The idea of a doctor being called on to help a random passenger in midair seems like the plot of a television show, but such a scenario actually happened to Puneeth Kumar Bolugallu Padmayya. On Oct. 24, 2023, he boarded a flight to Bangalore to visit his mother in his home country of India. With the flight several hours from its destination, the flight attendants called for a doctor. A passenger had become ill and needed medical attention. Bolugallu Padmayya identified himself as a doctor and went to help the passenger. He realized that the man was having a heart attack.
“I took care of him for about three to four hours … consoling him as well as giving the proper medications required for him,” Bolugallu Padmayya told the Mississippi Free Press on April 29.
After his visit home, he returned to Mississippi to complete his innovative research in forensic science. The return flight was uneventful.
The airline recognized Bolugallu Padmayya for his act, giving him a postcard and an airline voucher. It was one of many recognitions he has received this year.
On April 5, Bolugallu Padmayya recently won the graduate poster award at the ninth-annual Louisiana State University Shreveport Regional Student Scholars Forum. The university hosts the annual scholars’ forum for students to showcase their original research. More than 100 undergraduate and graduate students from universities in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Arkansas presented on topics such as biology, chemistry, psychology, sociology, medical research, literature and history.
The project “Optimizing Forensic Workflows: Crime Scene Documentation with Image Stitching Software” combines Bolugallu Padmayya’s background in forensic science and interest in information technology. The software creates a comprehensive representation of crime scenes combining images, documentation, and audio and video recordings from investigators. Bolugallu Padmayya said the program forces collaboration among forensic teams, law-enforcement agencies and legal entities.
“What usually happens is whenever (forensic experts) collect the evidence, they collect photos, videos and take notes. All those will be in bits and pieces,” Bolugallu Padmayya told the Mississippi Free Press on April 29. “The judge has to listen to everything and then correlate what has exactly happened. But here, he does not have to do that because everything is available at that point of time. Whenever he wants to listen to something that has happened at that crime scene or in that station, he can just click one button, and it will tell what has happened.”
Bolugallu Padmayya got the idea for the program through his personal experience. He has a background in forensic science and holds a bachelor’s degree in medicine from Father Muller Medical College in Mangaluru, India. He also holds a doctorate in forensic science from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute in Bengaluru, India. He has worked as an associate professor of forensic medicine and a forensic pathologist.
“By giving a deposition, I’m going as an expert witness to the court where if we can’t do or if we don’t do our job properly or don’t collect the evidence properly,” Bolugallu Padmayya. “They will not get the final justice because of our work.”
The program uses artificial intelligence to help with the crime-scene construction.
“The use of artificial intelligence in medical research is a very advanced topic,” Alcorn Math and Computer Science Department Chairperson Ping Zhang said. “We offer some artificial intelligence and machine learning courses. He took those courses and then applied advanced technology into the research.”
Zhang praised Bolugallu Padmayya as one of the most talented students he has seen during his time in the program.
“He is a talented student,” Zhang told the Mississippi Free Press on May 2. “He is academically excellent. He has a perfect GPA. In my 17 years, he ranks as my top student in terms of research.”
Bolugallu Padmayya learned about Alcorn State University through his brothers, Jathin and Manoj, who completed master’s degrees in computer and information science at the university. He said the program contains faculty who are experts in their respective fields and students gain mentorship, and opportunities for research or projects.
“Alcorn State University has a strong reputation for its Computer and Information Science Program,” Bolugallu Padmayya told the Mississippi Free Press in a prepared statement on April 29. “This is based on factors such as faculty expertise, curriculum quality, and industry connections including courses like database systems and AI.”
Bolugallu Padmayya also earned first place in the Computer Science Division for Research oral presentation category at the 88th Mississippi Academy of Sciences meeting in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Feb. 29 and March 1. The Mississippi IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence sponsored a specialized symposium that recognized him as part of the top 10% of scholars among 238 graduate student researchers. He has numerous IT certifications, is fluent in three programming languages, and is experienced in several databases and platforms.
Bolugallu Padmayya graduated on May 11, 2024, with a Master of Science in computer and information science. He wants to use his knowledge and expertise in both fields to become a consultant, researcher or expert in the forensic field.