A (S)Quad of Good Fellows By PAROMITA PAIN
Three Indian Quad fellows use their STEM education to find innovative solutions for social good.
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an clean energy be made more affordable and universally accessible? How can novice users of artificial intelligence (AI) understand it better? Can medical diagnosis be made more efficient? These are some of the questions three Indian Quad fellows—Teja Venkatesa Perumal, Dhruv Agarwal and Sharicka Zutshi are exploring. They are part of the first cohort of 100 fellows announced in December 2022. Designed to build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists, the Quad Fellowship is an initiative of the governments of the four Quad countries—Australia, India, Japan and the United States. The fellows receive $50,000 in funding, which can be used for tuition, research, books or other related academic expenses. While pursuing their higher studies in the United States, Perumal, Agarwal and Zutshi will participate in the Quad cohort’s networking activities and virtual programming. “The Quad Fellowship not only allows me to fund a part of my graduate school journey,” says Zutshi, “but also allows me to interact with scientists and change-makers from across the Quad countries, which will help me develop as a scientist, innovator, future educator and aspiring entrepreneur.” Agarwal, too, says he will use the benefits of
Courtesy Teja Venkatesa Perumal
The fellowship
Above: The Quad Fellowship is an initiative of the governments of the four Quad countries—Australia, India, Japan and the United States. The first cohort of 100 fellows was announced in December 2022.
https://spanmag.com EDITION 2 2023 41