The Hindu : National : Asteroid named after girl of Assamese origin

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Asteroid named after girl of Assamese origin

Her microbiology project fetched Nandini Sarma the honour

— Photo: PTI

Nandini Sarma

Guwahati: An asteroid has been named after Nandini Sarma, an 18-year-old girl of Assamese origin, for winning the first place in a science project that advocates garlic as a replacement for synthetic chemical food preservatives.

The asteroid, discovered on November 21, 2000, by the Lincoln Laboratory Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) team in Socorro, U.S., has been named 23228 Nandinisarma.

Ms. Sarma won the first place in the 2007 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for her microbiology project.

LINEAR is a programme of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in collaboration with the U.S. Science Service and with the approval of International Astronomical Association.

Ms. Sarma, an American citizen, has been conducting research to find solutions to common health hazards and her prize-winning research focussed on natural food preservatives.

She has proved that garlic can effectively replace synthetic chemical preservatives.

Ms. Sarma, currently visiting her grandparents at Pathshala in Barpeta district, said she was happy that she has been chosen for the honour. Her father Girish is the chief scientist in a U.S. company. — PTI

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