An asteroid called Natasha

"Usually asteroids are named after gods and goddesses, kings and queens, astronomers, famous musicians, scientists. When researching on asteroids, to my surprise I came across a Zoroastrian name: Natasha Rustom Irani. Asteroid number 18987 is named after her. But who is she?” a bemused friend and subscriber wrote to Parsiana.

What we discovered gives pause to all of us middle-aged, mediocre Zoroastrians who go tut-tut about the declining standards in the community.

In response to our e-mail queries we learned that the daughter of Sarvar and Rustom Demehri of Florida received the honor a couple of years ago for her accomplishment at the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair.

"I had developed a new type of computer system that runs off ternary computing rather than binary, which would increase the speed and power of technology,” she writes. "I was awarded first place at the Regional and State Science Fair, and proceeded to be awarded fourth place at the International Fair.” She was also rewarded with a $ 500 scholarship from INTEL, $ 500 from Schlumberger Inc, $ 1,000 and a publication from the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA), $ 400 from the Orlando Science Center, $ 3,000 from the Air Force, and a full tuition scholarship worth $ 73,000 from Drexel University.

As for the asteroid, "the tradition of naming asteroids was started two centuries ago, naming most after Greek Gods and mythological beings. As years passed, Shakespeare, John Lennon, Charles Darwin and Einstein accompanied some of the cultural and scientific icons whom several asteroids were named after. Today the recognition is given to outstanding members of society who have shown great dedication and passion in any area. From students such as myself, to scientists and royalty, the tradition of naming asteroids has been renowned for years,” she notes matter-of-factly. The family changed its last name from "Irani” to "Demehri” this year, so the asteroid is still under "Natasha Irani,” she notes.

Currently an undergraduate student at the University of Florida (UF) hoping to attend medical school in 2008, Demehri has continued with her research in college, but has switched to the field of science and medicine and is now working at the McKnight Brain Institute on the effects of such drugs as ecstasy and methamphetamine on heart and liver toxicity.

These are not the achievements she glories in, however. Nurtured in a strong family ethos of giving, "My largest accomplishment thus far was starting a non-profit organization called Heal the World at UF two years ago,” she notes. "Through (it) I have organized several international medical relief trips and service trips to Costa Rica, India, Mexico, Ecuador and Jamaica. We have also raised over $ 10,000 for the American Cancer Society and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and served thousands of hours of community service in our local community. We were awarded UF’s Most Outstanding Student Organization of the Year award for the past two years, as well as the Work of Heart Award for our dedication to service,” she notes happily.

Family values: Farokh, Rustom, Sarvar and Natasha Demehri

While the University of Florida has acknowledged her social involvement with the presentation of the Student Volunteer of the Year Award, Demehri hopes that she can continue to dedicate her time to serving others after attending medical school. "My parents have always taught me that to give is better than to receive,” she notes, quoting the proverb, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

Ironically, Natasha ascribes her idealism to her frequent long trips to Bombay with her mother. "Knowing the true Zoroastrian culture from Bombay has allowed my brother and (me) to keep our faith strong in America,” she notes. Her passion for medicine and global health received greater impetus on a medical relief trip to Surat with elder brother Farokh in 2005. A graduate from Duke University, he is currently in medical school at the University of Florida. "From biking across America to starting a fundraising project called AIDS-Climb to raise money for AIDS victims in Africa, he has shown me that as long as I have a true passion and desire to do something, I can do it! This motivated me to found Heal the World a year and a half ago,” Natasha writes about her role model.

Father Rustom Khodadad Irani, graduated as an electrical engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay, leaving the old country to work for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Twenty years ago he and his wife Sarvar (née Foolad Demehri), started United Security and Communications, a local company in central Florida.

When she is "not busy,” Natasha plays tennis. But excellence seems to be her way of life. She is a state-ranked player for the United States Tennis Association, has played several tournaments during high school and currently plays with the club team at UF. If not playing tennis or working with Heal the World, she says she spends "a great deal of time volunteering at Camp Boggy Creek, a camp for children with terminal illnesses such as cancer, epilepsy and sickle cell anemia.” In fact that’s where she spent her summer vacation while Parsiana awaited her response to its questions!