28 AMU students selected for Sir Syed Global Scholar Award
Aligarh : Twenty-eight Aligarh Muslim University students from various departments of studies have been selected for prestigious Sir Syed Global Scholar Award (SSGSA) for the academic session 2021-22, which is given by a US-based non-profit entity, Sir Syed Education Society of North America (SSESNA).
The selected SSGSA scholars are Aafiya (Physics), Ayush Agrawal (Mechanical Engineering), Sehrish Akhtar (Physics), Danish Alam (Physics), Ayesha Nasir Alavi (Law), Mohammad Anas (Computer Engineering), Bushra Ansari (Biochemistry), Mohd Mushfique Javed Ansari (Architecture), Samina Irshad Ansari (Psychology), Heena Aslam (Electrical Engineering), Mohd Abdul Baseer (Physics), Mohammad Fahad (Electrical Engineering), Aqib Faraz (Commerce), Ifrah Farid (Biochemistry), Harshul Gupta (Physics), Arsalan Hameed (Computer Engineering), Saman Jafri (Biotechnology), Faisal Jamal (Biochemistry), Faraha Javed (Medicine), Shahrukh Khan (Electrical Engineering), Tayyibah Khanam (Electrical Engineering), Yusra Meraj (Electronics Engineering), Madiha Noman (English), Kunwar Muhammed Saaim (Computer Engineering), Saba Sarwar (Computer Science), Md Showgat Jahan Shourave (Economics), Mohd Talha (Physics) and Amber Tanweer (Law).
Mr Salman Bin Kashif (Chair, SSGSA Programme and a past beneficiary of the programme) said, “The quality of applications continues to improve each year. In the coming years, it will serve the students well if they go the extra mile in building their overall profiles through projects and internships while being diligent in learning the fundamental concepts of their respective subjects. We will continue to strive for expanding our programme”.
He said a record number of applications were received from the Faculties of Arts, Commerce, Humanities, Science, Medicine, Life Sciences and Engineering and Technology. Experts from each discipline evaluated the applications independently and the shortlisted students were invited for an online interview as a part of a rigorous selection process, he added.
Mr Kashif said that several faculty members from prestigious universities in the US, who were on the interview panels this year included Dr Farhan Ahmad (Honeywell International Inc), Prof Abrar Alam (Arkansas State University), Prof Nawab Ali (University of Arkansas), Prof Asim Ansari (Columbia University), Dr Ruchi Dana (Dana Corporation), Dr Shabih Hasan (Delos), Prof Syed Hashsham (Michigan State University), Prof Shakir Husain (Youngstown State University), Dr Afzal Hussain (Aligarh Muslim University), Prof Asad Ullah Khan (Aligarh Muslim University), Dr Sayeed Mohammad (Fractionation Research Inc), Dr Ahsan Munir (Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc), Prof Sultana Nahar (Ohio State University), Prof Bushra Sabri (Johns Hopkins University), Prof Yasmin Saikia (Arizona State University) and Prof Samina Salim (University of Houston).
Mr Kashif informed that the final merit list was compiled by taking into account various evaluation criteria like the CGPA, projects, internships and extracurricular activities. All the selected SSGSA scholars will be provided personalized mentorship, financial aid for the required standardized tests (GRE/GMAT, TOEFL/IELTS), and university application fees for up to five universities. The applicants who could not make it to the final list will be offered mentorship and guidance by the organization so that they can also continue with their academic goals.
The SSGSA core team, consisting of the present Chair, Mr Salman Bin Kashif (Clemson, South Carolina, USA), founding members Mr Syed Ali Rizvi (Boston, Massachusetts, USA), Dr Saif Sheikh (Chicago, Illinois, USA), Dr Rehan Baqri (Boston, Massachusetts, USA), Dr Shaida Andrabi (Srinagar, Kashmir, India), and former chairs Dr Mohsin Khan (Providence, Rhode Island, USA), Mr Ali Muzaffar (Atlanta, Georgia, USA), and Dr Wasikul Islam (Geneva, Switzerland), expressed gratitude to Prof Asad U Khan, Prof M M Sufyan Beg and Mr Omar Peerzada for their help to SSGSA activities on campus.
The SSGSA core team also thanked advisory board members, application reviewers, interviewers, mentors, volunteers, donors and well-wishers for their continuous support.
Mr Kashif said that the list of more than 120 past SSGSA scholars is available on the SSGSA website: www.ssgsa.us. Many of the SSGSA alumni have successfully graduated with Masters and PhD degrees and are professionally placed across the globe, and some of them are currently volunteering for the SSGSA programme.