Last June, Sethuraman Panchanathan (PhD ʼ89 [Engineering]) became the first American of Indian origin to be appointed to the 24-member U.S. National Science Board (NSB) by U.S. President Barack Obama.
The appointment was the culmination of more than 25 years as a true champion of harnessing innovation to improve lives. Panchanathan — or “Panch” as he likes to be known by his friends — embodies the “Engineers Serve the World” mantra.
When he reached the position of full professor at Arizona State University (ASU) in 2001, for example, Panchanathan founded the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC). The centre invents devices and technology to help people with disabilities.
Innovations developed by CUbiC made their mark quickly. In 2004, Panchanathan received the State of Arizona Governor’s Innovator of the Year for Academia Award for CUbiC’s iCARE (Information Technology Centric Assistive and Rehabilitative Environments) for individuals who are blind and visually impaired. The CUbiC team also won various awards at the Microsoft Imagine World Cup.
Clearly, being named to the NSB to advise Barack Obama and Congress, thus playing a key role in shaping science and engineering policy in the United States, is high praise indeed for Panchanathan.
As Obama said when he announced the newly appointed NSB members: “Our nation will be greatly served by the talent and expertise these individuals bring to their new roles. I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this administration, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”
One year into his six-year NSB term, Panchanathan says it has been an incredible experience. He and his fellow NSB members are helping set the tone for the scientific and technological future of the U.S. The group is quite formidable, including among others Robert J. Zimmer (president of the University of Chicago), Vinton G. Cerf (vice president and chief internet evangelist, Google, Inc.) and G.P. “Bud” Peterson (president, Georgia Institute of Technology). It’s safe to say that he is working with an outstanding team.
