Indian selected for US award for environment awareness

Dr Shubhalaxmi Vaylure has been selected for the US State Department's International Exchange Alumni Member of the Month for March for her dedication to build greater environmental awareness in India.

Shubhalaxmi first came to the US in 2003 as part of the Fulbright Indo-American Environmental Leadership Programme which took her to the University of Montana to study educational nature centers.

Upon returning from this programme, she drew inspiration from her Fulbright programme as she implemented innovative educational programs at the MumbaiConservationEducationCenter.

Dr Shubhalaxmi went on to study non-profit management at Boston University through the Hubert H Humphrey Programme. This experience enabled her to bring her environmental advocacy to a new level.

Returning from the Humphrey Programme, she developed online courses in natural history and worked in the organisation development sector of the Bombay Natural History Society where she conducted staff training workshops and boosted fundraising and marketing efforts to benefit the Center.

In 2012, Dr Shubhalaxmi and a team of her alumni peers won support from the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund to provide management trainings for professionals from Indian environmental NGOs.

The team has already trained nearly 150 individuals.

The State Department said its Bureau's Alumni Affairs Division, which supports alumni as they build on their exchange experiences, confers this award on an outstanding alumnus or alumna every month.