Two Bangladeshis honoured as tech-laureates in Silicon Valley

Two Bangladeshi development activists, Iftekhar Enayetullah and Abu Hasnat Mohammad Maqsood Sinha, have received prestigious “Tech museum awards 2003,” in recognition of their successes in evolving technology in emerging countries.

Enayetullah and Maqsood have been selected as tech-laureates of the Intel Environment Awards, one of the major components of the “Tech Museum” in recognition for the model of recycling wastes into fertilizer and creating new jobs, sources at the Waste Concern told BSS in the city on Monday.

The development activists who are the first Bangladeshis to receive the honour had also got UN decoration “Race against poverty” last year. UN secretary general Kofi Annan presented the award October last year for their efforts to improve life standard of hundreds and the environment of the country.

The pair received the Tech Museum's Award on October 15 last at a black tie gala function at California where Silicon Valley leaders and delegates from United Nations joined together to honour the laureates.

Twenty other tech-laureates also received the award in partnership with the American Council for the United Nations University and Santa Clara University's Center for Science, Technology and Society.

This year, a panel of judges considered more than 500 nominations, representing 70 countries and declared 25 laureates as winners of the awards from Bangladesh, Canada, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nicaragua, Nepal and the United states.
--BSS