Which Indian student won the environmental engineering category at the worlds largest pre college science competition in the United States for a project on biodegradation of pesticides?

Introduction / Context:
International pre college science fairs and competitions often feature bright school students who present innovative research projects. One such student from India gained attention for winning the environmental engineering category with a project on biodegradation of pesticides. This question tests your recall of that specific achievement and the name of the student.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The competition is the worlds largest pre college science competition held in the United States.
• The winning project is on biodegradation of pesticides in environmental engineering.
• Four Indian sounding names are given as options.
• Only one matches the widely reported winner.

Concept / Approach:
The name associated in current affairs with this project and award is Prashant Ranganathan. He is often mentioned in exam oriented GK material as the Indian student who made the country proud by winning in the environmental engineering category for work on pesticide biodegradation at a major international science fair.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that the key identifiers are environmental engineering and biodegradation of pesticides. Step 2: Recall any news you may have read about an Indian high school student winning at an international science competition under this theme. Step 3: Connect that memory with the name Prashant Ranganathan, which appears in many competitive exam notes. Step 4: Choose Prashant Ranganathan from the options.

Verification / Alternative check:
If you have access to exam preparation material or recall reading a news summary, you will find Prashant Ranganathan highlighted as the student whose project focused on converting pesticides into less harmful substances using microbial or biodegradation approaches. This strengthens confidence in your answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Shanmuga Sundaram: A plausible Indian name but not associated with this particular competition in common GK material.
• Suresh Kumar: Also a common name but not linked to this specific prize.
• Vijay Ragunathan: Again, there is no widely reported connection with the environmental engineering category win described here.

Common Pitfalls:
Because the names all sound similar and Indian, test takers may guess randomly if they have not followed science related news. To avoid this, it is helpful to create a mental association: P for pesticides and P for Prashant, linking the student's name with the theme of pesticide biodegradation.

Final Answer:
The student who won this environmental engineering award for a project on pesticide biodegradation was Prashant Ranganathan.