| December 4, 2019 issue | |
Community Connection |
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| Sikhs celebrate Guru Nanak's 550th birthday |
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| Large numbers of devotees took part in the religious rituals to mark the celebrations. |
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Celebrations took place in India and Pakistan to mark the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak - the founder of Sikhism. The anniversary comes just a few days after the historic opening of the Kartarpur corridor, which allows Indians access to one of Sikhism's holiest shrines in Pakistan without having to apply for a visa. Indian Sikhs will now be able to visit with just their passports, but they will not be allowed to stay overnight. Tensions between the neighbours have made it difficult for Indian pilgrims to visit the site in Pakistan in recent years. But an agreement reached last month allows Indians to make the 4km (2.5-mile) crossing to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur - where Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life. On November 12, Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan gathered at Nankana Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak, which is about 80km (50 miles) from the city of Lahore. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the nation on the occasion, saying it was "a day to rededicate ourselves" to Guru Nanak's "dream of a just, inclusive and harmonious society". Devotees from across the world visit the Kartarpur shrine every year to commemorate Guru Nanak's birth. The Golden Temple in Amritsar, in north-western India, is the holiest Gurdwara (where Sikhs worship). On the eve of the anniversary, it was lit up to host processions as Sikh worshippers who took part in the three-day celebration of Guru Nanak's birth anniversary. On the first day of the celebrations, Sikhs read the Sikh holy book - the Guru Granth Sahib - from beginning to end. On the second day, the holy book was paraded through the streets of Amritsar in a hand-held carriage. |
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| China’s highest academic honor for Caribbean scholar Dr. Jamal Deen | |
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| Dr. Jamal Deen, left, Past President of the Academy of Science, The Royal Society of Canada and Dr. Bai Chunli, President of The Chinese Academy of Sciences at CAS Headquarters in Beijing. | |
By Adit Kumar Indo-Caribbean and Guyanese-born Scholar, Dr. Jamal Deen, was just elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Academician echelon, China’s highest academic title. Being elected an Academician of the CAS is the “highest national honor in the area of science and technology.” China Daily reported that the CAS “has added 64 Chinese nationals and 20 foreign experts, including three Nobel laureates, to the group of academicians it has awarded the nation's highest academic title. Scientists are awarded the lifelong honor once every two years.” Foreign Academicians are “internationally recognized scientists who have made distinguished contributions to supporting science and technology in China.” Dr. Deen becomes the second Canadian and first Caribbean national to be elected Academician of the CAS. When contacted, Dr. Deen stated that he was truly humbled and deeply grateful to receive such a prestigious and high honor. He said he is sincerely thankful to his nominator and respected professional colleague, Academician Dr Hao Yue. He further stated that this high honor is also a recognition of the exceptional achievements of numerous students, researchers and collaborators he was fortunate to work with in his career, his remarkable education and groundings in Guyana, and the continued and unwavering support of his family. Dr. Jamal Deen is a Distinguished University Professor (highest rank of a Professor in a Canadian University), Senior Canada Research Chair in Information Technology, and Director of the unique Micro- and Nano-Systems Laboratory, McMaster University. He received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering and applied physics from Case Western Reserve University, USA. His dissertation was on the design and modeling of a new CARS spectrometer for dynamic temperature measurements and combustion optimization in rocket and jet engines, and was sponsored and used by NASA, Cleveland, USA. As an undergraduate student at the University of Guyana, Dr Deen was the top ranked mathematics and physics student and the second ranked student at the university, winning the Chancellor’s gold medal and the Irving Adler prize. As a graduate student, he was a Fulbright-Laspau Scholar and an American Vacuum Society Scholar. He is a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Electron Devices Society for more than a decade and a half now. His awards and honours include the Callinan Award as well as the Electronics and Photonics Award from the Electrochemical Society; a Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; the Eadie Medal from the Royal Society of Canada; the McNaughton Gold Medal (highest award for engineers), the Fessenden Medal and the Ham Education Medal, all from IEEE Canada. In addition, he was awarded four honorary doctorate degrees in recognition of his exceptional research and scholarly accomplishments, exemplary professionalism and valued service. Dr. Deen is elected by his peers to the highest status, that of Fellow, in ten national academies and professional societies including The Royal Society of Canada, The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences (the highest honour for academics, scholars and artists in Canada), Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (largest professional society in the world), American Physical Society and Electrochemical Society. Most recently, he was appointed to the Order of Canada, the highest civilian honor in Canada from the National Government. He served as the elected President of the Academy of Science, The Royal Society of Canada from 2015 to 2017. As a scholar, Dr. Deen has made exceptional research contributions in engineering science and technology. His research record includes more than 600 peer-reviewed articles, two textbooks on “Silicon Photonics - Fundamentals and Devices” and ”Fiber Optic Communications: Fundamentals and Applications” and more than 20 best paper/poster/presentation awards. Over his career, he has won more than seventy-five awards and honors. One example of his world-class research is the development of accurate, physics-based and engineering models and parameter extraction algorithms for signal sensitivity in modern information technology components that are incorporated into popular simulators and are also used by many industries worldwide. These models and parameter extraction algorithms have allowed for the optimized design of advanced, high-performance integrated electronic circuits with predictable high sensitivity performance at first fabrication attempt, thus realizing significant time and cost savings by industry. As a second example, he has developed robust, calibrated, and powerful physics-based algorithms and models to study and enhance the performance of ultra-high speed optical detectors and the successful design of the ten Gigabits per second optical detector used by his industrial collaborator in fiber optic communications systems globally. As an innovator, he co-invented the solid-state microscope and a new semiconductor device and its use in modulation and automatic gain control circuits which are all owned and successfully exploited by industries. Academician Dr Hao Yue, Vice-President, Xi'Dian University, the principal nominator and professional colleague of Dr. Deen stated: "I was delighted to be the principal nominator of Dr. Jamal Deen, whom I have known for almost a decade now. He is truly a remarkable researcher, a valued professional colleague and a strong supporter of and contributor to the high-level research initiatives at Xi'Dian University, Xi’an, China. His contributions to the education and mentoring of Chinese researchers have had a lasting impact. In his research work, a major driving force is his combination of theory with practice, with theory paving the way for experimental work and with experiments identifying the limitations of theory and how to mitigate them with more work. He anchors innovative, important contributions in nano-/opto-electronic devices and systems in fundamentals of science by combining science-based and engineering theory with clever experiments. His research productivity and impact in these fields have been truly exceptional, not only for its originality and rigor, but also for its blend of theory and practice. In addition, and very importantly, he has focused on solving longstanding research problems in his fields in engineering science that are of high practical interest. Finally, on a personal level, he is well known for his humility, kindness and integrity – qualities we all aspire to practice consistently." Indo-Caribbean World has carried several articles on the awards and honors bestowed on Dr. Jamal Deen. He is truly a superb role model as an academic and scholar, one who has risen from very humble beginnings in Guyana, to the top of his profession. It is remarkable how he devotes part of his time for collaborations which enormously benefit students and researchers not only in China, but elsewhere. We are once more proud to extend our sincere congratulations to Dr. Jamal Deen for this tremendous honor. You do us proud! |
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| WORLD INDIAN DIASPORA CONFERENCE 2020 Celebration of the Formal Abolition of Indian Indentureship (1920) |
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CALL FOR PAPERS The National Council of Indian Culture (Trinidad and Tobago) in collaboration with UNESCO Indentured Labour Route Project and the Department of History, UWI, St. Augustine invite you to submit papers for a conference in commemoration of the formal abolition of the Indian Indentureship system (1920), to be held in Trinidad, from May 29 to June 01, 2020. OBJECTIVES TOPICS The topics of the conference theme and areas of discussions listed are not conclusive. Additional ideas may be added as long as they relate to the theme of the conference. 1. Historical Perspectives - historical experiences that have shaped the Indian character since the end of indentureship. YOUTH PRESENTATIONS FULL PAPER SUBMISSION – 15 MARCH 2020 There is no registration fee for paper presenters for the conference. Presenters would be expected to fund their own travel and local accommodation to the conference. Arrangements are being made for discounted rates at hotels for presenters and delegates. A general cost is as follows: |
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