Mustafa Turra, a first year student at Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur has been awarded the prestigious Larry K. Wilson Regional Student Activities Award for the Asia-Pacific Region (Region 10) for the year 2002. The Award is conferred by the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers Inc., USA (IEEE).

The award, due to be declared in 2003 was delayed because of the SARS outbreak and was announced recently in Penang, Malaysia after the Region 10 Board Meeting. Turra gets the prestigious IEEE membership for 3 years with the award, in addition to a plaque and a letter of appreciation.

From the nominations received, four delegates were short-listed initially. Apart from one more nomination from India (Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu) there were one nomination each from Pakistan and Singapore.

The Larry K. Wilson Award in the Asia Pacific is handled by the Regional Director or the Regional Student Activities Chair. The award is a recognition of students who are in the forefront furthering the cause of engineering sciences as well as that of IEEE.

IEEE bases the Award on three broad criteria - the student's contribution to the technical body of knowledge, contribution towards IEEE Branches, Chapters and Sections and promotion of IEEE, and personal performance.

Mr. Turra was nominated for the award during his final year of Engineering at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, where he completed his Bachelor of Technology prior to joining XLRI. He was instrumental in revitalising the IEEE Student Branch at JMI with the support of branch counsellor, Prof. Mini S. Thomas, to whom he gives credit for his award. It was during his tenure as the Secretary and then Chairman at IEEE-JMI that he was able to initiate the IEEE-JMI's first ever All India Technical Festival: Encomium, which has now carved a niche for itself in the technical festival map of India.

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