani, MBA, Financial Economist, MAS, Chemicals & Fertilizer, World Bank Group, Washington DC
Laxman Kanduri, M.Sc., M.SC., TAH, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY
Prateek Tripathi, Ph.D., Research Scholar, Department of Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Anjali Hirani, Ph.D., Research Scholar, College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Karthik Mosur Krishnan, Ph.D., Research Scholar, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
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