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www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 9 CITY VIEWS April 3, 2026 American Association For The Advancement Of Science’s 2025 Fellows Include Many Of Indian Origin I n March 2026, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the world’s larg- est general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals, announced the 2025 class of AAAS Honorary Fellows. This latest class includes 449 scientists, engineers and innovators across 24 AAAS disciplinary Sections. At least 29 of the 2025 Fellows are of Indian origin. Election as a Fellow honors members “whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its appli- cations in service to society have distinguished them among their peers and colleagues,” a press release from AAAS said. “This year’s AAAS Fellows have demonstrated research excellence, made notable contributions to advance sci- ence, and delivered important services to their commu- nities,” said AAAS Chief Executive Officer Sudip S. Parikh, said. Parikh is also executive publisher of the Science family of journals. “These Fellows and their accomplish- ments validate the importance of investing in science and technology for the benefit of all.” AAAS began honoring Fellows with this lifetime recog- nition in 1874, about 25 years after the association was founded. Presented by section affiliation below, those of Indian origin are: Section on Agriculture, Food & Renewable Resources Om Parkash Dhankher, University of Massachusetts Amherst Upendra Man Sainju, USDA-ARS, Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory Section on Astronomy Meenakshi Wadhwa, University of California San Diego Section on Biological Sciences Ram Dixit, Washington University in St. Louis Roman Reddy Ganta, University of Missouri Geeta Jayant Narlikar, University of California, San Francisco Pankaj Kumar Singh, University of Oklahoma Health Campus Section on Chemistry Partha Basu, Indiana University Indianapolis Dhandapani Venkataraman, University of Massachu- setts Amherst Section on Education Pratibha Varma-Nelson, Indiana University Indianapo- lis Section on Engineering Tejal Ashwin Desai, Brown University School of Engi- neering Srinath V. Ekkad, North Carolina State University Rajat Mittal, Johns Hopkins University Arvind Raman, Purdue University Section on Geology & Geography Dev dutta S. Niyogi, University of Texas at Austin Section on Industrial Science & Technology Danda B. Rawat, Howard University Section on Information, Computing & Communica- tion Anupam Joshi, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Section on Medical Sciences Neel R. Gandhi, Emory University Anirban Maitra, NewYork University Grossman School of Medicine K MVenkat Narayan, Emory University Chirag R. Parikh, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Niketa A. Patel, University of South Florida / James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital Suresh S. Ramalingam, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University Ravi Thadhani, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center / Emory University Section on Neuroscience Sandeep Robert Datta, Harvard Medical School Section on Physics Vinod M. Menon, The City College of NewYork, City University of NewYork Section on Social, Economic & Political Sciences Madhu Khanna, University of Illinois Urbana-Cham- paign Section on Societal Impacts of Science & Engineering Erwin P. Gianchandani, National Science Foundation Usha Menon, University of South Florida The new Fellows will receive a certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin (representing science and engineer- ing, respectively) to commemorate their election and will be celebrated at a forum inWashington, D.C. on May 29, 2026. The 2025 Fellows class will also be featured in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science in April 2026, the press release said. By a StaffWriter AAAS congratulates 2025 Fellows. PHOTO:AAAS.ORG NY Comptroller Candidate Raj Goyle Arrested Protesting With Climate Activists In Albany I ndian American candidate for NY State Comptroller Raj Goyle was ar- rested March 25, 2026, afternoon by NewYork State Troopers outside the Attorney General’s Office in Albany. He was among more than a dozen climate advocates protesting Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposal to what they consider a “roll back” of key provisions of the NewYork climate law. “I was just arrested in Albany. We can’t afford to dismantle our state cli- mate law. The time to act is now. Thank you for standing in solidarity,” Goyle posted on X. Goyle was handcuffed inside the State Capitol after joining demonstra- tors calling on state leaders to uphold the Climate Leadership and Commu- nity Protection Act and reject proposed changes that some activists say would delay enforcement and weaken the state’s climate commitments. “The people of NewYork fought hard for this law, and we’re not going to let it be quietly dismantled to protect corpo- rate profits,” Goyle is quoted saying in a press release. “This is about whether the government works for people or for the industries that have delayed action for decades.” Goyle claimed he is the only can- didate to pledge to divest from fossil fuels from day one, while also serving as a watchdog for utility rates and the expansion of data centers. “At a time when families are strug- gling with rising costs, the answer isn’t to weaken our climate law. It’s to take on the root of the problem, fight for climate justice, lower energy costs, and invest in a future that actually works for working people.” The Climate Leadership and Com- munity Protection Act, passed in 2019, set some of the most ambitious emis- sions reduction targets in the country. Goyle joined a coalition of organiza- tions including Renewable Heat Now, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Bedford 2030, NY Communities for Change, NYPIRG at CCNY, NYC-DSA, Popular Democracy for Climate, Extinc- tion Rebellion NYC, Climate Defiance, Food &WaterWatch, Third Act, and Rise and Resist NY. Goyle is the founder of Phone Free NewYork and the former board chair of the 5BORO Institute, a public policy think tank in NewYork City. A former Kansas State lawmaker, Goyle has worked as a civil rights lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union and was CEO and co-founder of Bodhala, a technology company which was acquired in 2021. By a StaffWriter PHOTO :@INDIAATUN,NYVIDEO GRAB Raj Goyle arrested at protest in Albany. NATIONAL AFFAIRS