Mukesh Ambani, Sam Pitroda elected members of US National Academy of Engineering

Reliance Industries chairman and managing director (CMD) Mukesh Ambani and Sam Pitroda were on 8 February 2016 elected to be members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). It is a non-profit organisation based in the United States of America.

Mukesh Ambani was picked for engineering and business leadership in oil refineries, petrochemical products, and related industries while, Pitroda was elected for his efforts in developing rural telecom infrastructure for India.

NAE has elected 80 new members and 22 foreign members which brought the total US membership to 2275 and the number of foreign members to 232. Individuals in the newly elected class will be formally inducted during a ceremony at the NAE’s Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on 9 October 2016.

Only ten members from India were elected to be the members of NAE since its inception. Other Indian members include PC Kapur of IIT-Delhi, scientist RA Mashelkar, Narayana Murthy of Infosys, scientist Roddam Narasimha, Pradip P of TCS, scientist P. Ramarao, chemical engineer MM Sharma and Ratan Tata.

 About National Academy of Engineering (NAE)

• It was founded in 1964.

• It is a private, independent and non-profit organisation that provides engineering leadership with a mission to promote a vibrant engineering profession and giving insights to the US government on related matters.

• Its  membership honours those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature and to the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.

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